el gato

Thanks for the responses. I saw no exit holes, and Powder Post Beetles produce a dry dust from my experience. Fungus fits, or some sort of wood destroying organism. I feel like I've seen this before, so maybe your wood pile scenario works. My larger concern is; in this 70+ year old home, why is this happening now? The current tenant states that she has never had water in the basement in the last seven years. Regardless, the basement was very wet...smelled like mold, and note the 84% on my moisture meter !!!!

I found this at the base of a wooden support in a very damp basement of a home built in the 1930's. There were three other support posts, all on slightly raised concrete piers. One had a trace of this substance, the others had none. You can see the moisture levels!! There were no galleries, no insect parts, and the wood seemed sound except for about 3/8 of an inch of this reddish stuff which pulled away easily. I'd appreciate any and all thoughts. Image Insert: 2728.58 KB

It appears to me that this shingle was applied upside down. That sealing strip should adhere the the top of the shingle beneath it. correct??

I found a similar disconnect in a garage the other day. It had a ground wire attached to a grounding stake. The main distribution panel was in the basement. The distribution panel was wired with neutrals and grounds on the same bus bars. I stated that the distribution panel should have grounds and neutrals separated as it was basically a sub panel, as it was "downstream" from the main disconnect. Was my thinking correct?

I crawled up on a roof the other day and spotted this !!! Image Insert: 796.44 KB

I found that siding was applied to framing on a gable end without sheathing. I wrote it up as a non-standard application. What are your ideas about this? Download Attachment: IMGP0117.jpg 54.22 KB