Rain on Framing Lumber

Posted on by Tim Carter
Framing Lumber

You may be upset at all the water on the new wood, but there’s little to fret about. Photo Credit: Seth Pabst

Rain on Framing Lumber TIPS

DEAR TIM: I'm having a new house built and it's been raining for a week. The roof is partially framed and every piece of lumber and all the flat OSB is soaked.

My builder says this is normal and I still get my ten-year warranty. Is it okay for a house to get wet while it's being built? Will it hurt the lumber?

What can be done to prevent mold and rot that probably will happen? What did you do to protect the homes you built? Seth P., Titusville, FL

DEAR SETH: Here's the good news.

Trees Grow In Rain

The lumber that is being used to build your home came from trees that were out in the rain all the time as they grew. I'll grant you it had a protective layer of bark that works very well to protect the wood in the center of the trunk.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local rough framing carpenters.

Realize it takes quite a bit of time for lumber to start to decay from water.

No O² - No Rot

You'd probably be surprised to know that lumber that is submersed in fresh water can be in great shape and rot-free for hundreds of years. This happens in lakes that have cold water at the bottom. As we all know, there's virtually no air or oxygen under water as well.

You need oxygen, water and warm temperatures to get wood to rot fairly fast.

Prized Catches

Timbered logs are routinely salvaged that never made it to sawmills over a hundred years and these logs are prized pieces of wood. Not too long ago, I knew of at least one company that did nothing but salvage old logs from the bottom of a few of the Great Lakes here in the USA.

This lumber was old growth timber and highly prized. It was in near perfect condition once raised from the depths of the lake-bed.

The wood rot you're familiar with happens in the presence of water and oxygen.

Relax, Take A Vali....

Your framing lumber and the oriented strand board (OSB) are going to be fine. The glues used to make OSB are water-resistant because the manufacturers know that virtually no one can build a home that won't get wet before the roof and siding is applied.

Houses I built got wet routinely during the framing process and I never had an issue.

20 Percent

Wood rot can and will start when the moisture content of the wood reaches 20 percent. But wood rot is a slow process where the fungi start to grow and feed on the cellulose in the wood.

The wood needs to remain damp and wet all the time for wood rot to advance. It's a much better likelihood that you'll start to see mold growth in as little as 48 hours as mold spores are everywhere on your home construction site.

Clean Job Site

To minimize or eliminate any chance of damage, you need to get rid of the water as fast as possible. This means the job site needs to be clean. All scraps of lumber, sawdust, etc. need to be off the OSB.

The OSB floors should be swept clean each day after work concludes. This debris can trap water and hold it against the OSB.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local rough framing carpenters.

Sweep Standing H²O

You want all the lumber to dry out as fast as possible after each rain. Standing water on the OSB needs to be swept away. Some OSB panels are created that have drainage slot in the tongues to help get rid of water.

Raise & Cover

Lumber on the job site that's in piles needs to be covered and up off the ground. You don't want to wrap the lumber like you would a sandwich with plastic. It needs to breathe.

It's key that the lumber is up off the ground at least 4 inches, if possible, so that air can get under the stacked lumber. Try to create a storage method that mimics a rain fly on a camping tent.

You want the sides of the stacked lumber exposed to the air but protected so rainfall can't hit the lumber.

Sealed OSB

Newer building products are available for subfloors that contain resins that protect the wood fibers from absorbing any water. These are great materials to use and I'd absolutely use them on any home I was building today.

Seal Untreated OSB

One thing I used to do when I was building was to spend the extra money and apply a clear penetrating water repellant to the plywood and OSB I used on the floors. I never worried about the sheathing on walls or roofs because water rapidly ran off and never collected there.

Before any walls were built on a subfloor, I'd blow off all saw dust, pour out the clear water repellant and apply it with a large paint roller on a pole. It only took about 30 minutes to do an average subfloor. The water repellant prevented swelling of plywood and untreated OSB.

Stain Solver Mold Cleaner

Oxygen Bleach

Stain Solver is MADE in the USA with USA ingredients that are food-grade quality. CLICK THE IMAGE to order some NOW.

Once your house is under roof and there's little chance of the lumber getting wet, you may want to do some first aid and preventative care. If you do have mold growing on the lumber, you can clean it easily with Stain Solver.

It's a pure certified organic powder you mix with warm water. Using a hand-pump sprayer, you apply the solution to any mildew you see.

You can also use chlorine bleach, but many complain about its fumes and toxicity to nearby plants and vegetation.

Stain Solver is Made in the USA with USA ingredients. It has no odor and will do an excellent job of cleaning mold. Once the lumber is clean and dry, you can then decide if you want to prevent wood rot in case the wood somehow gets wet after you move in.

Borates Are Amazing

You can prevent wood rot by saturating the framing lumber with borates. These are safe chemicals to use around humans and pets.

borate powder

This is a 25-pound pail. You'll use this much to treat all the lumber in your new home. CLICK THE IMAGE NOW TO ORDER THIS GREAT PRODUCT.

Borate is a white powder that dissolves in water just like Stain Solver. You apply it to the wood with the same hand-pump sprayer.

This can be accomplished now while the framing lumber is accessible by spraying it with borate solutions. Borate chemicals are not toxic to humans or animals, but they are very toxic to many species of wood rot fungi and termites. You spray the lumber and OSB using a the same garden sprayer.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local rough framing carpenters.

Column 1107

Black Spots on Deck Boards

Posted on by Tim Carter
broadwalk next lake

This is Jim's boardwalk. That's a lot of scrubbing. Good news! No more scrubbing! Keep reading. © Copyright 2017 Tim Carter

Black Spots on Deck Boards TIPS

DEAR TIM: I’ve got 1,500 square feet of lakefront boardwalk made from composite decking. The brand is Trex Accents. It started developing black spots within two years of the install.

I’m mad as heck about this as I thought I’d have a maintenance-free deck for life. I’m not able to get any help from the manufacturer nor the the big box retailer that I bought it from.

It’s going to cost me $20,000 to replace it. Can you help me at all? Jim C., Eaton, OH

DEAR JIM: I’ve got great news for you. You’re not going to have to replace that composite decking. I’ve also got a small dose of tough love too.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local deck cleaning companies.

Half-Truth Claims

Let’s start with a story. I remember years ago when two products were introduced, both had to do with decks. I can clearly remember seeing a counter placard at Hyde Park Lumber Company in Cincinnati, Ohio that said, “Rot-Proof and Maintenance-FREE Deck Lumber”. It was advertising the new copper-chromate arsenic (CCA) lumber for deck framing and deck boards.

We all know how that turned out. You did have to seal the decks every two years and the lumber did rot.

I also remember similar early claims by the manufacturers of composite decking material. As a member of the working press, I was inundated for years by the public relations companies spreading the word about these miracle products.

My Black Spots

My own home here in New Hampshire, built by someone else not me, had this generation one composite decking that did fade and did develop deep black spots. It also allowed algae to grow on it. Millions of other homeowners did the slow burn like you’re doing as they discovered you do have to maintain the decking.

I permanently solved my problem last summer by ripping up all my old generation one Trex and replaced it with Trex Transcends decking.

The Transcends line has a solid plastic cap so no wood fibers are exposed on the visible portions of the boards.

Maintenance-Free Myth

There’s no such thing as maintenance-free when it comes to any outdoor product. The reasons are many. For starters, the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays are so powerful they break apart metal atomic bonds. So simple paint, plastic or wood molecules and fibers are child’s play for the sun.

closeup tex black spots

Here's a closeup of Jim's Trex Accents. You can see the dark spots. CLICK THE IMAGE NOW to BUY THE PRODUCT YOU NEED TO STOP THE SPOTS!

Spores Everywhere

Mother Nature is also quite adept at showering everything outdoors with mold spores, algae, dirt, diesel soot, dust, etc. Add water to this slew of ingredients and you’ve got perfect conditions for mildew, mold and algae growth on any surface.

Deck Cleaning Video

Watch the following video to show you why pressure washers hurt wood decks and how Stain Solver oxygen bleach is the better method.

Periodic Cleaning

Oxygen Bleach

Stain Solver is MADE in the USA with USA ingredients that are food-grade quality. CLICK THE IMAGE to order some NOW.

At the very least, maintenance involves periodic cleaning. You can clean some things with regular liquid dish soap and water. Tougher stains from barbecue grills, tree sap, mold, mildew and algae may need Stain Solver, a powerful powdered oxygen bleach you mix with water.

Stain Solver will not hurt any vegetation near the boardwalk nor any fish or other wildlife in the lake. It's certified organic and Made in the USA with USA ingredients.

You mix Stain Solver with warm tap water, stir until dissolved and then apply with a hand-pump sprayer. Work in the early morning allowing the Stain Solver solution to work on it's own for 15-30 minutes before scrubbing and rinsing.

The issue in your case is your composite deck, and several other brands, contain untreated lumber fibers that are encapsulated with recycled plastic. However, not all the wood gets coated with the plastic and as I mentioned earlier, the sun breaks apart the plastic exposing the wood.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local deck cleaning companies.

Wood + Water + Spores = Mildew

Mix wood, spores and water and you get black spots. You can clean them off, but the spots come back because the mold and mildew spores are constantly floating down onto the deck and you have a nearly constant supply of water. Overnight dew that covers everything outdoors many days out of the year is perhaps the biggest source of the problem.

I think you can get some peace of mind, but it’s going to take a little periodic work on your part. Fortunately it’s easy to do.

Clipper Ship Clue

Years ago I had a fascination with clipper ships. I have two boxes filled with small parts of two ships I intend to build when I’m retired - the Cutty Sark and the Thermopylae. Both of these tea clippers had copper plating on their hulls.

Copper is a natural biocide. It prevented barnacles and other organisms from growing on the wood hulls of these fast ships. This nasty growth would slow other ships and reduce the owner’s profits.

Apply Copper Sulfate

You can introduce this copper to your boardwalk in a way that should not harm anything that’s next to the boardwalk. I’d clean the decking first and then apply a mist of copper sulfate solution to the decking.

copper sulfate

This is exactly what you need to keep algae, mildew and mold from decking and patios. CLICK THE IMAGE NOW TO BUY IT.

Copper sulfate is readily available and farmers have used it for decades. It controls fungus diseases, makes up for copper deficiencies in animals, and other things. If you drink wine, then you have to appreciate copper sulfate! Vintners use copper sulfate.

I’d mix up a solution and put it in a garden hand-pump sprayer. Set the nozzle tip to a fine mist. On a sunny warm day, spray the surface of the decking. Minimize overspray. The solution will soak into the wood fibers and possibly the tiny voids of the decking.

The only unknown is how often you need to respray. It could be once every six weeks, but it’s far easier to do than scrubbing that decking. Good luck!

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local deck cleaning companies.

Column 1183

Backfilling a Foundation Wall

Posted on by Tim Carter
Backfilling a Foundation Wall

Backfilling a Foundation Wall - Believe it or not, this is a precast foundation wall. It is made from poured concrete and rests on compacted gravel, not a poured concrete footer. If this wall was backfilled before the interior floor was poured, it would collapse in no time. ©2023 Tim Carter

Backfilling Foundation Wall TIPS

DEAR TIM: I am building a new home and the poured concrete foundation was installed 17 days ago. The weather has been cool with temperatures averaging about 51 F.

I was told to let the concrete cure for 25-30 days before backfilling it. However, the contractor is applying pressure to backfill so the rough carpentry subs can get to work.

Should I cave in and let them backfill against the walls or should I suffer the consequences of delaying the project? Shawn S., Pittsburgh, PA

DEAR SHAWN: In my opinion, concrete is a mystical building material. That said, you want to know about backfilling a foundation.

When Should A Foundation Be Backfilled?

A poured concrete foundation should be backfilled AFTER:

  • the concrete has achieved a minimum of 75% of its design strength
  • the basement slab, if there is one, has been installed. It acts as a support column at the base of the wall preventing it from sliding off the footing
  • the wood subfloor has been installed. The floor joists and subfloor assembly once bolted to the top of the foundation act as a support column at the top of the poured wall.

Think of a poured concrete wall as a BIG BEAM that needs support at each end (top and bottom) just like a floor joist needs support at each end. The soil is applying sideways pressure to the foundation wall just as a heavy load applies downward pressure to a floor joist.

Concrete is Liquid Rock

It often arrives at a job site in a truck pre-mixed and ready to pour. Typically it has the consistency of cooked oatmeal, but hours later it resembles damp solid rock.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local foundation contractors near you!

This transformation happens because of a chemical reaction that starts to happen the instant water is added to the Portland cement powder. The hydration chemical reaction causes microscopic crystals to grow that connect all of the sand and gravel to one another.

Concrete Strength Achieved After Many Weeks 

The trouble is, this chemical reaction continues for weeks, and even months, after the concrete truck leaves the job site. In fact, standard concrete that is moist cured under ideal conditions often only achieves 40-45 percent of its design strength after three days.

After seven days, it should hit 75 percent of its final design strength. To get to 100% of it's design strength, you often have to wait 28 days or more. These numbers assume temperatures at or near 70F.

Cold Temperature Slows Strength

In cold weather, the strength-building process can slow considerably and even stop completely if the temperature gets very cold. Once the weather warms up, the concrete starts to strengthen again on its own so long as it still retains moisture.

That's why it's a big risk to backfill a cast, or poured, concrete foundation during the winter. You can build on top of the foundation with little risk.

It's the weight of all the dirt pressing against the new, tender concrete that's the issue.

bowed new foundation wall

This is what happens when you backfill a foundation too early. The red line indicates WHERE the top of the wall should be - in a straight line. Look at the snow on the ground. The builder of this home is an IDIOT. Copyright 2023 Tim Carter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

When Should A Foundation Be Backfilled?

A poured concrete foundation should not be backfilled until:

  • the concrete has achieved a minimum of 75% of its design strength
  • the basement slab, if there is one, must be installed. It acts as a support column at the base of the wall preventing it from sliding off the footing
  • the wood subfloor must be installed. It acts as a support column at the top of the poured wall.

Think of a poured concrete wall as a BIG BEAM that needs support at each end (top and bottom) just like a floor joist needs support at each end. The soil is applying sideways pressure to the foundation wall just as a heavy load applies downward pressure to a floor joist.

Vertical Steel Prevents Horizontal Bending

If you had told me that you had vertical steel reinforcing bars in the poured concrete, then maybe I would say to move ahead and backfill. But vertical reinforcing steel is rarely placed in residential concrete foundation walls.

It's not hard to put it in, but it does cost extra money.

If you decide to put vertical steel in a foundation wall to resist backfill pressure, the steel needs to be placed closer to the inside face of the wall. The usual standard is 2 inches.

backfilling a foundation wall

This ATB drawing done in haste shows vertical and horizontal steel bars using teal color. There are four horizontal bars in the foundation wall and two in the footing. You can see the vertical steel bar. These would be put every 2 feet on center. NOTE: The vertical steel bars start at 2 inches from the inner face of the foundation wall. This placement is CRITICAL. ©2017 Tim Carter

Horizontal Steel Common

Foundation walls often have two rows of horizontal reinforcing steel placed near the bottom and top of the walls. This steel helps prevent vertical cracks in the foundation walls should the soil beneath the foundation shift or move. This movement is an up and down movement.

This steel is usually about one foot up from the top of the footing and one foot down from the top of the wall.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local foundation contractors near you!

Backfill Creates Sideways Pressure

Backfill dirt that is placed against the foundation wall causes a lateral or sideways movement. Vertical steel bars add enormous strength to poured concrete and help prevent horizontal cracks that are caused by soil pressures.

Loaders & Dozers Are BAD!

Lateral pressure can also be caused by the heavy machinery that places the dirt against the walls. An inexperienced heavy equipment operator can crack a new foundation wall by pushing dirt into the void space against the wall instead of gently dropping it in from above.

Walls = Wide Beams

Backfilling a poured concrete wall or even a masonry concrete block wall can be very risky if two other tradespeople are not finished with their work. The basement slab and the first floor that sits on top of the foundation should be complete before backfilling proceeds.

These two building systems help lock the bottom and top of the foundation walls in place as the soil pressure pushes against the walls. I've seen poured concrete foundations that were backfilled before a basement slab was poured. In certain instances the wall cracked and slid off the footer from the intense soil pressure.

Backfill Dirt Is Heavy

Keep in mind that wet soil is very heavy. It's not uncommon for this material to weigh nearly 100 pounds per cubic foot. When you calculate the weight of all of the soil being dumped against the foundation you quickly discover it is tens of thousands of pounds.

A foundation wall is just a concrete slab turned on edge. Concentrated loads routinely crack flat concrete slabs so it's not hard to imagine soil pressure creating a crack.

Patience Pays Off

My advice to you is to wait. Your builder and many others will scoff at you and will put pressure on you to move ahead. But this pressure pales in comparison to the weight of the dirt that is placed against the foundation walls.

Furthermore, if the foundation does crack because of premature backfilling, this structural scar will haunt you until you eventually sell your home. In fact, you will probably have to explain what happened to the professional home inspector that is hired by the buyers after they see the ugly cracked foundation walls.

Vertical Steel is Easy

The vertical steel bars that should be placed in poured concrete walls are not hard to install. It often only takes an experienced crew maybe one extra day, perhaps two, to install this valuable structural component.

Steel is 100X Stronger Than Concrete

The reason steel is needed is simple. Concrete has fantastic compressive strength. This means if you squeeze or compress it, it takes enormous pressure to crack concrete. But if you try to bend or pull concrete, it only has one-tenth the strength it exhibits when you compress it.

This bending of concrete is referred to as tension by engineers and concrete professionals. The mix used by many foundation contractors might only have 350 pounds per square inch of tensile strength.

Steel, on the other hand has enormous tensile strength. The steel bars a contractor would often buy would require 40,000 pounds of tension applied to them before they'd rip apart. That's over 100 times stronger than the concrete.

These steel bars, once placed inside the wet concrete, transfer their strength to the concrete. Imagine how strong a foundation wall might be that has vertical steel bars placed two-feet on center. I can tell you that a wall built this way will stand the test of time.

 

Column 569

How to Build a Cheap Desktop

Posted on by Tim Carter
build desktop

This cheap desk was built in one hour with one sheet of plywood and two pieces of thin molding. ©2018 Tim Carter

"The first thing to realize when you're building a desk to work at is the height above the finished floor."

How To Build A Cheap Desk Checklist

DEAR TIM: I need to build two cheap desktops. I'm lucky in that I have small cabinets that the top can rest on.

One top is for my man cave and the other one is for a hobby and craft center for my wife and young kids. I'm looking for durability, affordability, ease of construction and good looks.

Realize that I have limited skills and tools. What would you do if you were me? Can I do this for less than $100? If you can offer a solution, I'd be most grateful. Travis S., Morgan Hill, CA

DEAR TRAVIS: I've got great news for you.

How Long Does it Take to Build a Cheap Desk?

You can build these desktops in no time at all and I can bring them in under budget for you assuming you need no more than 16 feet of total length for both desktops. Believe me, 16 feet of a desktop is quite a bit.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local finish carpenters who can build this desktop in minutes.

How High Above the Floor Should the Desk Be?

The first thing to realize when you're building a desk to work at is the height above the finished floor. This is critical if you're using standard chairs that are not adjustable with respect to height.

Most tables that you eat at have a finished height above the floor of 29 to 30 inches. This works great for adults, but not so well for young children.

How High Should A Child's Desk Be?

A child's desk, depending on their age, can be anywhere from 18 to 25 inches high. As the child grows, so must the height of the desk.

You may want to keep this in mind as you build the desktop for your hobby and craft center. If I were you, I'd consider designing a simple desk or workstation where the top can be raised by putting blocks under the supports as your young children grow. Just keep that in mind.

What is the Cheapest Desk Material?

I've had huge success in the past by using 4 x 8-foot sheets of 3/4-inch-thick plywood as a desktop. If you cut a piece of plywood like this in half lengthwise, you end up with two pieces of wood that are 24 inches wide by 8 feet long.

What is the Best Desk Plywood?

My favorite plywood for a project like this is A/C Fir. Fir is a somewhat tough wood species and the letters A and C stand for what each side of the plywood looks like.

You'll rarely if ever, find this product at a home center. You'll need to visit a local old-fashioned lumberyard for great plywood like this. Believe me, when you make the trip to the lumberyard, you may make it your favorite place to get products!

What Does the "A" Mean in the Plywood Name?

The A side of the plywood looks almost like a gorgeous piece of furniture with no knots or major defects. The C side forms the underside of your desktop and that surface will have some shallow knotholes and other defects.

diy desktop

This is the A side of A/C fir plywood. Note how there are no knots and it looks like a fine piece of furniture. ©2018 Tim Carter

How Deep Should the Desk Be?

I almost always make my desktops 24 inches deep. This depth provides ample space for larger desktop computers and just about anything you'd put on a desk.

It's also a perfect depth, in my opinion, for a craft or hobby workspace because you can put along the back edge of the desktop 8-inch-wide shelves for supplies and still have an abundant workspace for most things you're working on.

Plywood Desk Video

Watch this video I made of desks I built for the AsktheBuilder.com Intergalactic headquarters. These had interesting plywood gussets that supported the ends.

What Tools are Required to Make the Cheap Desk?

You only need a circular saw to make the needed cuts in the plywood.

Circular Saw

This is a wonderful corded saw. It will last generations if you care for it. It cuts very accurately. CLICK THE IMAGE NOW TO BUY THIS SAW.

Be sure you use a sharp blade and always make your cuts with the A side of the plywood facing the ground. This minimizes splintering of the finished side of the desktops when you cut 90 degrees across the grain of the plywood.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local finish carpenters who can build this desktop in minutes.

How Do You Plan Cuts for Minimal Waste?

You need to plan your cuts so that you end up with a factory edge of the plywood facing out where you'll sit at the desktop. It's very hard to cut a straight line using a hand-held circular saw without fancy clamps and straightedges to guide the saw.

Clamping Straigthedge for straight cuts

This clamping straightedge will allow you to make PERFECT straight cuts. You can get extensions so you can cut the full 8-foot length of the plywood. CLICK THE IMAGE NOW TO BUY THIS FANTASTIC TOOL.

How Do You Trim the Edges?

I always cover the unattractive edge of the plywood with thin strips of solid wood molding. Most old-fashioned lumberyards will stock a piece of wood that is as wide as the plywood is thick.

This wood strip will only be 1/4-inch thick and it is available in lengths up to 16-feet long! I always use regular yellow carpenter's glue and small 1 and 1/4-inch finish nails to attach this strip of wood to the plywood edge.

Do You Need to Sand the Plywood?

Once you have the desktop built and the wood strip on the edges, then you just need to sand it with a medium sandpaper and finish it.

What Stain & Urethane Should You Use?

You can stain the plywood if you want a rich color, or you can just urethane it with a clear finish if you want a light look. You can also paint the plywood if that's the style you want. If you do paint it, I'd then add two coats of clear water-based urethane to protect the softer painted film.

Polyurethane Satin Finish

SECRET TIP is to coat the drywall BEFORE finishing with this amazing urethane product. It WILL STOP water from penetrating into the paper of the drywall. CLICK IMAGE TO ORDER IT NOW. Always be sure to order the exact sheen you want. There's a big difference between satin and high-gloss!

If you just decide to urethane the bare plywood and you use a water-based urethane that dries within 90 minutes, then realize it's important to sand the desktop again before you add the second coat of urethane. The water in the urethane will raise the grain of the wood and it will feel rough. This roughness sands down easily and your second coat of urethane will be quite smooth.

How Long Do I Wait After the Urethane is Applied?

Once you have the final coat of urethane on, don't put anything on the desktop for at least 72 hours. The urethane, while it's dry, it's not cured.

If you set things on the finish, there's a good chance they'll stick. The curing time will take longer if it's cool where the top is. Hot dry conditions accelerate curing time.

Should I Buy Flat Sheets of Plywood?

When you do shop for the plywood, be sure to get pieces that are nice and flat. Don't transport the plywood in the rain or allow it to get wet as it can develop a warp to it so your desktop may not be as flat as it could.

How Strong is the Plywood?

You'll be stunned by how strong this plywood desktop will be. It can stand abuse and it can be modified or moved in seconds. That's one of the things I like best about these modular desktops as you can change what you have in just minutes.

You can't do that with a traditional desk that has the top and base as one complete unit.

How Long Will the Plywood Desk Last?

If you're wondering how long a desktop like this can last, let me share with you that I've had one in heavy daily use for over fifteen years and it looks like the day I built it.

Realize you can get other finish-grade plywood that has hardwood veneer if you desire a very upscale look.

Should I Get Birch Plywood?

You can also get wood species like birch that has very little grain to it and is very smooth. Spend some time at the lumberyard and see what they stock!

Brandi asked a similar question. Read her email in my Fast Desktop column.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local finish carpenters who can build this desktop in minutes.

Column 1087

February 12, 2017 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

It's coming - perhaps the biggest storm of the season.

Twelve hours from now, the maw of the Nor'easter could be directly overhead. If you're a new subscriber, I live in central New Hampshire.

January was a fairly dry month with little snow, but February is making up for lost time.

Today may be the day I lose access to my front walk for a month or more.

I thought you'd be interested in this before photo I took just after 7:00 am this morning. It's the calm before the storm.

See that stick at the end of the walk? It's an 8-foot grade pole one uses with a laser level or builders transit.

The pile of snow at the end of the walk is 6-feet tall.

Snow cascades off the two roofs on either side of the walk and from above my head. It's a box canyon.

I didn't build this house and the architect that designed it was obviously from Antigua or Houston, Texas. IDIOT

I'll have an after photo, and probably video, for you on Tuesday.

​​​​​​​Assuming I survive.

3-Stage Snowblower Video Review

Two days ago, I taped a video of the best snowblower I've ever used. It's made in the USA.

It's a Troy-Bilt Vortex 2490. The vortex name comes from the unique center high-speed auger that chews through crusty snow like I eat a Skyline Chili 5-way after being deprived for six, or more, months.

CLICK HERE or the photo of the spinning auger below and watch the video. I was a little excited at the end. You'll probably laugh. If not, you may need to meet me in person.

Soft Close Photos

My very good friends at LE Johnson want me to share a few stunning photos with you.

Each one of the doors you'll see can be equipped with their revolutionary soft-close mechanism.

Cool Blue Glow

Green Trilobite Vase Destractor

Giant Tri-Panel Slider

Electric Linesman's Dream Bedroom

Hidden Red Rotating Machines of Cleanliness

To discover how you can adapt your current LE Johnson pocket, slider or wall-mount doors with the soft-close hardware, CLICK HERE NOW.

It goes without saying you can get it on new LE Johnson doors too!

Maggie's Paint-Review Observation

You may be one of my subscribers that I've shaken your hand or given you a hug. I'm blessed to have been able to see you in person.

Maybe I've stayed at your home, ridden in your Jeep in Sedona and flown around the red rocks in a helicopter you rented or gone to your splendid gun and rod club.

I could go on and on and it's my hope to meet you one day if our paths have yet to cross.

There's also an elite group of subscribers who've sent me things or made something for me. It's almost impossible to describe that joy or wonderment!

Maggie's in this group. She loves to knit and most recently made me a Morse muff. It's a stunning hand-warming muff I can use while doing outdoor amateur radio in the cold.

I had a case of frostbite in my late teens to both hands and the doctor told me I'd forever have heightened cold sensitivity. He was spot on.

But I digress!!!!!

Maggie emailed my last week after I introduced you to the two amazing True Value paints - the X-O Rust spray paint and the EasyCare interior paint.

Here are links to the two reviews I did:

X-O Rust spray paint

EasyCare interior paint

You can get these at your local True Value hardware store, but I also provided links to both paints at Amazon.com.

Maggie went to Amazon, poked around and read the reviews.

Here's what she emailed me:

"True Value might want to look at how few stars their paint is being given: not exactly a raving endorsement?

I’m not sure why I’d want to buy paint online unless it was exactly a color/brand I’ve had before but even that would be a stretch. Seeing those reviews would deter me from going to the store!"

I also received a grumble comment from a subscriber who had an issue with the X-O Rust spray paint.

Here was my response to Maggie and the other subscriber. My thoughts are based on selling my Stain Solver oxygen bleach for twenty-one years and having to deal with complaining customers.

1. You never ever should assume the person writing the review (complaining) knows how to do the project or use the material.

2. The reviewer could have a dog in the fight. They could work for a competing company, distributor or retailer.

3. The reviewer could be like many who NEVER EVER read the instructions on the label.

4. The reviewer may not possess the needed hand-eye coordination required to get excellent results.

I could go on and on......

When it comes to paint, you need to realize that MANY PEOPLE have NO CLUE how to apply paint. I know because I've WATCHED THEM TRY TO PAINT.

They might be using cheap rollers and brushes. They may not have washed the walls.

They may be over-rolling the paint and spreading it too thin.

They may not have shaken the can of spray paint enough so the solids needed for coverage get mixed in.

They may not know how to spray paint. Their lack of skill then causes runs or other defects.

Get the point? Don't ASSUME the reviewers are QUALIFIED to render a valid and objective opinion.

Latest Revised Columns

There's some unbelievable revised content below.

You'd be remiss if you don't at least CLICK EACH ONE and skim it.

Some of the photos and videos you'll see are beyond description:

Roof Ventilation with Turbine Vents - THE BEST

How to Wallpaper Over Drywall - SPECIAL TRICK

Can I Cut My Roof Trusses? Yes, But….!

Treated Wood Foundations - Not For Me

How to Connect Cabinets

Washing Machine Water Valve Stuck

Small Engine Storage Tips

How To Repair Chipped Ceramic Tile

R Value Meaning and Map

Painting Walls or Trim First - Well…..

Tile Falls Off Walls​​​​​​​

Shed Floor Material - What’s Best?

Hot Garage Ventilation

How to Clean a Deck

Drywall Cutting Tools and Tips

Foundation Footer or Footing

Water in Heating Ducts - STOP the Water!

Scissors Truss Design - Vaulted Ceiling Baby!

Kitchen Exhaust Fan 101 - Important!

Land Clearing - Rarely DIY

Painting Steps - They Look Great!

HOLY TOMATO!!!!

That's a boatload of revisions. I'm doing it so you have a better user experience at www.AsktheBuilder.com.

Do you LIKE the revisions???

Got to go get ready for the blizzard! Wish me luck!!!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

Painting Steps

Posted on by Tim Carter
stencil steps

These steps are painted and have a great stencil pattern on each tread. There are highlights as well on the ends of each tread. ©2017 Tim Carter

Painting Steps TIPS

DEAR TIM: Yesterday I stopped by a friend’s house and she was painting steps. These were wood steps leading to her basement.

It looked fantastic, as she was using a stencil. What’s the best paint for steps?

How do you keep the steps looking great for years, as I feel the paint will get scuffed and look horrible in no time. Please give me as many tips as possible, because I want my steps to look better than my friends. Pam W., Green Bay, WI

DEAR PAM: There’s no need to make this into a competition. In fact, I hope you share what you discover so that your friend’s steps stay looking great for years.

Basketball

Let’s talk about painting steps and painting floors. I can see why you might be worried about durability of standard paint, as paint is typically a softer substance and can scratch fairly easily.

But if you’re a fan of indoor sports, you’ve seen painted floors that take enormous abuse and probably never even thought about what you were looking at.

For example, think about the paint on basketball, volleyball and even badminton courts. Those are almost always hardwood floors that get large sections painted or at the very least lines and logos.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local painters that can paint your steps.

Urethane Coating

The reason they look good year after year is simple. The paint is protected by numerous coats of clear finish that’s no different than what you’d put on your stained hardwood floors.

Rapid Curing

You can use just about any paint for your steps, but it’s best if you can find one that cures quickly. Years ago, oil-based paints tended to cure faster than latex paints, but paint chemistry has advanced such that many latex paints have a rapid cure time.

Curing is the process that paint undergoes as it gets hard. Understand that there’s interesting chemistry happening when paint dries. It goes from a liquid material to one that’s pretty hard.

Doing this liberates any number of chemicals into the air. This transformation from liquid to solid happens during the curing process. The trouble is it can take days or weeks to happen.

Porch Paint

I suggest getting a paint that’s high quality. There are paints made to be walked on. They're some of the best around. Often on the label they say they're for porches. CLICK HERE to see an assortment of excellent porch paints that can be tinted just about any color.

porch paint

Here's a great porch paint you can tint to any color you want. CLICK THE IMAGE TO BUY IT NOW.

More $$$ = Better Paint

Price is usually a great barometer of quality. Keep in mind that paint is simply colored glue, so you want a really good glue that will stick to your steps. Great glues or adhesives in the paint tend to be more expensive.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local painters that can paint your steps.

Test First

I highly recommend taking some scrap wood to test what you’re going to do. Some of the most unique steps I’ve seen painted are ones where the entire set of steps is painted a base color such as an off white with the colored stencil patterns applied as highlights.

You want to practice on these scrap pieces of wood until you really refine the process of working with stencils or even free-hand painting of patterns.

Stand Back

Be careful about being too critical of your work. Always stand back 4 or 5 feet to view the finished work.

You’ll be surprised how artwork you see regularly doesn’t really have tremendous detail. Your brain tends to make any missing connections that the artist left out.

Read The Label

When you get ready to start painting the actual steps, read carefully the label on your paint can or cans. Follow the directions to the letter. It’s very important that the surfaces you’re painting be clean and dust free.

Use regular soap and water to wash the steps making sure you rinse and dry them. If the steps have a glossy finish, you need to rough them up so the new paint bonds well. You can use sandpaper or liquid deglossers.

paint deglosser

This is a great deglosser. It's super easy to work with. CLICK THE IMAGE NOW TO ORDER IT.

 

Water-Base Urethane

After your new paintwork is complete, you need to protect it. I prefer to use clear water-based urethanes for this. The water-based urethanes tend to stay clear for years.

varathan polyurethane

I've had excellent results with this clear water-based urethane. It dries FAST. CLICK THE IMAGE TO ORDER SOME NOW.

Oil-based urethanes had a strong tendency to develop a golden patina. This may appeal to you. If so, see if you can still find oil-based urethanes. Laws controlling volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have really stifled the production of these products.

Four Coats

Because steps take so much abuse, I’d apply no less than four coats of urethane. The water-based products have a quick dry and re-coat time, and it’s possible you may be able to apply all the coats in one day if you assist the drying process.

Be sure to read the instructions on the urethane can to get the best results.

Practice Makes Perfect

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of practicing using the stencil patterns. You want to make sure the results on each step are fairly uniform, so develop a technique you can repeat as you work your way up or down the steps.

Traffic Flow

The biggest problem you’ll have, if the stairs are the only way up and down in your home is determining how to maintain a flow of traffic while the work is going on. Be very careful of people wearing socks as the fibers from the socks can bond to tacky or uncured paint or urethane.

Farm Them Out

You may want to send as many family members as possible to a friend’s or relative’s house while you ramrod this project. Less feet around the house will ensure success!

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local painters that can paint your steps.

Column 820

Land Clearing

Posted on by Tim Carter

NH lot cleared

Land Clearing TIPS

DEAR TIM: Land clearing is now on my radar since I purchased some raw land to build a new home. The land has lots of large trees and just a few bushes.

I don't know where to start or how to do this. Is clearing land something I should consider doing myself?

What kind of land clearing equipment would I need? Are there regulations about land clearing that affect what I do? Mike G., Hewlett, NY

DEAR MIKE: I can think of lots of do-it-yourself projects, but I have to be honest; land clearing would be either at the bottom of the list or left off on purpose.

Big Toys

Clearing land is hard work, and typically involves lots of large heavy equipment not usually operated by weekend warriors. I'm not saying you can't do this, but I'm saying it's a very large-scale project, even if it's a smaller building lot.

The list of land clearing equipment starts with simple hand tools and can extend all the way up to enormous bulldozers used for clearing land.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local land-clearing contractors who have big machines!

Chain Saws

At the very least you'll need a powerful commercial grade chain saw or two and all the safety equipment that one uses with chain saws.

chain saw

This is a great brand-name saw. It's a powerful one that will cut large trees with no problems. Be SURE to buy chaps, a helmet with visor and safety glasses at the same time. CLICK HERE TO GET THIS GREAT SAW NOW.

If you've never operated a chain saw, then you must obtain training. Felling trees is extremely dangerous.

Even when a tree has fallen, it can have stored energy that can cause the tree to roll or move in such a way to cause the saw to bind or you to get crushed.

Keep Chain Sharp

Chain saws used all day in the field require sharpening. If you use a handy special tool, you can field dress a chain in about ten minutes.

Watch this video to see how easy it is to do.

Many Ways

There are all sorts of ways to do land clearing and if you ask five experts, you most likely will get five different answers. The method chosen often has lots to do with what happens to the trees and bushes that are being removed.

Cash Crop

You may live in an area like I do where trees are used to create electricity. I have a power plant just twelve miles from my house that burns wood chips instead of coal or natural gas. There are many local companies near me always looking to clear trees to sell to the power plant.

You may locate a contractor that will clear most of your small trees for free. If this happens, be prepared to deal with the slash, that's the name for left-over branches, that's left behind.

Rip Them Out

Some land-clearing experts love to push down the entire tree, and then move it over to a place on the land where it can be processed. Your lot, or that of someone else, may have trees suitable for lumber processing.

Don't automatically think all trees need to be ground up or cut for firewood. Some land-clearing contractors have giant machines that can grind up entire stumps. 

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local land-clearing contractors who have big machines!

Stumps

Other contractors like to cut down the tree leaving a stump that sticks out of the ground about three feet. The stump stub gives a bulldozer leverage to pop the stump out of the ground much like a wisdom tooth from a teenager's jaw.

Stump Removal Video

Watch this video to see how to use a DIY excavator machine to rip out stumps FAST!

Timber Sale

Before you do anything, you may want to see if you have any valuable timber on the land. You might be surprised to discover the trees you intend to remove might have value to someone.

Be sure to get multiple estimates from timber buyers. In some cases, they'll actually come in and do the tree removal for you as part of the deal. If you decide to do this, get referrals from other landowners who worked with the timber company.

Some timber companies respect landowners and the land, while others tend to think only of themselves leaving you with a giant mess as well as a raped and scarred piece of land.

Permits

You need to check with your local government as well as regional and state officials. There may be scads of regulations regarding land clearing including, but not limited to, timber permits, silt fencing, tree ordinances, burning, composting, burying organic material, etc.

Land clearing is considered by many to be a harmful process, so it can be highly regulated in many areas. Some places will allow you to burn the brush and limbs, while others might require you to grind and compost the trees and bushes.

Rent DIY Machines

You often can rent medium-sized equipment that can do a somewhat respectable job of clearing land. Recently, I rented a powerful skid-steer loader that was able to move stumps that weighed over two tons.

The same tool-rental company rented a tracked excavator backhoe. This machine allowed me to dig drainage trenches and remove stumps with ease.

lot clearing - Tim with excavator

This mid-sized tracked excavator does a superb job of removing stumps in a matter of minutes. PHOTO CREDIT: Brent Walter

Requires Skill

I've used this type of mechanical equipment for years, so I was very proficient with it. It can take hours or days for a beginner to learn how to extract the most efficiency from these powerful machines, so don't expect to get lots of work done the first few times using this land-clearing machinery.

Training

If you decide to rent equipment like this, have frank discussions with the tool rental company. Ask if they have a training facility where you can learn how to safely use the machines.

One At A Time

If you decide to cut down the trees using a chain saw, try to avoid cutting down multiple trees that fall down upon one another. You may end up with a rat's nest of limbs that make it hard to get at and remove the debris.

Help Needed

You should absolutely try to recruit helpers when you start this land-clearing project. You'll almost always have some hand work to do with smaller tools and it can become tedious if you try this alone.

It's also a great idea to have others there for safety reasons. If someone gets hurt, the others can give first aid or call for help.

Erosion Issues

Once the land is cleared, erosion becomes a serious threat. Consider seeding the ground with some sort of grass that will hold the topsoil. Annual rye grass is sometimes used if you are working in the fall.

Talk with a local extension agent or government soil district employee who knows how to preserve this valuable natural resource.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local land-clearing contractors who have big machines!

Column 700

Kitchen Exhaust Fan

Posted on by Tim Carter
range hood over pot filler

PHOTO CAPTION: This high-powered kitchen exhaust fan is tucked up under a decorative hood. It is sized properly for the large kitchen. ©2017 Tim Carter

"Generally speaking, I prefer the overhead kitchen exhaust fans rather than the down-draft ones simply because hot air rises."

Kitchen Exhaust Fan TIPS

DEAR TIM: My new kitchen plans call for a new kitchen exhaust fan. To be more precise, a kitchen hood exhaust fan has been suggested.

Is one kitchen stove exhaust fan more effective than another? Years ago the down-draft exhaust fans were popular.

What exhaust fan is in your kitchen if you don't mind me asking? How do I make sure the kitchen exhaust fan I select will adequately ventilate my kitchen? Where does the replacement air enter the house? Kathleen K., Exeter, NH

DEAR KATHLEEN: You're asking all of the right questions about your new kitchen exhaust fan.

What Are the Biggest Kitchen Exhaust Fan Mistakes?

The biggest kitchen exhaust fan mistakes are:

  • fan not large enough
  • vent pipes too small or unsealed
  • no makeup air

It's important to realize I see builders and remodelers fall down here. Either the fan installed is not powerful enough for the size of the kitchen, the installer fails to vent it properly, or overlooks the need for makeup air.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who install fans.

Do the Fans Get Rid of Grease Vapor?

Yes, the exhaust fans do exhaust grease vapor.

It must be remembered you really need a good kitchen exhaust-fan system if you cook greasy foods and boil foods. The cooking process often creates both visible particles as well as an invisible aerosol mist of grease and smoke.

Grease can and does coat the surfaces of your kitchen if they're not vacuumed and exhausted to the exterior of your home. Sooner or later even with a great exhaust fan, you can still develop a fine coating of grease on light fixtures, cabinets, walls, and ceilings. This is the voice of experience talking.

What is the Best Performing Exhaust Fan?

Generally speaking, I prefer the overhead kitchen exhaust fans rather than the down-draft ones simply because hot air rises. Why not use that physical axiom to your advantage and collect the cooking vapors with a hood?

How Do You Size the Fan?

The fan manufacturers have sizing charts that allow you to purchase the correct fan to match the size of your kitchen.

My kitchen exhaust fan is matched to the size of my kitchen. The fan is a powerful three-speed model that has brilliant halogen bulbs that are built-in to the fan.

There are three removable grease-collector screens that we take out regularly and put into our dishwasher. When the fan is on the highest fan speed, it sucks 1,100 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) from above our cooktop and pushes it outside.

Should I Use Solid Metal Duct to Vent the Fan?

Solid metal duct should be used to vent the fan all the way out and through a roof or a sidewall of your home. Tape all duct seams with aluminum metal duct tape, not plastic tape.

aluminum duct tape

This is metal tape. Yes, it's aluminum that has a high-grade adhesive on the back. This is what pros use to tape ductwork. CLICK THE PHOTO now to have this delivered to your home.

Another key point is the fan is connected to metal ductwork that extends from the fan all the way to the roof of my home.

IMPORTANT TIP: Each joint in the ductwork was carefully taped with special metal-foil duct tape by my ventilation contractor.

It's very important that no air seeps from the duct to other parts of the house. If that were to happen, hidden spaces in your home could become grease-covered posing a significant fire hazard.

How Do You Vent Through the Roof?

The exhaust from my fan exits the roof through a special roof cap that is made to handle that much air flow. It was easy to install so that rain does not enter the house.

Kitchen Exhaust Fan

>This is a large-capacity roof cap or vent hood. An 8-inch duct connects to it. You need to match the size to your fan. CLICK THIS IMAGE TO BUY THIS ROOF CAP.

Roof Cap Installation Video

Watch the following video to see how to install one of these roof caps.

What is the Formula for Exhaust Fan Sizing?

Many experts simply measure the square footage of the kitchen floor and multiply that by two to arrive at the cubic-feet-per-minute of output for the fan.

For example, since my kitchen is 350 square feet, I would need a fan that must exhaust at least 700 CFM of airflow. My fan can do that on its middle speed, and the highest speed produces the massive 1,100 CFM of air movement.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who install fans.

How Much Replacement Air is Required?

You need to supply the fan with as much replacement air as it is exhausting out of your home.

You're really observant to recognize that large kitchen exhaust fans like these have a voracious appetite for air. You need to replace every cubic foot of air the fan pushes to the outside.

IMPORTANT TIP: You absolutely must control where the replacement are comes from. You need to put in a special fresh-air intake hood that's large enough to suck in the needed air.

How Do I Avoid Dangerous Backdrafts?

In today's modern homes that are well sealed for energy reasons, sucking that much air out of a house can cause serious backdrafting issues if a makeup air inlet is not installed. Backdrafting can cause deadly carbon monoxide to be drawn back down a chimney or metal vent pipe and/or smoke or smoke odors from fireplaces.

What is the Path of Least Resistance For Replacement Air?

The path of least resistance for replacement air is that path where air enters your home with the least amount of effort.

Newer homes are so airtight that when the air is sucked from a house by a powerful fan, it replaces that air with air from outdoors through the path of least resistance.

That path could be a furnace or water-heater vent, a chimney, or another vent that is open to the atmosphere. Installing a makeup-air vent solves this problem in almost all cases as outside air can easily flow through this device into the home.

Should I Read the Installation Instructions?

Before you buy a kitchen exhaust fan, it's always a good idea to get the written installation instructions from the manufacturer. These documents will often contain sizing guidelines as well as detailed step-by-step methods the manufacturer wants you to follow to keep the warranty in force.

Reading these ensures that the fan you are considering is the right size and that you can satisfy the minimum installation requirements.

What Size Should the Duct Be?

The exhaust duct size should be what's called out in the written installation instructions. Do not go smaller and larger is not a good idea either. Do exactly what the installation instructions say to do.

Resist the temptation to use smaller ducting for the fan. Some people think that the size of the exhaust piping is not that important. Believe me, you must use the exact pipe as called for, and be sure that you do not exceed the maximum length of pipe allowed.

How Many Bends Can I Put in the Ducting?

The written instructions will almost always tell you to avoid 90-degree bends, and how many and what type of bends can be put in the exhaust piping. The instructions will also tell you the maximum length the exhaust duct can be.

These hard bends in the pipe create significant restrictions that make it hard for the fan to exhaust the air from your kitchen.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who install fans.

Column 725

Scissors Truss Design

Posted on by Tim Carter
scissor truss

A scissor truss provides support while providing a vaulted interior. Note how the bottom chords are not flat. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

"I think the motto of truss engineers is: If you can dream it, we can build it."

Scissors Truss Design Checklist

What is a Scissor Truss?

A scissor truss is a truss that has sloped bottom chords that create a sloping inverted-V shape inside the room under the truss.

A scissors truss is a really cool roof framing option. You not only get the speed of framing that you get with common trusses but also the added benefits of an interior sloped ceiling.

Related Links

Attic Trusses Create Free Bonus Rooms

Storage Trusses Work Well Over Garages

What is the Normal Interior Slope of the Scissor Truss?

The slope of the interior bottom chord of the scissor truss is one-half the slope of the outer roof.

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get bids from local carpenters who work with trusses all the time.

For example, if you have a fairly steep 8:12-pitch roof outside, your inside vaulted ceiling pitch will be 4:12.

Those numbers stand for inches of rise per foot of run. In other words, the 8:12 means the roof goes up 8 inches for every horizontal foot it travels.

How Do Engineers Calculate a Scissor Truss?

The companies that fabricate the trusses use sophisticated software to design the trusses. You provide the span of the roof and the desired exterior roof pitch and the software does the rest.

You can ask the structural engineer at the truss fabrication plant if there is a way to increase the interior slope, but I doubt you'll get much more than one-half the slope of the exterior roof surface.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from carpenters who work with trusses all the time.

Can you Create a Partial Scissor Truss?

Yes, you can create a partial scissor truss where the bottom chord starts off at a slope but then flattens out before it slopes down to the opposite exterior bearing wall.

I think the motto of truss engineers is: If you can dream it, we can build it.

I say this because I've been to truss manufacturing plants and seen countless drawings for trusses of all different shapes.

A few years ago a new home being built near where I live in central New Hampshire had a unique truss that was a partial scissor truss.

The truss had a short bottom chord for a short distance where it came up off the exterior walls and then the bottom chord flattened out until it approached the other exterior wall.

Here I am at the job site with the truss! Watch this video to see this unique scissor truss.

This truss was used in a large garage where the owner wanted a taller ceiling, but this truss could have just as easily been used indoor where a homeowner had a large room they wanted some sloped ceiling as well as flat in the same room.

Remember, the closer you get to the actual exterior slope, you negate the impact of the interior truss components. A true cathedral ceiling using regular rafters mimics the actual roof slope because each rafter becomes a large beam.

Can You Mix Scissor Trusses With Normal Trusses?

Yes, you can mix and match trusses! Over part of your home you can have scissors trusses, while over another part you can have common ones and over the garage, you can have attic or storage trusses.

The cool thing is that from the outside no one would ever know since the exterior roof slope of all the trusses is identical. Ask your builder to explore all truss options including attic trusses and storage trusses!

CLICK HERE to read about attic trusses.

CLICK HERE to read about storage trusses.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from carpenters who work with trusses all the time.

Column B348

Water in Heating Ducts

Posted on by Tim Carter
HVAC Floor Vent

Use a wet-dry vacuum to suck out water from the ducts under a concrete slab. © 2017 Tim Carter

Water in Heating Ducts TIPS

DEAR TIM: My husband and I live in a one-story home built on a slab. The home was built thirty years ago and we are the fourth owners. A few days ago I heard a bubbling noise coming from one of the floor heating vents.

I looked inside the vent and there was standing water! We pumped out water for two hours but the vents filled back up.

Where is the water coming from? How can we stop it? Do you think this problem was known by the previous owner and if so, do we have any recourse? Lynn F., Norcross, GA

DEAR LYNN: Oh my goodness. You've got a serious problem or two.

Water Is In Soil

Water is in just about every soil to one degree or another. I majored in geology in college and took a deep interest in hydrogeology - the study of groundwater.

This sub-surface water can not only cause enormous problems for people who own slabs, but those who have houses on crawlspaces and those built with full basements. Many people who own a slab house think they are immune to problems caused by subsurface water. But I can't begin to tell you how many emails I receive from people who have your identical problem: flooded buried heating and cooling ducts.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who specialize in duct relocation and problems.

Water Moves Sideways

The problem is happening because water often moves sideways through soil instead of straight down. If you lived in parts of Florida or other parts of the USA where the soil is extremely sandy and drains like water passing through a cooking colander, we'd not be having this conversation. But my guess is that your home is built on soil that has a certain percentage of clay.

When rainwater falls onto the ground it readily passes through the topsoil as this upper level of the soil frequently contains lots of air voids. But as you go deeper into clay soils, the soil becomes extremely dense and often water is blocked from going down.

drain tile

Here's a side view of a typical house. The black clouds release rain. It falls into the soil and starts to go down, but then sideways. The bedrock under the soil generally, but not always, follows the shape of the soil above it. Soil depths can vary from several feet to tens-of-feet thick. ©2017 Tim Carter

The water then starts to move sideways through the soil always flowing downhill and often pops to the surface as a spring. This water is the fuel that creates creeks, streams and rivers.

Thousands of Gallons

If you look outside your home and imagine the vast amount of soil that might be higher in elevation than your house, you might be amazed to learn that there are hundreds of thousands of gallons of water in the soil much of which is moving directly towards your home.

This water can easily find its way under the slab and into the ductwork beneath the slab. It's no wonder the vents filled back up after you pumped them out.

Capture The Water

Anyone who suffers from subsurface water that is invading any part of a house can stop it in almost all cases by capturing the water outdoors and then redirecting this water to the lowest part of the lot.

I've stopped water getting into ducts for decades with my Linear French Drain. CLICK HERE to get a fantastic Streaming Video showing you a DIY install method.

Linear French Drain Streaming Video

Do your own DIY install of a Linear French Drain with Tim Carter's time-tested methods and materials! CLICK IMAGE TO ORDER NOW!

Linear French Drain Video

Watch this quick video to show you how well the linear french drain in my Streaming Video works! Yes, it's the same drain the spring after it was installed!

Gutter In The Ground

Think of how gutters work on the roof of a house. Gutters capture the vast amount of water on a roof, channel it to various outlet holes within the gutter and then this water is piped away from the roof.

Ideally rainwater from a roof should be piped far away from a house and not be allowed to drop out of downspouts onto simple splash blocks adjacent to a foundation.

draintile

Splash blocks don't do much to channel water away from the foundation. © 2017 Roger Henthorn

Easy DIY Trench

You can capture the subsurface water by digging a trench around the outside of your home. This trench should be placed about 6 to 8-feet away from the edge of your home.

Call 811 first to have any underground utilities marked.

Dig this trench 6 inches wide and between 18 to 24 inches deep. The bottom of the trench should be parallel with the soil as it goes around your home. The trench should be extended away from the house and needs to end up at or near the lowest point of elevation on your building lot.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local landscapers who might dig your linear french drain trench.

Level Trench

As the trench starts away from the house, make the bottom of the trench nearly level. As the ground falls away from the house, the trench will become shallower and eventually the bottom of the trench will be level with the top of the soil.

Best Gravel

You place a 1 or 2-inch layer of washed 1-inch diameter gravel in the bottom of the trench and then place a 4-inch diameter perforated pipe in the trench.

Fill the trench with more 1-inch washed gravel until you are within 1 or 2 inches of the top of the trench. You can place pieces of sod over the gravel.

Path Of Resistance

The subsurface water will now pass through the soil and enter the trench. Because it is easier to pass through gravel instead of soil, the water will drop down to the pipe.

There it will enter the pipe and be transported rapidly away from your home to the lowest part of your lot. The underside of your slab will never be saturated with water again.

Disclosure Law Weenie

If your state has a property disclosure law and the previous owners knew of this serious defect, they may have been obligated to bring this flaw to your attention. You should call the Realtor you used in the transaction to see if there was a property disclosure form that was not given to you.

The last house I purchased was sold to me by a liar. He lied about three or four water issues. My father-in-law had a saying about people like this: The mills of the gods grind slowly but thoroughly.

Fire Department Run Records

You can also stop by your local fire department. Just about every fire department in the nation keeps very good records of each time they leave the station and are asked to put out a fire or help in a situation.

If they were ever called to the house to help pump out the vents, you know the previous owner knew there was a problem. Well there is always the possibility your local fire department has mystic extra-sensory-perception powers!

Serious Health Issues

Water in buried heating and cooling ducts can cause serious health problems. The water in the ducts can initiate the growth of mold. Each time the heating or cooling system operates, the air moving through the ducts can blast millions of mold spores throughout the house.

Relocate Ducts

Although expensive to do, it might be a good idea to investigate the feasibility of moving the ducts into the attic space. The one-time expense may be a great way to protect the health of you and your family.

Believe it or not, it may be cheaper to abandon the under-floor ducts and put everything up in the attic. You'll save the cost of the linear french drain and cleaning the ducts out.

What's more, if you hire a real pro who knows how to properly size ducts so you have the proper flow into each room and the system maintains static pressure throughout, you could be more comfortable with the new ducts!

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who specialize in duct relocation and problems.

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