Tornadoes

A strange thing happened when a tornado hit the farm of Clyde Vinson in the small town of Orestes, Indiana in 1922. The home was picked up and set down about one hundred feet from where it originally stood. The dining table and furniture were damaged and most everything was rearranged but the hanging oil lamp was still hanging suspended from the ceiling and continued to send out rays of light throughout the night. A basket of eggs that was sitting in the dining room was not disturbed.


In 2000, a tornado raged through Tarrant County. I don’t have any information regarding anything similar happening during this storm but you can bet some bizarre things happened.
I was a mile away from the storm when it passed through. My neighborhood experienced some high winds and heavy rains but sustained no major damage.
The storm hit late in the day but it was still daylight.
News broadcasters were beginning to show up at many of the areas hit hardest.

I never considered myself a gawker but I’m as curious as the next guy.
So shortly after dark, I headed to Monticello, a west-side neighborhood in Fort Worth filled with elegant older homes. On my way to downtown to view the damage done to several of Fort Worth's landmarks, I was quickly turned away. Too many power lines and trees were down. There were no street lights and more gawkers were coming out.

It was just as well. I was already beginning to get uneasy, seeing what devastation that an ordinary tornado can do to an ordinary neighborhood.

It’s anthropological, I’m sure, but is there something inherently wrong about being so curious when it comes to someone else’s misfortune? Perhaps it’s nothing more than feeling lucky; grateful that it wasn’t me.
Knowing that it could easily be my house with the roof that's gone or my house that's ripped completely off its foundation. Or worse.

My consolation is that it is an inherited trait; I didn’t invent curiosity.
I'd like to think that all my bad traits are inherited and all my good ones are acquired but I know better.

Now many years after, Fort Worth, Arlington and other cities who were smitten by Mother Nature and her wrath have completely restored their communities.
That is a good thing.

Who Do You Trust?

Some photographs require no explanation but this one may.

This is not a snowbank in Wisconsin. This is insulation in some one's attic. Gosh, if you can't trust the insulation guy, who can you?

NEW HOME OR OLD HOME?

There was a time, before you and I, that people said that they would never own a house that had electric wires running through it.
We've come a long way since then.

The old saying "They don't build 'em like they used to" is true.
[But] That is a good thing. Materials were stronger and methods were more traditional but there are several misconceptions about the old days.
I had the privilege of working with some of the Old World craftsmen as a young carpenter. They grumbled when plywood became more prevalent; they snarled when air nailers were changing the way wood was fastened. They would never "use a stapler for anything but paper".

These methods merely changed the delivery of the product; they did not compromise the integrity of the structure as many think. Architects and engineers have made certain of that. As new products are introduced, cynicism or reservations will always accompany a new idea.
Houses are much safer, easier to maintain and much more affordable. On top of that, they are much more energy efficient.

Many of the things they did as home constructors were actually harmful to us or the building. At times, home builders were careless and abusive with poisonous chemicals. These chemicals are now regulated.
Builders no longer treat every new house with pesticides as they once did. Pre-treating was at least unnecessary and at most, reckless.

At least in North Texas, builders no longer install heating and air conditioning systems in crawl spaces under our house. They no longer embed ductwork into and under our concrete slabs.
They vent clothes dryers to the exterior instead of into the garage or the attic.
They install shut-off valves on all of our gas appliances that don't require special tools to turn in case we need to shut them off.
They install smoke detectors and fire alarms.
They elevate appliances in our garages to reduce the risk of fire.
They install special firewalls, fire-rated doors and fire stops.
They install special electrical devices to keep us from accidentally electrocuting ourselves. They now install devices that can detect a faulty electrical outlet as we sleep. Builders use more fire-rated materials than ever before.
They use plumbing materials that don't rust and that make our drinking water safer. They install water heaters in a way that prevents flooding of our interiors if they leak or burst.

Our homes are better insulated and no longer contain asbestos.
They are equipped with windows that allow more light and keep out more heat and cold. Fireplaces now require less maintenance and provide more heat. Our carpeting and other products no longer contain high levels of formaldehydes. Our paints no longer contain lead.

And yes, they are right. "They don't build 'em like they used to"..........
and that is a good thing.

Do electric heating systems have problems?

Yes Virginia, they do. An electric heating system is as reliable as any other, safer than most others. But they can overheat and malfunction or malfunction then overheat. Either way, this is a photo of a 20 year old electric heating unit that someone rigged. By eliminating the circuit breakers that would likely have prevented this meltdown, this handyman’s work could have burned down the whole building. Sparks flew here but lucky for them, not for long. [Picture in your minds eye going into your attic and firing up your arc welder.]

Ductwork materials/Goodman, Owens-Corning

These are air conditioning and heating ducts [also known as HVAC ducts]. In the 70’s and 80’s ductwork materials such as Goodman gray flex-Duct, Owens Corning Flex-Duct, and others were widely used but soon fell from favor by most builders and installers. Then came the suits; those guys in suits from Harvard and the lawsuits they filed. Class-actions and other problems developed for these and other manufacturers and those flexible ducts wrapped in gray trash bag material were no more.

The biggest problem was that the material could not withstand ultraviolet light from the sun’s rays and the outer material would simply melt down. These photos show two things: one, how the meltdown begins by tearing apart the plastic covering. Two, how one homeowner dealt with it with plastic tie wraps. The repair is interesting but not effective.

Many homes are still equipped with these ducts; many without problems. For others though, replacement is the most practical solution when their ducts begin to break down.

Tankless Water Heater

These things are really cool. They heat the water as you need it.

They come in Electric or Gas versions. They cost more than a standard storage tank [right now] but they seem to be pretty practical. [The price should come down].

They are destined to replace the typical water heater someday.

Electric ceiling heaters in the bath....

are dangerous. These little outdated appliances are perhaps the single-most hazardous luxuries you could possibly have [next to a gas log].

These heaters are a carryover from the Fabulous Fifties, the Sexy Sixties and the Disco Seventies.

I have several gripes with these. First of all, they are energy-eaters. High current draw equates to high electric bill. Very popular in the Seventies when so many homes were built with aluminum wiring made them even more unsafe.

Every time you leave the house, you'll wonder if you remembered to turn it off. A few hardware stores carry a switch guard to prevent anyone from using the thing. Not a bad idea. Don't be surprised to find the wires charred and brittle when you finally replace it with a heat lamp or light.

What does a pier and beam foundation look like?

Like this. Most people never venture into their crawl space so they have no clue what is under their house much less what is meant by a pier and beam foundation.

Concrete is poured into a tar paper cylinder and when it dries it is capable of supporting a huge amount of weight. The funny looking upside-down metal pan on top of it is intended to discourage termites; sometimes it works.

The pier is holding up a wooden beam and the beam is holding up the wooden floor joists that support the floor that you walk on. [A concrete slab foundation would have been poured directly onto the soil that you see here and therefore would not have been elevated and would have no crawl space.]

An easy way to determine which type of foundation the house has is this: Since a pier and beam foundation is elevated, there will likely be 3 or more steps leading to a porch. A concrete slab foundation will likely have but one step leading to what is called a stoop, not a porch. The finished floors of a pier and beam house will be much higher than the ground outside.

Gas heating is not always economical........

.......especially when you have to replace it.
This gas heating unit is worn out. It should have been replaced years ago.
The scorching isn't normal [you probably guessed that much].
Having flames lapping the sides of this fire-trap is frightening enough in itself but I found a unit just like it in a church day care center in Arlington.

220 Volts In Disguise

There is a reason we have rules, codes, standards and procedures.

These 110 volt receptacles look like typical electrical outlets but one is not. Instead of 110 volts, the one in the center of the picture contains 220 volts [for a previous window air conditioner that required 220]. The former air conditioner was replaced with a 110v unit and plugged into the other outlet which was 110 volts because the dimwit knew enough NOT to plug it into the 220. Duh. [Are you following this?]

But the 220 volts not only stayed inside the wall but was allowed to be disguised as a 110 volt outlet. [A shocking development.]

[You can't see it in the photograph but there is a marking inscribed in pencil on the cover plate by the electrical wizard who installed this that reads: 220 volts. [Probably for his own sake, lest he forget.]

Plug in your new Plasma TV into this outlet and you'll need another kind of plasma.

This is why real electricians get the big bucks; they keep us safe from our own stupidity and help to keep us out of the Emergency Room.

For The Sake Of A Tree

How many times do you walk past this tree and say:
I have to do something with this someday.

When is someday?
With all the cracks in the ceilings and walls, how on earth would you ever know if your foundation was moving?
The cost of cutting down this beast has never been more expensive but it will never be cheaper than today.
How did this happen?
[Please tell me a little kid traded his family cow for some beans and a giant lives in the top of it.]
That's the only logical explanation.

Wiring Wizard

Is this incredible, incredulous, indescribable or is it just plain stupid?

How about all of the above.

This is house wiring. The guy who did this thinks he's wiring up his 12 volt boat trailer lights or something.

If this is similar to your attic, sleep with one eye open and one leg on the floor tonight.

Someone once told me: We've all done this before. NO WE HAVEN'T.

Poly-Butylene Plumbing

Poly-Butyl plumbing. Notice the gray tubing and plastic-looking plumbing valves.
Someone once thought this material was a good idea. Thousands of leaky pipes and dozens of class-action lawsuits later proved otherwise.
If you have this material, you may never have a problem. You are at risk of having a leak, perhaps a serious one. Plumbers know all about this material. Some even feel the risk is over-hyped and greatly exaggerated but Shell, Celanese and other large corporations paid out great sums of money to quell the masses and their lawyers. I do not feel the risk was over-hyped. I don't like the material. [I don't like plumbing at all but I would miss it greatly if I didn't have it.] You should consider replacing any of this material if you discover that you possess it.

Plumbing repairs can be artful.

Plumbing can be an art form.
It's not often that I come across a true work of art like this one.
I'm not sure what the artist is expressing but I'm sure there is deep meaning in his work. [I am certain it was a man; women like to work with other mediums; they don't work well with urea-formaldehyde foam and old T-shirts.]
Perhaps mice were coming through the wall or he was stopping a draft.

Bad heat exchanger? Very likely.
The soot on the side of this furnace tell us that sometimes the fire wanders aimlessly around the attic. Flames are licking the outside of this heater. That can't be good.
Aside from the obvious, a defective heat exchanger can make you or others in your family very sick. If exhaust gasses are crossing over into your warm air as you are heating your home, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide may be present without you knowing it. Known as the silent killers, CO and CO2 can make you very ill at low levels and can be fatal at higher levels. Most defective heat exchangers are not this obvious so have your gas furnace checked every heating season. I prefer other methods of heating but I like gas heaters until they begin to age. Once a gas heating unit becomes 11 or 12 years old, it should be checked at the beginning of each heating season. By year 15, the system is aging and becomes more of a liability each year after. [This unreliability grows exponentially, not incrementally.]

Sparks are going to fly if this skinned wire gets any more skinned. Dragging boxes across the attic floor, rodents, etc. Who knows why this wire is damaged but if the insulation is worn any more, this gas pipe could develop into a huge problem and make someone suddenly homeless, or worse. Here's a tip: When flooring your attic, use dimension lumber like 1x4's or 2x4's instead of large sheet material like plywood or other sheathing. With dimension lumber you can easily weave in and out of wires without stretching them and you won't flatten your insulation as much. Space the planks an inch apart and your wires can easily lay undisturbed and accessible should your electrician need to get to them.

Copper gas lines were once an accepted delivery material for natural gas; now it is prohibited.
So are galvanized pipes but galvanized plumbing doesn't react as badly to natural gas and it is found to be more common especially when the handy-dandy home handyman can't tell the difference and grabs the cheapest thing on the shelf at the home store. Electrolysis is already occurring at the copper and brass flare connection if you look closely.
Also the radical bend in the copper tubing is not a good thing. This puppy is going to leak in someone's attic and very soon if not corrected. [Incidentally, the gas company will refuse to turn on the service to this vacant house until this plumbing nightmare is corrected.] They have a thing about safety; fires, explosions and such. Go figure.

Here's how foundation movement can show in your roof.

Notice the two jagged lines running diagonally across this roof. [click on the picture for a larger image.]

This roof didn't look like this before the foundation moved.

Soil shrinkage.
Ever wonder how much the soil in Texas can shrink without water?
Take a gander at the separated plastic pipe and the broken PVC next to it. Not to mention the huge gap between the foundation and the soil that is supposed to hold it up.
Click on the photo for a closer view.

Someone has their lines crossed. A water line and 2 electrical lines draped across a gas pipe. If your science teacher was right, three things can happen here and none of them is good.
If this is your attic and your inspector tells you there are four-legged furry little critters also living there, believe him; just don't ask him how he knows. If he's a nice guy he'll spare you the details.
Can you guess?

A most-outrageous gas line connection. Here's a do-it-yourselfer's handywork that is as dangerous as it is crude.
Look closely and see a brick broken in half, taped to a rafter brace to hold a gas line in place. The gas line has no nearby shut-off valve [why would it?]; the galvanized pipe is a dead giveaway that no particular skill was needed to complete this very fashionable installation. On a scale of 1-100 this is a 3. [Two for creativity and one for courage.]

A Shocking Experience

Too many dangers lurking inside the electrical panel.

This is one installation made by someone who doesn't have a lick of experience [or sense]. The wire he used is just too big to fit in the breaker, dang it. [Hmmm...wonder what the other end connects to.]