Home Improvement Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
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1 answer

How do I know if it is safe to remove a wall?

When looking at a wall, how can I tell if I can safely remove it?
Walker
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What are the implications of driving a drywall screw too far into the sheet?

I'm not gonna lie. The early stages of my very first home improvement project completely smacks of novice DIY'er. I did so many things wrong that I've since learned from, but the first mistakes are still glaringly obvious, one of which being how I…
oscilatingcretin
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Is this electrical junction up to code?

I was up in my attic a few days ago, and I noticed a pretty ugly electrical junction that wasn't in a junction box. Here's the pic: Is this up to code? FWIW I live in north Alabama, outside city limits. However I'm assuming there are general…
Doresoom
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Is it safe to put a 120W equivalent LED bulb in a 100W max fixture?

I bought a 15W led bulb which is the equivalent of a 120W incandescent. But, I can't find a cord grip ceiling bulb holder rated higher than 100W. Is it safe to put the 120W equivalent bulb in a 100W ceiling socket?
Rodney Jones
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Is "don't mix data and power cables" and "don't loop power cables" still valid nowadays?

There are two sayings I keep hearing when talking about wiring e.g. home cinema or computer hardware; Don't wrap data/network cables and power cables up in the same loop because the power cables will mess up the streams of your data cables Don't…
F.P
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2 answers

Should there be insulation inside a light fixture?

I recently moved into a new home, and I was replacing a light bulb when I found this after removing the glass cover. Now, I don't know much about codes and regulations, and I'm new to working on my own home, but this screams "fire hazard" to me, so…
Graham Harper
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In a light switch, how can I tell if the black wire is really hot and the white wire is really neutral?

I'm just a programmer who wants to add an outlet below my light switch. I did a bunch of research on this topic and decided I could tackle it. According to my research, the hot/line is the black wire going into the bottom of the switch and the load…
Jason Thompson
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How to clean a burnt wall socket?

I had a dishwasher plugged into the wall. The dishwasher plug has always been a little iffy but we have never had a problem with it before. It shorted while the dishwasher was running and I caught it pretty fast but it scorched the wall a little and…
Feltope
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Gas clothes dryer is venting into the crawl space

I have been living in a house in Southern California for 18 months and while crawling around under the far end of the house I found that there is about 2 inch deep lint over a 200 sq ft area where my gas clothes dryer vents into this crawl space. I…
Dave
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Install a new tub that has cracks?

first question here. We're having a bathroom remodeled. The first tub that was delivered had a huge crack in it, so we asked for a replacement. The second one took 2 weeks to arrive. It has two tiny cracks in the corner. One appears to be (shoddily)…
Seenu
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What is this thing next to my sink?

Possible Duplicate: What is this component that connects to the garbage disposal? As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently moved to a new place and I'm still trying to figure out what things do. There are still a few things that are…
amh
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3 answers

Can I safely plug a two prong plug into an extension cord with a ground socket?

I have a plug for a wireless router that ends in two prongs (no ground). Is it safe for me to plug this into an extension cord that has the ground prong, which would be left empty? I believe it is but want to double check.
Craig
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What are these fuses?

Just come across a fuse box that I've never seen before. The box looks like this: They are like light-bulb-type things that host a fuse inside of them. The fuse looks like this: They work similarly to light bulbs too, with caps that screw…
Mou某
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What tool should I use to cut metal roofing?

I'm getting ready to install metal roofing on my building project. Wee! But I'm not sure how I should cut it. The roof is a simple gable, 20ft long, with 8ft rafters. The roofing I'm using is 3ft wide, and length is in 1ft increments. I'll need to…
Jay Bazuzi
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What could be causing AFCI breaker and GFCI receptacle nuisance tripping?

I have a very unusual set of electrical issues that have proven difficult to troubleshoot. I live in a newly constructed house. Each bedroom has AFCI breakers. In the past 3 years living there, the AFCI breaker to my bedroom has tripped about a…
Omar Shahine
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