Drywall anchors don't work on drywall. Got it!

you need a rotary or hammer drill

An outlet is not intended to be supplied with stranded wire. The terminals are not the right type for that kind of connection.

Add to that the questionable "strain relief" used and these things are just breaker testers waiting to happen.

Seriously!

You know there are butterfly screws specially made for drywall? You should be using plastic collars that expand just on concrete walls, they don't work on drywall.

Yes. I have found that you can drill into a rock in the cement. The rock is often much, much harder than the cement. And that will greatly slow down a typical carbide drill without hammering.

Also be very sure the wall is not pre-stressed concrete. If it is you can severly compromise the structural strength. My daughter bought a fairly new house in Las Vegas. The garage floor is pre-stressed concrete and has a warning molded into the front main florr near the door that says to not cut or drill into it.

Yes, that is generally true. But on this instant , from the way op describes things, I don’t think op is safe enough to diy.

Can’t solve this online. Need a person or pro that knows their stuff to check everything to diagnose properly and provide a solution.

Depends on the amount of weight you plan to store on it. If heavy items you should definitely put it up where the studs are. If no studs are available in the area purchase plastic screw anchors. I usually drill a hole the approximate size of the anchor first, place anchor within the freshly drilled hole, hammer or mallet the anchor in a bit but not all the way. Once you insert the anchor a little you can put the shelf over it and screw in a screw. You can do this project with either an electric drill or regular screw driver but screw driver can take a bit longer. Hope this helps

What’s wrong with the available ones? They cost almost nothing… and are more compact.

I'd attach some of those keyhole hangars to the back of the shelf, they're fairly inexpensive. After that measure the distance between them mark two spots on your wall (with a level and the measured distance) and put two drywall anchors in. Then hang the shelf to that. Note that those hangars and drywall anchors aren't exactly high load but the shelf doesn't look to be either.

I would use strong tie connectors around the stud you are concerned about. The flat ones you can screw in on the sides on the stud. And then cut the mold out and spray what remains with bleach. That way you will 100% be set. You will likely be set doing nothing but this will give you complete confidence in what remains.

My understanding is that stranded wire isn't suitable for use with American outlets as it it tends to squish out from under the screw head when tightened. As long as it can be connected securely it's fine.

This reminds me of junk furniture my stepkids find for cheap/free at a yard sale and then bring it to my house to fix.

If it were me, I'd get some 1x4s, rip it to 3" wide and use that to make an apron under the table to connect the legs to each other. I'd run screws through the side of the leg and into the end of each apron piece, plus epoxy glue on the apron ends that contact the legs), and then glue/screw the apron to the underside of the table.

You do that, and it's not going anywhere. And that is about as cheap as it gets without having to replace the legs.

Oh, stop that. it’s fine to go into the panel if you need to - just work with one hand, wear shoes, and be careful. please offer advice when on DIY and dont Try to scare folks away from basics and learning.

And perhaps wear a mask. Sawdust is, of course, a carcinogen. I wouldnt want to breathe in mouldy sawdust, either.

Pffft. Old buggers are just spoiled.

Non-safety outlets?

Janky breakers?!

Nowadays kids have to work to get that sweet AC coursing through their nervous system!

I have a wooden piano stand with two legs on front and the back attached to the wall with L brackets. Doesn’t move at all.

Yeah and who needs products built to safety standards anyway.

This is the right answer.

Tip: Bring (or buy) a handsaw (doesn't need to be an expensive one) so you can rough cut the board and fit in your vehicle. Then you can cut it to fit at home.

Take those rubber feet off and tape coins onto the legs until they level, replace feet and relaxeabit.

Yeah the Decora style switches and outlets are pretty standard these days, and btw, I hate those safety outlets. How in the world do you expect kids to learn about electricity? Lol. First we took away the bobby pins, and now they have to fiddle with the outlet, trying to get dinner forks stuck in both sides at the same time!

> As far as I'm aware you cannot wire up a 110v receptacle to a stranded wire in a non-fixed location

Sure you can. As long as the outlet and the wire are rated for the intended load, and the environment they are to be used in (wet/dry.) Also grounded properly in case of metal faceplates (which OP did.) Stranded wire is fine.

>This is definitely not code compliant.

Which code? Care to share the reference?

Are you sure it's mold? Some p ine have green running through it and its not mold.

The NEC doesn't apply though because it covers things like building wiring and doesn't regulate stuff users plug in to that wiring later.

It doesn't make sense anyways. You'd have to also argue that I'd face building code violations if I gifted someone a no-brand power strip from Aliexpress, because I guarantee a lot of those aren't UL listed.

OP's devices would likely be an OSHA violation, but that just means they can't be used in a workplace.

Basically, this is legal because it's not covered by the NEC, it's not in OSHA's jurisdiction, and UL listing isn't required by law.