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1500 questions
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9 answers
What type of screws/anchors to fasten a closer to a steel door
What are some proper screws or anchors to use for affixing something to a steel walk-in door?
The example for this question will be attaching an automatic closer to an exterior steel door. The door is a typical residential steel walk-in door, which…
Bort
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Am I correctly replacing 2 x two-pole breakers with a quadraplex breaker?
I am replacing the top two of those two pole breakers in the top left (green) with one quadplex with common trip model EATON BQC220220. Is the attached wiring diagram right(just follow the dots color where wires will go / interconnect)? I really…
John Whicker
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5 answers
Does turning circuit breakers off cause wear?
A comment over on another SE got me thinking. With screw-in fuses, unscrewing it and then later screwing it back in causes negligible wear on either part of the installation. But what about modern "switch" overcurrent circuit breakers? Does manually…
user
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What is the difference between a ball/pin detent and friction ring impact wrench?
I have been looking into getting an impact wrench for my car and I have noticed that any given model (at least the one I am looking at) has two versions. One version has a ball to keep the socket supported (like a torque wrench) and the other type…
Sponge Bob
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2 answers
Can I use a *ground wire only* conduit for copper data cables?
Hypothetical question. I won't self-answer. The purpose is to inform potential answers on another person's question.
Suppose I have a shed with a 200A subpanel, with 3-wire feed that was installed prior to 1999, so it was grandfathered. I now want…
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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12
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2 answers
Proper technique to adding a wire to existing pigtail
This seems like a pretty straight forward question and hoping not a poor question but here we go.
If you have a pigtail for three wires (say # 14 AWG if that makes a difference) together in a wire nut but you want to add another wire to the mix. Is…
Irish Redneck
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6 answers
Electrical outlets gone bad?
New here, please go easy on me:)
I have a few outlets that we’ve never used because furniture was in the way. Just started moving stuff around and I’ve come to realize that 2 outlets just don’t work, with known working items.
Tested with volt meter…
Justin Alvarez
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5 answers
Are two wires coming out of the same circuit breaker safe?
There are two wires coming out of two of my circuit breakers in my electrical panel. I am thinking the previous owner of the house stuck these two wires in there because the panel was full and they didn't want to replace the panel. I am not sure…
CSR
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12
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12 answers
What goes on threads first: tape or dope?
Should the dope be applied directly to the male threads or should the tape go on first?
Matthew
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8 answers
How do I remove blown in attic insulation?
I want to replace the drywall ceiling in my house. It's old and has been painted over a million times. Home was built in the 50s. How do I replace the ceiling without replacing the insulation? Or if I take out the insulation to replace it with new,…
Trevor
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4 answers
What screwdriver I should use for this screw head?
I am trying to unscrew the screw head you see in the picture. It is from the kitchen faucet handle.
From looking online, it is usually a hex screw head. I tried a hex-key wrench, it didn't work, and tried every tool I have that could fit with no…
Lloyd
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5 answers
How can you tell if it's safe to hang weight from the ceiling?
I live in Canada and my house is made of wood. I'd like to mount gymnastics rings to my ceiling. I weigh roughly 90kg and I know you're suppose to find joists and attach weight there, but I don't want to pull my ceiling down. Is there a way to test…
noobycoder
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2 answers
How can I seal a gap between floor joist boxes and foundation?
I have an unfinished basement that always has tons of beetles, spiders and cold air (yes I know most basements have this, but it is more than normal). I finally decided to take a piece of insulation out that sits on top of the foundation between the…
Josh
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2 answers
Are these drywall screws properly driven/countersunk?
Related to this question. Even though I might be cluttering up SE with questions about driving drywall screws, I feel they will ultimately be helpful since I have been unsuccessful in finding images of properly-driven drywall screws. Plus, it's a…
oscilatingcretin
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4 answers
Should I run outlet circuits through the studs or up and along the top plates?
I have a great workshop (20 x 25 ft, 2 level) that was built with no power (previous owner). I'm installing a subpanel in the shop (90A) and need to install receptacles, lights, etc. as well. I've never organized a shop before so I'm unsure how to…
tnknepp
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