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1500 questions
13
votes
9 answers
What could be causing a urine smell in our bathrooms?
I live in a home built in 2006. We are a clean family and have no pets. In ALL three of our bathrooms I am smelling an odor of "old urine". I do have a 3-year-old son so at first I thought he was simply missing the toilet in his bathroom, but days…
Chris10
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13
votes
2 answers
Why does dryer manufacturer not recommend runs of 10/3 cable longer than 15 feet (4.5m)?
I'm moving my dryer from one side of the laundry room to the other one, and extending my circuit from the existing outlet box -- the new length of the run (old+new) is roughly 25 feet.
During an on-site consultation, my licensed electrician…
init_js
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13
votes
4 answers
How do builders prevent water damage during construction?
There is a new house under construction near me. I pass it daily. The foundation is done and they are working on framing now. We had a big storm recently, and so all the framing and presumably the basement were exposed to the elements. How do…
nuggethead
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13
votes
7 answers
Can I save energy costs by turning off the refrigerator for 1-2 hours every day?
Now that I'm looking into home automation, I'm thinking about automatically cutting off the fridge power from 3am ~ 5am. Given that modern refrigerators are well insulated, it should be able to withstand 2 hours of non powered cooling.
If I proceed…
Level1Coder
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13
votes
4 answers
Can a new expansion tank cause extreme water consumption?
We recently sold our home and per inspector had a licensed plumber install a new expansion tank. We moved out, but continued to visit the home to clean, so we know there is no water on and no leaking toilet. We just received our final bill saying we…
Beth
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13
votes
2 answers
Should I be disappointed about this quality of craftsmanship in new front door?
I recently had a new front door and doorframe constructed an installed in my Victorian terraced house. The old frame and door were ripped out, and a new frame and door installed. On inspection, I think that some of the work is well below standard,…
Rocketmagnet
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13
votes
2 answers
When should you use metal studs?
When does it make sense to use metal framing for an interior wall? What are the advantages to traditional wood framing?
Ed.T
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13
votes
1 answer
Where can I get a cover for a main supply?
My house (I live in the UK) failed an electrical safety inspection because of a missing main supply cover. I have tried using google to find one to buy but can't find anything at all. Does anyone know how I can go about getting the right kind of…
lapsel
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13
votes
3 answers
Crushed Aluminum Dryer Vent
My dryer vent got crushed. It seems there's probably a couple inches for airflow. Do i need to have someone replace it? Is there some sort of simple tool to uncrush it a little bit?
LLC
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13
votes
5 answers
Can different gauge wiring be used in the same circuit?
I am extending a lighting and outlet circuit in a basement. The current setup has the following characteristics
15 amp. circuit breaker (200 amp service)
4 existing lighting fixtures using CFL bulbs (~ 20 W each)
1 existing double duplex outlet box…
bib
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13
votes
7 answers
What is an adjustable wrench fit for tightening bolts?
The other day I saw a plumber tighten a bolt with what looked like an adjustable wrench. But it seemed like he didn't need to take it off the bolt every time to turn it further. Rather, it looked like the wrench's jaws were non parallel, or perhaps…
ispiro
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13
votes
4 answers
Plumber got his sewer jetter hose stuck. Whose fault is it?
On Wednesday, a service plumber came to my house to jet the drain for my kitchen sink. He came around 9 a.m. and by 9:30 had pushed his hose beyond the clog. Then he spent 3 hours trying to get his hose out. He went to lunch and came back with a…
B. Goddard
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13
votes
6 answers
Need to reduce voltage from 245v to under 240v for large printer
I run a home business and have recently purchased a large HP 800w latex printer that requires a 220v outlet.
The manufacturer of the printer requires there to be no more than 240v going into the printer. I am sitting at 245v and need to lower it or…
Rodney
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13
votes
3 answers
Crack across front of garage floor
I have a crack across the entire front of my garage floor. I believe that the crack was caused by a poor drainage issue that has been corrected. The drainage issue also caused the pavers in front of the garage to sink.
Although I believe the…
Dean
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13
votes
5 answers
What is the difference between a framing hammer and a claw hammer?
What is the difference between a framing hammer and a claw hammer? Can they be used interchangeably?
Ed.T
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