Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
14
votes
5 answers

What is causing the pilot light to go out with a loud clunk?

On particularly windy days like today, the pilot light in my furnace likes to go out. To try to confirm it is the wind blowing out the pilot light through the flue, I set up a camera and recorded this footage: Pilot light going out with a clunk The…
Resorath
  • 285
  • 1
  • 3
  • 9
14
votes
2 answers

Is electrical panel safe after arc flash?

I was trying to install CT clamps on the service wires to my center fed main electrical panel. I used pliers and by mistake torn a bit the insulation on one conductor while the pliers were touching the ground bar. There was an arc flash that pushed…
user162793
  • 452
  • 3
  • 16
14
votes
2 answers

How to pull cable straight?

Yesterday I ran a new 100ft home-run of 12/3 Romex through the crawlspace of my house, and I noticed that my cable is not as neat as other runs that other electricians had installed. In particular, the cable had lots of knots and kept twisting (vs…
peter
  • 1,662
  • 12
  • 30
14
votes
5 answers

Square D Homeline AFCI breakers trip for all appliances

I'm trying to install AFCI breakers on my kitchen SABCs (2x 20A circuits), in my Square D Homeline panel. Unfortunately, the breakers trip whenever I try to do anything useful on those circuits. I've spent hours going over all the wiring inside the…
peter
  • 1,662
  • 12
  • 30
14
votes
7 answers

What are the advantages of running a power tool on 240 V vs 120 V?

I just purchased a band saw and I have the option of running it at 120 V or, by opening the cover on the motor and swapping around a couple of wires, running it at 240 V. In general, I understand that running it on 240 V is "better", but what are…
FreeMan
  • 48,261
  • 26
  • 101
  • 206
14
votes
5 answers

Installing a grab bar on a fiberglass shower wall

My elderly mother is coming for a visit and I initially was looking for a suction grab bar but deemed it not reliable so looking for options to install it. I’ve seen videos of grab bar installation without studs - they use Wingits and a toggler…
punsoca
  • 347
  • 1
  • 4
  • 15
14
votes
4 answers

Plugging refrigerator only when necessary? (bottled beers)

I have a small and cheap refrigerator that I use to store beers. It has a small freezer that is of no use to me. I am only using this refrigerator 5 times a year (during "events"), and I measured that it costs me around $10/month. Not that cheap in…
ChipsMyName
  • 151
  • 1
  • 6
14
votes
5 answers

Cutting larger pieces on table saw

As the photo shows, I want to cut some larger pieces of plywood. The right edge is not straight, but even if I get it straight, I will not be able to easily cut it using the rip fence. And the miter gauge won't work because the piece is too wide. I…
fixit7
  • 1,329
  • 2
  • 14
  • 26
14
votes
5 answers

What is the easiest code compliant way to totally remove an electrical box?

Much of the wiring my house is of the DIY variety, done by someone who was plainly insane. My living room has an electrical box with a switch, which runs to .. another switch on the exterior wall, to turn on/off deck lights. This is not a runner…
negacao
  • 1,021
  • 2
  • 15
  • 34
14
votes
4 answers

How do builders prevent water damage during construction?

There is a new house under construction near me. I pass it daily. The foundation is done and they are working on framing now. We had a big storm recently, and so all the framing and presumably the basement were exposed to the elements. How do…
nuggethead
  • 1,659
  • 1
  • 17
  • 31
14
votes
3 answers

Are tankless water heaters worth it in cold climates?

I was thinking of switching over to a tankless water heater. A friend of mine said they are not good in colder climates since the water coming in is colder and takes longer to heat. Is this a valid concern, or are these things designed to deal with…
Tester101
  • 133,087
  • 80
  • 327
  • 617
14
votes
7 answers

Can I save energy costs by turning off the refrigerator for 1-2 hours every day?

Now that I'm looking into home automation, I'm thinking about automatically cutting off the fridge power from 3am ~ 5am. Given that modern refrigerators are well insulated, it should be able to withstand 2 hours of non powered cooling. If I proceed…
Level1Coder
  • 265
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
14
votes
13 answers

How do you make outdoor wooden stairs less slippery in winter?

Outdoors, I have some wooden stairs leading up to my front door. The wooden stairs are covered in high-gloss wood preservative. In winter, snow and ice are deposited onto the stair-steps. The bottoms of my shoes slip and slide on the high gloss…
Samuel Muldoon
  • 349
  • 2
  • 3
  • 13
14
votes
1 answer

Old Whirpool gas stove mystically stops making spark when I put the cover on

I just moved to the new apartment and here we got an old dirty whirpool gas stove with nasty fat stains. I checked it and few burners would stop burn if I stopped to push the button. All the sparks worked alright. I assumed the problem was in…
Foby
  • 371
  • 1
  • 8
14
votes
5 answers

How can I use existing satellite coaxial cable to carry my internet connection?

I recently moved to another internet provider who provides FTTH (Fibre To The Home). Now my powerline adapters are incapable of taking full advantage of the increased speeds. I'm currently using Wifi and losing some speed, and don't really want to…
LondonGuy
  • 325
  • 2
  • 8
1 2 3
…
99 100