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1500 questions
12
votes
3 answers
Can I vent my bathroom exhaust fan into a plumbing drain vent?
I installed a bathroom fan in the ceiling. My bathroom is in the room right next to the laundry room. The washing machine has the standard drain pipe vent of a pvc pipe venting to the outside through the roof. To avoid cutting another hole in the…
cmccall
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12
votes
6 answers
Using 336V HVDC at home
I have a 336VDC source and have been connecting it to an AC extension lead (UK, 3 Pin Sockets) and then connecting various AC devices (which have no DC input specifications on them where the power requirements are listed) such as TV's, phone…
Brandon Kellett
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12
votes
5 answers
How do I determine which wax ring to use under my toilet?
Other questions almost answer this question.
What is the purpose of the flange on the wax ring? I can purchase a ring with or without the flange.
How do I know whether to get the standard ring or the thick ring? I really don't like the idea of trial…
Les
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12
votes
4 answers
How can you repair split wood that cannot be moved?
My goal is to install a new set of blinds in an existing window. It looks like a former owner tried to do the same thing and split the wood on the side of the window casing. Unfortunately the location of the split is exactly where I need to screw…
Ben S
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12
votes
2 answers
Can I leave excess wire to allow for future use?
If I'm running wire through the crawl space for say a light switch in a wall above, but I plan on moving said wall 8 feet further away in a couple years is it legal/advisable to leave extra wire coiled as shown in the picture to have it ready to go…
Trevor
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12
votes
3 answers
What is the purpose of flanged plugs?
What is the purpose of putting a flange on a plug like this (from yard equipment)? Help me understand.
It’s not like it’s waterproof.
It seems to me it only serves to keep you from plugging it into a cord with a built in splitter. And even with a…
BIBD
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12
votes
2 answers
Stains in grout
For a tiling job, I used this charcoal grout:
After a few days, as indicated by the instructions, I applied this sealer:
A few minutes after applying the sealant, these white stains appeared randomly in the grout:
It's been a few days and the…
Martin Argerami
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12
votes
2 answers
Old subpanel has dual 60A breaker feeding lighting
We've inherited an old house, and the original panel for the house seems to be a subpanel to the new service panel that primarily has electric baseboard heating, and two 20A circuits of receptacles in the kitchen. In trying to figure out how things…
Dave X
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12
votes
3 answers
Screw with mixed threads?
I changed a deadbolt lock on my front door, and in the pile of old parts, there was a weird screw with 8-32 threads near the head and wood threads at the end. I'm just curious:
what is the name for this type of screw?
what is it used for?
thanks
FJZ
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12
votes
3 answers
Electricity coming from panel is not right
After a recent power outage i have serious power issues in my garage. With no load, i get solid 123vac from both channels in the box and a solid 240vac across both legs. As soon as i apply a load one channel drops to approx 100vac and the other…
wsnbh
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12
votes
3 answers
Is it safe to use the ground as a neutral when other grounds are available?
I moved into a new house and was working on making a three way switch work properly when I came across some creative wiring. The traveling wire between the switches was only two wires, and the ground from it had been electric taped over and used as…
yesennes
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12
votes
1 answer
Why would porch paint say "do not prime horizontal surfaces"?
A can of floor and porch paint says "do not prime horizontal surfaces".
The obvious question is, how are horizontal surfaces different from vertical surfaces?
But my real question is, what are the consequences if someone does prime the wood decking…
Ray Butterworth
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12
votes
1 answer
What is this piece of hardware?
My wife wants to know. Her sister has a giant bag of them. She thought I would know, but I don’t.
The outside diameter of the finely threaded side is 27mm.
kmort
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12
votes
7 answers
Can an ethernet cable look OK to a cheap cable tester but still have a problem?
My home office is at the end of a 15-20m ethernet cable that a friend ran 15 years ago, and it recently stopped working. I tested it with a cheap continuity tester, hoping to discover a fault near one end, or that there were still 4 good conductors…
Robin Bennett
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12
votes
2 answers
Plumber drilled through exterior 2x4s - that's bad, right?
I'm doing a bathroom remodel and adding a utility sink for my wife's art studio on the floor above. When we talked over the plan, I decided to go with the 2" drain they said I should use, but I had wanted to send it through an interior wall.…
hepcat72
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