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Uncle Al's Home Improvements
"Helping Young Couples and Senior Citizens Maintain High Value In Their Homes"
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Glossary of Common Terms A B C D |
| Access Panel |
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A removable panel installed in a wall or ceiling that allows repair or replacement of hidden items such as plumbing pipes, faucet bodies, and wiring. |
| Actual Dimension |
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The size of lumber, after being milled and dried. See also, Nominal dimension. |
| Adapter |
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Fittings that make it possible to go from male to female or vice-versa. Transition adapters are for joining different types of pipe together in the same run. Trap adapters connect the sink traps to the drain lines. |
| Aerator |
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A device that screws into the spout of most sink faucets and mixes air with the water so there is a smoother flow and less splash. |
| Aggregate |
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A type of gravel or crushed rock; mix with sand, Portland cement, and water, to make concrete. |
| Air Chamber |
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An enclosed tube placed on water lines that provides an air cushion to control surges in water pressure that otherwise might result in pipes banging. |
| Armored Cable |
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Commonly called BX or MC cable. A protective metal covering with two or more insulated wires inside. |
| Ashlar |
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Squared blocks of stone with a uniform thickness that are used mainly to face walls. |
| Auger Snake |
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A flexible cable you fish into drain lines and traps to remove obstructions. |
| Backfill |
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Earth used to re-fill an excavation next to a wall. It adds stability to the wall and helps water flow away from it. |
| Ballast |
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Transformer that steps up the voltage in a fluorescent lamp. |
| Ballcock |
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The assembly inside a toilet tank that, when activated, releases water into the bowl and starts the flushing action. It then fills the tank for the next flush. |
| Baluster |
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The vertical members of a hand rail system, spaced at equal intervals between the support posts. |
| Bat |
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A part of a brick with one finished end; used when the whole brick won't fit into the space. |
| Batt |
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Section of insulation measuring 15 or 23 inches wide by 4 to 8 feet long; placed in the spaces between the studs and joists |
| Batter |
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The slope, as of the outer face of a wall, that recedes from bottom to top; this form of tapering will give it added stability. |
| Batter Board |
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A board frame benchmark supported by stakes set back from the corners of the structure. Saw marks on the boards indicate the location of the edges of the footings and the structure, which will be used to reposition those points on the site after excavation. |
| Beam |
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A horizontal framing piece, usually made of 4X? or doubled 2X? lumber, or a laminate, which will rest on posts or blocks, and is used to support the joists. |
| Bed Joint |
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The layer of mortar between two courses of masonry units. |
| Bell Wire |
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A thin wire used for doorbells and thermostats. Usually 18-guage. |
| Benchmark |
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A surveyor's mark made on a stationary object of previously determined position and elevation and used as a reference point in tidal observations and surveys.
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| Bevel Cut |
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The angle cut made through the thick dimension in a piece of wood. |
| Bimetal |
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Two different metals that heat and cool at different rates to open or close a circuit automatically; commonly used in circuit breakers, motors, recessed lights, and thermostats. |
| Blocking |
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Short pieces of lumber, usually the same dimension as the joists, cut to fit between joists. Blocking prevents the warping of joists and adds strength. |
| Board |
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Lumber that is less than 2 inches in thickness and more than 3 inches wide. |
| Board Foot |
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The standard unit of measurement for lumber. One board foot is equal to a piece 12"x12"x1" (nominal size). |
| Bond |
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Any of several patterns in which masonry units can be arranged and joined. To join masonry units together with mortar. |
| Box |
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The metal or plastic enclosure where electrical devices are mounted and connections are made. |
| Building Codes |
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All the laws governing the manner in which a home or other structure may be built or modified. The codes deal primarily with life safety for fire and health concerns and have separate sections relating to structural, electrical, plumbing, and site work. |
| Bus Bar |
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The main power terminal where circuits are attached in a fuse or circuit breaker box. One bus bar serves each circuit's hot side, the other the neutral side. |
| Butter |
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The applying mortar to bricks or blocks with a trowel before placing them into line. |
| Butt Joint |
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The joint formed when two pieces of material are fastened end to end, end to face, or end to edge. |
| BX |
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The trade name for flexible armored cable. |
| Cable |
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Two or more insulated conductors wrapped in metal or plastic covering. |
| Capillary Action |
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The phenomenon associated with surface tension resulting in the elevation or
depression of liquids in capillaries; also occurs when a liquid is drawn into the space between two almost-touching solid surfaces, such as when molten solder is drawn into and around a heated copper pipe joint. |
| Casing |
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The trimming around a door, window, or other opening; the outer pipe wall in a well installation used protect against surface run-off contamination. |
| Cement |
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The building material made by grinding calcined limestone and clay to a fine powder that serves as the binding element in concrete and mortar. |
| Chamfer |
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A bevel or flute cut made along the length of a board edge. |
| Chink |
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A narrow piece or sliver of stone driven into cracks or fissures in a stone wall to achieve a more uniform face and added stability. |
| Circuit |
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The electrical path from a power source to an outlet, (light, receptacle, or appliance) |
| Circuit Breaker |
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A thermo-magnetic switch that automatically interrupts electrical flowing in a circuit in case of an overload, ground, or short. |
| Clean-out |
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A fitting with a removable plug in a trap or drainpipe that allows easy access to blockages inside. |
| Cleat |
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A strip of wood or iron used to strengthen or add support the surface to which it is attached. |
| Clinch |
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To hammer down the exposed tip of a nail at an angle, bending its point into the surrounding wood for added joint strength. |
| Closet Bend |
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The elbow-shaped fitting, lead bend, beneath toilets that carries waste to the main drain. |
| Codes |
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Laws governing safe wiring, plumbing, structure, and site practices. |
| Common |
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The terminal on a three-way switch, usually with a dark-colored screw and marked COM. |
| Concrete |
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A building and paving material made by mixing water with sand, gravel, and cement. |
| Concrete Nails |
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Hardened steel nails, usually fluted, that can be driven into hardened concrete. |
| Conductor |
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A wire, substance, or medium that conducts heat, light, sound, or especially an electric current. |
| Conduit |
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Rigid tubing or flexible cable through which wires are run. |
| Contact |
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The connection between two conductors that permits a flow of current or heat; the part or device that makes or breaks such a connection. |
| Control Joint |
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The groove that is placed into a concrete slab during finishing to prevent uncontrolled cracking later on. To be effective, these joints should be one-quarter the thickness of the slab. |
| Coped Cut |
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A profile cut made at the face of a piece of molding that allows for a smooth, aligned butt against another piece at an inside corner. |
| Corner Lead |
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The first few courses of masonry laid in stair-step pattern at the corner to establish levels for the remaining units in those courses. |
| Counter-bore |
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The pre-drilling of a hole to drive a screw below the surface of the surrounding wood. The remaining void is filled with putty or a wooden plug. |
| Counter-sink |
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The driving of the head of a nail or screw so its top is just below the surface of the surrounding wood. The remaining void is filled with putty. |
| Coupling |
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The fitting used to connect two lengths of pipe together. |
| Course |
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A row of masonry units. Most projects have several courses laid on top of each other, separated and held together by mortar. |
| Crosscut |
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The sawing a piece of lumber across its length or its grain. |
| Dado Joint |
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A rectangular groove cut into a board so that a like piece may be fitted into it; the joint formed when the end of one member fits into a groove cut part-way through the face of another member. |
| Decking |
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The boards used to make the walking surface of a deck. Interior decking is usually 5/8" or 3/4" tongue and grove plywood; exterior decking is usually made of 2x4, 2x6, or 5/4x6 exterior or treated lumber. |
| Dedicated Circuit |
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Circuit which serves only one purpose or one appliance. Usually heavy duty or 220V. |
| De-rate |
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To lower the conductor ampacity rating when your conduit is filled to capacity; to allow for the fact that, not all the appliances and fixtures on a circuit are used at the same time. |
| Dimensional Lumber |
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Lumber that is 2 inches thick and at least 2 inches wide; construction lumber specified by thickness, width and length. |
| Dimmer |
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A switch that lets you vary the electrical output going to a light to adjust the brightness. |
| Dowel |
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A piece of small-diameter wooden rod used to reinforce joints. |
| Drain-waste-vent (DWV) System |
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The system of pipes and fittings that carry liquid and solid wastes from the building to a public sewer, a septic tank, or a cesspool. The vent portion allows for the passage of sewer gases up through the roof and to the outside. |
| Dry-laid Wall |
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A wall of masonry units laid without mortar. |
| Duplex Receptacle |
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The electrical device that includes two plug outlets. Most receptacles in homes are duplex. |
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