Ever try an electronic stud finder?
As a representative of the Zircon Corporation, I find it extremely frustrating to see a photo sidebar and several paragraphs about “How to Find Those Studs” that doesn’t even mention the fact that electronic stud locators, such as Zircon’s StudSensor, exist (FHB #146, “Installing Baseboard,” p. 88). Is author John Spier really that out of it?
All those little tricks John uses to find studs are at best problematic, are certainly not quick and can be messy. In the case of nailing pilot holes around electrical wires, it’s not at all safe. At least tell readers to turn off the power if they plan to nail around a stud that might have an electrical wire running down it.
What’s the alternative? It is an electronic stud locator. It won’t cost much ($15 to $30). Set it on the wall, press one button, move it right or left until you find the edge of a stud. Find the other edge, and between the two is the dead center of the stud. Total time, five seconds. Total holes, one (with a nail in it). Total skinned knuckles, none. Total guesswork involved, none.
I’m not writing to persuade John to use electronic stud locators; I doubt if that is possible. But you owe it to your readers to let them know that there is an alternative to the archaic, confusing and frustrating methods John uses to find studs.
I will send you two of our newest StudSensors. They provide three reliable indications of a stud edge: an audio signal, an LED indicator and a SpotLite that shines a light over stud edges. Please keep one for your editors to try, and give one to John with Zircon’s compliments. I think you’ll all be pleasantly surprised at how easy and fast it is to find studs with them. And I hope your future readers will be the real beneficiaries of this knowledge.
—Dan D. Harrell, public relations and advertising, Zircon Corporation, Campbell, CA
John Spier replies: If Mr. Harrell assumes that I will be too narrow-minded to try his stud finder, why is he sending me a free one? I have seen them, but almost never in professional hands. Granted, my methods require skill and practice, but they are the time-tested methods used by thousands of good trim carpenters. Also, in a professionally built house, the stud layouts are highly precise and predictable, and unprotected wiring is nowhere within range of errant baseboard nails. I will be happy to give the Zircon StudSensor an honest assessment when I’m working on my next trim job. I didn’t learn my trade by being afraid to try new techniques.
Window seats need safe windows
I enjoyed reading Sarah Susanka’s “Drawing Board” column “Designing a window seat” (FHB #145, pp. 38, 40, 42) and think a window seat is a great place to relax and let your mind wander. A bird feeder outside or a pair of binoculars on the windowsill are recommended additions.
As a custom-window manufacturer, my company has made windows specifically for window seats. In all cases, the local building code required that the windows being used at window seats have safety glass in them. For obvious reasons, the window at a window seat is more vulnerable than a standard window application.
Other applications where safety glass is required are in stairwell windows, windows in bathrooms around tubs and showers, and usually anything within 18 in. of the finish floor.
—Thomas Smidutz, The Woodstone Company, via e-mail
Where to staple the insulation: an alternative view
I would like to share a different viewpoint on where to staple the flange of faced insulation: on the front of the stud or on the side (FHB #145, “Q&A” p. 20, 22).
First, there is no code specification as to where to staple the flange. Mr. Leger’s answer is his interpretation of the code. Specifically, his argument for stapling the insulation to the front of the stud is based on a quote from the International Residential Code, which says, “When these materials are installed in concealed spaces, the flame-spread and smoke-developed limitations do not apply to the facings, provided that the facing is installed in substantial contact with the unexposed surface of the ceiling, floor or wall finish.”
The code does not say “complete contact”; it says “substantial contact.” From the illustration provided on p. 22 and from actual on-site experience, one can see that substantial contact is still achieved when the flange is stapled to the side of the stud. In the absence of something more concrete than opinion and interpretations, it is wrong to claim that side-stapling is a fire danger; there’s no concrete evidence to back this up.
My 22 years of experience hanging drywall have taught me that when homeowners staple the insulation flange to the face of the studs, it creates two problems. First, it hides the backing and creates a situation where the hangers now have to search manually for the exact location of the stud or joist. If a butt joint occurs on a stud, that joint must occur in the middle of a 11⁄2-in. surface that is hidden behind the insulation flanges. Second, and of greater concern than slowing down the application process: Stapling the insulation flange to the face of the stud creates a cushion between the drywall and the stud. This reduces the strength of the wood/drywall contact, which allows for more wood movement in the house, which in turn will cause more fastener pops.
Here’s a quote from the Gypsum Association’s GA-216 “Application and Finishing of Gypsum Board” (Section 4.2.1): “Insulation batts and blankets or the flanges of insulation batts and blankets shall not be applied to the face of framing members to which the gypsum board is to be attached.”
—Pat Carrasco, Bozeman, MT
Gene Leger replies: Mr. Carrasco is correct: The codes neither say where to staple nor do they call for “complete contact.” But he also errs. I do not interpret Section R320.1 of the IRC 2000 code to say that face-stapling and complete contact are required.
Arguing that the illustration shows substantial contact ignores the compression of the insulation and the open airspace that results. It is no secret that nationwide, the quality of fiberglass installations is poor. In many instances we’ve seen inset stapling with little or no contact between the kraft facing and the gypsum board. In his book The Exemplary Homebuilder’s Field Guide (North Carolina Alternative Energy Corp., 1994), Joe Lstiburek cautions us to “… avoid side-stapling the flanges to the studs or joists. This both compresses the insulation and creates air channels, both of which seriously reduce the effectiveness of the insulation. Be sure, however, your drywall contractor knows this before bidding, it may cause him to charge a little more.”
The BOCA 1993 Commentary Volume 1 is also aware of the potential fire hazard of the airspace: “The potential for flame spread is greatly diminished when the facings are installed in direct contact with the finish material, because of the lack of airspace to support a fire if it were to be exposed to a source of ignition.”
CertainTeed, a fiberglass-insulation manufacturer, says that face-stapling or inset-stapling is acceptable. But they warn installers to remember the code-required substantial contact. This acknowledges that less than substantial contact is possible.
Inset-stapling doesn’t affect R-value
With regard to kraft-faced fiberglass batt insulation, the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, the trade association that represents the manufacturer of fiberglass insulation, recommends face- or inset-stapling; both methods are acceptable from a fire-safety and energy-conservation standpoint.
In his “Q&A” response, Mr. Leger incorrectly states that kraft-faced insulation is a hazard when it is inset-stapled. Fire-testing on wall assemblies with this configuration shows that the small space resulting from inset-stapling is not enough to allow flames to spread through the assembly. Model building codes state that insulation facings (kraft, polyethylene, etc.) are permitted when “the facing is installed in substantial contact with the unexposed surface of the ceiling, wall or wall finish.” The requirement for “substantial contact” is different from complete contact. Substantial is defined as “being largely but not wholly that which is specified” and inset-stapling allows the facing to be largely in contact.
Regarding energy conservation, again, the space is too small to have any measurable effect on the energy-efficiency of the wall. In theory, if there were a large and continuous gap open at the top and bottom of the wall (a situation that would be difficult to create), one could have some reduction in the wall’s overall R-value. The fact is that thermal testing on wall assemblies with inset-stapling shows no difference in R-value between face- and inset-stapling. It is also important to note that inset-stapling allows the drywall contractor to glue the drywall to the stud faces and accomplish a seal that prevents air movement. This is good practice that reduces air movement with all types of insulation.
—Charles C. Cottrell, director, technical services, North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, Alexandria, VA
A clarification on nailer switches
In response to the letter from Makita’s Vince Caito in the April/May issue (FHB #146, p. 6), I’m sorry if Mr. Caito felt that we overlooked Makita’s switchable triggering modes on the AN901 and AN922 framing nailers. Both nailers feature switches that enable two operating modes, bounce (also called bottom, or contact trip) firing and what we defined as single-shot firing, as well as an off position such as Craftsman and Max nailers have. In our description of the single-shot feature, we noted several of the tools that have firing-mode switches but did not indicate every nailer that possessed the feature. Omitted from that paragraph were Makita, Craftsman and Grizzly. Both Makita nailers were noted in the chart as having switchable firing modes, from bounce to single shot.
Mr. Caito’s comments may be due to a difference in the terms we use to describe firing modes. Although some manufacturers refer to their single-shot firing mode as “sequential,” there doesn’t seem to be consistency among manufacturers. So we defined our standard for sequential firing in the article. The main difference between “sequential” and “single shot” is that the contact tip of a sequential-firing tool must be placed on the work before the trigger is squeezed in order to cycle. If the tool’s trigger is squeezed first and then the contact tip pressed against the work, the tool will not fire. A single-shot triggering tool such as Makita’s will fire a single nail if the trigger is squeezed, and then the contact tip is pressed against the work (or a leg, or a head).
Of the tools we tested, only the Fasco nailers have a switch to change between bounce- and sequential-firing modes. Unfortunately, the caption beneath the Fasco tool on p. 70 incorrectly noted that the “Craftsman has a similar switch.” That was an oversight.
—Mike Guertin, East Greenwich, RI
Conduit is the best hedge against future wiring needs
The article on structured wiring in the February/March issue points out the need to provide multiple bandwidth streams throughout the home (FHB #145, pp. 92-97).
But trying to anticipate the future can get you into trouble. Pulling a bundled cable to one or two points in a room puts you in the position of second-guessing furniture arrangements. You could pull more cable drops into each room. But that gets expensive, and in the end most of what was pulled will never be used.
Within the next ten years, all your communications needs—voice, data, high-definition television, audio and home control—will be carried over a single medium. Just what that medium will be is still being decided.
Additional cabling needs arise that aren’t covered with structured wiring. Speaker wires are an example. How can all this wiring be accommodated without tearing walls open or running wires over the floor?
Personally, I prefer to make multiple runs of blue flexible electrical nonmetallic tubing (ENT, sometimes called “smurf tube”) to boxes in each room. I terminate the ENT in the attic or basement at easy access points. It comes in 200-ft. rolls at about 24¢ a foot. Additionally, I run a 2-in. plastic conduit (central-vacuum pipe works well) between the attic and basement dedicated solely for low-voltage distribution. These conduits give me the flexibility to pull whatever I want wherever I need it. I’ve used this practice for more than 12 years, and it’s the closest I have been able to come to futureproofing.
—Jay Neale, Afton, VA
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