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1500 questions
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5 answers

What should I know about radon levels at home? What levels are safe and do they affect resale value?

My wife and I are looking to buy our first home. We recently found one, but a report says the radon levels inside the home are unsatisfactory. I've never really been aware of radon levels in homes before, but of course, look it up and it's not a…
Ryan Hayes
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What is the ideal distance between supports of a shelf?

I've got 122x25x1cm and 61x25x1cm plywood boards that I want to use to make shelves for books and tools. I'll use 2 supports for each size of board and I'd like to know how far apart they should be. Perhaps someone has developed a program that tells…
WaterBearer
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Is it okay to have an ungrounded light fixture?

I recently moved into an older home (built in 1968) and have been replacing some of the older light fixtures. We pulled down one of the lights and found that there is a ground running into the box but the light fixture itself doesn't have a ground…
rynmrtn
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Which side of a two-wire cable should be used for "hot"?

I bought a custom length of a 16/2 cable (two 16-gauge stranded wires, individually insulated). The two wires have identical colors and insulation; the only thing to tell them apart is that along one, there's printed specs of the wire, such as 600V…
Philip
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What substance is used to make the hard plastic finish on wood after painting?

I would like to turn a wooden desk from a wood finish to a white painted finish with a hard "plastic" like surface. We currently have a wall mounted fireplace with a wooden surround that has the same sort of look im going for. Now im not sure if…
ORStudios
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How does one adjust a fence gate when its gravity latch scrapes the house?

I bought a house which has a side fence gate with a latch scratching the side of the house. The damage was already there. It's not that bad, but I'd like to adjust the latch to prevent the damage from getting worse since the latch still scratches…
Alexis Wilke
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Why is my Nest thermostat not working with A/C?

I installed Nest thermostat a few weeks ago, replacing an old Lux programmable thermostat (there was nothing wrong with it). I connected 4 wires (R,W,Y and G) to the Nest. But as soon as I'd connect the Y wire, the Nest would give me an E4 error…
mcaddu
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Is there an NEC-compliant way to cross this 40 inch gap between a PV array and my house without digging?

I'm working to finish up my DIY ground-mount solar project, and I need some advice for one of the final connections. For reference, the project is all done with micro-inverters at the panel so we're only talking about an AC connection, and I live…
David Hay
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How to make a house that tolerates condensation

Where I live, it's humid outside all fall, winter, and spring, and hovers around 45 deg F. Combined with indoor cooking, showering, etc., we always get a lot condensation on our windows. Rot & mildew love it here. What can we do in the design &…
Jay Bazuzi
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Is a high electric bill for a pump house caused by a well pump running constantly?

I recently had to turn on the electric for a shared well in my name. I got a bill and it's as high as what my house bill is. The well is the only thing connected to the electric in the well house. We rewired it and replaced the pressure switch…
Beth Peden
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How can you spot MWBC's (multi-wire branch circuits) in an electrical panel

Is there a definitive way to know whether MWBCs are present (or not) in an electrical panel? That is, are there multi-wire branch circuits? Can one look at the connections at the panel to see a clear answer, and/or measure voltages? If you can…
user2330237
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Can wires be bundled for neatness in a service panel?

A question here on DIYSE shows a very tidy panel, wherein the hot and neutral conductors and the bare grounds are bundled, respectively, with scraps of insulated wire. For the sake of argument, let's assume that the bundle wraps are no more than 8"…
isherwood
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Can I accelerate caulk drying by using a fan or heater on it?

From what I've found online, caulking takes 24-48 hours to dry. For my purposes, I need to apply caulking to my kitchen sink. However, I am in a time crunch, so I would like to know how caulking dries. Specifically, can the dry time be sped up to…
MarkE
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What type of bit do I use to drill holes in stainless steel? Nothing seems to work

I recently bought some Damascus 1 inch ring stock (304 and 316 stainless). I sliced off about 8 mm of it using a bandsaw. I then stuck it in a vice and attempted to drill through it. I have tried silver/cobalt drill bits, masonry bits (didn't even…
Rilcon42
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How should this underground down-spout-in-yard-drain be appropriately installed?

I noticed a few weeks ago during the rainy season that underground drainage from my downspout was flooded and not draining right. I purchased a pressure washer attachment that promised to unclog things like this and went to town. I could hear it…
Sidney
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