Sean

Does a junction box above a dropped ceiling qualify as "inaccessible"? See pic: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2488/3825549234_290... The house was built in the 50s, and the light fixture was (presumably) original to the basement. When that ceiling was put in in the '70s, the installer just cut around the light fixture.

Is that inaccessible? As a practical matter, I'm not sure how one would access it, since those are sort of interlocking tiles, but I'm not sure if there are typical rules/expectations for dropped ceilings.

Thanks!

I'm planning to tile above a fiberglass shower. I've removed the old greenboard drywall on two sides, which went fine -- there were just studs and vapor-barrier-covered insulation. On the back wall, however, there seems to be a second layer of drywall and then a vapor barrier + insulation. It's not an option to completely remove the under-layer of drywall, since it runs down behind the fiberglass shower (whereas the other two pieces of drywall went over the "lip" of the shower, this is behind). Is it okay to just hang the cement board over this drywall? Should I put another vapor barrier in between?

Help much appreciated.

I am planning to tile above a fiberglass showertub. Currently, the space from the top of the fiberglass to the ceiling is just painted greenboard, installed in 1991. The area should not be exposed to direct water, but it's certainly been splattered on and been exposed to a fair amount of humidity. I've seen varying opinions on how to do this, but I'm not really clear what I should do for my situation. I will note that the greenboard is not in great condition -- it looks like there was a lot of spackle/patching done right up against the edge of the shower wall at some point. So my options, as I see them:

1. Tile directly over the existing greenboard. Does not sound like a good idea.

2. Install 1/4 in cement board over this greenboard and then tile on that cement board.

3. Tear out the greenboard and replace it with 1/2 in cement board in the area that will be tiled. Tile over new cement board.

Which is my best option (or is there another?) and why? Thank you so much!

Most of this home has 15-amp outlets and 14 AWG/15-amp circuits. However, the kitchen has 12 AWG/20-amp circuits with 20-amp outlets. The issue I noticed is that the grounding pigtail -- going from the wirenut to the 20 amp receptacle is a 14 AWG piece of wire (I suppose, when installed, they may have been going to 15-amp receptacles). I realize this is not optimal, but is it a problem severe enough that the pigtails should be replaced?

Thanks.

The wiring, as expected, is all 14-gage on a 15-amp circuit, if that's relevant.

I'm replacing receptacles in a kitchen which are currently 15 amp. I know the circuit is on a 20-amp breaker. Does this mean that the wiring is 12-gauge (and thus the new receptacles can be 20 amp)? If that's not reasonable to assume, how can I tell difference?

I have a circuit that covers four outlets across two bathrooms. Imagine those outlets 1-4, 1 being first in the series. Outlet 1 is a GFCI and 2-4 are on the "load" of that first outlet. This can be somewhat annoying, since anything that trips that outlet 1 kills all four outlets. I'd like to switch all four to GFCIs.

So here's my issue: should I have them wired line-to-line? (The GFCIs I've used have two "line" connection holes for this purpose.) This should -- I think -- make each outlet only responsible for itself. Is this right? Is there a risk I should be aware of?

Thanks.

I'm in a 1990 house that has two GFCI outlets on two circuits. One (for two bathrooms) is a GFCI + three standard outlets. The other (kitchen) is similar. To clarify, if the GFCI is popped, the other outlets are inactive.

Is this the way it should be? Something just seems dangerous about having a standard outlet within a couple feet of a sink. My basic concern is, if a mixer connected to a standard outlet gets dropped in the sink, does the GFCI earlier in the circuit protect it?

Would it be better to change them all, or could that be harmful?

Thanks much.

I finally found a good dimmable compact fluorescent floodlight that doesn't flicker, that turns on quickly, and that has a good hue. But it says "not for use in recessed fixtures" -- which is exactly what I need it for.

Can I ignore this? I mean it fits fine, and I know it doesn't get as hot as the 65W incandescent it's replacing.

If not, what's the reasoning? Thanks.

I remember hearing the old mother's father rule was a myth, so here's my tree:

My father is quite bald, and his brothers are slightly bald. His father was slightly bald, and his mother's father was completely bald.

My mother's father was not bald at all.

I'm 17 now, so it's too early to notice anything yet. I've always had a high forehead, if that's at all relevant ;-). And when I comb, it does take a bit out -- but I haven't noticed any thinning, so it must be growing back. If you think I'm likely to lose my hair, is there any value to using treatments (e.g., Rogaine) early? I've heard that after you lose a hair folicle, there's no recovering it.

Thanks.

I came out not that long ago to my parents (I'm 17, my friends have known for years) but I'm wondering if I should tell my extended family (at least a couple aunts and uncles who I see a lot). It doesn't really affect them, but I feel almost like I'm hiding something to not say anything.

I also have the same issue with my (older) brother -- we're not that close, so it'd be kind of out of left field to say something. Thoughts?

I have to say, I really don't get it. I'm kind of curious. PHP has so many more libraries and add-ons not to mention the plethora of open-source apps written in it. Plus almost everything supports it. Ruby on Rails is beautifully architected and also has a strong (albeit young) open-source following.

So... to all ASP enthusiasts and programmers out there, why did you choose that platform and language?

Reading other posts on Yahoo Answers and just looking around the web generally, there's a consistent recommendation to dry clean as a first choice for wool. But I've also heard that dry cleaning can shorten the life of wool and of course it's well accepted that dry cleaning is environmentally harmful.

So what's wrong with delicate washing and is dry cleaning really better?

I would assume that a 15" laptop would fare better than a tower with a 15" monitor, but I have nothing to base that on. Anyone know?

I've heard it both ways.