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1500 questions
21
votes
7 answers

Paint-stripping purgatory - stuck in the middle - what should we do?

My wife was prepping our kitchen to be painted this weekend in our 1920's era condominium. Presumably lead paint is present but we do wear masks when working. There's an old door and door frame, and an old wooden window frame in one corner of the…
OldCondo
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21
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6 answers

Car in driveway is source of garage door opener interference

It has been determined that the car parked in my shared driveway is interfering with 2 other condos. The garage door company is sure it is coming from my car which has been parked there for years. When I remove my car from the area everyone is able…
Ilene bd
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21
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1 answer

What do I need to install LED strip lighting?

I've been looking to install LED strips, either RGB or white for lighting and ambiance. It wouldn't be the main lighting of the room, so no necessity for high power LEDs. The perimeter of the room is a little less than 25 meters. Looking around in…
sazpaz
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21
votes
3 answers

What is the name of this part of drawers?

I was trying to describe a specific part of a set of drawers in another question, and cannot find the right name for it. A photo showing the same part. Notice not all drawers have these, or they may be spaced out in a reduced number - I have one…
Criggie
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21
votes
6 answers

Weird Power Outage in Certain Rooms- Condominium

Half of the Condo I rent is losing power sporadically, sometimes for minutes other times for hours. We have power loss to our kitchen lights, microwave, outlet above dishwasher, the dishwasher, entire bedroom, both bathrooms, and the AC unit. Living…
Ashley
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21
votes
4 answers

Getting UPS Power from One Room to Another

I’d like to run power from a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) in ROOM A to where a work computer is used in ROOM B. I was thinking of installing an outlet box in ROOM A near where the UPS is plugged in, then run wire under the house to another…
staticGenerator
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21
votes
6 answers

How can I fix this gap between bookcases I made?

I just built two bookcases to line the wall of a room in my house and apparently didn't build them square enough so, when I put them next to each other, I get this giant gap. (I think the one on the right is pretty square but the one on the left…
jevron1984
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21
votes
10 answers

Turning a hard to access nut?

Working on the propane conversion of my gas stove. One of the orifices to be changed is in a very hard to access location - shown in the photo. The orifice is the "nut" I'm referring to, which you can fit a wrench onto. Although it is possible to…
StayOnTarget
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21
votes
4 answers

What is the proper way to run wires along/across basement ceiling joists?

I want to add an electrical outlet in my unfinished basement. It makes sense to run the wire along the ceiling because that's where all the other wires are. What is the proper way to install NM cable either parallel to or perpendicular to the…
Vebjorn Ljosa
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21
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8 answers

Is there a lifetime failure count for a breaker?

I have an external cutoff for my air conditioner that has two physical fuses (TR-50's, time delay 50 amps) outside. This is between the condenser unit and the main power panel, where it is protected by a 50 amp circuit breaker. An electrician is…
geoffc
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21
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7 answers

How do I mount this towel rack that was ripped off the wall?

Hi one of my tenants sent me a pictures of my broken towel rack. What would be the most cost effective fix?
Sharif Bhuiyan
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21
votes
9 answers

Does bare drywall need to be primed before painting?

Is it necessary to prime bare drywall before painting? And do we need to prime existing textured, painted walls before we mud over them?
RET
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21
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4 answers

Is it OK to create a third prong ground from a cold water pipe, for a 2-wire circuit?

When or is it NEC code compliant to upgrade a 2-wire circuit, by adding a third prong equipment ground from a nearby cold water pipe? A different case of borrowing a ground from a nearby circuit is covered at: Is it OK to borrow a ground wire from a…
Bryce
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21
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7 answers

Why is it safe to use 15 A receptacles on a 20 A circuit?

OK, the one answer I got was way off target, and another commenter couldn't figure out what I was asking, so I'm restating the question... Are 15A 3-prong grounded outlets actually rated to 20A, allowing them to be used on 20A circuits? And if so,…
KeithS
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21
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9 answers

Which tools should not be operated while wearing gloves?

Does anyone know of any safety organization like OSHA that gives a list of tools that should not be operated while wearing gloves? It has always been my understanding that a person should not wear gloves when operating any rotating tool because of…
Louis Woods
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