Konrad

Hi all, Well.... Here goes. Not one, but BOTH of the heat exchangers in our pair of (crappy) Tempstar furnaces have cracks in them. They're DC90's. I know that the heat exchangers themselves are under warranty, but I'm obligated to pay for the labor/installation. Is there a recall of any kind on these that anyone's aware of? Any help is greatly appreciated. Konrad

Thanks you guys. I love this website. [:-thumbu]

Hi all, I have an attorney friend who asked me questions about site graading around a single family residence. (Water in the basement) Our locale uses IRC 2000. I can't find anything in there about minimum positive drainage away from the structure, but I'd swear there's something in there somewhere. Anyone?

He said he's "just guessing by the physical size of the meter". *yoink*

I showed the photo to one of my elect. engineeers, here are his text comments: Panels can be mounted either way. It is okay to bottom feed a panel. The problem with this is it is a NEMA 1 rated panel, indoor use only. It is not rated for exterior use and is not weather tight. Also, I don't see a ground wire connected anywhere. Also, why not just cut the feeder wires to the correct length versus try to loop it around the panel? Also, the panel appears to be 200 amp and the meter socket is definitely not rated for 200 amps. Too small for that. That's all from him, not my comments. Konrad

It's a new slab (3 months old) and it's inside our newly-built shop. It's just spots of paint, but there's one or two smears that are about the size of a dollar bill.

Anyone got a good trick for getting white latex paint off of a slab? I don't own a power washer.

I've heard second-hand info that says high nitrogen content in some well water supplies will cause corrosion of copper piping. A sign of this is blue staining in the toilet bowls. Anyone confirm this?

Hope you don't mind me cutting and pasting some text. Cockroaches 101, my bread and butter (so to speak): Cockroaches can be present in almost any place inhabited by humans. They move quickly and are especially active at night. Characteristically, most roaches hide in cracks and crevices or between surfaces that provide darkness and cover. Inside buildings, roaches move freely between rooms or adjoining apartments using wall spaces, plumbing and other utility installations. They can be carried into structures in food and beverage boxes, grocery sacks, animal food and other household goods. Cockroaches can eat almost anything, but they are especially partial to starchy foods and meat products. They feed on such diverse items as cereals, pastries, chocolate, milk products, beverages, cooked potatoes, glue, book bindings, wall paper, animal food, fresh or dried blood, excrement, dead animals and leather products. Damage Disease Transmission. Cockroaches can carry organisms that cause human diseases, including food poisoning, dysentery and diarrhea. However, roaches have not been associated with serious disease outbreaks in the United States. Repulsive Odor. Most cockroaches produce a secretion or chemical that has a repulsive odor. This characteristic odor can be detected in infested areas. Allergy. Roaches can cause allergic reactions in some people. The response is caused by roach "allergen" that is ingested with contaminated food or inhaled when dried fecal particles and fragments of ground-up bodies of dead roaches are mixed with house dust. Anxiety. The sight of cockroaches can cause considerable psychological or emotional distress in some individuals. Cockroaches usually do not bite, but their heavy leg spines may scratch. There are 55 species in the U.S. Only 5 live in Nebraska, but that's irrelevant I guess. Seeing roaches at night is more common, and suggests a lesser infestation. If you see roaches running amok in the daytime, THAT means you probably need a pest control tech such as myself.

All right, all right... Sheesh, everyone's a comedian. [:-slaphap I am licensed in NE and do pest control on the side of my day job, and I've had a handfull of mouse calls lately. (Typical with the winter months.) Mice aren't too hard to wipe out, but (like home inspectors) I don't talk to a lot of other exterminators, because I rarely run into them. I was kicking around the idea of a black light because they can be had for about $20.00. They're not mandatory, but are perhaps a usefull tool for developing a trap strategy. The jury's still out. Glad you sprung for a pest control forum! I'd be happy to contribute more than I take (for a change). It's a rather involved exam to learn how to transport, mix, apply, and dispose of pesticides in accordance with the EPA's regulations. Not to mention the Homeland Security background check before you get your license to buy. (Guess that rules you out, Brian. Ba-da-Bum!) [:-paperba *thread drift* I treated a house 3 weeks ago for BEDBUGS, of all the damned things. That was a first for me.

Just wondering if anyone uses a black light to ID where rodents are traveling. Any tips are appreciated. Konrad *edit* Wasn't sure where to post this on TIJ. But you guys are usually a great resource, so if it needs to be moved, no prob.

Sometimes the plumber installs the gas valve down stream of the sediment trap in the gas piping. Ideally, the valve should be installed UPstream of the sediment trap. That way you can isolate the appliance and the sediment trap at the same time. Is this just a good idea, or is it actually a UPC item?

That note says: 3/4" exterior ply with blocking as required to provide slope.

Marc, Not sure I totally follow your question, so here's a scan of the parapet wall detail. We don't get so specific as to call out mechanical fastener spacings on the flashing. That's a "manufacturer's recommendation" type thing. Sorry the file size is so large. The elevation of the flashing is not quite the same, because this scan is from a different (but similar) store.

The State will inspect them, at least in commercial buildings. No idea about "private" elevators though. I would guess that there's a certificate on record somewhere from the initial inspection. Ask your state inspector. *useless trivia alert* State elevator inspectors are also the ones who inspect those rickety carnival rides at the state fair.

As many of you know, I'm a Construction Admin for a medium sized A/E firm. We focus on hospitals and assisted livings, but we also take on other stuff that comes our way. The photos are of a chain store which we do, and I will not identify, nor the location. This is not high voltage, it is cable tv and phone. There is some snag with those two utility companies, and they CLEARLY need to get their stuff moved. The Contractor notified them months ago, when footings weren't even in place. Eventually the Contractor just said "Screw you guys, we're putting up the building". Can you believe it?

It's Texas Tech tomorrow, at home. On TBS as 3:00 p.m. Those bastiges beat us 70-10 last year away. Which would have been fine, except their coach chose to leave their starters in the game through the fourth quarter when they were beating us that badly. We are polite and friendly to all of our visiting teams, but that whole incident has some of us a little sore.

*sigh* Well the dirty deed is done. You will all HATE what I tell you, but for cryin' out loud, it's my mother in law. Their steps/front porch are a POS, and need to be demo-ed and replaced. Well of course she's reluctant to spend $2,000.00+ or whatever it may cost to do this. (It's 3 steps and the small porch on top) All are made of concrete. But the concrete is deteriorating, as usual. They had outdoor carpeting on it before, and it was just worn out and looking bad/coming loose. So I pulled it up and glued the new down using specific adhesive and a notched trowel (as mentioned above). She knows it's a tripping hazard, thank God she doesn't use them (uses the garage door). She thinks it looks like a million bucks, and is gratefull to have anything compared to what it was. The metal railing risers are loose/broken, and the whole stupid thing just needs to be demo-ed, like I said. But she gives us free babysitting every Tuesday (today, yay) and if she's happy, fine. I'm happy too. Did I mention the bee's nest and the enormous ant colony? What about the thorny rose bush, did I mention the rose bush?!? [:-censore You never saw me here. [:-paperba

My mother in law wants me to install some of that semi-cheesy outdoor carpeting on her front porch stairs. Does that stuff go down with contact cement, or something else?

Slight thread drift here.. There is also talk that SIDS may be somehow connected to mold, because there seems to be an increase in SIDS cases in the spring. Possibly when people are turning their A/C's on for the first time. This was just third hand info, I haven't researched it. Anyone know more about that? Also, far be it from me to misquote Homer. I stand corrected. [:-paperba

I doubt it'd kill moving bacteria. But if it's gonna grow on a stationary coil, it'll work well I bet.

Is anyone seeing UV light fixtures being installed at the A-coils to prevent mold growth? Just wondering what your impressions are. "Lisa, in this house we do not violate the laws of thermodynamics!!" ~ Homer Simpson

Ok, not to belabor the point, but here's a pretty good link: http://www.energycodes.gov/comcheck/pdfs/404text.pdf Go to page 10. It appears that our heat trap sketch is not in complaince. (again with the 8-ball) [8]

One of my mech guys piped up and said the new IECC will be requiring this in residential after July, so check your local authority having jurisdiction, and find out. Not sure if that will be a universal standard for everyone or not. Me = never seen it in residential here in the midwest. [8]

That sounds as logical as any other explanation. How does the air pocket get there though? So obviously the heat trap isn't in the stud space, it's in the mechanical room. I'll attempt to attach a scan of our detail. K Download Attachment: Heat Trap.pdf 32.12 KB