David L. Farquhar, computer security professional, train hobbyist, and landlord
After reading where the red wire goes in a light fixture, someone asked me where to connect the red wire to a light switch.
That’s a good question. The first time I saw a red wire on a light switch, it certainly confused me. I have one in my kitchen and it scared me for years.
How long does it take to paint a bedroom? Well, it depends. But I can tell you what it depends on, and how to make it take less time.
It depends on the tools you have. Or whether the bedroom is empty or furnished. It can even depend on the kind of paint you use.
I was working with a construction professional to fix some doors in a rental house. We had some holes that didn’t line up, which meant we needed to patch them before we could drill new ones. He asked me for some toothpicks. It turns out toothpicks are a fast way to patch screw holes in wood.
Insert a toothpick in the old hole, along with a drop of glue, then break it off flush with the surface. Insert additional toothpicks as necessary.
Someone asked me if you can use self stick vinyl tile in a basement. The answer, usually, is yes.
Vinyl can be ideal for basements because it is inexpensive and water resistant.
Sometimes a vinyl tile pops loose. When it happens, it’s best to replace it with a new one. But if the tile is old enough, replacements may not be available. When that’s the case, here’s how to fix loose vinyl tiles.
First things first: if the tile is asbestos, just glue it back down, disturbing it as little as absolutely possible. That’s the safest thing to do.
Barracuda is a private-label brand of garbage disposal you can find at Menards home improvement stores. They are usually the least expensive disposal on Menards’ shelf. But who makes Barracuda garbage disposals?
Is it safe to use drain cleaner in garbage disposals? Generally, the answer is no. Unfortunately I speak from experience.
When fixing up a house or changing things around, it’s inevitable that you’ll have to patch some holes in the wall. Small nail holes are easy to fill with a bit of spackle applied with your fingertip, but bigger holes can be tougher, unless you know a couple of tricks that make hole in wall repair easy.
A damaged power cord doesn’t have to mean the end of life for a tool or appliance. Power cords are usually replaceable with simple tools and minimal expense. Here’s how to replace an AC power cord.
If you can open up the device, do this. Open it up, snip the bad cord off, tie a knot in the replacement cord and splice it onto the remainder of the old cord.
If you can’t open the device, do this instead. Snip the cord off above the defect, splice the replacement cord onto what’s left and insulate it well with heat-shrink tubing.
Here’s how.
A friend was replacing a light fixture in his bathroom and ran into something confusing–a red wire in the electrical box along with the usual black and white wires. And when he hooked up his new light fixture, he did what I would expect the majority of homeowners to do–he connected the white wire on the fixture to the white wires in the box, and the black wire on the fixture to the black wires in the box. And then his light switch wouldn’t work–the light stayed on all the time.
He was on the right track when he asked what the red wire is for. That was the key to solving his problem.