Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
12
votes
8 answers

Should plywood be missing on my roof?

I live in Canada and I just had my roof done on my house. I recently went in my attic and found out that some part of the roof is missing plywood :( In the following picture, there is no nails visible. Which means the shingles behind are not…
Joseph Passineau
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Is there any legitimate reason you would NOT connect the ground wire on a circuit?

I've been doing some remodeling on my house and had the need to move some electrical outlets. While doing so, I noticed that the ground wire wasn't hooked up on any of the outlets in the circuit (through a bathroom, no less). It was three wire…
JohnFx
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8 answers

Easy way of generating a 50-150W load @12V

I need to test a battery for its remaining capacity and to do that, I need to generate a constant load to be able to measure how long it can sustain that load. I tried using a 330W load (290W shoe heater + 85%-ish efficient inverter), but I found…
oligofren
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7 answers

Garage door sticks on a bolt

My garage door sticks on the way down, apparently when the bottom roller meets a bolt in the track (see photo). A shot of garage door lube on the bolt head helps it close for the first couple of times. After that I need to give it a little tug. I…
Gordon Rothman
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12
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2 answers

How can this older-style irrigation tee be replaced?

This reducer tee had a right-angle piece break off inside of it for a feeder line. I tried cutting the black broken piece inside of the reducer section without success. I'm used to schedule-40 PVC, not the black line shown in the picture. Is it…
user3.1415927
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5 answers

Is this plastic pipe connecting city water to the main line dangerous?

I bought a whole house water filter to hook up to the main water line. The plumber who came in said that he won't be able to install it because the pipe that comes from the ground hooked up to the copper pipe is plastic. He says that this plastic…
coder net
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3 answers

Wiring IKEA light fixture into old fixture

I am installing a simple IKEA ceiling light fixture. The new light fixture has a neutral wire, a live wire, and a ground wire. My current old light fixture has 4 wires: white, red, dark blue or black, and copper wire. And here is how it is…
user104190
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3 answers

Snaking a clogged tub drain

My tub was draining slowly, so I removed the drain cover stopper and reached down into the drain with needle-nose pliers and extracted a disgusting wad of hair and soap residue, as I have done several times before. However, this time it didn't solve…
John Gordon
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1 answer

How to make this electrical main safe

An older home has a strung electrical main. The main connects with exposed lugs on the roof above the deck. Not only is the height and location unsafe, while working on the roof today I noticed that the insulation on the main electrical lines is…
Matthew
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3 answers

What are these (utility?) boxes at the side of the house?

What are the four boxes in the picture below for? The fat pipe to the left goes up to the electricity meter. I've also included pictures of the two labels I could find. Also, why is there a green plastic rope coming out of the first box? I found the…
Jet Blue
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4 answers

Is it safe to remove/trim jack studs to make a door opening wider?

We purchased a very expensive (at least for us 5,000+) entry door pair as replacement for an existing single door and sidelights. Today when the door contractor came to install the doors the opening was too small by 3/4 of an inch (the door…
Krjchapel
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12
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4 answers

Do I need a vent for extending a drain to a new bathroom addition?

I am building a new full bathroom on what used to be my back porch. I am planning to extend the existing drain at a cleanout and to run it outside the house underneath the floor. I need to know if I need to add a new vent to the extension, or if I…
mogrify
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6 answers

How can I insulate my attic on a tight budget?

My attic is running 135Fahrenheit (55 Celsius) and more right now. And that's before it even gets to the hottest part of the day! The A/C guy said the A/C's are working perfectly. But he tested the ceiling, and it is a completely different…
LuxeGypsie
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2 answers

Can I use a neutral wire from another outlet to repair a broken neutral?

Recently one wall of outlets quit working. Testing shows the hots are all good and the grounds are all good but the neutrals are all dead. They are all connected to each other but somewhere have lost the connection to the panel. Can I add a …
James Wolf
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5 answers

Most cost effective thermostat setting: consistent temperature vs. lowest temperature possible

The problem: Our heating bills are about 25% higher than our average neighbors according to our bill, yet our temperature is always as low as we can stand it (mid 50's), we have excellent insulation throughout the house, we don't have drafty…
David
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