Questions tagged [safety]
For questions generally relating to preventing or avoiding injury in the home or on the job site.
767
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Is this bedroom healthy to live in, in relation to kitchen, refrigerators and microwave oven? [closed]
Is such a bedroom healthy to live in?
it is separated from a kitchen by a wall,
There are two old refrigerators and one old microwave oven in the kitchen against the wall? (all are standalone with ...
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8
votes
2
answers
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Why bother referencing neutral to ground in residential transformer?
I'm going to list the 3 scenarios for electrocution I can think up for both a residential transformer with grounded neutral and an isolated transformer. I find that the grounded neutral transformer ...
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1
answer
353
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Safe assembly of antique Italian four poster bed frame
I've assembled this bed frame and am not sure how to make it sturdy enough for use.
I have this 100+ year-old Italian bed frame that I've inherited from my parents. They used it for decades and it ...
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6
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2
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Can the neutral and hot be split like this?
The picture describes it better than I can, but here is the plan. Run a circuit off the panel (hot, neutral, ground) into a GFCI. Off the load side of the GFCI run wires into a light switch box that ...
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2
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Testing cabinet screw heads for electrical current
Is it common to test cabinet screw heads for electrical current in case they may have interfered with wire? Some of the 2x4 behind where I am hanging cabinets have wire running along, in addition to ...
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Does varnishing floors create a fire hazard?
I am considering buying a house with new wooden floors. I am not sure yet what type of varnish/sealent is in use. I am concerned that the fire escape route is wooden, and I do not want to increase the ...
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7
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I've moved into a new apartment for a while. Is this mold? Is it safe to continue live here?
I've moved into a new apartment for a while. Lately, I found these molds on my things. Is it safe to continue living here? Do you think a dehumidifier will solve this problem? I don't want all of my ...
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3
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How to cover old Red Dot outdoor outlet for constant use?
Here's the current outlet.
I need to leave a cable connected constantly.
Is there a snap-on cover for this type of thing?
(Can I gaff tape a quart baggie over it?)
tia...
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1
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1
answer
105
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How can I pick a smoke detector that only detects smoke and not heat?
Currently, my home's smoke detector is situated right outside our bathroom in the hall. Whenever someone takes a hot shower (usually me), the steam escaping the bathroom trips the detector, presumably ...
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2
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4
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Is it code compliant to run only a hot wire to a relay used as a 3-way switch?
I am setting up a relay to control my 120v/15a pool light. The relay control will be located in a plastic project box near the pool equipment and will be driven by a 24VAC coil. The light circuit will ...
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2
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A handyman abandoned his tools at our place, won't answer calls
I am not sure if this is the right place for this question, but a handyman we hired (Massachusetts area) has left his tools, including a blow torch, at our place after a botched bathroom tub repair. ...
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5
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Finding nails and staples all over yard after roof replacement
I just had the roof of my house replaced.
The roofers had tarps spread around the house and swept the yard after the work with what looked like a magnet after they finished but I'm finding a lot of ...
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1
answer
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is it safe to use a microwave with the outside glass missing?
The outer glass on our microwave shattered recently. The part can no longer be purchased. Two related questions:
Is it still safe to operate?
Can the shattered glass be replaced with plexiglass? It ...
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5
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Is this 230V steampunk metal robot lamp safe?
I bough a steampunk robot lamp from ebay. It is made out of (painted) metal fittings. After receiving it, I was a little concerned regarding safety and disassembled it. The plug suggests that this is ...
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6
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Why has my 10 year old ceiling fan suddenly started shocking me through the fan pull chain?
My fan has been working fine for ten years now and suddenly if I’m barefoot and touch the metal pull chain it lightly shocks me, but does not if I have shoes on.
Does this mean I need a new fan or is ...
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3
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How would you build a well cover for a dug well?
The well is about 3 foot square, made out of cinder blocks. The blocks stick up out of the ground about 1 foot. I want something simple and light to keep rain, dirt, animals out. The well is in heavy ...
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2
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lighting fire safety
Is it safe to use a soft 3 way 30/50/150 Watt incandescent bulb in a lamp that requires 23 CFL max light to prevent fire.
It is the only bulb that I could find but only the 150W setting works with ...
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0
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How much weight can a drywall support on both sides if everything is hung on the 2x4s (not on the drywall sheet)?
How much weight can a drywall support on both sides if everything is hung on the 2x4s (not on the drywall sheet)?
This drywall doesn't go all the way up to the ceiling. It separates the kitchen from ...
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3
answers
186
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What is the purpose of a ground in a GFCI outlet?
What is the purpose of a ground in a GFCI outlet since the GFCI is just measuring the current between HOT and Neutral? Does it add any functionality or safety if it is grounded?
I've seen it ...
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1
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Fire safety for room on interior of home
I’m looking at a house that has a room on the interior (highlighted in red below) with no window/door to the outside of the area. Knowing that this isn’t fire code compliant to be considered a bedroom,...
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How do I replace insulation around knob and tube wiring
My drywall ceiling developed a large crack over the last two months (after being fine for 70 years), and investigating my attic I discovered the lower layers of insulation were soggy and the drywall ...
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4
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What safety equipment is best for live multimeter testing on 240v?
If you need to test a circuit breaker with a multimeter and you're working in a live breaker box with 240v, what is the best safety equipment to use (eg: gloves, shoes, shield, etc)? It doesn't seem ...
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3
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Does power distribution within a house need individual neutral lines from the circuit breakers?
My house has "star connections" (from the central circuit breaker panel box)
for the neutral lines to power different rooms, as is normal.
There is no GFCI to worry about.
Would any problem ...
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1
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Extend Knob and Tube Wiring
I have knob and tube wiring for large portions of my 1950's house, including to my bathroom. Currently, I have hot and neutral coming in from the knob and tube wiring and a separate ground wire coming ...
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1
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2
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567
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Any way to mount a ceiling fan using a rectangular "wall" box?
I was replacing a ceiling fan in a newly purchased home, and I discovered that the previous fan was mounted to a rectangular "wall" box. The box is attached laterally to a ceiling joist in a ...
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2
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91
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Is a planter light a bad idea?
My wife and I were looking for a light for the kitchen and came across this:
Seems like a bad idea to me:
Seems like watering the plant would be hazard
The heat from the light would kill the plant
...
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1
vote
1
answer
116
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Minimal temperature setting for hot water heater to prevent legionella
I own a small apartment which I rent out to tenants. The apartment has an electric hot water heater with 80 liters. I now realized that my tenant reduced the temperature setting to only 32 degrees ...
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Latest IBC code for residential regarding tempered glass requirement - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In the home inspection report, it was stated that: "a Qualified window contractor to correct as determined necessary the master bathroom window in the shower has no tempered etching. (should have ...
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Is it safe to seal the seams/gaps on washer and dryer units?
Specifically, I have the following model units:
Maytag Washer WTW8040DW
Maytag Gas Dryer WGD8000DW4
The units come with open seams, and I'd like to know if it's safe to seal these? Surprisingly, ...
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2
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Is 100-year old armored (BX) cable a safety hazard and should it be replaced?
Our house was built in 1905 and while a lot of the electric has been replaced throughout the its 115 year life, a lot of the old BX cable (likely original or close to it) is still in use; mostly for ...
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2
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What is the difference between a GFCI ungrounded circuit and a grounded circuit?
From reading this article it seems like an ungrounded 3-pronged outlet can be made safe by installing a gfci downstream in the circuit.
Although the technique of installing GFCI devices in an ...
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4
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Is this cord bend ok on electric range?
Will this be okay for a 40 amp range? The box was set a little too low. I wasn't sure if they bend what cause any issues.
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Should a UPS be unplugged when working on the electrical circuit it is plugged in to?
I need to do some electrical work on a circuit in my home. One of the outlets on the circuit has a UPS battery backup plugged into it. The UPS is tucked away behind a lot of other equipment, so I'd ...
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what are the safety requirements for scraping old drylock?
One basement wall is in pretty good shape, just going to wet and lightly scrape before painting with new Drylok. Other walls are pretty bad, flaking and such.
I have 3M 8210 n95 masks, is that ...
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4
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At what wattage does a pond pump pose a danger to human life?
I am building a pond, and notice that pond pumps are available in incremental wattages and GPH. I'd like to choose a wattage that is safe, so in the event their is some electrical problem, no children ...
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2
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How to find underground cavities below properry?
I purchased land in an area that was near a former mine. From geological maps, I see the official location of the mine is several blocks away from my property, however, locals told me there were ...
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2
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Skim-coated textured ceiling - do I really need to sand before priming and painting? [closed]
My kitchen had textured walls and ceilings. I've skim-coated, sanded, primed, and painted the walls and they look great. For the ceiling, I'd like to avoid the mess (and health risks) of sanding ...
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3
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How do I test a GFCI circuit breaker (without pushing the "test" button)?
I want to test if my oven can trip the GFCI. The leakage current should not be a problem but I worry about the GFCI would trip at high frequency. So I bought three circuit breaker and tested oven on ...
Rae
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4
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My kitchen cabinets were mounted with drywall screws. How can I better secure it to the wall?
The kitchen cabinets in our apartment were hung with drywall screws which has been flagged to us as a safety concern because they might not bear the load when the cabinets are fully loaded with dishes:...
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518
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How do I use DAP plastic wood filler safely?
I'm trying to install a storm door on an outdoor patio in my house. There are a number of holes in the wood from previous screen door installations I think:
I want to make sure the wood will hold ...
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1
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How to fix a torn steel cable
A tree fell on my fence made of horizontal steel cable and tore one. What's an economical way of fixing it that's not too ugly?
If the solution is to replace the entire cable, what is the end piece ...
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1
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Is it ok to use vinyl sheet as a temp cover for a boiler flue hole?
I have an unsealed boiler flue hole like the picture:
I was going to acquire and use some vinyl sheet however I have just realized I have some cushion vinyl lying around.
As a temporary fix, will it ...
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2
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Installing Outlet for Welder; Possible Dual Use for RV
I'm doing some electrical upgrades to my garage/workshop with upstairs apartment; I'm going to be replacing its 1960s-vintage subpanel which is fed by #4 wire from a 200 amp service entrance panel (on ...
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1
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Closet HVAC unit was replaced with a bigger unit that sticks out into room and now door cannot be put back on
This unit was replaced in a tiny efficiency apartment and the utility closet sits next to the fridge. The closet HAD a door on it before that tempered the sound of the unit somewhat, and also looked ...
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1
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One isolating valve on both loft tanks inputs?
Just after the mains stopcock under my kitchen sink there is a tee, one pipe to drinkable water+washing machine and the other to the loft cisterns. ( This is an open vented pumped S-plan system, ...
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2
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Is it normal for a freestanding pergola to wobble a little bit?
We built our first pergola (20'x 18' x 10' tall). We used cedar with 6 - 6x6 posts with 30-inch concrete footings attached with 1/2" J bolts to OWT/OZCO post bases. We have double 2x8 beams that span ~...
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Can I Effectively Jump my Furnace Wiring for A Long Time Safely
So I live in an rental with a forced air furnace. The thermostat that controls it is an old honey well that uses ancient analog components. It works well during the winter for heating, but ...
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4
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Is my repair to this plug safe?
The red copper wire was burned so I took out the burnt part of the wire and reinserted all the wires by myself.
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2
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Cleaning fridge and freezer - do you need to turn it off?
I'm doing a bit of a clean of my fridge and freezer (dual unit) and I have heard you should turn your fridge/freezer off when cleaning - since I am not doing a complete/deep clean of it and I don't ...
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Joining neutral of two ac power meters?
I have single phase power in my area
I have two ac power meters connections at my home. Last night there was a windstorm and neutral cable of once AC meter got broken.
I had black out in half ...
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