A fertilizer containing 10 percent each of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium--the three basic plant nutrients. Look for "10-10-10" on the package.

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Typical Applications: Where kitchen appliances such as dishwashers and garbage disposals must be on separate circuits. You can plug them in to the same receptacle if each half of the receptacle is wired to its own circuit. Break off the tabs that connect the top and bottom terminals to create a split receptacle.
Comment: All 20-amp receptacles have a horizontal slot off one of the vertical slots. Make sure the receptacle you buy matches the appliance plug.

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Typical Applications: When one appliance, such as a garbage disposal, requires its own dedicated circuit.

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   Combining two 120-volt circuits provides 240-volt power for heavy-duty appliances such as electric ranges, dryers and air conditioners. The two hot wires in the circuit must connect to separate sides of the service panel or subpanel. The neutral current alternates 60 times per second between the hot wires.

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Purpose: Brings current to a single large appliance.
Typical Applications: Electric dryers.
Comments: Must match amperage and voltage rating of the appliance, wiring and circuit breaker. Make sure it matches plug configuration on appliance. Sold as a surface mounted receptacle or to fit in a four-square box with a plaster ring.

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Purpose: Driving most sizes of slotted and Phillips-head screws.
Comments: 4-in-1 drivers save you lots of time spent looking for the right screwdriver-you always have the most-often used tips inside the handle.

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Purpose: Brings current to a single large appliance.
Typical Applications: Electric ranges, kilns.
Comments: Must match amperage and voltage rating of the appliance, wiring and circuit breaker. Make sure it matches plug configuration on appliance. Sold as a surface-mounted receptacle or to fit in a four-square box with a plaster ring.

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   Fire extinguishers are coded for fire type. The green symbol A means an extinguisher will douse paper, wood, cloth, trash, rubber, and many plastics fires. The red symbol B means it will extinguish flammable liquid fires, including kitchen grease, oil, gasoline, paints, and solvents. The blue symbol C means it will put out dry-chemical fires, including electrical fires. An A-B-C extinguisher puts out all of these types of fires.

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   Technical term for standard incandescent bulbs.

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Purpose: Drain and vent lines
Comments: Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) black plastic pipe is used for vents and drains where permitted by local code. Many codes still require cast iron for all or part of your DWV system.

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   Accent lighting provides architectural flavor and sometimes does the job of ambient lighting as well. Use it to spotlight art, wash a wall, dramatize a fireplace or otherwise showcase your home's best features. Let your imagination be your guide to how much accent lighting is enough. Dimmer switches let you dial the mood up and down.

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Purpose: To connect one type of pipe to another
Examples, top to bottom: An ABS slip to thread adapter joins ABS pipe to a galvanized-steel elbow. It's cemented to the pipe with ABS solvent and screwed into the elbow with Teflon tape or pipe-joint compound to make the seal.
A PVC slip/thread adapter permits you join plastic to metal pipe or to attach a threaded plastic fitting.
A copper slip adapter, here screwed to threaded brass pipe.
A dielectric union, joins a galvanized-steel nipple to copper pipe-a typical connection near a water heater.

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Other Names: Channel Locks, Tongue-and- Groove Pliers, Pump Pliers.
Purpose: Gripping, bending, tightening, crimping.
When to Use: Handles a vast variety of gripping, pinching and turning tasks. You may wish to have a pair of these grafted to one hand; they're that useful.
What to Look For: A 10-inch length is the handiest. Quality pliers have sharper teeth that grip better than cheaper models. Larger models handle drain fittings.

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Purpose: Stripping insulation from house wires.
What to Look For: Spring-loaded handles open automatically after each squeeze. Adjustable stop nut lets you set the opening for an individual wire diameter.

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Other Names: Crescent Wrench
Purpose: Turning nuts, bolts and plumbing fittings.
Comments: An adjustable wrench is a household must. The reason: flexibility. You can set its jaws to the size of the nut you need to turn. As a result, the adjustable wrench is a little more awkward to use than a single-purpose wrench. Yet the fact that you don't usually know what size nut you are dealing with will keep this wrench near the top of your toolbox. Always position the wrench so that force is absorbed by the fixed, not the adjustable, jaw.
What to Look For: A good all-purpose size is a 10-inch wrench. It can span up to 1 1/8 inches. For larger plumbing fittings, you can substitute adjustable pliers , though they will leave teeth marks on fittings.

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   A screen assembly on the end of a faucet that mixes air with the water to reduce splashes and soften the flow. It also fools a user into accepting less water flow. Aerators are supposed to unscrew by hand. If you can't, use pliers with cloth or rubber padding to protect the finish on the aerator.

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   Use mason's line and stakes to establish line for posts. Set the two end posts first, staking them from two directions to hold them vertical. Check two adjacent sides with a bubble level. Stretch and tension a mason's line between them, flush with the outside face. Use this as a guide for setting other posts in line. Make sure the other posts are flush to the line, but don't bow it.

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   The opposite of acid; having a pH greater than 7.

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Other Names: Hex Keys, Allen® Keys
Purpose: Turning Allen® screws, bolts with recessed, hexagonal openings.
Comments: These are basic tools you'll use on everything from bathtubs to bicycles. They're inexpensive, so get a set with about a dozen sizes.

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   An advanced stage of cracking when many cracks extend to bare wood. Alligatoring results from any of the following problems:
The finish is not compatible with the primer.
Incompatibility of paint layers; for example, a hard oil coating over a soft latex.
Improper preparation: painting over gloss paint without sanding or chemical deglossing; inadequate cleaning before painting.

Solution: Remove all paint, apply an oil-base primer, then repaint.

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   Alternating current reverses direction at a rate of 60 cycles per second. Direct current moves in one direction only. In your home, DC is usually used in low-power devices, like electronic equipment. Electricity in cars and batteries is DC.

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   Ambient lighting provides basic brightness. It usually consists of a ceiling or wall fixture, often supplemented by a portable lamp or two.
   For living and sleeping areas, estimate 1 watt per square foot for flush or hanging incandescent fixtures, 1.5 watts per square foot for recessed incandescent lights, and .375 watts for fluorescent lighting. Kitchens, baths and laundries require 4 watts per square foot for incandescent bulbs, or 1.5 watts for fluorescent tubes.

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   Amperage measures the amount of current flowing through a wire at any moment. Amperage is based on the number of electrons that pass a certain point each second. Most household circuits can carry 15 or 20 amps. Amps x volts = watts.

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   Alternative materials for changing pH include dolomitic limestone, hydrated lime, and ground seashells to raise pH, or ferrous sulfate, lime-sulfur solution, and ammonium sulfate fertilizers to lower pH.

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   A packaged mortar designed to hold bolts or metal reinforcing bar in existing masonry. Quick-setting types are the most convenient.

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Other Names: Angle Valve
Purpose: To connect in-wall supply lines to exposed flexible supply lines.
Comments: You'll find these beneath sinks, lavatories, toilets and other fixtures. Use the valves to shut off the water before you work on faucets or the fixture itself. Add escutcheon plates to create a finished appearance.
What to Look For: Angle stops are made with either female thread to go on threaded pipe or a compression fitting to slip over copper. Each valve's outlet is designed to work with different sizes and types of supply tubing. Be sure the valve you buy matches the tubing you intend to use.

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   A red, plastic insulator you slip under the sheathing of armored cable before connecting it to a box. The bushing keeps the sheathing's sharp edges from nicking the wires inside.

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   The most common type of shingle in the U.S., often called three-tab or composition shingles. Asphalt is impregnated onto a fiberglass or organic mat backing, then coated with protective layer of mineral granules.

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   ADSL is a new technology that permits high rates of data transfer over standard telephone lines.

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   A transformer that steps up the voltage in a fluorescent lamp

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   Fluorescent lights require built-in ballasts, a type of transformer, to step up the voltage of standard household current.

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   Valve that refills a toilet tank and controls the tank's water level. Most ballcocks in newer toilets don't have float arms. Instead they have an adjustable, plastic float cup that controls water depth.

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   These shrubs and trees are sold with a ball of soil around their roots, held in place with a wrapping of burlap or other strong material. Usually available during the cooler months, balled-and-burlapped ("B-and-B") plants include many conifers, rhododendrons, and azaleas, as well as some deciduous plants. Unlike container plants, these are never rootbound.

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   Many deciduous shade and fruit trees, roses, and flowering shrubs are sold with the soil washed away from their roots to reduce shipping costs. Bare-root plants are available only during the dormant season--late winter and early spring--and must be planted before their leaves begin to grow again. They cost about half as much as container plants, yet they take root and grow just as quickly. The organic packing material around the roots should feel slightly damp and the roots should look fresh-not dry or withered.

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Purpose: Reaching into tight places to tighten or loosen the mounting nuts and supply tubes for faucets and drains.
Comments: Often this is the only way to work behind a sink. Some basin wrenches have adjustable length handles to reach greater distances. Plumbing supply houses occasionally rent these by the day. You'll need a larger basin wrench for drain fittings.

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   The inward slope of the wall from the bottom to the top.

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   A long right triangle of wood with its hypotenuse cut at the desired pitch for the stone wall. Used to check the pitch while building.

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   A right triangle made of wood that you make to use with a level to maintain the correct inward slope of a wall. For mortarless walls, the batter should be 2 inches for every foot of rise.

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   Because they don't require house current, you can put battery-operated smoke detectors anywhere. Battery-powered detectors are inexpensive and easy to install. They work even during a power outage, but they provide no protection if a battery goes dead.

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   A horizontal timber that supports the floor joists in a house. May be a single board, several larger boards nailed together, or a steel I-beam.

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   Walls that are primary supports for floors or ceilings above.

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   A thin, flat bar with a wide, tapered end used to remove trim with little or no damage. Called a "bee bar" because bee keepers use them to open wooden hives. Heavier pry bars work better on larger boards or for jobs where you don't intend to reuse the trim.

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   Long, thin, flexible wood strips--usually redwood--that are used to form curved edgings.

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   A fast-spreading lawn grass that can be an invasive weed when it grows among other plantings.

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   These sell for about twice the price of standard blades, but last up to 10 times longer. Hard, long-wearing teeth, mounted to a softer blade body, produce a blade that seldom shatters. The blade's malleable body can bend without shattering-and you can bend it straight again with pliers.

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Other Names: Black I.P.S. (iron pipe size).
Purpose: Used for gas and heating-oil lines only.
Comments: Never use black pipe for water lines; it's not protected against water corrosion.
The Pros Say: Never reuse pipe from a gas line--even if it's galvanized--in a water line. Old gas pipe imparts the gas odor and taste to the water.

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   This cover bolts to the corners of a four-square box. Another version is sold for 4 11/16-inch square boxes.

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   Seed or sod composed of several cultivars of a single species; for example, wear-tolerant, disease-resistant, and shade-tolerant cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass.

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Bolt Cutter    To cut a 6 by 6 inch reinforcing mesh for concrete slabs, bolt cutters are the best choice. Hand snips just won't cut it. You can saw through each joint with a hacksaw, but that gets old fast. Three-foot long bolt cutters can also cut 1/2-inch rebar.

   Larger rocks used periodically to help hold the wall together.

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   A thin strip of metal inside armored cable. The strip is meant to back up the primary ground in this system, which is the cable's metal sheathing.

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   The horizontal member at the bottom of wall framing. Usually a 2-by-4 or a 2-by-6.

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   These solve a host of installation problems. Some help you mount lights. Others can add a little more capacity to a box when you need it, or they can allow you to alter a box opening from square to round so you can mount a light. If you add tile, paneling or a new layer of drywall to an existing wall, use a plaster ring to bring the surface of the box out to meet the new surface.

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   Almost all splices and wiring devices must be enclosed in a wiring box. But which one? The choices are dizzying. Metal or plastic? What size? Which kind do you need for the wiring system you're using? If you're still in doubt after browsing this section, consult your building inspector for the final answer.
   Boxes are rated by cubic-inch volume. Each wire, technically termed a conductor, requires a certain volume, and each box can hold only so many conductors. For example, a typical single gang box of 18 cubic inches allows nine 14-gauge, eight 12-gauge or seven 10-gauge wires. All grounds and each device in a box count as one wire. The volume and maximum number of wires allowed is stamped in the back of plastic boxes. Capacities for metal boxes are listed in Table 370-6(a) of the National Electrical Code.

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   Wiring that runs from a service panel or subpanel to a group of outlets is termed a branch circuit. A sudden power surge could fry a computer, microwave oven, television set or other electronic appliance. A fuse or circuit breaker protects each branch circuit in your home.

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   A wide-bladed chisel that you strike with a hand sledge to cut bricks.

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   Metal straps added between courses of masonry. They extend outward from one wall into an adjoining wall of brick or veneer to tie two together.

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   A fine-bristled push broom is drawn on the surface of damp concrete to leave a subtly ridged surface.

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   Commonly called tarpaper, it's most frequently used between courses of wood singles.

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   Asphalt-impregnated paper. Used as waterproofing between wall sheathing and siding.

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   Built-up roofs, also known as tar-and-gravel roofs, have a layer of gravel applied to the top surface to protect the roofing material from physical damage and degradation from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Be sure the gravel is spread out evenly. You may have to sweep the gravel back up the slope every few years.
   Large holes or damaged areas should be repaired by a professional roofer with hot tar.

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   Used on either the inner or outer face of a gate, it has two rectangular leaves with screw holes. A removable metal pin joins the leaves.

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Purpose: Slicing insulation on non-metallic cable.
When to Use: After cable is installed in boxes, slide the tool over the cable and push it to the back of the box. Squeeze it and a small blade slits the cable sheath. Pull while still squeezing. This opens the sheath without harming the wire insulation.
Comments: You won't need this tool if you carefully strip off enough cable sheathing with a knife before inserting the cable in the box.

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Purpose: Securing cables to framing.
Typical Applications: For non-metallic (NM) cable, use one staple per cable every 41/2 feet and within 12 inches of any box.
Caution: DO NOT drive staples so deeply that they cut NM's plastic sheathing.
Comments: Use plastic-lined staples, lower right, to avoid this problem. DO NOT stack cables inside a staple, and use only one cable per staple. A cable stacking clip, upper right, holds several cables along the center of a stud.

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   Cable is the best choice for interior wiring. It's easy to work with and usually less costly than conduit. Each cable type is part of a system, including boxes and connectors. Be sure that the parts you use are compatible with your cable.
   Cables are rated by the gauge of the wire and the number of wires in the cable. For example, 12-3 indicates the cable has three 12-gauge wires (not including the ground wire).
   Do not use cable inside conduit.

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   An eccentrically curved part designed to exert force when rotated against another.

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   Hillside decks whose top surface extends beyond the structural support.

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   A solid piece measuring 8 by 16 by 4 inches.

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Purpose: To seal pipes and fittings
Comments: Caps go over the end of a pipe. Plugs go into it.
Common types, left to right: Galvanized-steel cap and plug, left; ABS plastic plug, center-top; Plastic cap, center right, and black-iron cap, right; copper slip caps, not shown.

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    Cartridge fuses handle higher amperages than plug fuses. Typically, they serve as main power shutoffs and in subpanels for 240-volt appliances such as electric dryers and air conditioners. Cartridge fuses are wrapped in paper, like shotgun shells, and have ferrule, top, or knife-blade, bottom, contacts on each end.
   Ferrule-contact fuses protect circuits up to 60 amps. They are sometimes used on the back of a pullout-block main disconnect.
   Knife-blade contact fuses protect circuits rated at 60 amps or more.

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Purpose: Drain and vent lines.
Comments: Most older DWV systems are made of cast-iron pipes-now increasingly supplanted by ABS and PVC. Pipes were originally joined with molten lead, but most plumbers now join them with no-hub couplers.

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   The catalytic converter, located in the top of the stove or in the flue pipe adjacent to the stove, needs to be gently brushed off or vacuumed two or three times during the heating season to remove fly ash. How often you do this depends on how much you use the stove, the stove's design, and the ash and moisture content of the wood.
   Every few years, depending on these same variables, clean the converter by boiling it in distilled water and vinegar. Carefully follow the instructions in your owner's manual.
   After extended use, the catalytic converter will have to be replaced.

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   A drain for a low or wet spot, with pipe exiting the side and a pit at the bottom to collect sediment.

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   The hollow spaces in concrete blocks.

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   A trained specialist, often employed by a tree service, who can advise you on the health and hazards of your trees.

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   A reel of thin cord enclosed in a housing with powdered chalk. You pull the cord over the line you want to mark, then snap it against the surface to deposit chalk there.

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   A gas-powered machine that chops branches and tree limbs into wood chips.

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   A network of wiring that circulates electricity through your home.

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   Circuit breakers are automatic shut-off switches designed to stop the current if the wires in a circuit begin to overheat.

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   Sticky, heavy soil made of small particles. Clay holds water but excludes air, which is needed by plant roots.

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   A drain fitting, usually a wye or a tee, with a removable plug to permit inspection and access for an auger or snake.

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Purpose: Clearing obstructions from toilet traps to the mouth of the waste pipe.
Comments: The closet auger has a large head sized for toilet traps. The rubber sleeve at the end of the long handle protects the toilet from marring. Because the closet auger is just long enough to clean to the mouth of the waste pipe, you'll need to work through a cleanout with a snake or power auger to clear obstructions farther down the line.

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   A specialized, 90-degree fitting that connects a toilet to the DWV system. Sized to fit within the joist space, it doesn't have a trap, since that's already incorporated in the toilet. A slotted closet flange, or floor flange, holds the bend to the subfloor .

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   Bolt whose head is fitted to a closet flange and that protrudes up through a toilet base. A nut is tightened around it on the toilet base. Two bolts serve one toilet.

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   Fitting screwed to the flooring under a toilet. The flange holds the toilet down to the floor and secures the closet bend from below.

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   You can run your own cable from room to room. You'll probably do a neater job than the average cable TV installer if you fish it through your walls or install it before new walls are covered with drywall. Install a crimp-on connector that threads onto the back of each jack.

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   These inexpensive pliers squeeze the ferrule shut on coaxial fittings. More costly professional models include specialized strippers for coax.

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   To branch coaxial cable, you'll need one of these threaded blocks. Mount them on any convenient surface in an attic or basement, but don't bury them inside a wall.

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   Combine these two jacks in one location to organize your communication wires. The plates mount to single-gang boxes or to a low-voltage plate mounting bracket Attach two pairs of phone wire to the back of the phone jack, and twist on a coaxial cable for your TV.

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   Able to withstand the lowest winter temperatures likely to occur.

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   This pipe branches off your house supply to bring cold water to your water heater. Use the shut-off valve on this line to isolate the heater for maintenance or replacement. You can also use the valve to shut off all hot-water supplies while you work on one or more.

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   These come in many switch and receptacle configurations, up to one receptacle with five switches.

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Purpose: What doesn't this tool do? It cuts non-metallic cable and wire, bends wire to wrap on terminals, strips wire and squeezes with pliers tips.
When to Use: Great for making up boxes because you won't have to keep switching tools.
What to Look For: For basic house wiring, get a model that strips at least 14- and 12-gauge wire. Don't confuse it with combination tools intended for automotive work, though they look similar. The wire stripping holes are the wrong gauges.
Also Available: Some models strip wire down to 18 gauge for low voltage systems, others go down to 24 gauge for phone wire. Some include holes for cutting device-mounting bolts and crimping spade connectors.

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   A descriptive name, often colorful, that gardeners use informally; for example, "Morning Glory."

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   Each three-way switch has one common terminal that's colored and/or labeled for identification. You connect the incoming hot wire to this terminal on one switch. Then connect the outgoing hot wire from the other three-way switch to the light.

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   Here are two ways to cram lots of fluorescent tubing into a tighter package. The circular fluorescent, left, and the compact fluorescent, right, both screw into a standard light base. Each has its own electronic ballast to boost household voltage. The ballast lasts about four times longer than the tubes, so look for models like these in which you can replace the tubes.

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   Letting garden and kitchen waste decay into an odorless brown soil amendment. Buy composting containers or build your own from wood or chicken wire.

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   Rain-tight fittings used with EMT conduit outdoors, above ground. Tighten couplings and connectors with a pair of wrenches to compress the split ring in the fitting.

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   Rounded inwards, grooved.

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   A top layer of concrete that adds a finished, decorative look to a pilaster. It also covers the center core of mortar.

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   A mixture of 3/8-inch pea gravel, sand, cement and water that you pour into the cells of concrete-block walls to reinforce them. Buy it in bags or ready-mixed from a concrete supplier.

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   When warm air from the interior meets colder (exterior) air, the water vapor turns back to liquid. Attics, walls and crawl spaces below floors are common sites for condensation.

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   Technical term for anything capable of carrying electricity. Wires are conductors. So are terminals and the prongs of a plug.

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   Metal or plastic tubing used to protect wires.

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Other Names: Hickey.
Purpose: Hand-bending thinwall conduit (EMT).
Comments: Renting a conduit bender is worth the hassle if you intend to use it once or twice to make lots of bends. If you only need to make a few 90-degree or 45- degree bends, you can buy pre-bent conduit sections, called sweeps. Where conduit must bend slightly to enter boxes, substitute offset fittings.

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Other Names: Condulet
Purpose: Used to change direction in a conduit run. Access covers allow you an opening at intermediate points in a run to make pulling wire easier.

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   Thick-bodied adhesive, suited to a wide range of repair and construction tasks. Packaged in convenient cartridges for caulking guns.

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Purpose: Confirming a completed circuit. This tester has a battery so it can test wires even with the main power shut off.
When to Use: For identifying wires and diagnosing open circuits.
What to Look For: This version simply lights up when continuity is detected. More expensive models sound a tone and/or vibrate, allowing you to keep your eyes on the tips of its probes.

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   A groove scored by a jointer in wet concrete to control cracking caused by contraction and expansion. The regular lines in a sidewalk are control joints.

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   Air naturally circulated by differences in temperature. Colder, denser air falls and displaces the lighter, warm air.

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   Rounded outwards, smooth.

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   A standard Cool White lamp approximates natural light, but imparts a ghoulish cast to skin tones, which makes it anything but a cool choice for home lighting. A Cool White tube has a color temperature of 4,100 degrees and renders colors poorly.

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   Though cooler in color temperature than WW or WWX lamps, Cool White Deluxe tubes have a CRI close to that for incandescents. CWX lamps simulate natural daylight.

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   Grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, which grow best in spring and fall but stay green in summer if watered. They grow best in northern climates.

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   The U.S. Department of Agriculture sponsors Cooperative Extension offices in every state to offer practical information for homeowners and farmers. Some offices will test soil for you. Many offer free or inexpensive publications. Find the nearest Cooperative Extension in the Tollfree Numbers Survival Guide under "Agencies."

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Purpose: To carry water to fixtures and appliances. Used less often for DWV systems.

Comment: The premium material for domestic water lines, soldered copper is easier to install and modify than galvanized steel.
What to Look For: Use Type M for most residential work. Type L is required if the pipe is buried.

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Purpose: Drilling holes up to 1-inch diameter in wood, 1/4-inch diameter in metal. Driving screws.
What to Look For: Higher battery voltage means more power and longer use between charges. 7.2- and 9.6-volt models are most common. Both can drive drywall screws in softwood without pre-drilled pilot holes. Keyless chucks are the natural complement to cordless drills. After all, without a cord, there's no reliable way to keep from losing the key. Adjustable clutches permit you to drive a screw without slowing the motor down when the screw seats. This extends motor life.

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   A concrete block with one flush, smooth end.

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   Fittings used to join lengths of conduit.

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   Restrictions on how you can use or modify your property, intended to preserve the character of the community.

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Purpose: Installing and removing valve stems set below a surface.
When to Use: The best way to remove a shower valve stem set in a tiled wall.
Comments: These deep sockets slip over long valve stems. Usually sold as a set, they may be rented by the day from a plumbing supply house. Don't give in to the temptation to try to pull a deeply set shower stem with locking pliers. If you strip the flats on the stem, it may be time to open the wall and replace the whole shower valve.
Substitution: Slip a standard socket over the stem and turn the socket with a pipe wrench

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   Cracks in the paint film occur when one or more of the paint layers loses its elasticity and no longer expands and contracts with the substrate. Cracking also results from finish-to-primer incompatibility.

Solution: Scrape off the loose paint, sand, prime and repaint. For severe cases, remove all paint to the bare wood, apply an oil-base primer, then repaint.

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Purpose: Crimping connecting hardware.
When to Use: Making up grounding crimp connectors and spade terminals.
Comments: This is a specialized tool. You probably don't need it. However, without it you will have to make certain connections in other ways. For example: replace barrel crimps (a few pennies each) with green twist-on wire connectors (15-20 cents each).
Also Available: Some combination tools include a built-in crimper.

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   In a wood-frame house, the section of wall under the house between the concrete foundation and the floor joists. Also called crawl space walls.

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   Cutting across the wood grain; to crosscut a board is to cut across its width.

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   A decorative trim that runs along the top of the wall, against the ceiling.

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   A plant variety developed by breeders rather than found in the wild.

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   A chemical reaction in cement-based materials. The longer these materials stay damp, the stronger they get. Curing is not the same as drying, which implies evaporation.

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   Tar-like coatings brushed or sprayed on the exterior of a foundation wall.

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   A plant that loses its leaves in winter.

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Other Names: Decora Receptacle.
Typical Applications: An alternative to standard receptacles, the decorator style offers many more colors and a cleaner look.
Costs: Up to 10 times as much as standard receptacles.

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Other Names: Decora Switch.
Purpose: An alternative to standard switches, the decorator style offers many more colors and a cleaner look. This style is also easier to use. You can turn them on and off with your elbow as you walk by with bags of groceries.
Comments: Usually used in conjunction with decorator receptacles.
Cost: About 10 times more than a standard single-pole device.

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   These come in more than the standard three colors because they fit all decorator style receptacles and switches, as well as GFCI receptacles.

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   Any circuit that has only one receptacle or appliance connected to it. These are typically required for large, continuous loads. Appliances such as electric clothes dryers, ranges, kilns, central air conditioners and any others that require 240-volt power must have their own circuits. Some 120-volt appliances, such as heaters and air conditioners, may require a dedicated circuit as well.

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   No direct or filtered sun.

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   An alternative to the standard wall-mount jack, these fit in decorator-style covers. Sold with two lines as well. Use when you want to match them with other decorator switches and receptacles.

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Other Names: Remodel Box, Cut-In Box.
Purpose: Mounting switches and receptacles with non-metallic cable or armored cable.
Typical Applications: When adding switches or receptacles in existing walls.

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Device-Mounting Cover Other Names: Raised Cover. Purpose: Acts as both a cover and an adapter to hold two devices in a four-square box. Also Available: Mounting covers are made for either two switches, two receptacles or, as seen here, a switch and receptacle. You can also get a version for a GFCI receptacle. (Press "Back" button to return to previous page)

Other Names: Dikes.
Purpose: Pulling cable staples; cutting nails, cable and wire.
When to Use: Roughing in non-metallic or armored cable; making up boxes.
What to Look For: Jaws and cutting blades should meet evenly. Hold them up to light. A diagonal chink of light coming though indicates poor quality.
Also Available: Offset diagonal pliers provide better leverage for staple pulling.

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Purpose: Prevents galvanic corrosion between copper and steel pipes.
When to Use: Any time you join new copper pipes to old galvanized steel pipe. Often used to connect to water heaters.
Substitution: Your local building department may also permit a flexible copper supply tubing or even a simple brass nipple to serve as a dielectric union.

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   Analog signals move in continuous waves that fluctuate according to intensity. Digital signals move in pulses that are either on or off --1 or 0-called binary. Present-day telephone systems carry analog signals from your home to the phone company. The company then converts the signals to digital, transmits them over fiber optic lines, and converts them back to analog signals that go to the number you are calling.
   Digital enables simultaneous transmission of audio, video and text with outstanding accuracy and reliability. Consider, for example, the differences in sound fidelity between an analog LP record and the music from a digital compact disc.

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Purpose: Controls the intensity of a light from bright to dim.
Typical Applications: Bedroom, dining room, living room-anywhere you want to control lighting to match activity or mood.
What to Look For: Round knobs, toggle switches or slide controls do not, by themselves, determine the quality of a dimmer. Less expensive devices tend to hum when in use; some may cause radio interference. Fluorescent fixtures require a different kind of dimmer and three wires from the switch to the light.

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   Small concrete blocks with embedded tie wire, used to support rebar or metal mesh in concrete work.

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   Wooden strip, nailed to the door jamb, that the door closes against.

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   Two panes of glass with a sealed air space between. Also called insulated glass.

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Other Names: Stack Switch.
Purpose: Fits two switches into one single gang box, or one device slot in a large box.
Typical Applications: Adding a second switch to a single gang box.

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   Windows with two operable sashes that slide in vertical channels.

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   Clean rock, in graded sizes, that remains uncompacted so that water can pass through.

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   This valve lets you drain your tank to perform routine maintenance such as clearing sediment from the tank or replacing the T & P relief valve. Connect a garden hose to the valve to carry away the drain water.
    The Pros Say: Many water heater manufacturers now use cheap plastic drain valves. And many plumbers promptly throw them away and replace them with good, solid, brass hose bibbs you can get at any hardware store.

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   To move water from behind a retaining wall, lay perforated drain pipe along the back of it. Line a trench behind the wall with soil-filter fabric, lay pipe along cloth, and backfill with drain rock to within 6-12 inches of the top. Wrap the ends of the cloth over the top of the rock layer and fill the remainder of the trench with gravel or soil.

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   The areas where runoff converges from different slopes.

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   1. Turn the system off and let it cool.
   2. Close the valve to the expansion tank to isolate it from the rest of the system.
   3. Place a bucket underneath the drain valve or attach a hose to it that terminates in a bucket or drain.
   4. Open the valve on the bottom of the expansion tank and let it drain. (You may need to open a small vacuum breaker plug on the tank to get it to drain properly.)
   5. Once the tank is drained, simply reverse the process to fill it.
   Check your owner's manual for more specific instructions.

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   An imaginary line extending from the tree's outermost branches to the ground.

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   Needs watering monthly (or less often) until established, then little extra watering. In arid regions, no extra watering at all.

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   A rock-lined artificial creek bed for channeling excess rainwater.

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   A gravel-filled vertical pipe or hole where excess water collects and percolates slowly into the ground.

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   Slow: Dries to the touch in over two hours. Can be recoated the next day.

   Moderate: Dries to touch within two hours. Can be recoated the same day.

   Fast: Dries to touch within an hour. Can be recoated within four hours.

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   Drywall, the most common kind of interior wallcovering, is also called wallboard, gypsum board, Sheetrock (a brand name), and rock. It comes in various thicknesses and in lengths from 8 feet to 12 feet, but the most common size is 4-by-8-by-1/2-inch thick panels. In addition to standard panels, you can buy fire-resistant and moisture-resistant drywall. The moisture-resistant panels have green paper.

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Purpose: Making cutouts in drywall.
When to Use: Cutting openings for old work boxes. Do not substitute a saw intended for wood-it will dull rapidly.

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   Two-inch-wide paper tape that covers drywall seams and plaster cracks. It is not coated with adhesive as the word "tape" seems to imply. Instead it is embedded in joint compound. Most paper tape is perforated to improve its bonding strength and pre-creased to make it easy to fold for inside corners.
   Self-adhering, fiberglass mesh tape doesn't provide joint strength equal to paper tape. Still, many do-it-yourselfers prefer fiberglass mesh simply for its convenience. You can roll it on without embedding the tape in joint compound.

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   An underground drywell collects water until it can percolate into the soil. The "well" is an excavated hole lined with filter fabric and filled with small stones or gravel. The size of the well depends on the volume of water it's expected to handle and the porosity of the surrounding soil.

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   Electricians prefer the term receptacle for devices that supply power to plug-in lamps and appliances. They are so called because they receive the plug.
   The pairs of terminals on each side are bonded by a small metal tab. This allows you to splice two wires on each side to wire a downstream cable into the circuit without a wire connector. You can also break this tab off, by twisting it with pliers, to form a split receptacle.

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   The system of drain-, waste- and vent-lines that carries away liquid and solid wastes and protects your home from sewer odors and bacteria.

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   A portion of your property another party may use for utilities, maintenance of nearby roads, or access to nearby property.

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   The portion of the roof that extends beyond a wall.

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   A trowel with a rounded, or radiused, edge.

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   A steel hand tool that rounds edges of concrete with 1/2-inch radius.

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Other Names: Ell, L
Use these 90-degree and 45-degree couplings to carry plumbing lines around corners and bends. Combine them to create other angles: two 45- or 90-degree elbows make a zig-zag offset.

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Purpose: Repairing wire and cable insulation.
Comments: DO NOT use electrical tape to cover spliced wires. Tape may only be used to repair minor abrasion and nicks. You can wind black tape around a white wire to identify it as a hot, black wire in some switch loops. Use electrical tape to secure cables to a fish tape when you pull wires through finished walls.

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Other Names: Lineman's Pliers
Purpose: Cutting wire, twisting wires together.
When to Use: Removing metal box knockouts.
What to Look For: Jaws and cutting blades should meet evenly. Hold them up to light. A diagonal chink of light coming though indicates poor quality. An 8- or 10-inch length is most useful.

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   The end of a piece of wood or lumber that reveals the wood fibers in cross section.

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   Bolts designed to be held in place with epoxy, rather than with mechanical means such as expansion.

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   Designing with human factors in mind.

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   These decorative plates hide the rough opening where a pipe enters a finished wall. When the pipe end is accessible, as it is when you're installing fixtures, one-piece friction plates work best. When you can't get to the end of a pipe, use a split-flange plate. Its two halves come apart so you can slip them around the pipe.

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   A fine film of paint powder constantly forms on the surface of many paints. It happens on purpose. The reason: it makes your paint job somewhat self-cleaning. Chalking becomes a problem when it stains siding or unpainted brick or stone below. Excessive chalking is caused by several factors:
Over-thinned paint.
Paint with inadequate binders or too much pigment.
Improperly prepared surfaces.
An improper primer that absorbs the paint's binder.

Solution: Scrub the surface with a brush and water, hose off, and allow to dry thoroughly. Then apply primer and repaint.

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   A divider made of wood, felt or other material. It allows movement where a concrete slab abuts a house or another concrete slab.

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Purpose: Adds volume to existing boxes.
Typical Applications: Used when adding wires or devices to an existing box; extending a box to allow easier connection to new conduit or cable.

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   All conduit systems are rated by internal diameter (ID). These are common sizes for residential circuits: 1/2-, 3/4- and 1-inch ID conduit. Check with your local building department to get the right size conduit for the number and gauge of wires you intend to run. Each system requires its own type of fitting.

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   Never use an interior cover outdoors. All boxes and covers for wet locations require a waterproof gasket to make a seal. Exterior boxes are made of aluminum with threaded holes.

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   Fittings that provide strain relief for non-metallic or armored cable. Many metal boxes come with internal clamps.

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Purpose: Removing balky faucet handles without marring during repairs.
Comments: First, remove the mounting screw from the faucet handle. Then, place the jaws of the tool under the faucet handle and turn the tool's central screw until it bears against the valve stem. The steady, even pressure pulls the handle off neatly.

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   Cable that brings power from a main service panel to a subpanel that serves two or more branch circuits.

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   Metals containing iron.

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   A sleeve crimped over a coaxial fitting to secure the connection.

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   Stones picked from fields. They come in random sizes and may have moss or lichen on exposed surfaces.

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   A porous, synthetic landscape fabric designed to prevent the growth of weeds or to separate materials such as dirt and gravel.

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   Narrow gauge nails with tiny heads that you can set below the surface of wood trim.

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   Electricians refer to the process of pulling wires through finished walls as fishing. A fish tape is a coiled, springy wire used to "angle" for a path from attic or basement to the box cutout.

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Purpose: Feeding cable through finished walls and wires through conduit.
What to Look For: Fish tapes tend to bind. If you rent one, make sure you can pull the tape out and get it back in before you leave the yard.

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   To make a rail fit tightly, don't measure. Instead, hold it in place and mark where it meets the post. Use a combination square to draw the line, then cut the rail.
   When setting bottom and middle rails, clamp a block of scrap wood to one post to support one end of the rail while you toenail or screw the other end to its post. It's like an extra set of hands.

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   Hard stones that have been split into thin pieces for paving.

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   Flexible rubber stopper that closes the flush valve in a toilet. Often used as a replacement for a stopper ball.

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   Sheet-metal or rubber material used to seal breaks, bends and creases in roofs. Areas where flashing is used include pipe openings, skylights and the area around chimneys.

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Other Names: Flex, Greenfield.
Purpose: Exposed indoor wiring.
Typical Applications: For bends when running thinwall or rigid conduit.
Costs: More expensive than EMT, but far easier to work with.
Comments: Flex is ugly compared to neatly-bent EMT. Any run 6 feet or longer, or over 20 amps, needs a separate ground wire inside.
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Other Names: Smurf tubing, electrical non-metallic tubing.
Purpose: Burying wires in concrete, communication wiring.
Typical Applications: Usually wherever non-metallic cable can be used. Check with local building department. Also used as wiring in concrete slabs for free-standing kitchen islands, and floor-mounted receptacles in living rooms.
What to Look For: Uses snap-in fittings.

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Purpose: Fast, easy connections between pipes and fixtures.
Basic types include:
Copper water line, left, the best way to connect cold- and hot-water pipes to a water heater. The flexible link helps connections withstand earthquakes. It also acts as a dielectric union between dissimilar metals.
Flexible gas hose, middle, creates a flexible link in the gas supply to a water heater, dryer or range. Never reuse a gas hose if it's kinked.
Flexible risers, right, A do-it-yourselfer's dream, stainless-steel-jacketed supply hoses make it simple to hook up sinks, lavatories, toilets and other fixtures.
Comment: When you're shopping for any kind of flexible supply, be sure to get the right ends to the tubing. In many cases, special adapters make it easy to connect differing sizes and materials. If possible, take the old line to the store with you.

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   A flat trowel used to finish concrete. Floats may be wood, rubber or magnesium.

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   The flexible rod that connects the float ball and flush valve in a toilet tank. Bend it to adjust the level of water in the tank.

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   A copper or plastic ball at the end of the float arm. As water rises in the tank, the ball floats up and shuts off the ballcock.

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   The black plastic cup on a Fluidmaster fill valve that rises with toilet tank water. When it reaches a preset level, the valve closes.

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   When you want strong lighting around your home, these most basic of outdoor fixtures are the least expensive to buy. You'll need a weatherproof wiring box and a cover with 1/2-inch threaded holes to accept the lamp bases. ALWAYS use bulbs rated for outdoor exposure unless you mount the fixture under a roof.

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   Check your prejudices about fluorescent lighting at the showroom door and take another look. Today, you'll find lots of new recessed cans and wall sconces specifically designed for small, compact fluorescent lamps. Tube fixtures nowadays don't all look like industrial artifacts, either. Tubes as small as 5/8 inch in diameter allow you to tuck fluorescents behind trim or under a cabinet.

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   When you shop for fluorescent tubes, you'll need to know the tube's diameter and its length. Note, too, whether your fixture uses single- or bi-pin tubes. Diameter is listed in 1/8ths of an inch after the letter T. Thus a T5 tube equals 5/8ths-inch. The most common size is a T12 at 11/2- inches. Wattage is limited by tube length. Tubes range from 9 inches to 8 feet in some industrial fixtures.

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   A horizontal rod connected at one end to the flush handle of a toilet tank and at the other to a chain lifting the flush valve ball or flapper. Also called a trip lever. The flush arm is held in place with a reverse threaded nut to the toilet handle.

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   An opening and stopper-either a ball or a flapper-at the center of the bottom of a toilet tank. The valve opens to flush and closes to re-fill the tank.

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   To flush a hot water heating system, follow these steps:
   1. Turn the system off and close the water feed valve to the boiler. Let the system cool.
   2. Connect a hose to the drain valve that's located on the bottom of the boiler, and run the hose to an indoor or outdoor drain.
   3. Open the air vent on the highest radiator to break the vacuum.
   4. Now open the drain on the boiler and let the entire system drain.
   5. Once the system drains, close the radiator valve, open the feed valve, and flush water through the boiler until the water runs clean.
   6. Close the drain valve on the boiler and let the system refill.
   7. Start the boiler (even if it's summer) to purge air out of the system.
   Consult your owner's manual for more specific instructions before you start. If you feel uncomfortable attempting this maintenance, let your service contractor do it the first time while you watch and take notes. Depending on how old and dirty the system is, you may want the contractor to "power flush" it using special chemicals.

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   Etching paste used to clean and prepare metal for solder. Use a brush, not your fingers, to spread it.

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   A foundation under a wall, pilaster or stairway that's wider than the structure it supports. It distributes the load over a broader area.

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   Concrete supports for wooden posts, designed to distribute the load to, and isolate the wood from, the soil below.

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   This widely used system distributes heated air through round- or rectangular-shaped ducts. An electric fan pushes air from the central heating unit, to the ducts, and out through the grill-covered supply registers in your rooms. Dampers inside the ducts control the amount of warm air that flows to each room. Ambient air returns to the central unit through large air registers near the blower.

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   The wood framework that molds and supports wet concrete.

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   A chemical you paint on wood forms to prevent concrete from sticking to them.

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Purpose: Removing dirt and oxidation from copper and brass fittings and the ends of copper pipes before you solder them.
Comments: This tool's male brushes clean up the inside of fittings, while the female brushes clean the outside of pipes. The four-in-one works with 1/2- and 3/4-inch pipe, the most common residential-plumbing sizes.
Substitution: 120-grit sandpaper will also do the job, but the brush is faster and more efficient.

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Purpose: Driving most sizes of slotted and Phillips-head screws.
Comments: 4-in-1 drivers save you lots of time spent looking for the right screwdriver-you always have the most often used tips inside the handle.

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Purpose: Mounting junctions and devices for interior wiring with cable or conduit.
Typical Applications: Four-square boxes are the most flexible box because you can adapt them to a single gang, double gang or lighting outlet with the appropriate plaster rings. Four-square boxes offer more room than most two-gang device boxes.
Also Available: 4-11/16" square boxes and matching adapter rings offer a bit more internal volume than the standard four-square box. Plastic versions are common.

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Purpose: Controls the same lights from three or more locations. One or more four-ways are placed between a pair of three-ways.
Typical Applications: Large rooms with multiple entrances/exits.
Comments: The terminals on a four-way switch are ether paired top/bottom or side/side. In the Circuit Simulator, they are paired side/side. Look in the sample diagrams for Lights with 3 or More Switches.

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   Also called a carpenter's square or steel square. A large square used for carpentry layout. Some include rafter cutting tables. To cut stairs, a pair of small clamp-on stair gauges can be added.

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   A drain filled with gravel that leads surface water away from your house, out of a catch basin or from poorly drained parts of your yard. Its destination is usually the street or a dry well.

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   An imaginary line that represents the average depth at which soil is likely to freeze year after year.

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   At least 4-5 hours of direct sun a day, occurring between midday and late afternoon.

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   In construction lingo, furring means adding material between two parts to match up surfaces. Typical furring materials include extra washers on bolts and strips of plywood nailed to a stud.

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   By design, a fuse is the weakest link in any circuit. When a circuit overheats, a strip of metal inside the fuse melts down and shuts off the flow of current.

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   Plastic pliers used to remove and install cartridge fuses.

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   Corrosion between dissimilar metals.

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Purpose: Water supplies, used in some older drains and vents.
Comments: The workhorse material of plumbing systems before copper became standard. Zinc galvanizing helps prevent corrosion and gives this pipe its characteristic gray color.

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   Capable of bridging gaps between materials. Gap-filling ability ranges from zero, with liquid cyanoacrylates, to as much as 1/4 inch, with construction adhesives.

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   Stores that sell both plants and gardening supplies.

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   A hinge consisting of an L-shaped threaded lag screw that attaches to the post and lets the opposite part slip over its short leg. Best for setting into masonry walls.

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   Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. Fuses and circuit breakers protect wiring. A GFCI protects you. A GFCI constantly monitors the current passing through the receptacle. Usually the current is exactly the same in both hot and neutral wires. Any imbalance means current is leaking, possibly through you, on its way to ground. If the GFCI detects 4-6 milli-amps of leakage, it automatically turns off the power fast enough to prevent injury.

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Purpose: Provides ground-fault circuit interrupter protection where receptacles are not protected by a GFCI circuit breaker.
Typical Applications: Workshops, bathrooms and kitchens in older homes without GFCI circuit breakers; wherever there is water near electricity.
Costs: One third the cost of adding a GFCI circuit breaker.
Comments: This product protects people, not devices. It does not protect against short circuits.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters

Installing a GFCI Receptacle

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   Soft, putty-like material that seals glass to window sash and sometimes to doors.

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   Metal fasteners that are used to hold glass in wood sash. May be triangular, diamond or arrow shaped.

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   The active ingredient in Roundup and similar herbicides. Sprayed on plants, it kills them quickly and becomes inactive in about a week.

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Other Names: Box Extension
Purpose: Extending the face of a single metal or plastic box when it is recessed behind the finished wall surface.
Typical Applications: Use whenever you have increased the thickness of a wall with tile, paneling or new drywall. As the name implies, these adapters are used when you make a mistake and set a new box too deeply.

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   Zoning and building codes frequently permit the existence of non-conforming construction in older buildings. This is termed grandfathering. Keep in mind, however, that if you make large-scale changes to your home, you may be required to bring mechanical systems up to present-day codes.

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   Sold at home centers and landscaping-supply centers, these cast-concrete modules don't require special skills or a poured concrete footing. They have many shapes, textures, colors and locking mechanisms, but all stack with an offset so they lean into the soil they retain.
   You can build a wall up to 3 feet high without tying back into the hill. Taller walls use a "geo grid"--a metal or heavy polyethylene matting that pinches between courses and extends back into the hill--where soil is piled onto the grid.

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Other Names: Grounding Nut.
Purpose: Splicing ground wires inside a wiring box. The hole in the top allows you to route one of the ground wires to a device.

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   Special trowel for making control joints, also called a jointer.

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   Grounding and circuit breakers or fuses protect your home's wiring from conditions that could cause a fire. But they can't detect tiny current leakages, called "ground faults," that could kill a person under certain circumstances.
   Normally, a current leakage, in a faulty hedge trimmer, for example, would give you a mild shock. But if you were standing on a wet lawn, the current could zap through your heart on its way to the ground, and you would be dead before a circuit breaker or fuse could react to the situation.
   For this reason, the National Electrical Code requires that most receptacles located outdoors, in a garage, unfinished basement, bathroom, or within 6 feet of a sink, be protected by Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs). You can replace an ordinary receptacle with a GFCI, have one installed in the service panel or buy versions that plug into a receptacle or are part of an extension cord.

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   Grounding protects against fire and, to a much lesser extent, shock. Usually current travels back to the service panel wire. All neutrals in your home are connected to a neutral bar in the service panel. The neutral bar is wired to a cold water pipe and/or a long copper rod buried in the earth.
   Your home's grounding system provides electricity with an alternate route to the neutral bar and earth, should an appliance or outlet malfunction.

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Typical Applications: This is the standard 15 amp receptacle for most house wiring. Use these for lamps and light-duty appliances.
Comments: The pairs of terminals on each side are bonded by a small metal tab. This allows you to splice two wires on each side to wire a downstream cable into the circuit without a wire connector. You can also break this tab off, by twisting it with pliers, to form a split receptacle.

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   Also called a 3-to-2 adapter plug. It has two prongs on one end, three openings on the other, and a U-shaped piece of metal or short green wire that attaches to the screw in the middle of a receptacle. Use adapters only when the box is grounded.

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Other Names: Weaver or Acorn Clamp.
Purpose: Connecting the main grounding wire to the grounding rod or a water pipe.
Typical Applications: Use this weaver clamp to attach 12-gauge ground wires to water pipes. Use an acorn clamp when connecting service wires to a copper grounding rod.

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Purpose: Connecting a ground wire to the edge of steel box.
Comments: Push the tip of a stripped ground wire into the clip's wire slot, then use electrician's pliers to push the clip onto the edge of your box. Grounding screws serve the same purpose as grounding clips.

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Other Names: Barrel Crimp, Buchanon.
Purpose: Splicing up to five ground wires inside a box.
Comments: Barrel crimps, at about 3 cents each, are much cheaper than green wire connectors, about 20 cents each. Crimp connectors also take up less room in a box. Crimps, however, require a special crimping tool, not just any pair of pliers. As with wire connectors, each crimp is rated for a specific number of wires.

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   You'll need a variety of hardware to connect the grounding system throughout your house. Never use any of these parts as hot or neutral components.

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Purpose: Attaching ground wires to metal boxes.
Typical Applications: These ready-made ground wires are sold with one end stripped for a wire connector and a ground screw looped in the other end. Use them whenever you need to connect two, three or four ground wires to a metal box. Splice one end of the pigtail to the ground wires and the other to the box with the grounding screw.

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Other Names: Green Screw.
Purpose: Connecting a ground wire to the back of a steel box.
Comments: Loop a stripped ground wire around the grounding screw. Thread the screw into the threaded hole in the back of your metal box.

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   This wire backs up your home's electrical system by providing current with an alternate path back to the service panel and earth. Grounding wires are always either bare copper or covered with green insulation.

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   A cement-based material that fills the joints between ceramic tiles. Usually sold as a powder and mixed with water and/or specialized latex-based additives that increase bonding strength and flexibility.

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   An abrasive-tipped hand tool available from tile suppliers.

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   In some toilets, a support connected to a toilet tank's overflow tube and through which runs a slender rod holding the stopper ball. The arm guides the rod so that the ball descends squarely onto the flush valve opening.

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   Powdered or pelleted calcium sulfate used to mark boundaries. Also used to neutralize salt in high- sodium soil or to loosen heavy clay soil.

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Purpose: Cutting metal and plastic.
When to Use: Cutting metal and plastic pipe to length.
What to Look For: Hacksaws vary in price from a few dollars up to $25. Better ones have sturdy frames and use levers rather than wing nuts to tighten the blade. Some can hold a blade at 45 degrees to facilitate flush cutting.
Comments: Choosing the right blade makes your work far easier and safer. Look for bi-metal blades.

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   Halogens are popular with lighting designers because the bulbs can put out lots of clean, white light from a small bulb. Halogen bulbs use about a third less electricity to produce a given number of lumens than do incandescents.
   Until recently, all halogen bulbs were low-voltage, bi-pin lamps, center and right. Now you can buy 120-volt halogen bulbs with standard screw-in bases, left. Since halogens get far hotter than similar-size incandescents, check whether your fixture can handle them.
   Try halogens in recessed cans or as floodlights outdoors. Standard-base, screw-in models are usually rated for outdoor use.

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Other Names: Rotary Hammer.
Purpose: Drilling in concrete, brick and stone.
When to Use: Mounting boxes, conduit and metal-sheathed cable to masonry walls.
What to Look For: Be sure to get a masonry bit with the right diameter for the fasteners you intend to drive.
Comments: Before you rent a hammer drill, try using an inexpensive carbide-tipped masonry bit in a 3/8-inch VSR drill. If your masonry is soft enough, it may do the trick for a few holes at a time. If you don't seem to be getting anywhere, rent the hammer drill-the difference will amaze you.

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   A small version of a sledgehammer. Headweights vary between 2 to 4 pounds. Used to cut brick, drive concrete-form stakes, and demolish masonry.

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   Adjustable light-mounting bar that you slide to fit between joists. A lighting box mounts to the bar anywhere between the joists so you can fine tune your fixture layout.

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   Hard-wired smoke and fire detectors run on house current. That means you don't have to bother replacing batteries, but you have no protection if the power fails or the fire is in the electrical system. Many codes require that you also install a battery-operated smoke detector as a back-up.

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   Thin fiberboard, such as Masonite.

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   A layer of hard soil, usually 1-3 feet below the surface, that blocks the downward movement of water.

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   The end of a brick.

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   Heat detectors measure the heat at the sensor and signal an alarm when the temperature reaches a certain level, usually 135 degrees F. These units work well in kitchens, garages and furnace rooms-areas where ionization and photoelectric detectors are prone to false alarms. Most heat detectors are not stand-alone units. Wire them in as part of an overall home security system.
   Heat detectors are not as prone to false alarms as the other types, but they also take considerably longer to signal a fire.

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   Large, scissorlike garden clippers.

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   Cover the roots with moist compost, organic matter, or soil.

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   Needs watering at least twice weekly.

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   Standard hinges have a removable pin and two plates, called leaves.

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   An inexpensive cylindrical drill bit for larger (1-3-inch diameter) holes.

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   Electrically charged. A hot wire brings current to each outlet. Hot wires are wrapped in black or red insulation. You may encounter other colors, but never white or green. They are reserved for neutral and grounding wires.
   A circuit is said to be hot unless its circuit breaker has been turned off or its fuse removed.

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   A type of cement that hardens under water.

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   All the bulbs you see here make light the way Thomas Edison did: using resistance. The only differences between them are their shapes, watt ratings, and the frosting inside the glass.
   Household incandescents come in three common base sizes:
    Candelabra is the smallest base. It's used for chandeliers and other decorative fixtures with small bulbs.
    Standard (also called medium) bases are found on most light bulbs. Dozens of different bulbs fit them, from 15-300 watts. Check the rating of your fixtures any time you install more than a 75-watt bulb. Many fixtures aren't designed to handle the heat given off by brighter bulbs.
    Mogul bases are much less common. These large bases are used on some floor lamps and work lights. You can buy a screw-in adapter to go from mogul down to standard bulbs.

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   Also known as noise, interference causes static in radios and telephones and produces snow or black scrolling bars on TV screens. Interference can travel through air-radio frequency interference RFI)-and through household wiring-line interference.

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   Use one of these systems when you can't fish interior wiring through walls or attics. Conduit lets you run many conductors inside a single raceway. Commonly available cables only permit up to three conductors. All conduit systems are rated by internal diameter. Check with your local building department to get the right size conduit for the number and gauge of wires you intend to run. Each system requires its own type of fitting. The manufacturer's box indicates the appropriate system.

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   All wiring boxes must be closed. Most covers are sold in the basic white, ivory and brown colors. From there, the choices widen. You can find covers made of ceramic, brass, copper, wood-and plastic made to look like wood. There are novelty covers, joke covers and designer covers. As you read this, there's probably someone designing a collector's edition.
   If the box is so recessed that the plate screws don't reach it, install a goof ring. Oversize plate covers can cover minor imperfections in the wall around boxes. Codes require that boxes fit snugly against the plaster or drywall, however, so don't use these plates to hide big gaps around boxes.

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Other Names: Nipple Extractor
Purpose: Removing-and tightening -- close nipples and other iron-pipe fittings where a conventional pipe wrench would damage the threads.
Comments: Insert the wrench into a nipple and turn the wrench with an adjustable wrench. The sharp spurs on the cams of the internal pipe wrench dig into the inner walls of the fitting, forcing it to turn.

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   These smoke detectors emit tiny amounts of radiation that break up the air inside the detector and give it a small electrical charge-a process called ionization. Smoke particles cut down the current flow, sounding the warning. Ionization detectors respond to quick-burning fires such as paper, wood and oil. Ionization units run on house current, batteries or both.
   Ionization units react to anything that ionizes the air. This includes detergents in steam from a dishwasher, washing machine or shower; heavy gases such as car exhaust; and many cooking fumes. To avoid false alarms, don't install ionization alarms near a kitchen, laundry, bathroom or garage.

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   A triangle with two equal sides.

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   The frame from which the door is hinged. The door fits between the side jambs and under the head jamb.

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Other Names: Scroll saw, bayonet saw.
Purpose: Making precise cutouts in a variety of material.
When to Use: Cutting out openings for old work boxes in existing walls and ceilings.
What to Look For: With variable speed control you can pick the right cutting speed for each material and blade type. Orbital action provides faster cutting in wood.
Comments: Choose bi-metal blades for maximum wear. Be sure you can buy replacement blades locally for the saw you select. At least three different blade-mounting systems exist today.

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   Adhesive paste used to finish drywall seams.

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Jointer    Term used for two kinds of masonry finishing tools. The one shown at right, also called a groover, cuts control joints in wet concrete slabs. Another, a slender metal tool with rounded sides, is used to smooth mortared joints between brick and block.

   Places where bricks are joined with mortar.

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   A horizontal board, set on edge, that supports the flooring in a house. Joists are usually placed 16 inches apart.

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   Galvanized metal stirrups used to connect joists to other structural members.

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   This funny looking 4-inch diameter fan-support box slips over the bottom of a joist and is nailed to both sides. The face of the box protrudes 1/2 inch below the joist, to allow for drywall. Use it only with non-metallic cable.

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   Any wiring box that doesn't contain a switch, receptacle or light is termed a junction box. All junction boxes must have covers.

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   The width of the wood removed by the blade of a saw as it cuts. Depending on its construction and tooth type, a saw blade's kerf varies from about 1/16 to 3/16 inch.

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Purpose: Making small holes in the middle of wood trim.
When to Use: Cutting openings for old work boxes in existing baseboard, paneling and wood lath.
Comments: This is the poor man's jigsaw.
Also Available: Traditional Japanese counterparts of this saw cut on the pull stroke. Many have finer teeth than standard keyhole saws and are thus less prone to grabbing and vibrating the lath in plaster walls.

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   The number of watts, in thousands, consumed each hour.

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   Most older homes originally had this system, where individual wires run through porcelain insulators. When wires are fastened to the surface of framing, or change direction, they are wound around knobs that are nailed to the wood. When wires pass through wood framing, they run through tubes.

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   A disk that you remove from a wiring box to make holes where you want to insert cables. With a metal box, punch a knockout with a hammer and screwdriver, then twist it free with pliers. To remove a knockout from a plastic box, press down hard with a screwdriver.

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Other Names: Goof plugs, KO seals.
Purpose: Sealing knockout holes in metal boxes that will not have wires running through them.
What to Look For: There are two types: snap-in and plate. The plate type, center and right, has an inner bar and an outer plug, held together by a small bolt. The snap-in type, left, is easier to work with.

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   Often called a lag bolt. A large screw with a hexagonal bolt head that is driven with a wrench.

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   A trade name for a cylindrical metal post that supports a beam, especially in basements. Lally columns are often filled with concrete for added strength. You can rent the adjustable type by the day, week or month.

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   Licensed land surveyors are qualified to survey property lines.

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   Licensed in most states, landscape architects can design entire landscapes, consult on design, or render your drawings. Many belong to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

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   Landscape contractors are licensed (in most states) to install landscapes. Many work with landscape architects, although some will design landscapes that they install. Most belong to state contractors' associations.

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   Qualifications vary greatly among landscape designers. Some have been trained as landscape architects but haven't taken or passed the licensing tests. Others are mainly horticulturists.

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   A blanket of coarsely woven jute or more permanent synthetic fabric that helps hold soil on hillsides. Buy the fabric in rolls at landscape supply stores. Pin it in place with the metal pins that come with the fabric. If you like, cut slits in the fabric and plant through them.

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   A nonpermanent spray paint in brilliant colors, sold at hardware and building supply stores.

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   Use them to highlight trees, flower beds or features of your home. This one mounts on a spike in the ground. Others mount in trees or on posts you install. Unless you want to light large areas, use a low-voltage set for easy installation.

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   Pressure-treated lumber used as a substitute for railroad ties. It's available in several dimensions, typically 6 by 6 and 6 by 8 inches.

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   Thin wood strips nailed to the studs as a base to hold plaster. Modern systems use wire mesh as a base for plaster.

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   Panels made of crisscrossed strips of wood. Sold at home improvement stores.

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   A basin designed for washing hands and face. Plumbers distinguish between a lavatory, which is generally found in a bathroom and takes a 11/4-inch drain line, and a sink, which is usually found in the kitchen and laundry and takes a 11/2-inch line.

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   Use a framing square to mark out stair notches on the stringer board. Be sure to take the thickness of the tread board into account. You can make the stringer cutouts with a circular saw, but to finish the inside corner you'll need a hand saw or jigsaw.
If you're using wide boards for treads, angle the treads about 1/8 inch from back to front to make sure they drain easily.

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   To check that a corner is square, use the "3-4-5" technique. For example, measure down one leg 6 feet (that is, 3 times 2), then measure down the other leg 8 feet (4 times 2). The distance across the triangle should be exactly 10 feet (5 times 2). Repeat for all corners.
To double-check squareness, measure the distance between opposite corners of the rectangle. Both diagonals should be identical.

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   A system of buried pipes that allows wastewater from the septic tank to trickle (leach) into the ground, where soil organisms purify it.

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   A gravel-filled trench that acts as a filter for a septic system.

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   A short wire permanently attached to a receptacle or switch. You attach these to the house wiring, white to white and black to black, with wire nuts.

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   Shredded and decomposed leaves that lighten soil texture and add plant nutrients. Hard to find commercially, but you can make your own by mowing over fallen leaves and composting them.

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Ledger    A piece of wood or metal attached to a beam, a wall, or studding to support joist or rafter ends, wall cabinets, or other structures. In decks, a ledger transfers part of the weight of a deck to the house frame, usually of the same size stock as the joists. Also called a ledger board.

   A C-shaped bar that runs through a slot in a gate. Rotating one end of the C lifts the other end out of its catch.

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   A contractor who maps property lines and features with instruments to produce a legally binding survey .

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   Documents that release you from contractors' claims against your property if you don't pay them. Also get waivers from subcontractors you don't hire directly, since they can hold you responsible if your landscape contractor fails to pay them.

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   The rod that connects the flush arm to the flush ball in a toilet tank.

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Purpose: Mounting brackets for light fixtures.
Typical Applications: Most light fixtures require one of these adapters to line up the mounting bolts. Disk adapters let you rotate the mounting bolts for neater lighting installations.
Comments: Most new lights are sold with a basic strap. Check that you can use the one included before you take it home.
   Rarely can you screw a fixture directly to a ceiling box. Besides straps, lighting adapters include U-shaped connectors that screw onto a piece of threaded tubing called a fixture stud. Yet another type of adapter consists of a metal disk with concentric slots that allow almost unlimited adjustment.

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   A sedimentary rock containing mainly calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Powder, pellets, or granules are added to raise the pH of acid soil.

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   Current flowing into an electrical device.

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   A bubble level that hooks over mason's line.

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   Thinner posts in the middle of a chain-link fence.

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Purpose: Outdoor wiring.
Typical Applications: Hooking up air conditioning units, swimming pool and spa motors. Usually used for short runs.
Comments: Requires compression connectors and couplings. Its 90-degree-angle connectors help eliminate cumbersome bends. Kits include 6 feet of liquid-tight conduit and the necessary connectors. Requires a ground wire in the conduit, unless you get the metal-lined variety.

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   Current flowing out of an electrical device to another located farther along the circuit. Also, the amount of electrical current flowing in a circuit.

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   Soil of medium texture; easiest to work.

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Other Names: Vise-Grips
Purpose: Clamping small parts and gripping fittings.
Comments: Mechanics and plumbers reach for locking pliers after a nut or bolt head strips. Their vicelike grip allows you to turn parts that no other tool can. Use them with caution. If you tighten them enough, you can easily deform soft metal parts.

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   A locknut screws onto the threaded ends of external cable clamps and conduit connectors. Push the threaded part of the fitting through a hole in the box and screw on a locknut. To clamp the nut tightly, strike one of its lugs with a hammer and screwdriver.

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   This slips on top of each line post to let the horizontal top rail pass through.

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   Needs watering every 2-4 weeks.

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   A transformer reduces 120-volt alternating current (AC) to 6- to 30-volt AC or direct current (DC). Low-voltage current can power lights and carry signals to a doorbell, audio speaker or burglar alarm.

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   Low-voltage lighting systems include a transformer that reduces 120-volt house current to 12 volts or less. Because they pose no risk of fire or serious shock, you can string lightweight low-voltage wires almost anywhere and even lay them along the ground outdoors. Compact low-voltage bulbs give off intense, tightly focused, white light.

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Purpose: Mounting coaxial or telephone jack plates in drywall or plaster without installing a box.
Comments: Make a cutout just as you would for any box. Hold the plate with pliers and bend the mounting tabs back 90 degrees. Insert the bracket into the cutout, then bend the tabs behind the drywall to pull the bracket tight.
Also Available: Brackets are sold for both single and two-gang installations.

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   A measurement of the amount of light a lamp puts out. Not to be confused with watts, which measure the amount of electricity the lamp uses. Comparing lumens and watts tells you how efficient a bulb or tube is. The more lumens per watt the better.

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   Braided or twisted nylon string used to maintain straight courses of masonry. Because the cord is slightly elastic, you can stretch it tight without sagging. Also used for marking off boundaries.

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Mason's Trowel Purpose: You'll need an assortment of these tools to create a clean, finished look in your concrete work. When to Use: While the concrete is freshly poured, use the wood float to smooth high spots and fill in little craters. Use a steel trowel after the sheen has disappeared from the surface to make a smooth, slick surface. The jointer is used to create crack control joints in the surface of the concrete. The inside and outside corner tools help you finish corners after the concrete is well set.

   A liquid or fabric sealant that prevents water behind a masonry wall from leaching lime out of the mortar and staining the wall white. Buy it at a masonry yard.

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   A thick, waterproof adhesive that holds tiles to a surface.

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   A wide-bladed pick used for digging. Available as a combination pick-mattock for digging or an axe-mattock for digging and cutting roots.

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   Needs weekly watering.

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   Use with either non-metallic cable, armored cable or conduit systems. Punch out a round metal knockout to insert the cable connector. If you make a mistake and punch out a hole you don't need, install a metal knockout seal.

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Other Names: MC
Purpose: Interior residential and commercial wiring.
Typical Applications: MC is often required by local jurisdictions for the same applications as armored cable (AC).
Comments: MC cable has a green insulated ground wire inside. Be sure to get couplings approved for use with MC. Some fittings for AC are not approved for use with MC. At every coupling, use a plastic anti-short bushing.

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Other Names: Meter Key
Purpose: Shutting off water at the meter.
Comments: This wrench is often the only practical way to turn the rectangular tab on the valve at an in-ground water meter. Many older homes don't have any other way to shut off the water supply.

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   Local climate variations caused by elevation, sun and wind exposure, and nearby buildings and plants.

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   Seed or sod composed of more than one kind of grass, such as Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue and perennial ryegrass.

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   Modular devices known as power line carriers (PLCs) automate a home by sending coded signals over household wiring. PLCs-X10 is a popular brand name-replace receptacles and wall switches, providing remote control for lights and appliances throughout the house.
   You can also add a PLC timer that will turn selected lights on and off when you're not home and a phone controller you can operate from afar. Another device connects to your PC so you can program lighting for vacations or manage heating and air conditioning schedules on a day-to-day basis.
   A drawback to PLC systems is that they are one-way-they send a command to a device, but you get no feedback about whether the device actually turned the lights on or off.
   Because PLCs require no special wiring, you can install them easily. Start out with just a few modules-they cost about $15 each-and add more later.

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   A device that senses when soil moisture is low and turns on your watering system.

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   A masonry adhesive made of lime cement mixed with sand and water.

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   Layer of mortar on which masonry sits.

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   In a door, it is a recess cut for a hinge, strike plate or latch plate.

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Purpose: Turns on light when people or cars pass by.
Typical Applications: Outdoor lights on porches, driveways, sideyards and alleys. Comments: You can wire a motion detector to turn on indoor lights as well. Wireless versions are powered by a 9-volt battery and send a signal via radio frequency to a switch on your house wiring.
What to Look For: Models that include sensitivity adjustment (technically termed gain control) to screen out pets and wild animals. Many models allow you to set the amount of time the light stays on after it's activated. Also, try to get one with light sensitivity adjustment so it won't operate before it's really dark.

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   Most so-called motion sensors actually respond to changes in infrared heat. Other types use photoelectric eyes or sound waves to monitor for movement.

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   In the building trades, joint compound, and many other paste-like compounds, are called "mud."

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   The bottom-most horizontal piece of wood in the house frame. Usually a 2-by-4 or 2-by-6, it sits on top of the concrete foundation.

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   A soil covering, such as gravel or shredded bark, that slows evaporation and erosion. It insulates soil against rapid temperature changes. It also keeps down weeds.

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