gregmac

14,456 reputation

3067

bio	website	gregmaclellan.com
	location	Canada
	age	32
visits	member for	2 years, 10 months
	seen	3 hours ago
stats	profile views	357

Professional software developer, with several years working on industrial control and monitoring systems. Slowly remodeling parts of my house.

	14,456 reputation	bio	website	gregmaclellan.com	visits	member for	2 years, 10 months
3067 badges		location	Canada		seen	3 hours ago

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1d	comment	Is a high electric bill for a pump house caused by a well pump running constantly? Is the well pump actually running constantly? What does the pressure gauge show? Normally it should cycle between 40 and 60 psi (though could be +/-10 depending on how it's set). Cycling fast usually indicates trouble with your pressure tank. Never reaching the high shut-off point indicates excessive water use -- could be a leak. You should try turning off the valve after the tank going to the house(es), and see if the pump shuts off, then hook up a garden hose to the sed valve that should be on the tank and run water from there to see if the pump acts normally.
May 15	comment	How can I connect coaxial cables to my wall? @Tester101 It's my understanding that would only apply if the cord is powering something considered permanently installed, such as an HVAC unit. It's pretty likely that is attached to a floor lamp and therefore not disallowed (though it's not specifically permitted, either). Would love clarification either way (maybe this deserves its own question?).
May 12	comment	Why doesn't this LED strip work, even though the power supply seams appropriate? Do you have any specs or datasheets for either the strips or power supply you purchased? Many power supplies advertise their peak current, and not continuous load rating (which is lower). Additionally, cheap power supplies in particular tend to overstate their ratings, and will output a lower voltage as you get near their max ratings. With power supplies, as with many things, you typically get what you pay for.
May 12	comment	Why doesn't this LED strip work, even though the power supply seams appropriate? Citation? The datasheets I found say a 3528 draws 2A on a 5m roll, or 3A per color for RGB strips.
May 10	comment	Is there any NEC code requirement for how far off the floor Category 5 wiring must be run? @DMoore Btw, 1Gbps (gigabits) has a theoretical max of 125MB/sec (megabytes) -- pointing this out since you didn't specify bits vs bytes, and the numbers are suspiciously close. I've personally never noticed electrical interference affecting ethernet cables, and I've run a lot of ethernet installs in many different residential, commercial and a few industrial environments (though generally I do try not to run them to close to eletrical if it can be avoided). The twisted pair is specifically designed to cancel out interference.
May 10	comment	Is there any NEC code requirement for how far off the floor Category 5 wiring must be run? I've been using networked media players as my primary means of TV for probably around 8 years now. Every time I've used wifi (in several different houses/apartments, with various access points that are at least "mid-range"), I've had a bad experience. Nothing is worse than being in the middle of a movie or show and all of a sudden everything stops: "Buffering...". This problem disappears with wired. I also have voip phones, and have these connected via PoE switch which is on a UPS in the basement. With wifi, I have to buy a wifi bridge for each, plus a UPS or I lose them during power failures.
May 10	comment	How do I connect up a ceiling rose in a 2-way switch circuit? Just to clarify one thing: In the UK, they call circuits with 2 switches "2-way" while in North America we call them "3-way" (because of 3 terminals, I guess). I am guessing this is a UK-focused questions since ceiling rose is also a UK/Australian thing (I know because I had to look it up to see if it was a real term. :) ). So for North Americans: this is for a 3-way circuit.
May 9	comment	How do I connect up a ceiling rose in a 2-way switch circuit? Was there a junction box for these? Wires should be terminated in a rated junction box and connected with box connectors
May 8	comment	How do I retrofit a junction box in an insulated wall? I just got a couple at a big orange box store last night, on the shelf next to the junction boxes. True story: the girl at checkout picked it up and said "woah, there's a barcode on this? I was about to throw it out, thought it was a piece of packaging or something"
May 7	comment	How do I retrofit a junction box in an insulated wall? Ah, that is brilliant, I totally forgot those existed. After that I can just use a regular old-work box (or even low-voltage box, if applicable) and it should be fine.
May 7	comment	How do I deal with a joist in the way of where I need to run a pipe? Actually that is definitely an option, though I'd prefer to keep it in the walls if possible.
May 7	comment	How do I deal with a joist in the way of where I need to run a pipe? Nope, ~half the joist goes beyond the back of the garage and is over finished ceiling, hanging on a header joist which I assume is sitting on top of another I-beam.
May 7	comment	How do I deal with a joist in the way of where I need to run a pipe? Better pictures added to OP
May 6	comment	How do I deal with a joist in the way of where I need to run a pipe? The only detail here is I wouldn't have to notch all the way though: I just need to remove about 1/2" to 3/4" of the width of the beam on one side, like this: i.imgur.com/X9hpql3.png. Then if the regular vac pipe doesn't flex enough, I could use a piece of 2" flex hose. @DMoore your chart deals with notching all the way though, how about only partially? Do I need to sister for this, and how long does the sistered beam need to be?
May 6	comment	How do I deal with a joist in the way of where I need to run a pipe? Also minor note, I will have to drill the 2" hole from the bottom, as I don't have a way to get a hole saw in the wall and drill down (nor do I have high hopes that would work well anyway -- a flex bit would be needed, which puts pressure on the drill bit, and hole saws tend to bind if you don't hold them straight).
May 6	comment	How do I deal with a joist in the way of where I need to run a pipe? I'm quite sure it's parallel, and that I've drawn the joist location correctly. The joists are supported on steel I-beams at both ends. I think the joist isn't doubled because this is a non-load bearing wall and it just happened to work out in this spot. My house is a bit strange because everything is offset: the edge of the garage is below the middle of the upstairs hallway, and there is 20% of another bedroom above the garage. This is not a great pic but I happen to have it available: i.imgur.com/9QDKVkI.jpg. I'll edit the post with a better one when I get home.
May 4	comment	Can I run a single 12 guage wire outside of 12-2 to provide power to a fan? Does the fan/light need 12awg? Why not use your 14-3?
May 2	comment	How to know what color of paint was used on the walls? In my experience, painting the entire wall (up to corners/edges) is often less work than trying to get it to match -- especially because if it's close but not a 100% match, you can't tell until the next day when it's dried.
Apr 29	comment	What is the purpose of a vapor barrier? Generally useful articles on this: buildingscience.com/resources/vapor_barrier_code_changes
Apr 29	comment	Can I send audio through coax cables? S/PDIF is digital, and will actually give you multi-channel sound over coax, but of course you need compatible equipment on both ends. Many of the coaxial S/PDIF cables are actually RG-6 or 59. For analog stereo, you could use two coax cables with RCA ends, and this is actually a very common way to do long-range line-level signals. In particular, many off-the-shelf "subwoofer cables" are RG-6 or 59.