Plymouth County MA Home and Property Masters

Fix squeaking floor caused by unsecured knee wall plate

Chris — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 05:36:46 -0400

I'm trying to fix a squeaking noise in my bonus room. I used the Squeak No More kit and installed screws spaced every 8". However, I still hear some loud squeaking noises coming from the wall. My intuition is that the squeak is caused by the knee wall not being secured to the subfloor. I'd like to address this by driving additional screws through the bottom plate into the subfloor because I don't have access from below.

When securing the wall plate to the subfloor, I see two options:

a) Use a 2½" screw to connect only the knee wall plate to the subfloor.
b) Use a longer screw to connect the wall plate, subfloor, and joists all together.

Could you please advise on which approach might be best?

Gas Furnace with Honeywell Smart Valve ignition issues

ikrase — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 05:26:47 -0400

I have an older gas furnace that uses a Honeywell Smart Valve gas valve and ignition system (Q3400A 1024 pilot and SV9501 valve).

I have had some trouble with this furnace where the hot surface igniter glows and some gas flows, but it struggles to ignite (and the resulting flame seems very small and unstable, guttering and burbling) -- it first wasn't igniting at all, then it was.

In addition to being rusty, the pilot seems bent or twisted -- I am aware that the pilot burner on a Q3400A is aimed off-axis, but is the flame detector rod supposed to not even be near the centerline of the ground strap? The electrical elements seem to be at a significant angle to the mechanical ones.

Finally, when the pilot does manage to ignite, two of the burners ignite, but the third often doesn't. Does this mean that the burner tubes need replacement?

How to drive 4-point square 15/16" or 24mm lag screws?

User1974 — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 00:24:14 -0400

I inherited some 4-point 15/16" square head lag screws, 5-inches long.

How are square-head lag screws normally installed into softwood lumber? With a wrench or a specialized square socket?

The lag screw somewhat fits into a 1-1/4" six-point socket. But it rounded the lag head and failed to drive it into a 1/2" hole.

I purchased a 7/8" 8-point socket, but it was too small for the lag heads. So that means the heads are a bit bigger than 7/8".

Large amounts of ant-hill dirt inside walls

user84207 — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 00:04:00 -0400

While replacing a bedroom floor from carpet to tile, I found tons of ant-hill dirt inside the walls as I pulled out the baseboards. More would drop as the drywall was tapped. I decided to open part of the wall to try to understand the situation, this is what I found:

I didn't actually see too many live ants on the first day. After vacuuming everything, I came back the next day to find a small amount of possibly fresh ant-hill dirt in one location, along with one ant exploring around.

What are some options for dealing with this situation? I generally prefer avoiding insecticides and would prefer to try to seal the gaps, but I'm open to any suggestions.

This is on an exterior brick wall, it has 3/4" furring strips attached for holding the drywall. There is a window on this wall, which doesn't seem to have any obvious leak although I haven't verified this with a moisture meter. The dirt spanned the entire length of the exterior wall, but appeared to stop at interior walls.

I've been able to control ants inside the house pretty effectively by tracing their trail back to a point of entry, and thoroughly blocking that entry using silicone caulk. Would this approach be useful behind the wall as well? There are no visible penetrations on the concrete blocks. I imagine it would be difficult to seal every small crack or gap in the brick wall, but would filling in the space near the bottom both below and just above the furring strip in the picture either block the ants or significantly reduce the amount of space available for the ants to pile up their dirt? I'm thinking either silicone or expanding foam, or both.

Should I focus instead of sealing the finished wall, from the tile to the baseboard to the drywall?

There was a pretty bad mold-like odor coming from the wall initially when first opening the walls, and I worry that the dirt inside the walls will slowly leak and contaminate the air inside the house.

I am located in Florida.

Are switches that work intermittently a fire hazard? [closed]

ann — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 23:16:26 -0400

I have a couple of light switches that will sometimes work and sometimes not work. Is there something I can do myself to fix this problem?

Cinder block foundation wall is out of level 3" and house is sliding off brick footers [closed]

Dillon — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 23:16:10 -0400

I inherited a house.

When I arrived, it had 3 inches of water under it. I pumped out the water and dried it out. Now, all the blocks are leaning to the West and the cinder block foundation wall is out of level about 3". The sill plate is about to come off the cinder blocks. As I started working on it, realized that there is no cement footer. The only thing below the cinder blocks is red brick laid on edge. How do I bring the house back over on blocks and level them?

How to paint a marble tiles outdoor floor

António Geraldo — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 22:02:03 -0400

I just moved to a new house and it has a old tile marble floor on the outside of my front door. It's an area with about 60 sqft that I would like to paint over. I did not want to spend much money and was thinking about painting with acrilic water based paint.

Can I have your opinions and help on wich is the best solution? Primer, no primer, water based, syntetic, other...

Thank you all

Help Diagnosing Chimney Leak?

Adam — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 20:04:20 -0400

So I recently purchased a new home, which has a "double wide" chimney stack with two flues, one for my downstairs living room fireplace and one for my upstairs one in the bedroom right above it. I got it inspected a few months ago, and got a clean bill of health. But then the spring rain started and I noticed water coming into ONLY the upstairs fireplace during a big rain, but not the downstairs one. I called my inspector back out and he went on the roof and sealed up some cracks in the cap, some blemishes in the mortar, etc. but he didn't think see anything major. This didn't fix the problem and it leaked a few weeks later, so he thinks I need to re-point from the roof line up.

I'm trying to avoid this expensive repair if I can - I'm curious why the water is only coming into the one flue and it only happens when there is a significant amount of rain (like over the course of a few days) - never when there's a one-off storm. It must not be coming in from the cap or that would leak during any rain, I would think. Does this mean the bricks need to be saturated before they leak? We'd like to try a DIY fix before I drop $3K+ on a re-point - any ideas there? I'm thinking maybe getting up there myself and doing some mortar patching, maybe spraying on a breathable siloxane sealant to see if that prevents saturation.

Here are some pictures of the chimney and a video of the leak. Curious to hear thoughts!

Concrete slab patio, gravel base depth?

AustinFoss — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:59:04 -0400

I know this has probably been asked elsewhere, but I can't say for sure because I think my terminology is wrong.

Idk what to call them, but I'm looking to relevel a backyard patio that is built with 2'x2' slabs. Emphasis, these are NOT poured concrete. My problem is that when I search for "slabs" the results seem to be for poured concrete, and when I search "pavers" the answers seem to be for 4"x8" or so size bricks

Whatever the correct term is for 2'x2' stones, my question is do I really need 4" of gravel for the base that is recomended for smaller paver bricks? The extra large surface area for these stones makes me think I need much less.

Shower diverter suddenly working

Not_Einstein — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:49:47 -0400

I don't know how old my Moen shower faucet is, but I was having to make several efforts to get water to come out of the shower head. I also found that it took less effort when the stream of water was strongest. Moen had sent me a new diverter a while back and just when I was about to have the motivation to replace the current troublesome one it started to work every time on the first try, even with low streams.

How to explain - without appealing to the supernatural, what could have happened that it suddenly is working as expected?

Can I run electrical wire vertically through the framing between windows?

user3080392 — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:03:52 -0400

I'd like to run 12/2 MC Lite metal clad cable from my attic down to a receptacle. I'd like to run it between two windows in the frame in order to avoid cutting through the studs. Also the walls are plaster with slats. The windows are those old kind with the weights in-between. The cavity is about 6" wide and 5 1/2" deep and I intend to remove the weights. Is it against NEC code to run electrical wire between two windows in this fashion?

Will a heat recovery ventilator reduce humidity in warm weather?

NishaArina — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:01:15 -0400

I live in a small apartment in a brick building (three small rooms and one bathroom, totaling 50 square meters or about 540 s.f.). The climate here is quite humid. Summers can be very hot, while winters are mild, usually between 0°C and +5°C, rarely dropping below -5°C. We recently installed plastic windows, but since there is no ventilation anywhere in the apartment, we’ve started having problems with mold. The windows and walls are constantly wet, and the interior wall coating is of very poor quality.

I have a dehumidifier, but even with it, the humidity remains around 65-70%. I suspect the thermal insulation is poorly done, but since the affected wall is an exterior facade of the building, I can’t fix it from the outside. There is currently no heating, but I plan to use an air conditioner for warmth. There are no ventilation specialists available, so I’ve been considering installing a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). Is this the correct thing to do?

One land two different electrical lines and meters

Marie — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:58:22 -0400

We own around 3 acres and we are located between two roads. The one electric line on the front road feeds the main house with a meter. The back road electric line feeds our garage, trailer, tent building, and the well pump that feeds the garage, trailer, and main house with its own meter. Can you hook one whole house generator to run either electric line or both if needed at the same time?

How to prevent a drain cover from being a trip hazard

Tim — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:06:07 -0400

There is a raised drain cover in a communal garden which has been highlighted as a trip hazard. I can't lower it as the surrounding earth will eventually cover it and we need access to it in an emergency but we need to make it clear to others that it is there but obviously boxing over it will make more of a hazard! Any ideas on how to highlight this as a hazard without making it worse?!

Will my shelf be strong enough despite one of the brackets being in drywall anchors?

Ivan — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 18:00:55 -0400

I just put up some shelves using brackets from Home Depot and Canadian Tire. The brackets themselves are rated for much more weight than I'm putting on them (like a thousand pounds each or something).

All the screws for the brackets are securely in studs except for the two centre brackets on the top shelf (i.e., the bracket over the door and the one to the left of that one). There weren't any studs around there that I could find (this wall's stud situation is very confusing). The screws fixing those two brackets to the wall are all fixed with these EZ Anchor Twist N Lock anchors, which claim to be rated at 75 pounds each. Each bracket is fixed to the wall with three screws in a vertical line.

How worried should I be about the strength of that upper shelf, particularly the parts held up by the drywall anchors? There's no recognizable wood to screw into above that door that I've been able to find. (I spent time looking up how studwork around a door is supposed to look, and couldn't make sense of what my stud finders were telling me).

Buried vs footed shade sail posts [closed]

anthumchris — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:59:26 -0400

When installing 6" x 6" x 12' pressure-treated wood posts for a solar shade sail, which is recommended?

Posts on concrete footers - attach posts to surface-level concrete footers that are poured into the ground
Posts buried in ground - place posts in the ground and pour concrete around them

My preference is (1), because it provides more height that isn't lost to the ground. Does (1) sacrifice lateral strength because the post isn't buried? Are specific brackets recommended for (1) that increase lateral strengh needed by the tension from the attached sail?

My installation would be similar to this with wooden posts:

Converting from 100 Amps to 200 Amps

Nikster2014 — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:35:56 -0400

I have a situation: a handyman “upgraded” my electric panel in the garage to 200 Amps last year. This year I wanted to install an EV charger and called an electrician. He saw the 200 Amps electric panel and then went outside to check the Main panel and found out that it is supplying 100 Amps to the house (PGE in California).

So my 50 amp EV charger would basically pull half the amperage coming into my house! The electrician said that converting the main panel to 200 amps will cost thousands of dollars because he’ll have to dig up the ground and change the cable that connects PGE to my house to bear the new load.

I then called the original handyman who “upgraded” my electric panel. He came over and agreed that the Main panel is supplying only 100 amps to the house. But he said he’ll upgrade the main panel to 200 amps and there is no need to dig up the underground cable that supplies power to the main panel from PGE .

So who is right in this case? Electrician says he’ll have to change the main cable but I can still install the EV charger provided I’m using it during low usage hours. Handyman says he can just upgrade the main panel to 200 without touching anything underground!

Does the two foot rule apply to return ducts?

Travis — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:05:15 -0400

I’m installing an HVAC system and admittedly am pretty new to it. I can’t seem to find any answers online to my question.

Can you have return takeoffs close to each other on the trunk or do you need to abide by the 2’ rule like you would with supply takeoffs?

DeWalt cordless drill chuck jaws slightly misaligned [closed]

HardLuck — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 16:37:15 -0400

I just got myself a new DCD800 drill and decided to give it a thorough check before deciding whether i should keep it.

Upon inspection i foud out that the three jaws that hold the bit exhibit some unexpected behavior - while being tightened pre-click the jaws are aligned properly:

After the click though there is a noticeable gap between two expected contact points:

Other jaws align perfectly even when fully tightened past the click:

Is it some kind of a defect that will affect the usage of the drill now/after some use?

UPD 1: Attaching two more pictures with a 2mm drill bit in the chuck. The first photo is of a side that aligns well, the second is of one that does not

Where do I put support braces on the sloped section of fence?

rasmukri — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 16:05:35 -0400

Where do I put my braces for this section going up the hill? It rises 7 feet over a length of 25 feet.

The top post will be 8ft galvanized steel 4 ft deep because it's slightly softer up there. The others will be 7ft galvanized steel 3 ft deep. All will be sunk with a 6in hole filled with concrete. All posts are 2-3/8" 16 gauge.

I plan on making this into 3 segments of fence, because I can't pull the tension from the end with the big hill there. So I'll do it in 3 segments, hence the 4 main posts, the 2 in the middle are the ones in question.

I'm hanging a 4ft high tension no climb fence. It's only gotta keep a 80lb dog in place for now but in the future I might get some goats or something and I want this fence to last.

This is the fencing I'm going to use

Cover of septic inspection chamber is stuck

DevShark — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:39:57 -0400

A cover for inspection chamber for a septic tank is completely stuck. I opened it only a month ago. I am very surprised that it is stuck. Maybe some soil have a glue effect.

I've been using a multitool to go along the edges, and pulled very hard on the cover to lift it, but with no success at all.

Any tips?

For reference, here's what it looks like when it's open. The cover has metal underneath, that lays on a metal support in the ground:

Terminating cable in a kitchen cabinet

Ben Whaley — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:31:14 -0400

I have cable coming from a junction box in the back of a cabinet in to the driver for under cabinet lights. As you can see, the wires terminate in a small enclosure at one end of the driver. Is this compliant with code? Does the entire thing need to be in some kind of junction box inside the cabinet, or is it fine as it is?

Insulating inside of foundation with a ledger board below foundation rim

iguana1guana — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 14:12:32 -0400

My floor joists are resting on a ledger "beam"(2 sistered 2x6s" bolted to the inside of the foundation stem wall. I have installed a vapor barrier and sealed it to the stem wall and was planning to insulate the stem walls with rock wool; however, I am wondering if I should box in this ledger board with foam board and seal that, with the goal of preventing warm relatively moist air from reaching the board that is touching the cold foundation.

Another option is to use rock wool and then monitor humidity and check it occasionally and take further options as necessary.

What is the best way to do insulate this stem wall? The end goal is to seal the crawlspace and then monitor and decide whether to or how to ventilate it.

Are bumps in a recently replaced roof normal? [closed]

HotVixen98 — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 14:02:52 -0400

We had solar panels installed, and about 6 months later I noticed circles in our roofing and some metal showing through.

Is this normal? I know we have a warranty on them, so should we still contact them to have them take a look.

This is one of the 3 bumps. This one is larger than the other two.

Can I fix this mould and drywall situation? [closed]

AKar — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:57:55 -0400

We pulled out some old cabinetry that was in our basement and saw signs of water damage and mould. Any helpful insight on how to approach fixing this?

The water stains looks old--there is no moisture currently. Seems to be located around our bathroom/laundry room area upstairs. We recently moved in but a lot of renovation was done on the main floor. Couldn’t say if it will happen again.

Shower walls over drywall [closed]

Randy — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:49:52 -0400

I made a mistake. I put up the drywall in the bathroom and then installed the tub/shower walls. So now I have the shower walls over the drywall. How do I join the shower walls with the drywall and cover the shower wall screws and make everything look right? What products to use or what procedure, etc. I'm stuck.

Changing a shower mixer tap without isolating hot water?

Grave — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:04:45 -0400

My electric hot water tank is built into a box inside my kitchen, I cannot access the tap (or the power) to shut it off. Is shutting off the water at the mains sufficient in order to change a shower mixer tap? Once I've turned off the mains, would I need to drain the tank?

Do we need a rail on both sides of stairs?

tnknepp — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 12:40:26 -0400

We are renovating a room. Currently, the stairs have railing at both side of the bottom of the stairs. We would like to remove one side of railing, but we do not know if this is code compliant.

In the first picture you see how the stairs are now open at the bottom on the near side. There used to be a short piece of railing (similar to what is on the far side) that went from the wall to the bottom of the stairs (we already took down the railing on the near side). The other side still has railing to prevent people from falling into the basement (this will stay).

The second picture show the stairs from the opposite side. Here, you see railing along the wall. This railing will remain in place.

Is what is shown in the pictures code compliant?

Why can't I turn my furnace fan on independently?

Hunter fortner — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:40:26 -0400

All, I’m a bit new to HVAC and am at a stopping point either because I’m not finding the correct answers or I’m not asking the right questions so hoping this community can point me in the right direction.

Problem: the fan does not run independently. Meaning it only kicks on when either the heat OR A/C is running. If I try to turn the fan on while the AC/heat is not running, the thermostat shows that the fan is on but the air return vents are not in taking any air nor is the fan outside spinning. I have a nest thermostat and when I say heat and cooling are not running I mean it’s in either the heating or cooling mode and not completely off. I understand if it’s completely off the fan will not run.

The square thermostat in the Imgur link below was the old thermostat that was having issues so it was replaced with the round nest thermostat in the same link.

Work done: Went to AC handler and looked. It seems like the wires are “connected from what I can tell. I noticed a couple oddities. One being the yellow connection has two wires originating from different sources(I.e white and red circles on the photo). Wondering if the green also needs that treatment?

Other things to note: a clicking sound is heard from the ac unit when I’m turning the fan on and turning it off.

Reply to comments:

Can I simply switch the G and R wires around in the thermostat?
Thank you for clarifying that there is a distinguishment between the outside condenser and the fan inside. I now know the difference. I hear a clicking sound when turning the fan on. Does this not mean that the wiring is correct and perhaps something to do with that inside fans motor perhaps?

Updated Photos: https://imgur.com/gallery/E5N9tmC

Wood beam used to mount swing is cracking

CroonsMix — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:24:34 -0400

I have a porch switch installed onto a 4x4x12 beam, and the beam has developed a crack that looks ~1 inch at its deepest, and ~4ft long. The wood beam is screwed into equidistant perpendicular 2x4s with 6 inch screws, so they should have gone ~1.5 inches into the 2x4s that are above the cement fiber ceiling. I used the same screws to attach the swing hinge to the 4x4.

Does anyone know what I should or can do to prevent this crack from continuing further and how to fix the issue if possible?

WUI Codes & Fire-Resistant Assemblies

Fine Homebuilding — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 09:43:23 -0400

Fine Homebuilding WUI Codes & Fire-Resistant Assemblies WUI (Wildland Urban Interface) codes are more critical than ever as wildfire risks grow. Ben Bogie highlighted fire-resistant building assemblies designed to meet these standards seen at the Rockwool booth at #IBS2025, including non-combustible wall systems with fire-resistant cladding and Comfortboard insulation, as well as unvented and vented roof assemblies for different climate zones. #WUI #FireResistantBuilding #BuildingCodes #Construction #BuildingAssembly #KeepCraftAlive

Why is my sink draining slowly?

quarague — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 03:38:29 -0400

The sink in my kitchen drains very slowly. If the dishwasher is running, the waste water from the dishwasher flows into the kitchen sink. Eventually it will drain but it takes a while. I cleaned the plumbing, there is no issue there. I believe the issue is that the exit hole for the waste water is too high in the wall and there is no real downward flow after the sink trap.

The riffled hose that goes into the wall should have a downward slope to get a good water flow. In my case it is essentially level. How can I fix that?

The height of the hole in the wall is fixed. I don't want to increase the height of the kitchen counter that has the sink in it because my wife is only 5 feet tall and it should be at a convenient height for her to work on it. I could replace the sink with a different sink with less depth but that would also be less nice. I already switched the plumbing for a set where the exit of the trap is high relatively to the input (the limit is the entry for the dishwasher from the grey hose coming in from the back).

What else can I do to get my sink to drain properly?

A little more background and results. When I wrote 'I cleaned the plumbing' I meant the parts from the sink until it disappears in the wall. I disassembled these parts and cleaned them, there is no clogging issue there.

However, as suggested in some answers, the issue is clogging further down the pipes. The pipe in the hole in the wall has a 90° turn after a few centimeters and goes directly downwards. Poking in there with a wire it seems to go down maybe 20 centimeters or so and that is the spot where a lot of gunk accumulated. I'm in a multi floor apartment building so the building main waste water pipe will be much thicker but aparently my pipe has another bend there before it drains in the main pipe.

I poured some pipe cleaner directly into the whole in the wall and that seems to have fixed the issue. Drainage is much better and faster now. I haven't run the dishwasher yet but I hope this issue is solved as well.

How to Install a Toilet – Need Guidance!

John Bruce — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 03:27:54 -0400

I’m planning to install a toilet for the first time and could use some help. What are the proper steps to follow?

What tools and materials will I need? Also, any tips to avoid leaks or common mistakes?

I’d appreciate any advice or step-by-step guidance. Thanks in advance!

Can I use PVA glue to replace a floor tile?

Rory Collett — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 03:25:56 -0400

I have a spare tile to replace one broken during renovations to my kitchen. It’s a concrete floor. I’ve seen some saying PVA is not recommended for sealing concrete, but would it be ok for replacing just one floor tile or would it cause damage in some other way?

Additionally, would wall tile adhesive be fine to use for a single tile. I don’t really want to buy a whole bag of adhesive to mix up for just one tile.

Hamilton ontario 24×24ft shop with 10ft ceiling

Trevor Sullivan — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 02:09:35 -0400

I want to build a 24×24 shop with 10ft ceilings. By code do I need to stud walls with 2×6?

Is it within code to leave unused romex wire within a stud cavity for future use?

Ryan Lazuka — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 01:41:37 -0400

I'm installing pendant lights, instead of wall sconces, for a bathroom vanity in a new construction home. However, I'd like to be able to have the option of adding the wall sconces and remove the pendant lights in the future.

Is it ok to leave unused romex wire in the stud cavity? This romex wire would be coiled up in the wall directly where the future wall sconces would be located. Doing this would make it easy to fish out the romex wire from behind the drywall. The romex wire would not be live until need be.

Where do I place beams for a deck with an angle?

Ryan McClure — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 01:39:17 -0400

I'm working on the design for a deck and I'll be having a long angle in it. I've used Home Designer Pro to work on the design, and it generates all the framing.

My question is concerning the beam placement and the fact that it's not in alignment with the junctions of the angled portions of the deck (circled in the image). Is this a structurally reliable placement of beams? I'm just concerned it'll be less structurally sound in these 2 places unless I move the left beam to line up with the left hand angle junction, and add an additional beam at the right hand angle junction.

Is my thinking correct here? Or will the rim joist carry the load in these portions just fine? For reference, the scale of the image is 1ft/square.

How do you connect things to 1/4" PEX?

jasonharper — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 23:34:15 -0400

I'm currently doing research on an upcoming major re-plumbing project, and have run across a bit of a mystery...

Lowe's sells these riser supply lines (faucet version, toilet version) that are described as being PEX. I was thinking about using a central PEX manifold with valves, to avoid the need for stop valves at each fixture, so being able to run PEX all the way to the fixtures seems appealing. But the lines are 3/8" O.D., which is apparently 1/4" nominal size - and Lowe's doesn't carry ANY fittings whatsoever for 1/4" PEX, even though they actually stock 1/4" PEX pipe in addition to these risers. In fact, I can't find 1/4" PEX fittings ANYWHERE online. I must be missing something - why would people buy these pipes if they can't connect anything to them?

Mildew or Mold?

jmills0823 — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 23:01:20 -0400

There was a roof leak in our art studio. In the past few weeks this has appeared. Does this seem like it can be cleaned (with mold killing methods seen online) and repainted or does the drywall need to be cut out and replaced?

thank you!

Can you put a 2x6 on edge joist on one of these adjustable floating deck base support feet?

Joe C — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 22:48:31 -0400

See this adjustable floating deck base support.

They always show a 4x4 joist in the diagrams. But who would use a 4x4 joist.

I don't feel like sistering all the 2x6s joists just to make them more stable on the base support. Can I just use one 2x6 on edge or should I put a little 2x6 block on the 2x6 joist just over the base support?

Mortar joint where stone fireplace joins up to drywall

Jane — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 21:38:54 -0400

We purchased a house that was built in the 70’s. It has a beautiful stone fireplace. Over the years the mortar that joins the fireplace to the side walls that are drywall, has cracked. I’m sure due to the house settling over the years, but how could I fix that? `

How to prevent water damage to baseboard under shower door?

MartialMatters — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 20:58:13 -0400

Water runs from under the shower door over the marble ledge to the baseboard underneath. It’s a small amount of water… not enough to get the floor wet, really, but enough to damage the baseboards over time.

We’ve just had the baseboard replaced and have been diligent about wiping it dry after showering, but is there anything else I can do to somehow protect the baseboard from the water?

What side of the Typar paper faces the concrete when attaching to the back of the stud wall in my basement?

Julie — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 20:55:36 -0400

We are finishing our basement and live in Utah 5 climate zone. We already had the walls framed and now I'm seeing we should have placed the foam board first. Now that the walls are up I'm looking at the next best option for proper insulation. We really don't have any water issues but the majority of the concrete wall is under ground. I found that stapling Typar paper to the back side of the studs would supply a good air barrier and allow for air flow, then place the insulation in the wall. My question is I found 2 different articles that conflict on which side of the paper should face the concrete. I am also leaning toward mineral wool instead of fiberglass insulation due to the density and if we did have any water it would hold up better. We are also leaving our floor joists exposed and painting it flat black so I was reading that the mineral wool might be better for acoustics. Any input would be helpful. Thank you.

Electrical rough in inspection

Sylvia Torres — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 20:09:54 -0400

I’m getting a new work rough in inspection ready and codes have changed so my question is do gfci circuit that are for outside on the house need to be in the blue box only or do I have to put the wire in the weather proof outdoor box and cover on as well for first inspection and also the mini splits Romex. Going from panel to outside how do I junction it so that the wire is available near the location where home owner want it but the problem is that the exterior walls or siding isn’t complete yet and owner is not sure exactly where it will be installed so just wants wiring available to them when time comes. Can I put the wire in a blue box on the inside of the location where it will be needed. Sorry if my question isn’t clear enough please help

Light stays on without switch connected

Bryan E Burns — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 19:43:34 -0400

I have a light in the wash room that stays on when the switch is off and when I turn it on the light gets brighter. I took out the switch and it still stays on . Any suggestions?

How do I stop my hidden bookcase door from sagging after books are added?

Kristi — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 19:35:17 -0400

I built a hidden bookcase door using 1x10 boards with a pivot hinge with a 573lb weight load. The frame and case are square, case is level and swings with no problem empty. As I add the books the free side bottoms out on the base of the frame. I have rechecked that all hinge plates are tight, frame is secure, and case levels back out once weight is removed. I have torn it down and rebuilt, no wiggle in anything. Due to the base of the frame I can’t install a castor, so what am I missing?

Ryobi 40v Chainsaw Not Working

Josh M. — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 19:05:51 -0400

I have a Ryobi 40v Chainsaw (RY40503) which is not working. When pulling the trigger, there is a tiny amount of movement from the motor (sometimes) and an audible "click". The motor spins freely by hand (as freely as the magnets allow, with very little effort). Here's what I've tried:

Multiple batteries -- one battery shows a single blinking light while the trigger is depressed, the other shows 4 solid lights. Both give the same result -- quiet click and a few MM of movement, or none.
Reset one of the batteries with the same results.
Cleaned battery and tool contacts.
Tested voltage between contacts on tool side, with battery inserted -- 40v.
Checked visible components -- caps look okay.
Removed couplings (red, blue, black wires), straightened wires, re-connected couplings.
Shorted switch tabs directly -- same result (so it is perhaps not the switch).

Here are some photos of the disassembled components and a video showing the action.

What kind of epoxy to use to get shark bites to stop spinning to stop spinning

Glenn Minerva — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 18:50:38 -0400

What type of epoxy should be used to get shark bites to stop spinning?

2 leg circuit - One leg works the other not so much

Tube Head — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 18:34:39 -0400

I have a circuit that powers 4 sets of lights - One set is on 4 way and 3 way switches - The other 2 non-working lights are switched independently with their own SPST switches - I don't know how to troubleshoot the non-working fixtures - the 2 sets on the 3 way and 4 say switches are working OK - It's like the power that goes to the non working lights is off - All breakers are OK - Thanks

Adding a generator inlet and interlock

Dalin Miller — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 18:32:10 -0400

The orange wire on the left was added years ago by an electrician and uses a dryer type receptacle. I want to make this safe and install a generator inlet and interlock. Can this be done with this panel as all of the slots are filled?