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1500 questions
33
votes
15 answers

What is a humane, safe and clean way to dispose of a live mouse caught in a glue trap?

A glue trap in my garage caught a mouse. I consider it inhumane to let the mouse die in the glue trap. I am looking for a method to euthanize the mouse that meets the following requirements: Humane - Must be quick and effective. Safe - I got bit…
Codism
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What temperature should I set my water heater to?

When adjusting my water heater, what temperature should I set it to? Is the answer different if you have: Concerns about diseases A dishwasher Young children or elderly that can be easily burned Electric vs Gas heat Type of plumbing (e.g. PEX or…
BMitch
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8 answers

How long do modern flush toilets last?

I have always considered flush toilets to basically last forever. I have graced toilets constructed over a century ago with my behind, and they have worked just fine. Recently, when explaining a problem I was having with a toilet to the manager of…
Amazon Dies In Darkness
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2 answers

Why is my garage grounded ONLY when it rains?

My garage is not connected to my house and it's on a circuit that contains a few outlets inside the house as well. I found out the first time I tried to charge my PHEV that the entire circuit isn't properly grounded. I had an electrician come look…
Andy Barnes
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5 answers

Why does this pipe feeding a hot water heater dip down like this?

This is a cold water pipe just in front of the hot water heater it is feeding. Why is it shaped that way? What is its function?
Rob
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5 answers

Is it a problem that my bathtub drains directly into the wall?

Here is what I see inside the hole My landlord said is ok. But I think water going directly to wall can't be a good idea. My question is how bad is it? Needs fixing right away? If needs fixing, how can I fix. The side of the bathtub is sealed and I…
07mm8
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8 answers

Why am I getting an electric shock from the water in my hot tub?

I have noticed that when I touch the water of my Hot Tub when I am grounded (barefoot standing outside of tub) I am getting a very small electric shock. Using a multimeter it is reading 2Vac between the water and the ground outside. I have an RCD…
Lee
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18 answers

How to remove nails with heads cut off?

Yes, I know I can go to the big box store and buy lumber. That is not the point of this question. I have some boards that have the nail heads removed, leaving the nail flush with the surface of the board. The boards come from pallets where…
bgoodr
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5 answers

Is it OK to borrow a ground wire from a different circuit?

I've got a circuit in the basement carrying a handful of outlets. This circuit has no ground wire. I want to add a couple of outlets and want them to be grounded. I may even want gfci outlets on them in the future. I have no reasonable way of…
Paul
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9 answers

What humidity should I set my dehumidifier to?

I just bought a 50 pint dehumidifier for my basement. What humidity level should I aim for? This time of year the outside humidity is very high (over 80%) and we do not have central air. Right now it is set to 55% and seems to be running…
auujay
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6 answers

Where should I NOT use a GFCI or AFCI?

There is a lot of information out there about the benefits of GFCI and AFCI and the places where they must or should be used. But are there any circumstances where you're better off without them? If I won a free box of dual-function GFCI/AFCI…
dlf
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10 answers

Are toilets supposed to be caulked to the floor?

I've heard that in some cases toilets are supposed to be caulked to the floor. I replaced both toilets in the condo I moved into last week, and one was calked to the floor, and one was not. One difference was that toilet where caulk was present is…
Billy ONeal
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8 answers

When pouring concrete, is it safe to add large rocks to increase volume?

Backround I'm going to pour some concrete to anchor a swing set. The base of the swing set that is being anchored is two 4x4s with a 2x4 footer crossed perpendicularly to the 4x4s. I have a bunch of large softball-sized rocks in my yard. I was…
Walter Stabosz
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8 answers

How do I rehang a wooden door with worn screw holes?

I have a wood door in one of my rooms where the top screws no longer hold the hinge to the wall because the screw holes have worn loose. I have tried slightly larger screws and filling with wood toothpicks, which usually lasts about a year. I…
user2278
32
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6 answers

Electric shock - was I stupid, unlucky, or a combination of both?

One of the double sockets in our garage needed replacing (damaged after a washing pole hit it) - a pretty trivial job that I'd done before. So I flipped the MCB for the ring main, used a non-contact voltage tester to check nothing was there, and set…
user24536
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