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1500 questions
49
votes
9 answers
When drywalling a room, should I do the ceiling before the walls?
Is there any value in installing drywall (plasterboard) on the ceiling before the walls or does it not matter?
TravisPUK
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49
votes
10 answers
Should old knob and tube wiring be replaced?
I have been doing some electrical work in my house and I noticed it has old knob and tube wiring that is still hot, should this be replaced as found or is it fine to just leave it? It seems really old and brittle, so I'm a little concerned.
Tester101
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49
votes
10 answers
Doors are sticky and noisy when opened?
For some reason, the doors in our house make a very loud "unsticking" sound when you open them.
It's almost as if the paint isn't cured, since the sound seems to come from the contact area around the frame, where the door touches the doorframe --…
Jeff Atwood
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48
votes
4 answers
Are there ways to determine if a wall is load bearing?
Other than looking up blue prints, which many homeowners may not have, are there ways to determine if a wall is load bearing?
Methods I can think of might include:
Going up in the attic to check if ceiling trusses run perpendicular to the wall
If…
Doresoom
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48
votes
10 answers
How long should I wait before plugging in a new refrigerator?
Today I received my new refrigerator, and I've been told not to plug it in until a couple of hours have gone by. Some people told me a couple of hours was enough, but others have told me up to 12 hours. I understand the reasons as to why do this…
Fernando Briano
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47
votes
8 answers
Should I use a subfloor for a finished basement's floor?
We are refinishing our basement and have not yet decided what to do for the floors. Part of the basement will be tile, and we are all set. However, the rec room side is going to be carpet. The basement is dry, and we have never had any water or…
mohlsen
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47
votes
7 answers
Why does this receptacle have the ground tied to the neutral?
I was replacing some outlets in my house with tamper-resistant ones, and came across one where the white and ground were wired together, as seen in this picture. Why? Is that okay or appropriate ever? It was clearly done on purpose.
When the…
Scott Stafford
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46
votes
8 answers
How do I run wires for a wall-mount flatscreen TV?
Like a lot of you, we have several wall-mounted LCD HDTVs in the house. The TVs have two wires -- power and HDMI -- running down the wall to the power outlet and cable box.
I've historically been too timid to try to run the wiring inside the drywall…
Portman
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46
votes
7 answers
How can I speed up my slow hot water?
Our water heater (gas) is located in the garage. It is 25 to 30 feet away from the closest faucet, which I'm guessing is the main reason it takes so long -- a minute or longer -- to get hot water flowing into my house.
What can I do to reduce the…
arathorn
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46
votes
7 answers
Why are there so many different types of screws (phillps/flat/hex/star/etc)?
Newbie question.
Why is it that there's a bazillion different types of screws? Why can't we just always use one standard screw type? Are there advantages/disadvantages to the different types? Are there times when one type is preferred over…
Doug T.
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44
votes
8 answers
Why Do 240V Circuits Not Require Neutral?
Someone told me that a 240V circuit does not require a neutral wire in the cable. Can anyone explain this phenomenon from the electricity perspective and generally explain why circuits do and do not need a neutral wire?
amphibient
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44
votes
7 answers
How to reinforce a joist with plumbing running through it?
After removing the sub floor in my bathroom in order to extend the sewer pipe for the toilet (it's too close to the tank-side wall), I found that the floor joists have extremely large holes cut in them to make way for the plumbing.
What are my…
Jordan
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44
votes
12 answers
Is using 15 amp components on a 20 amp breaker against code?
I have noticed in a few different houses in Oklahoma that 20 amp breakers are used, but all of the outlets and switches only seem to be rated for 15 amps. This goes against everything I know to be proper and safe. The wire used is 12 gauge, so at…
Kellenjb
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44
votes
3 answers
What does "1 Gang", "2 Gang", and so forth mean when talking about electrical boxes?
What does a "1 Gang" mean when talking about electrical boxes?
Example: CARLON 1-Gang Metal Adjustable Electrical Box (Lowes.com)
C. Ross
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44
votes
8 answers
How can I pull a wire through a pipe that has too many turns for fish tape?
I need to replace a sump pump, but have run into a problem. The route for the cord goes through a 2" pipe with two 90 degree bends, and fish tape is ineffective. The pipe appears poorly jointed as well and uneven. Is there a way to get the cord…
Bryce
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