One amazing note: in 2012 all four of the tools shown here are still available. The Makita will be a special order, but they still make it and I still love it.PICQUIC - the best multiple head storage & screw driver.Picquic has been around for a long time and besides a decent screwdriver and...
You can get an idea of the total power possible to bring into the house by looking at the main fuses or breakers -- not the set of ordinary ones that you replace or reset often. The main breakers are in the top of, or above, or between the regular electrical box and the electrical meter. There ...
Plastic covered wires that run along the top of your baseboards are dangerous, because they can easily be damaged. It is so easy to just add a wire like this that it is often done, with extension cords, or even regular wiring simply being nailed to the baseboards to keep them off the floor.If th...
Vapour Barriers should go on the "Warm in Winter" side of the insulation so that they can stop all the moisture in the air from going through the wall, but stop it where it is still warm and there will be no condensation. The problem is that a lot of air, and a lot of moisture can go through ele...
David wants the electrical outlet in the bathroom to be on all the time and not just when the light switch is on. How do you wire that, he asks?You may or may not be able to do it with the existing wires.Start by opening up the light electrical box. Turn off the light switch. Measure the volta...
Last year we showed a viewer tip on putting washers behind the electrical box outlet mounting bracket to hold the outlet firmly forward when the electrical box had been mounted too deep in the wall. Dwight sent us another way to do it that is actually easier than playing with a pile of washers.D...
Nancy from Welland, Ontario has had a terrible saga with her electrical appliances literally blowing up. We have been writing to each other for some while now trying to find the elusive problem. Read it through, you may learn about how to hunt down problems, and learn a bit about electrical sys...
Knob and tube wiring is safe if it is in good condition and it is doing no more than it was designed to do. In fact it was an very good wiring system designed to keep the two wires far apart from each other and well protected as it ran through the house.What could make it unsafe?Rodents gnawing ...
A fellow named H. from Moncton, N.B. has light bulbs that are constantly burning out in the garage. What to do?The filaments in regular incandescent light bulbs is relatively delicate, especially as it gets very hot. A garage ceiling often has more than it's share of vibrations with the opening...
When you are working in an older house and pull down that ceiling light fixture, you may discover a wiring job that could be endangering your house. By code, and for good reason, all electrical connections must be made inside metal boxes that are accessible. That means that you don't cover junc...
