Home Improvement Weekly Newsletter - Monday, September 28, 2015

Top new questions this week: How do I unscrew these? I'm a college kid trying to sneak my boyfriend in my dorm window. The first section is the holder on the window, the second part is the end of the slider on the window. All I have to do is ... windows screws lock   asked by Rose 12 votes answered by micmcg 18 votes Does a neutral-to-ground voltage of 0.0 indicate a bootleg ground? As described here (for example), in a correctly-wired receptacle, there will be a small potential difference between the neutral and ground wires that increases slightly with increasing load. I'm ... electrical wiring receptacle grounding   asked by dlf 4 votes answered by Tester101 9 votes Can I connect copper wire to aluminum wire? I'm installing additional light bulbs in my basement. I have an older house with aluminum wiring. Can I do this: [new light bulbs]<--copper-->[old light bulb junction box]<--aluminum-->[main ... electrical aluminum-wiring   asked by Rollo R 4 votes answered by Aloysius Defenestrate 11 votes Do i need a backflow preventer for drip irrigation system A gardener just installed a drip irrigation system in my backyard. He didn't installed the back-flow preventer. When I asked him why, he told me for drip irrigation you don't need the back-flow ... plumbing sprinkler-system irrigation   asked by David 3 votes answered by chris 4 votes How to repair / reinforce deteriorated footings and subsoil below brick & concrete porch My fiancee and I recently moved into a 1922 brick craftsman-style home. The front porch has a ~4" poured concrete floor and large solid concrete railing caps (12"W x 4"D). Brick columns support the ... concrete foundation brick masonry footings   asked by evantish 3 votes answered by Jack 2 votes House sheating is not plywood. What's this material? My house sheating is not a plywood - but some dark brown material. Click for larger view Does anyone know what that is? P.S. here's more higher quality images: pic1 pic2 pic3 plywood sheathing house   asked by Dannyboy 3 votes answered by Silje Ljosland Bakke 2 votes Water hammer or something else? I'm having a bit of a mysterious problem. A couple of weeks ago I've replaced a dimmer switch in the upstairs bathroom. Of course while working on that I shut off the electricity for that part of the ... electrical plumbing circuit-breaker fire-sprinkler water-hammer   asked by Ruben 2 votes answered by Ruben 2 votes Greatest hits from previous weeks: What water:cement:sand ratio gives the strongest mortar? A typical mortar mix ratio is 1 cement : 3 sand. But what is the water ratio? Is it 0.5:1:3? Would a 0.5:1:2 ratio be a stronger mortar? Our next door neighbor has a dog that digs like a pro. The ... concrete fence mortar gravel   asked by Terrence 3 votes answered by bcworkz 3 votes Where does the ground wire go in a 3-prong dryer cord configuration? We moved to a new place where the dryer connection is 3-prong instead of 4-prong. The dryer was originally 4-prong, so we bought a 3-prong cord and installed it. It works fine, except I am not ... electrical wiring appliances dryer grounding   asked by Confluence 3 votes answered by Tester101 11 votes Can you answer these? Support under brick or stone facade We're renovating a pier and beam house with a concrete ring wall that supports the outer walls. The existing walls are finished with vertically installed wood panels, approx 12" x 8', which lap over ... siding masonry   asked by arootbeer 1 vote Repairing sliding glass doors Had sliding glass door installed and I think they used the wrong spray foam because the door is bowed and doesn't slide properly. Is it repairable or will I have to get a new door? sliding-glass-door   asked by Betty kirchner 1 vote

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