Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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16 answers

Is there a significant benefit to using plastic window insulation year round?

In order to help save more money and funnel more of those savings to debts, I'm looking for more ways to save money. I've heard that puting plastic window insulation over single-pane windows typically found in older houses can reduce utility bills…
jmort253
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7 answers

What tool should I use to remove this screw in my miter saw motor housing?

I have a miter saw from the company "Elektra Beckum", which went out of business several years ago. The saw worked flawlessly until my house got flooded last summer. Now I had the time to clean it. The saw runs again, but it is very loud. I want to…
steloe
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How can I remove 16GA finish nails from hardwood boards (to reuse the boards)?

I temporarily nailed decorative 1x4 poplar boards on the ceiling of our foyer after ripping out part of the plaster between floor joists when doing a bathroom remodel above it. I put the boards up because there was a question in my mind about how to…
mr blint
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What is this electrical box next to the switchboard?

Black wire is coming from a hole to the brick wall so possibly outside. It looks like it’s falling apart and attached beside the main circuit breaker panel for the house. No idea what it is.
rausted
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13 answers

Ethernet bus topology for home automation?

Typically, Ethernet uses a star topology. Which means that if you were to use a protocol based on TCP/IP —like MQTT— for wired devices, you would end up with a (number of) central node(s) and one cable for each device. That's a lot of cable. I was…
Naoise Golden
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5 answers

Why are there occasionally sparks in my old breaker panel?

Anyone notice any wiring issues here? I know the housing wires are old. This Main panel runs from the meter. I have noticed occasional sparking here where the blue dots are. It causes the house to drain power or flicker lights, but never trips a…
Larry D
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2 answers

I’m trying to make a 220V power cord

My plasma cutter has a 3 prong 220V power cord. I want to make an extension cable that I can plug into my dryer's 4 prong 220V outlet. I have a 3 prong receptacle to put on the other end of my cord for the cutter. I have 3 conductor wire - two…
Matt T.
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4 answers

How do I plumb a door that has spring-hinges?

I moved into a new home recently, and the front door is out of plumb, causing it to rub on the frame. I found this tutorial on adjusting hinges to plumb a door. Tip #1 is to tighten the screws - they're all tight. Tip #2 is to drive longer screws…
Jack
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7 answers

How to make electrical wires safe for plasterer after removing wall lights?

I have a plasterer coming to re-skim my walls in a few weeks and he’s asked me to remove the wall lights and “tape” up the wires. I can remove the wall lights ok, but just wanted to make sure the wires were safe. Obviously the electrics will be off…
User1
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4 answers

I turned a breaker off, and now the security alarm system won’t stop beeping

I turned off a breaker for about an hour. I then heard a low beeping noise, not the full-blown alarm siren. I turned the breaker back on, but the beeping persisted. We called the alarm company. They told us the police were never notified and that we…
YesterdaysTools
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15 answers

How to drain a toilet bowl?

I want to clean a stained porcelain toilet bowl. It feels like a small crusty coral reef right at the bottom in the water, visible to anyone looking down. I suspect its like calcium/lime but this is not normally a problem in our area. Plain…
Criggie
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1 answer

What happens when you test a smoke detector?

When you press the test button on a smoke detector it obviously beeps, but I'm assuming it doesn't just test the speaker. So, how does the test work? I can't see a practical way to release smoke within the alarm itself, so does it use some other…
DarkLightA
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4 answers

Is a 4x6x16 swing set beam capable of carrying five swinging children?

My husband just built our kids a large swing set in the back yard. We have 5 little kids (8 years to newborn). We have lots of kids over to play as well. The original plans called for a 12’ beam and 3 swings, but we wanted to fit 4. However, my…
user148908
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2 answers

What is the best way to permanently abondon an unused cable?

I am doing a remodel on my rental. One of the things being done is replacing electric baseboard heat with a mini-split system. So that involves removing the baseboards and capping the wires. If I disconnect the wires in the breaker panel mark and…
George Anderson
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2 answers

Mystery telephone wiring device in old house

This mystery thing is mounted to a ceiling joist in the basement of a 1940s house. I have a couple of questions: What is it? Is there any reason I couldn't rip it out and run new Cat 5e's from the NID to the wall jacks, just for the sake of…
alexantd
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