kurt

Gutter Helmets. Those aren't bad either, but they're not good, and they still need some cleaning occasionally, which is a PITA because you can't get into the things easily. Like everything else, they work best on steep pitch roofs.

It's not hard to understand. And, yeah, there can be an element of chest thumping to it if it's delivered that way, but that's a small minded manner of looking at it. I've not made the challenge more than a few times, but occasionally I'll get a bonehead that digs in and disputes the obvious. The challenge comes when I ask they put it in writing on their letterhead if they're so sure. Of course they never do. Occasionally, morons need to be backed down. It can be an effective backer downer. It's usually easier to cite the appropriate passage or common sensical explanation, but I've gotten a few moments of enjoyment telling people to document their wrong opinions. Customers seem to understand.

I think roof pitch matters with these things. Steep pitch, good drainage, they probably wash off. Shallow pitch, they seem to collect crap same as all the other screens.

They work great for a season or so, then they get gunked up on top with the usual decaying leaves and debris. Then you have to clean them, just like gutters. They work really good in areas where there are no trees.

Couple of notes.... Don't worry too much about digging next to the footing. The thing isn't that delicate. People talk like if you disturb the soil next to the footing for a few minutes, the house falls down. No, it won't. If you dig down, get tile installed, and backfill in short order (a work day, even several days if it doesn't rain), it'll be fine. Go right next to the footing; that's where you want the drain tile. One shovel full will tell you what the dirt's going to do. You're not dealing with a souffle' fer chrissakes. Don't use big stone for back fill. All it does is fill up with dirt "fines" that folks are so worried about. Use a crushed stone (not pea gravel!), #67, maybe #5, washed, no fines. #67 is easier to bank in the lift than #5 or the big stuff (#1). I've never used UGL Drylock; don't know anything about it other than its a waterproofing paint, not thick sealant, and it's only $60 for a 5 gallon bucket. Sounds like handy homeowner stuff. On your lumpy dirty foundation, I doubt it would do anything. With it all open, I'd torch a mod bit membrane to the wall and run it down to the drain tile. Cheap, reasonably fast, and entirely effective. If you want to get smart, get some Miradrain, or a product like this, and you can do away with the stone backfill. Ditching stone is a great improvement for the DIY'er. Not having to hump crushed stone around a job is easily worth the extra expense of Delta or Miradrain. If you ever try to move crushed stone by hand (shovel), you'll learn what I mean.

At best it's unpredictable, at worst it fails at some point. Video scope it to see where it goes. If you can't nail it down with certainty, dig the trench. Back fill in lifts with stone alongside the foundation. After that, keep going. Oh, wait....what vapor barrier?

I wish I could hire you as mentor. I look at steel lintels all day every day. I'd love to develop some guidelines in how to think about this.

I know. I wasn't saying that. I see such huge variance in just about everything from mortar to brick to wood....I just think there's varying grades of steel that we aren't even aware of. What Scott describes is why I have this idea; it's like baking a cake. They toss stuff in and make educated guesses mid recipe. I was first alerted to this years ago when I was reading some old spec's for buildings. The architects and engineers back then would specify the grade of steel in the nice places.

This is Chicago. You'd have to dig to China. No standard that anyone I know pays any attention to.

I agree.

I think there's a correlation like you describe. Certainly. So, nobody's going for differing grades of steel? It's all the same stuff?

Formaldehyde is in everything. There are studies showing it doesn't bother folks for a while, but continued exposure builds up an amount in their system, and some folks get pretty messed up. It's a believable and quantifiable issue. The news item about this stuff set off a spark, for sure, but there's something more to this than there is with mold.

I took it to mean cavity wall, load bearing block, brick veneer.

Could be. Kinda hard to tell. All the studies say it's bad, so it's a safe bet it isn't helping.

That sounds good, but what about the buildings that have no flashing and no corrosion, and the one's that have flashing and major corrosion? And every combination in between? Are you saying that all steel is the same quality? Maybe, because there's no way for me to know differences in steel, but some stuff goes to blazes and some doesn't and there's no apparent condition that separates the two. Why?

I look at lintels all day, all year. I notice big differences in corrosion rates with little no difference in building type, age, or construction. I see some really old stuff that's >100 years old, and it's fine. It's the bluish stuff, meaning there's a lot of chrome in there. I can imagine some mid 70's steel being really crappy.

I find variance in steel quality. Could be as simple as really crappy steel. Wet masonry and cheap steel = lots of rust and delam.

How old is the house? What's the sheathing? Reason I ask.... I've never found this to a problem in any way whatsoever on older houses. Yeah, it's wrong, and so what? On new places made with plastic and sawdust, it matters a lot.

Yes.

I've never checked a regulator listing in my entire life. I need to retire.

Well, we're going to go at it as it stands now. My customer is going to go for it. Some of the questioning involved the knowledge I might be wading in it. It's going to be a complete scoop out; all that'll be left is the building envelope (it's 130 years old and historically significant).

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I don't even write it. I don't recall ever seeing one in my entire career.

Yeah. Hammer. IR is overrated for a lot of stuff. Depending on difference in temps, it can not necessarily "see" as well as we might wish. Durabond 20 and a scrap of drywall....it's all better again in a few minutes.