Foiled by electricity: A cautionary tale
The need for new electrical outlets in my garage ceiling had me working on the project with a friend. He is a bit younger and offered to climb the ladder. I assured him he was cutting into drywall far from any live wires.
Standing on a metal ladder, further grounded by its contact with a boiler, he began to trace the ceiling-box outline with a utility knife. Suddenly, his body jerked, and he nearly cut me as his arm swung wildly. After he told me he had gotten a strong electric shock, I could only wonder what had happened. Convinced that there were no wires in the area, but being cautious, I began probing the new hole in the ceiling. Aside from drywall, insulation, and wooden joists, nothing was present that could have caused the current to enter his body.
I then pulled out my new electric sniffer, a penlike tool that chirps loudly when in close proximity to live electrical current. I began by touching the sniffer to the drywall on the ceiling. Every place I touched, the sniffer registered line voltage. Literally every square foot of drywall in the garage was carrying electricity.
After opening the breaker, I confirmed my suspicion that the lighting circuit was the source. Naturally, the fourth and last fixture I took down revealed the problem. Its ballast was very black. Although it was still working, it was also leaking current to the fixture’s sheet-metal housing. In turn, the screws that held the fixture to the ceiling joists were electrically connected to the aluminum-foil vapor barrier that covered the batt insulation across the entire ceiling. I can only guess how long this threat had been quietly waiting for an unexpected contact.
You might wonder why the lights weren’t grounded, in which case the faulty ballast would have tripped the circuit breaker. My home was built by the original owner, and for some reason, he clipped the ground leads in all the electrical boxes for light fixtures quite short and did not connect them in any way. I have since repaired every light fixture in my home with new grounding wires.
—Jeff Ottesen Juneau, Alaska
Crank timers are smart
I’d like to add one of my favorite “smart switches” to Jeff Kolle’s list (“A Buyer’s Guide to Bath Fans,” FHB #199). It may not be electronically “smart,” but it is a smart, simple, easy-to-use, and cost-effective choice. It’s a mechanical crank timer. I install the 60-minute version in new and retrofit baths. A full crank after a long shower or a quarter turn after a wake-up spritz does the trick. Technophobes appreciate the short learning curve and real-time feedback on function (you can clearly hear it grind away as the minutes tick down).
—Mike Guertin, East Greenwich, R.I.
Unchain my cord
I just read the article on wrapping cords (“Building Skills,” FHB #200). I agree with most of the recommendations and use them, except for the chain method.
I’m a retired remodeling contractor and, of course, dealt with a lot of cords. If a cord is chained for any length of time, especially in hot weather (I’m in Texas), the plastic of the cord will have memory and will stay twisted. That creates a trip hazard on a construction site.
When the cord is laid out on the floor, it will rise up like a wave every few inches and create a place where a worker’s foot can get caught. I had to take more than one of my cords off jobs for that reason. I’ve stretched them out in the sun for a day or two in hopes that the memory would go away. It didn’t.
—Guy Groulx, via email
Don’t tell me how big my kitchen should be
In response to “Living better, wasting less” (“Taking Issue,” FHB #199), I must respectfully disagree with many of Art Ludwig’s assumptions. First, if Mr. Ludwig thinks that people living on yachts with small bathrooms go home to yurts, he is most likely mistaken. Just because people can tolerate small spaces for their vacations does not mean that they don’t have large houses to go home to. I imagine people who own yachts going home and stretching out in their massive whirlpool bathtubs for relief, followed by a couple of laps in their Olympic-size swimming pools.
And another thing: As a woman, I am tired of men telling me how big—or small, in this instance—my kitchen should be. I used to have a 1960s postage-stamp-size kitchen, and it was awful. That room was designed by men, who never cook, entertain, or clean up kitchens.
Everyone ends up in the kitchen, no matter how small a room it is. So for me, a large, homey kitchen with water-efficient appliances is welcoming and ideal. If the rest of the house is smaller, I couldn’t care less. But don’t take away my big kitchen.
Mr. Ludwig obviously has some ingenious water-saving ideas, and I cannot disagree with all of them. I particularly like his gray-water greenhouse idea. That is brilliant. But most people do not have the time or the skill to maintain a greenhouse. And overall, most people do not want to live as if they are in a third-world country. They want toilets that flush. They want water that runs. They don’t want to live in a yurt.
With more high-level, water-saving engineering and less preaching about living like refugees, Mr. Ludwig might gain a more serious following. And perhaps he should get more input—from women who don’t eat granola and wear Birkenstocks year-round—about the size of those kitchens he thinks we “should” have.
—Alison S. Tortland, via email
Hooray for living in harmony
Finally! A clear, articulate vision for housing humanity from someone who lives and teaches the principles.
What a relief to read Art Ludwig’s essay, “(Living better, wasting less,” “Taking Issue”, FHB #199) offering a way to live that is in harmony with weather, resources, materials, craft, individual well-being, and the environment. I found myself nodding and chanting “Yes! Yes! Yes!” throughout the whole essay.
To find this article in Fine Homebuilding was even more of a blessing. Fine Homebuilding is well known for showing examples of exceptional craftsmanship. Imagine that exceptional craftsmanship in balance and in harmony with the resources used, the local environment, and the community the structure will contribute to. It’s time. The payback will last much longer than one issue.
—Shannon Maris, Bellingham, Wash.
Lubricate drill bits with candle wax
In the October/November issue, “What’s the Difference?” offered good advice on selecting and using twist drill bits but omitted a few points worth making.
Cobalt steel is actually a class of high-speed steel that has cobalt added to improve wear resistance. In other words, it doesn’t require sharpening as frequently. Cobalt-steel drills can sometimes be identified by a small lip at the back of the shank, a result of the manufacturing process.
I have broken many high-speed-steel twist drills, especially smaller bits, but have never broken a cobalt bit. So even though it may be technically correct, from my personal experience, your warning about the brittleness of cobalt steel is misleading.
For job-site use, low-quality high-speed steel may be adequate, and the low price allows you to stock a wide assortment of bit sizes, abuse them, and then toss them without breaking the budget. However, for drilling steel beams or for larger jobs, a good cobalt bit will stay sharp much longer and pay for itself quickly.
A 135° split-point drill bit is extremely desirable for sizes 3/16 in. and larger because the split point cuts through at the center. Conventional advice is never to start a hole with a drill bit larger than 3/8 in., but with a split-point bit, you can often drill a large hole in one pass, depending on the material and the power of the drill.
Finally, a common reason for premature drill dulling is metal sticking to the bit and then snapping off and taking some of the bit with it. This is common with aluminum, which can easily melt at drilling temperatures. Lubricants and coolants can prevent this problem and greatly extend drill life, but they can be messy to use. Candle wax or paraffin stick wax is a great alternative. Just push the drill into the wax once before each hole. Wax also works to lubricate carbide circular-saw blades for cutting aluminum. Be very careful of flying metal chips.
—Bob Neidorff, Bedford, N.H.
Be careful insulating water heaters
I would like to add some advice for consumers who read Dave Yates’s article “Cheaper Hot Water” (FHB #199). In my experience as a home inspector, water heaters are often insulated incorrectly. On their Web site (www.americanwaterheater.com), American Water Heaters offers the following cautions for insulating gas water heaters:
• The space between the base of the water heater and the floor must remain unobstructed to allow for proper airflow. As time passes, the blanket may sag and obstruct the air passage, resulting in unsafe water-heater operation.
• Do not apply an insulation blanket to the top of the water heater because it may obstruct the draft hood.
• Do not cover the temperature and pressure-relief valve, or any labels or instruction materials applied to the water heater. These labels must remain visible for reference by the user. Do not remove these labels because they are a permanent part of the water heater as required by certification agencies and/or the federal government.
• Do not cover any access panels leading to burner compartments. Do not cover the thermostat controls or the doors on the water heater.
—Joe Nernberg, via email
A different opinion on the combo washer/dryer
I read the review of the LG combination washer/dryer in your Kitchens & Baths issue (FHB #199), and I have to differ.
I designed a neat little washer/dryer closet around the allure of that little machine as I listened to the charm of the advertisements more than the chatter that I read on the Internet.
All my bedding is king size, and my towels are also often larger than standard. I am of medium build, but this machine definitely could not handle my jeans, sheets, or towels.
What resulted was a convoluted mass of extremely wrinkled cloth, unsuitable for prime-time use. I concluded it was an expensive boat anchor and had to rebuild the room to accommodate a stackable Sears washer/dryer unit.
Anyone satisfied with the performance of this machine must be using it for doll clothing or else is spending a vast amount of time ironing.
—Jack Leissring, via email
Tiled counters hold up fine if sealed
I run a property-restoration company in southwestern France and specialize in kitchen and bathroom installations. Over the years that I’ve subscribed to Fine Homebuilding, there have been occasional articles or comments that have not rung true, but I have let them pass. Not this time.
I just received the Kitchens & Baths issue, and on p. 35, under the heading “My top 10 kitchen-remodeling don’ts,” I find the following advice: “Don’t choose tile for countertops unless you are willing to scrub grout joints often.” Complete rubbish!
In France, Spain, and Italy, tiled worktops are the norm. When correctly installed and finished, tile provides an attractive and durable surface that will last for many years.
Problems with tiled countertops are caused by poor preparation of the surface, poor-quality adhesive and grout, and failure to seal the finished surface.
Most of our work is for clients at the upper end of the market, and I have tiled countertop installations that have lasted for years without scrubbing.
—Bob Clarke, via email
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