Bob White

Manufacturer --- Climate Control, a unit of Snyder General Corp. Model: A0R 703030-20 Serial: 0000133301-M22-032 It looks old --- trying to figure out how old.

I"m no expert on the subject, but I'm pretty sure that if the peckers are laying into those trees, there's already deadwood and insects there. The don't peck for fun, to my knowledge (atleast around here). You can lure them away from your trees and house (possibly) by hanging peanut butter or other suet type feeders. They really go for them at my house.

My church has three air handling / evap units in the attic --- each has a pan with drain piping and a float switch. On a Monday morning a few weeks agow, one of the units wouldn.t come on. Tuesday morning it worked fine, but staff called HVAC guy to make sure nothing major was wring. He checked it out, said drain line was clogged and that he cleared it (no charge, he's a member of church) Friday, my wife and I were at the curch cooking apaghetti sauce and pasta all day for HeavenSkates Skate Park funding dinner / auction. As we were closing up shop (around 10 pm that evening -- air conditioning running all day -- not norrmal for our church) someone noticed water dripping from ceiling. It was hot, humid, and there had been and were at the time torrential rains and winds. Everyone (me too -- I was tired and wanted to go home) assumed that we had a roof leak. We placed buckets under the leaks and locked up and went home. DUH It was the same drain pan. The drain piping had closed again due to algae, and this time the float switch didn't float. Saturday morning there was gypsum board, insulation, and lots of water in our fellowship hall floor and splattered along the walls. So --- Even if you have the drain piping AND the float switch in place, if your homeowner doesn't keep the system maintained, their ceiling (and floor) is likely to get wet.

OK, Thanks much for the information guys ...

The photo below shows the roof penetration where four bath exhaust fan ducts terminate. Download Attachment: venting.jpg 104.91 KB This concerns me for a few reasons: First, due to weather yesterday, I was unable to climb a ladder, get on the roof (it was WAY too steep anyway), or even get a view of this penetration from the outside of the house even from a distance with binocs. Second, I have never seen this before. Upon close examination, you can see that this Wye fitting is either screwed or neiled or boltd to the underside of the roof sheathing. Then it is covered (sealed?) by the same type of mastic that the HVAC guys use to seal their ductwork at the evap. So, if the flashing up topside goes bad, it may be a very long time before anyone in the house notices the leak, resulting in some roof decking and shingle replacement along with the simple flashing boot replacement. My Questions: What is the proper name of that wye apparatus? Is this installation as wrong as I think it is? Bob

I'm waiting for someone to invent the vehicle where I can EAT the fries and supply the methane fuel myself .....

Topic DRIFT ___ I also use a LG knockoff (it's got Werner's name on it), made in China. At 22 ft. and 43 lbs., it is can be difficult to maneuver in its extended state. solid and very sturdy, though. For unlevel ground, I still use my inherited ladder leveler (originally bought from Sears, Roebuck & Co. many many years ago by my dad) with a 24 ft. extension --- leveler pictured below --- Download Attachment: leveler1.jpg 60.03 KB Download Attachment: leveler2.jpg 76.8 KB As you can see, it is getting up in years, and will need to be replaced. I don't want to replace it with the Werner ladder levelers available these days --- no wide stance like this one, and I can operate the one I have without bending over --- place the ladder where I want it and adjust the leveler legs up or down with my feet. Anyone know where I can get another one like this? Bob White

Well, there's a very basic electricity /electronics course at http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/electricCircuits/ Look into Volume 2, AC circuits. Not much detail, but if you want to start at the beginning, it's right there.

Nevermind ... I just looked through the Georgia 2002 amendments and it says, "R502.2.1.2 Footings. Footing design for decks and porches shall be as required in Section 403." Question answered.

New construction: Download Attachment: embankment.jpg 85.12 KB While the house footings seem to be set back appropriately to meet GA code, I am concerned about the deck/patio footings. They do not meet the H/3 provision and look to me like just a little erosion of that embankment will undermine any support for that deck. I am trying to develop verbiage to relate my concern. Does Section R403.1.7 "Footings on or adjacent to slopes" (we still use IRC 2000 with amendments here in GA) apply to this patio/deck situation? edited to correct pore speelin Thanks, Bob White

New construction house --- Roof too steep for an old geezer like me. Saw this from ladder: Download Attachment: whatisit.jpg 51.64 KB a closer look: Download Attachment: whatisitcloser.jpg 74.7 KB Anyone seen this before? I haven't ---

Hey, this is fun! Now do hole theory, Jim! []

Thanks for the quick reply and education. I too think the builder skimped on the tar (very thin where visible) and probably never installed the foundation drain. I've found since last night's post that there are many, many springs in the area, lots of water just popping up from the ground. I guess, then, that as long as the treated sill stays dry, the homewoner can just live with the wet walls and mainain the sealer on the inside walls of the foundation.

I usually see poured foundations. Today, though, I looked at this house (basement, masonry (CMU) foundation). All four sides of the foundation were wet. the moisture showed through along the mortar joints. Download Attachment: foundationwet4.jpg 72.18 KB Inside the basement, the previous owner (the house has been unoccupied since OCT 05) had "painted" three different areas of the basement with a product (DAMTITE?) to prevent leaks. Download Attachment: damtite.jpg 70.74 KB Checks with a moisture meter (designed for wood) showed the dark areas (mortar) at 15% - 18% outside the structure. Areas with the "paint" inside the basement read less than 6% (I didn't break through the sealant with the moisture probes. Readings at the base of the basement walls (inside) were off the scale, greater than 23%. Grading at the house was typical, meaning I saw nothing directing water toward the structure. This place is in the Northwest Georgia Highlands area. Relative humidity outside and inside the basement was read 38% on my tem/humidity meter. The house is twelve years old. I saw no evidence of heaving, settling or other anomalies that I could reasonably attribute to these abnormally wet foundation walls. I told my client that I would try to find out more about this phenomenon before making a recommendation. Could I be looking at underground springs here? After twelve years with no "damage", can I tell my client to expect no damage in the future? Is that water deteriorating the foundation? Those wet walls bother me, but I don't know what to recommend. Hoping for expert advice from the foundation brain trust, Bob White

We're gettin' off topic here, but --- I spent 10 yrs in the USNavy, much of that riding on submarines, In order to not kill everyone on board, us bubbleheads were requred to learn how just about everything on the boat worked --- so we could recognize when it wasn't working properly, and so we could take quick, appropriate action when the equipment or system presented an immediate hazard. I mostly kept myself clear of the evaps and coolers (that way I would not be the guy that didn't recognize the life threatening situation with them) and stayed with the the sparkies and electronics types (I 'knew' how that stuff worked...)

That's OK -- I get pitifully stupid when people try to explain how heat pumps (or any refrigeration system) work.

I used to teach this stuff in a power quality course, but I'm no wordsmith. I gotta go find my pictures!

The thing is -- the current will still flow if you remove the center tap ground from the secondary of the transformer ( if you float the 230 (or 240, or whatever) if you're taking the 240 from the secondary of a delta (or single phase, for that matter) transformer. The 240 volt AC load doesn't usually need a common or ground reference to work (though it sometimes needs the ground path for safety). This is kinda hard to explain with out pictures, so I (or someone else who knows and has training aids availablecan post them immediately) will have to find one of my old books to put up some illustrations. The current that flows through the load also flows through the secondary of the transformer. The ground bond at the center of the secondary is to provide a safety ground and to clamp the relative voltage at the center of the secondary to 0 v --- to establish a common voltage. It is not necessary to complete the electrical circuit. Clear as mud now, right? I need som diagrams here.

Very cool. I've never seen one of these. So, the carbide lamps we wore back in "70s (college) in Tennessee when we were caving --- were acetylene lamps? I never thought about it. just wore the hardhat with the lamp and wandered the caves.

The code (NEC 2002), Article 445.18, says "445.18 Disconnecting Means Required for Generators. Generators shall be equipped with a disconnect by means of which the generator and all protective devices and control apparatus are able to be disconnected entirely from the circuits supplied by the generator except where: (1) The driving means for the generator can be readily shut down; and (2) The generator is not arranged to operate in parrallel with another generator or other source of voltage." 1. From the above, I don't see a requirement. But that's only one paragraph, and , i may be looking in the wrong place. 2.I do not have any standard verbiage for the condition you cite (rarely see generators here in NW Georgia.) 3.Now If that linkage is not called a transfer switch, I don't know the answer to question 3 either. (eediteed fer pore speeling)

I wuz gonna go off on the use of the word "bawdry" --- (surely you meant "bawdy") --- 'til I looked it up My dict. sez bawdry's archaic and obsolete, but yet a word. I learned someting new today.

While perusing the 1976 HEW Home Inspection document posted in another forum on this site, I ran across Figure 4-2 Download Attachment: foundation with termite shield 361.41 KB The house I greaw up in has these galvanized shields ag foundation walls and piers, but the home I'm inspecting (15 -20 yrs old and newer don't have them. Why the change? Did the shields not work? Treated sills? Are the shields still a good idea?

This may be a goofy thought, but I' guessing that there's no underlayment -- That can do weird things to shingle as they attach themselves to the roof decking ---

I walk every roof 8/12 and under, if'n my ladder will get me up there --- Usually save my clients money by going up there. I'm not buying a longer ladder than my 24' extension. I'd rather walk a roof than crawl a crawl any day.

Excuse my possible oldtimer moment, but what does the acronym SMA mean in "SMA Manual" ??