How do I remove this old flue pipe?

There's an old chimney for a furnace in my basement which is no longer being used, and I'd like to take it out. It's going through cinder block, with concrete sealing around both sides. Outer diameter is 10", inner is 6", and it feels very solid -- almost like there's something between the inner and outer walls (is there?). Last year we had the roof replaced, and this no longer goes through it, so I'm just concerned with the wall penetration. Any tips on removal? I am guessing there's not much to disas . . . [More]

How do I remove this old flue pipe?

There's an old chimney for a furnace in my basement which is no longer being used, and I'd like to take it out. It's going through cinder block, with concrete sealing around both sides. Outer diameter is 10", inner is 6", and it feels very solid -- almost like there's something between the inner and outer walls (is there?). Last year we had the roof replaced, and this no longer goes through it, so I'm just concerned with the wall penetration. Any tips on removal? I am guessing there's not much to disas . . . [More]

Can I screw only the bottom screw into a stud?

I recently purchased Granhult from IKEA for my wall shelf. The problem is that my wall stud do not align with the brackets because of the size of my shelf. Can I simply screw the bottom screws into the noggins and use wall anchors for the top screws? The shelf is going to hold books and some legos. Thanks in advance!. Question from user TheCarpe at stackexchange Answer: No. First off, the top screws take up most of the load. The weight of the shelf + stuff will try to pull the top screws out of the wall, the bottom screws comparativ . . . [More]

Can I screw only the bottom screw into a stud?

I recently purchased Granhult from IKEA for my wall shelf. The problem is that my wall stud do not align with the brackets because of the size of my shelf. Can I simply screw the bottom screws into the noggins and use wall anchors for the top screws? The shelf is going to hold books and some legos. Thanks in advance!. Question from user TheCarpe at stackexchange Answer: No. First off, the top screws take up most of the load. The weight of the shelf + stuff will try to pull the top screws out of the wall, the bottom screws comparativ . . . [More]

How to fix selector on this combination bath tap - shower setup?

I have a combination tap/shower setup for my bath that looks like this:. The lever in the middle can be rotated left or right to choose between whether the water comes out the tap or out of the showerhead. Recently it has come loose and will just rotate left/right without doing anything. With a bit of jiggling you can get the mechanism to engage and it will function. I'm assuming that there is a loose screw or similar that could be tightened to fix the lever back in place but I can't figure out how I would be able to access such a sc . . . [More]

How to fix selector on this combination bath tap - shower setup?

I have a combination tap/shower setup for my bath that looks like this:. The lever in the middle can be rotated left or right to choose between whether the water comes out the tap or out of the showerhead. Recently it has come loose and will just rotate left/right without doing anything. With a bit of jiggling you can get the mechanism to engage and it will function. I'm assuming that there is a loose screw or similar that could be tightened to fix the lever back in place but I can't figure out how I would be able to access such a sc . . . [More]

Is it safe for knob & tube to be touching insulation facing?

Is it safe for insulation to be placed underneath existing knob and tube if only the insulation paper facing is touching the wires? Or is it be better to remove the insulation and leave a portion of the wall uninsulated? In WA, USA if that matters. For the sake of argument assume replacing the K&T is not possible. Question from user tbridge at stackexchange Answer: No, knob and tube wiring should not touch anything other than air, knobs and tubes. If you have enough access to add faced insulation, then you have enough access to . . . [More]

Is it safe for knob & tube to be touching insulation facing?

Is it safe for insulation to be placed underneath existing knob and tube if only the insulation paper facing is touching the wires? Or is it be better to remove the insulation and leave a portion of the wall uninsulated? In WA, USA if that matters. For the sake of argument assume replacing the K&T is not possible. Question from user tbridge at stackexchange Answer: No, knob and tube wiring should not touch anything other than air, knobs and tubes. If you have enough access to add faced insulation, then you have enough access to . . . [More]

Can I daisy-chain LED strip lights to my bathroom exhaust fan and have them work on the same light s

I just finished installing a new exhaust fan in my bathroom. I have access to the ceiling before I patch up the old hole where the old fan used to be. A lot of people tend to connect a recessed light to the exhaust fan but I wanted to know if I could "daisy-chain" an LED strip light so that it could illuminate the side of the walls as you can see in this photo:. Here are the LED lights that I bought:. Question from user Adrien at stackexchange Answer: I was able to complete my task by installing a junction box I attached t . . . [More]

Can I daisy-chain LED strip lights to my bathroom exhaust fan and have them work on the same light s

I just finished installing a new exhaust fan in my bathroom. I have access to the ceiling before I patch up the old hole where the old fan used to be. A lot of people tend to connect a recessed light to the exhaust fan but I wanted to know if I could "daisy-chain" an LED strip light so that it could illuminate the side of the walls as you can see in this photo:. Here are the LED lights that I bought:. Question from user Adrien at stackexchange Answer: I was able to complete my task by installing a junction box I attached t . . . [More]

What size pool jets am I supposed to purchase for 1.5 inch pipes?

In my pool, I have two white PVC pipes that push water out, where jets are supposed to fit to increase flow rate. The diameter of these pipes is 1.5 inches. I purchased a 5-pack of "Pool and Spa Eyeball Jet 1.5" Threaded to 3/4" Open" jets from an online retailer. I was sent a pack of 5 jets where the diameter of the threaded portion measured 1.75 inches, too big to fit in the 1.5" wall pipes. I returned the pack, and requested the correct size. Again, I was sent the same 1.75 inch pack back. The product . . . [More]

What size pool jets am I supposed to purchase for 1.5 inch pipes?

In my pool, I have two white PVC pipes that push water out, where jets are supposed to fit to increase flow rate. The diameter of these pipes is 1.5 inches. I purchased a 5-pack of "Pool and Spa Eyeball Jet 1.5" Threaded to 3/4" Open" jets from an online retailer. I was sent a pack of 5 jets where the diameter of the threaded portion measured 1.75 inches, too big to fit in the 1.5" wall pipes. I returned the pack, and requested the correct size. Again, I was sent the same 1.75 inch pack back. The product . . . [More]

How can I remove a receptacle and abandon the electrical outlet?

We are trying to remove an electrical outlet. We turned the power off and disconnected the wires from the outlet. Then we twisted the + wires and tapped them and did the same with the - wires. Then we covered up the hole. When we turned the power back on the other outlets on the circuit they failed to work. Did we do something wrong? Question from user BDGapps at stackexchange Answer: It sounds you caused a short circuit by wiring the hot and neutral together. You created a circuit with no electrical resistance so the breaker pops to p . . . [More]

How can I remove a receptacle and abandon the electrical outlet?

We are trying to remove an electrical outlet. We turned the power off and disconnected the wires from the outlet. Then we twisted the + wires and tapped them and did the same with the - wires. Then we covered up the hole. When we turned the power back on the other outlets on the circuit they failed to work. Did we do something wrong? Question from user BDGapps at stackexchange Answer: It sounds you caused a short circuit by wiring the hot and neutral together. You created a circuit with no electrical resistance so the breaker pops to p . . . [More]

Is there a maximum length requirement for 3 - 4 liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit type-B?

My application is for installing a hot tub outdoors and I'm reading varying answers online, so thought I'd ask here to confirm. Question from user Scott Lin at stackexchange Answer: You can install Liquidtight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit (LFNC) in lengths longer than 6' (1.8m), but only if it is securely fastened at intervals less than 3' (900 mm), and within 12" (300 mm) of boxes and fittings. Update. Turns out that if you're following NEC 2011, 680.42(A)(1) limits you to 6' of LFNC for hot tubs. Th . . . [More]

Is there a maximum length requirement for 3 - 4 liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit type-B?

My application is for installing a hot tub outdoors and I'm reading varying answers online, so thought I'd ask here to confirm. Question from user Scott Lin at stackexchange Answer: You can install Liquidtight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit (LFNC) in lengths longer than 6' (1.8m), but only if it is securely fastened at intervals less than 3' (900 mm), and within 12" (300 mm) of boxes and fittings. Update. Turns out that if you're following NEC 2011, 680.42(A)(1) limits you to 6' of LFNC for hot tubs. Th . . . [More]

Is it okay to have an air handler in an uninsulated attic or will the air handler have to work harde

We live in CT -- so cold winters. I don't know all the right/technical terms, but this is our situation:. Split level ranch (two floors plus attic). Gas furnace and gas water heater in the basement. Air handler in the attic. Air condenser thingy outside. Our attic is not used for anything. We have a few boxes (like 5) and some empty suitcases. I am told we have a vented attic -- whatever that means. There is insulation under the floor of the attic (between the attic and top floor) but very little. There is no insulat . . . [More]

Is it okay to have an air handler in an uninsulated attic or will the air handler have to work harde

We live in CT -- so cold winters. I don't know all the right/technical terms, but this is our situation:. Split level ranch (two floors plus attic). Gas furnace and gas water heater in the basement. Air handler in the attic. Air condenser thingy outside. Our attic is not used for anything. We have a few boxes (like 5) and some empty suitcases. I am told we have a vented attic -- whatever that means. There is insulation under the floor of the attic (between the attic and top floor) but very little. There is no insulat . . . [More]

Code requirements for wall - baseboard

We are going to install some engineered laminate flooring on the bottom floor of our home. Knowing that baseboards are a requirement for that project, I wondered if I could kill two birds with one stone. I am trying to get ethernet cables installed through out some of the rooms in the bottom floor, and it seems that if cut a slot in the drywall, from the subfloor to about 3 inches off of the subfloor (though I need to measure twice and cut once), I can gain enough access to the studs to drill through them. And then, theoretically, I could co . . . [More]

Code requirements for wall - baseboard

We are going to install some engineered laminate flooring on the bottom floor of our home. Knowing that baseboards are a requirement for that project, I wondered if I could kill two birds with one stone. I am trying to get ethernet cables installed through out some of the rooms in the bottom floor, and it seems that if cut a slot in the drywall, from the subfloor to about 3 inches off of the subfloor (though I need to measure twice and cut once), I can gain enough access to the studs to drill through them. And then, theoretically, I could co . . . [More]