Projects/Home Improvement Thread

[Irish#1]

Nice work!

Thanks, I'm hoping to find some larger limestone pieces to cap it with. The ones at the big box stores or too small which would leave quite a few joints. I don't think that would look good.

 

[wizards8507]

Anybody good with electrical?

I've been replacing light switches and I screwed something up. A single switch controls two lights on the front of the house. The switch works properly for one of the lights, but the other light is stuck on. What am I looking for?

 

[ab2cmiller]

Anybody good with electrical?

I've been replacing light switches and I screwed something up. A single switch controls two lights on the front of the house. The switch works properly for one of the lights, but the other light is stuck on. What am I looking for?

Is there another switch that also controls those lights?

 

[wizards8507]

Is there another switch that also controls those lights?

No.

 

[Irish#1]

Anybody good with electrical?

I've been replacing light switches and I screwed something up. A single switch controls two lights on the front of the house. The switch works properly for one of the lights, but the other light is stuck on. What am I looking for?

Disclaimer....I'm not an electrician but
The light is staying on because there is nothing to interrupt the power, meaning it's not wired correctly. If you have a similar setup somewhere else in the house take a look at it.

 

[GowerND11]

Had a ton and a half of crushed white stone delivered to the house last Thursday for some landscaping. I removed some terribly stupid thorn bushes out front that the last owners had planted (they hated neighbors it's been said), took out the mulch, etc. Got the stone down, it looks really nice, and it accents our dark wooden fence well too.

Now I need to buy some type of small border to go around the stone because I never thought about getting it at the start of the project, and we've already had kids ride their bikes through the stone haha.....

 

[RDU Irish]

Anybody good with electrical?

I've been replacing light switches and I screwed something up. A single switch controls two lights on the front of the house. The switch works properly for one of the lights, but the other light is stuck on. What am I looking for?

Did you take a pic before disconnecting the old switch? Did you check to make sure you had the right type of switch? Any time I have more than just one line involved I take a picture and do what I can to mark the lines b/c that crap gets complicated real quick.

 

[Wild Bill]

Anybody good with electrical?

I've been replacing light switches and I screwed something up. A single switch controls two lights on the front of the house. The switch works properly for one of the lights, but the other light is stuck on. What am I looking for?

If one light is working it means the switch is fine and the hot wire is connected.

I assume you checked the light bulbs. It's possible the fixture may have an issue or that you pulled the connection loose when you changed the switch but probably not likely.

I would start by checking the switch leg connection. Sometimes people make this type of connection by connecting both switch legs directly to the switch and other times they tie the wires together with a pigtail and that pigtail is connected to the switch. I'm not sure how yours was wired but that's probably your issue.

If you have them connected with a nut and pigtail, check to make sure the connection is solid. Pull the wire nut to see if its loose. If not, unscrew it and make sure the line is connected properly. Sometimes one line slips out and prevents a connection or the tip of a line cracks off, etc. Get everything good to go, tie them back up, put the nut back on and make sure the open end of the nut is facing down when you pack it into the box so it doesn't collect dust. You can tape the bottom too. Not a bad idea. You can run some tape around the switch once you get it working too.

If you have both lines connected to the switch, I would put them on a pigtail - same as above.

While you're in there with the power off, you may want to check your connection on the neutral line and the ground.

If you're still not getting heat to that light, check the connection in the fixture or the bulbs if you haven't done so already.

 

[Irish#1]

If one light is working it means the switch is fine and the hot wire is connected.

I assume you checked the light bulbs. It's possible the fixture may have an issue or that you pulled the connection loose when you changed the switch but probably not likely.

I would start by checking the switch leg connection. Sometimes people make this type of connection by connecting both switch legs directly to the switch and other times they tie the wires together with a pigtail and that pigtail is connected to the switch. I'm not sure how yours was wired but that's probably your issue.

If you have them connected with a nut and pigtail, check to make sure the connection is solid. Pull the wire nut to see if its loose. If not, unscrew it and make sure the line is connected properly. Sometimes one line slips out and prevents a connection or the tip of a line cracks off, etc. Get everything good to go, tie them back up, put the nut back on and make sure the open end of the nut is facing down when you pack it into the box so it doesn't collect dust. You can tape the bottom too. Not a bad idea. You can run some tape around the switch once you get it working too.

If you have both lines connected to the switch, I would put them on a pigtail - same as above.

While you're in there with the power off, you may want to check your connection on the neutral line and the ground.

If you're still not getting heat to that light, check the connection in the fixture or the bulbs if you haven't done so already.

He said the light is on all the time, so he's getting juice.

 

[Wild Bill]

I have about 178 projects going at the house right now. The main one is re-finishing a utility room that's about 500 square feet. So far, I've painted/sealed the cinder block walls, resurfaced my floors, built miles of of shelving for all my wife's "stuff" and enclosed the shelving off by building a wall to separate it from the rest of the utility room.

I've been doing most of it with left over material to keep the costs down. The biggest issue was the floor. It's just a slab that was in terrible shape and it was pitched towards a drain so my options were limited. I got an estimate for epoxy - $2500 bucks. No chance. I picked up some epoxy from Sherwin Williams and did it myself. Application of the epoxy was incredibly easy but the prep work is was a little bit of a pain in the ass. I got all the material on sale, I think it was 30% off, and paid about $500 total.

Looks decent and more durable than I thought so far. I'd recommend it. I'm thinking about doing my garage with the same stuff.

 

[Wild Bill]

He said the light is on all the time, so he's getting juice.

Ahhh, sorry. You probably crossed the line and connected the switch leg with the hot wire. Common mistake b/c the hot wire and switch legs are often both black. Track the lines and once you figure it out, wrap a piece of electric tape on the end of the switch legs about an inch away from the copper so you'll know it's a switch leg going forward.

Disconnect the switch leg from the hot line and tie it in with the other switch leg and connect it to the switch. Should be good to go.

Did you take a pic before disconnecting the old switch?

Solid advice if you're ever messing with an old box with several wires. It's so easy to confuse lines.

Goes without saying but take your time when you are doing electric. It's always easier to slow down and get it done right than it is to trace lines to correct a mistake. And a little patience will probably save you from riding the lightning too.

 

[wizards8507]

Ahhh, sorry. You probably crossed the line and connected the switch leg with the hot wire. Common mistake b/c the hot wire and switch legs are often both black. Track the lines and once you figure it out, wrap a piece of electric tape on the end of the switch legs about an inch away from the copper so you'll know it's a switch leg going forward.

Disconnect the switch leg from the hot line and tie it in with the other switch leg and connect it to the switch. Should be good to go.

Solid advice if you're ever messing with an old box with several wires. It's so easy to confuse lines.

Goes without saying but take your time when you are doing electric. It's always easier to slow down and get it done right than it is to trace lines to correct a mistake. And a little patience will probably save you from riding the lightning too.

I figured it out. The switch had two different ways to attach wires, the kind where you insert the wire straight into the back of the switch and the kind where you screw it onto the side. I had the hot wire connected to the top back (correct), one of the lights connected to the bottom back (correct), and the second light connected to the top side (incorrect, I believe this made it a "traveler"). I moved that wire down to the bottom side terminal and everything works properly.

The two different types of terminals made tying the two legs together unnecessary, which is good because this was in a three-gang box with a dimmer and there wasn't room for any extra nuts.

I replaced about 50 outlets in the last two weeks so I've got those down, but I'm just getting around to the switches.

 

[ab2cmiller]

I did all the electrical when we finished the basement in our house. I bought books, googled the crap out of everything, was meticulous in making sure that every little rule was followed.

Inspector comes in and spends about 3 minutes glancing around and approved me. I was like ..... WTF ..... aren't you going to look and make sure that every wire is secured within 12 inches of each box. Learned that I spent probably twice as much time doing the project as I probably could've.

 

[wizards8507]

I did all the electrical when we finished the basement in our house. I bought books, googled the crap out of everything, was meticulous in making sure that every little rule was followed.

Inspector comes in and spends about 3 minutes glancing around and approved me. I was like ..... WTF ..... aren't you going to look and make sure that every wire is secured within 12 inches of each box. Learned that I spent probably twice as much time doing the project as I probably could've.

I chewed up my skin being so vigorous with the screwdriver that I can no longer use my fingerprint to unlock my phone.

 

[Irish#1]

Another electrical project. I have my thoughts on this, but want to hear what you guys think is the best way to approach this.

We built a pavillion on our patio and I want to get power to it to install a ceiling fan and a couple of outlets for a TV. One of the corner polls sits just a couple of feet from the house. At that location I have a porch light and a GFC recepticle. I'm thinking my best option is to remove the light and add a surface box. Then I can put the light on the box and run a short piece of conduit out the top of the box over to the pavillion. This of course assumes I won't overload the breaker and don't need to add a toally new circuit.

 

[Wild Bill]

Another electrical project. I have my thoughts on this, but want to hear what you guys think is the best way to approach this.

We built a pavillion on our patio and I want to get power to it to install a ceiling fan and a couple of outlets for a TV. One of the corner polls sits just a couple of feet from the house. At that location I have a porch light and a GFC recepticle. I'm thinking my best option is to remove the light and add a surface box. Then I can put the light on the box and run a short piece of conduit out the top of the box over to the pavillion. This of course assumes I won't overload the breaker and don't need to add a toally new circuit.

Ceilings fans are relatively energy efficient and if you're running LED lights off of the same line, I doubt you'd overload the breaker.

Your idea makes sense, imo.

 

[wizards8507]

HVAC puzzle.

My house has a single air handler pushing air conditioning and forced hot air to three different zones controlled by duct dampers. We currently have a Nest thermostat installed in Zone 1 (downstairs) and two wireless thermostats installed in Zones 2 and 3, both upstairs.

We want to replace the two upstairs thermostats with Nests as well. The good news is that there is thermostat wire already running behind the existing wireless thermostats, they're just not hooked up to anything. It seems fairly straightforward. Use the existing wire to connect the two new Nests directly to the zone control system, bypassing the wireless receiver entirely. Where I'm stumped is that I can't find the basement end of the damn thermostat wires. I can't figure out what the guy who installed the wireless thermostats did with them. Any suggestions?

 

[Irish YJ]

HVAC puzzle.

My house has a single air handler pushing air conditioning and forced hot air to three different zones controlled by duct dampers. We currently have a Nest thermostat installed in Zone 1 (downstairs) and two wireless thermostats installed in Zones 2 and 3, both upstairs.

We want to replace the two upstairs thermostats with Nests as well. The good news is that there is thermostat wire already running behind the existing wireless thermostats, they're just not hooked up to anything. It seems fairly straightforward. Use the existing wire to connect the two new Nests directly to the zone control system, bypassing the wireless receiver entirely. Where I'm stumped is that I can't find the basement end of the damn thermostat wires. I can't figure out what the guy who installed the wireless thermostats did with them. Any suggestions?

If you can't find where the them, suggest calling someone out to give an estimate lol. If the estimate is too high, he'll at least find endpoints for you

 

[NDBoiler]

It’s like you tell your kids when they “look” for something Wiz. “Did you check everywhere? Did you move stuff around and look really good?”

 

[Irish#1]

They have to be near the furnace.

 

[Valpodoc85]

Will be mounted near furnace or less likely next to the electrical service box. If the home is large there maybe two
Can be mounted to the furnace

 

[wizards8507]

Okay so riddle me this. I still can't find the Zone 2 wires, but setting that aside for a second.

I got out a wire tracer to confirm that what I believed to be the Zone 3 wires were, in fact, the Zone 3 wires. They were, except that on the thermostat end there are 5 wires in the cable but on the basement end there are only 3 wires in the cable.

 

[Irish#1]

Okay so riddle me this. I still can't find the Zone 2 wires, but setting that aside for a second.

I got out a wire tracer to confirm that what I believed to be the Zone 3 wires were, in fact, the Zone 3 wires. They were, except that on the thermostat end there are 5 wires in the cable but on the basement end there are only 3 wires in the cable.

I'm assuming all five are not terminated on the other end? If so, they probably trimmed them on the other end as they weren't needed.

 

[Irish#1]

Little grapevine project I helped the wife with. Didn't take long. Need to buy a few more bags of stone. I should have known to buy more than what she said was needed. She's a terrible estimator. lol

 

[wizards8507]

I'm not crazy!

I tracked down the HVAC guy who set up the current thermostats. There were two major remodels done in this house's history, one to finish a bonus room over the garage, and then a two-story extension that includes the kitchen on the first floor and the master bedroom on the second floor. The contractor who did one or the other of those projects messed up the wiring and the old zones terminate randomly in the walls somewhere that they've never been able to trace.

 

[Irish#1]

I'm not crazy!

I tracked down the HVAC guy who set up the current thermostats. There were two major remodels done in this house's history, one to finish a bonus room over the garage, and then a two-story extension that includes the kitchen on the first floor and the master bedroom on the second floor. The contractor who did one or the other of those projects messed up the wiring and the old zones terminate randomly in the walls somewhere that they've never been able to trace.

Call Mike Holmes. He'll make it right.

 

[Irish#1]

The old house we're working on has a set of bi-fold garage doors. They were in bad shape with some rotting and general deterioration. Took them down, sanded them down cut out most of the bad and replaced with treated lumber. Used dowels and wood glue to attach. Since you can't see the back I also added a small piece across the back to act as a brace. The wife made a stencil and used some etching liquid to put the design in the glass. They turned out better than I anticipated.

 

[ab2cmiller]

Great job man!

 

[NDdomer2]

So i think this project should be relatively easy but I am no electrician by any means.

I have an outlet in my basement and a storage area on the immediate other side of the wall which is unfinished. I want the outlet to be on both sides. I believe i can just install a different style outlet box that allows me to put one on both sides but just wanted to check here. See picture below.

 

[NDBoiler]

So i think this project should be relatively easy but I am no electrician by any means.

I have an outlet in my basement and a storage area on the immediate other side of the wall which is unfinished. I want the outlet to be on both sides. I believe i can just install a different style outlet box that allows me to put one on both sides but just wanted to check here. See picture below.

I would just pigtail out of the bottom of that existing box, drill a hole through the stud and pull wire into your new box on the other side of the stud facing into your unfinished space. Or you could go a little lower or higher with that new box on the same side of the stud. Also make the box for the unfinished side is a “new work” box, which has nails molded into it that you anchor to the stud, not “old work” or a “remodel” box which have plastic anchors that clamp to drywall.