John Kogel

OK I remember reading about those projects. The PS article mentions lathers and plasterers, but with the speed they built those places, I will bet they used gypsum, of which the narrow sheets were called lath I believe. The steel stud walls are welded, so the integrity of the grounding would not be a problem. What about resistance, though? Steel is not the best conductor, and the furthest points from the panel would have a higher R. I think an electrician could measure the resistance and see if it meets minimum standards for equipment grounding.

Interesting, John. I would never expect to see steel studs in a 1947 residence here - too many sawmills and cheap lumber. You however are closer to the steel mills and production was high after the war. Would the plaster be on gypsum lath? Or would they use metal lath? Re: Wiring, the equipment grounding conductor is missing and there is no substitute. If grounding by studs to the slab was sufficient, we would have seen it more when copper prices jumped in the 60's, JMO.

Yeah, at least 30 years and no corrosion in the panels, no problem. If the new owners install garage doors, so much the better.

Yes, the green growth is moss that got in there and is getting plenty of moisture from mist and rain, plus no recent fires in the fireplace. Besides the moisture issues, oceanfront homes get salt spray that rusts light fixtures, hinges and door hardware. I see a lot of fixtures with dead light bulbs, because the screws holding the globes are rusted up. Recently, the metal window frames were rusted out.

I liked this green chimney flue. This was a beach house, and there was a real strong fish odor coming out of the chimney. Click to Enlarge 70.18 KB In the crawlspace, the source of the beach odors - crab carcases, chicken feathers and puddles of pee. Otters, coons, or both, although coons are normally pretty good about pooping in a corner. Click to Enlarge 40.33 KB A few more pics. I don't normally pull up carpet, but this stain was suspect. Must have been a nice potted plant. The OSB subfloor is rotten. Click to Enlarge 44.08 KB Click to Enlarge 56.09 KB 2-legged animals live here. Click to Enlarge 29.7 KB Click to Enlarge 74.96 KB Click to Enlarge 65.72 KB Click to Enlarge 36.82 KB Click to Enlarge 45.07 KB

My guess is a condo dweller found a stain and it escalated from there. But the underlying problem would have been no weepholes in the initial build. I wonder if a different contractor would have simply drilled some weepholes? Nah, that wouldn't do. []

This 10 storey concrete and steel condo building was having some major remediation work done to the brick veneer. I suppose moisture was getting in behind the brick and oozing out around the windows maybe? I was able to get a few closeup shots by sticking my camera out a window. The contractor cut out 2 rows of brick at each floor level, installed some flashing and then replaced the bricks with weep holes. Temporary screw jacks were used to support the brick. Click to Enlarge 50.82 KB Click to Enlarge 59.22 KB Click to Enlarge 73.32 KB Click to Enlarge 61.9 KB Click to Enlarge 39.83 KB

Here's a few I found interesting. Click to Enlarge 24.87 KB Click to Enlarge 65.96 KB Click to Enlarge 51.37 KB Click to Enlarge 78.33 KB Click to Enlarge 45.43 KB Click to Enlarge 45.26 KB

Assuming two indoor units, I am wondering if one unit is calling for heat, like when you tried to get heat, when the other is calling for cold, how does the outdoor unit respond? Surely it would not blow the heat away if the other unit was calling for heat? This is a question because I have not experimented with these greatly different temps on two units myself.

When I framed houses in Atlanta, it was common to just pour the requisite width and thickness of concrete, wait for it to harden then form-up for the foundation walls. The footing didn't need a smooth top surface. A footing that was formed up nicely was exquisite..and a waste of time. Marc Not a waste if you plan to lay perimeter drainage around those footings. Level footings make the job easier. You can calculate how much concrete to order.

I am trying to picture how they get the top level with no form boards. That kind of work disappeared here in about the 1940's.

I suggest they could pull the downspouts out of the perimeter drain system. I assume there is just the one drain around the exterior foundations. The downspouts should flow into their own drain pipe. Even so, the crack in the pic is a non-issue. There is certainly no shortage of support for that floor. With that many piers, footings under the piers are maybe not that necessary. As suggested, a few piers may have settled to cause that dip in the interior portion of the floor. If the roof line is fairly straight, I would not place too much emphasis on dips in the siding.

Twist locks? Yeah, that's it. Marc I found this - "NEMA L14-30 locking Extension power cords are 125/250 volts and four wire. Locking plugs have the pins arrayed in a circular manner. The plug is inserted and twisted to lock in place."'Locking plugs' The item in Denny pic is a recessed inlet box.

I was told the owners spent over $20G repairing this 15 year old wet crawlspace. It looked pretty good, new sump pit, big dehumidifier, and an exhaust fan on a humidistat. Lots of sealed poly and spray foam. Some joists were sistered. I saw some new blocking under a toilet and a dark area at the exterior wall. Click to Enlarge 48.57 KB Click to Enlarge 53.76 KB Click to Enlarge 41.19 KB Click to Enlarge 53.11 KB Click to Enlarge 48.98 KB Click to Enlarge 47.4 KB Sorry, but the subfloor is kind of rotten in several places. [] Click to Enlarge 66.2 KB No telling what damage is hidden behind the foam insulation.

I don't think those are the original tiles. They are thin and curling at the edges. I think a bit of moisture is working up through the concrete causing that white efflorescence and loosening the tile glue. Past flooding is also possible.

With the switch off, a lamp or other appliance is still energized by the hot side of the cord. Is that what you were asking for? A grounded (3-prong) cord might present a different hazard with the ground becoming energized, but that would depend on other factors.

Yeah asphalt shingles that were later graced with a coat of paint. They don't adhere to a vertical wall all that well so more nails were pounded in.

That lead is amazingly well preserved, from being buried in ash I imagine.

Edward, we need more info. If this is truly a chimney that serves a wood burning appliance, then the metal flue liner does need to be accessible or made to be accessible, and the Tee needs to be cleaned. If there is a metal gas vent, there is less of a worry but I would find a way to remove some siding and cut away some sheathing for a look inside. Sometimes the chimney is just an empty box with a direct vent for a gas fireplace going through the side. Which one of those do you have?

That would constitute two major violations here: the length of the unfused feeders and the lack of a gutter. The gutter is an enclosure between the meter box and the two main panels. It splits the SECs into two feeders. Marc Not allowed in Canada either. Shortest distance possible is the rule. If the unfused feeders need to go any distance through a crawlspace they are often encased in concrete.

Follow the SOP when you feel it is safe to do so. A door obscured by storage, classic car, expensive boat, think before you test. There is a cheaper grade of garage door, and we learn to watch for those. I broke a window learning about them, and paid for the repair. One of the hazards.

Further to Scott's comment, if that was built here, there would need to be a firewall, usually concrete block, between the units, and that wall would go to the roofline where it could be capped properly. So that's how I would fix that, build a CMU party wall. []

Here's a link to a manual. Page 25 for plumbing hookup. http://www.weil-mclain.com/en/multimedi ... 6_0703.pdf Page 29 shows a standard reducing valve installed externally, not hidden.

Rest in peace, Steve, and know that your words of wisdom live on here.

Yeah spinning contacts will someday be arcing contacts. Stupid. Install a double receptacle box if you need room.