Where’s the rebar in those foundation walls?
I found the article “Forming and Pouring Foundations” in the December 1998/January 1999 issue (FHB #120, pp. 64-71) informative with respect to form construction and layout. However, you should alert your readers that not all concrete foundations walls should be built without reinforcing bars, as are the walls that are featured in the article.
Although the ACI (American Concrete Institute) 318-95 allows plain structural concrete (Chapter 22) for walls, any wall as high as the one shown in the article should be designed by an engineer or be checked by the building department for its struc-tural adequacy.
—Jeffrey N. Johns, Medford, OR
I read with interest the article “Forming and Pouring Foundations” and think your readers may be interested in a structural engineer’s perspective on some of the information presented. What concerns me most is the lack of any steel reinforcement in the foundation walls. Even if the local building code does not require it, it would be prudent to include a minimum amount of reinforcement. For the case in hand, a curtain of reinforcement bars located at the center of the wall consisting of horizontal bars (#5 at 12 in. o. c.) and vertical bars (#5 at 18 in. o. c.) would provide a minimum amount of reinforcement.
—Paul Shanta, Redmond, WA
I was very intrigued by the foundation-wall article. A photo on p. 69 shows some steel-reinforcement bars lying in the dirt, but the article didn’t mention their placement. Nor was any rebar actually visible inside of the wall forms.
Call me picky, but it doesn’t seem that these techniques would pass in Seattle. Does BOCA not require rebar? Is Rhode Island special, or am I wasting time putting rebar in my work?
—D. Wilder, Seattle, WA
The editor replies: As magazine editors, we make hard choices about what to include and what to leave out of an article. Given that the topic of the foundation article was forming and pouring walls, and given that we were limited to eight pages, we eliminated any discussion of steel reinforcement, which clearly is a subject worthy of its own eight-page article. Although not required by the CABO code for Rhode Island’s seismic rating or for the soil conditions present, the authors nevertheless put in a double row of rebar along the top of the foundation. In other parts of the country, additional reinforcement appropriate to the seismic or soil conditions should always be included. (And in hindsight, we probably should have mentioned this fact in the article.) By the way, if any readers are interested in writing an article about working with rebar (and are qualified to do so), drop us a line.
Lightning is not to be trifled with
I am sure Rex Cauldwell’s advice on lightning protection for metal chimneys and roofs (FHB #120, “Questions & Answers,” pp. 18, 20) sparked the interest of many, especially those living in the Midwest. However, readers should not attempt such installations without first consulting a qualified professional having expertise in this field. A poorly designed lightning-protection system might be worse than no system at all.
Encouraging lightning current to follow the path you choose can be like taking your young puppy on her first walk down the street: The path actually taken bears little resemblance to the one you had intended. For those of us who are comfortable with wiring a household receptacle or a car stereo, trying to extrapolate this knowledge to the design of a lightning-protection system can produce frightening and possibly dangerous results.
Lightning-current pulses are extremely fast; their routes are influenced by a conductor’s path and surface area rather than its wire-gauge size. Lightning currents prefer to travel on straight conductors with broad surface areas. For example, the illustration (p. 18) shows a twice-grounded metal chimney. The author suggests that the indoor grounding conductor will carry any “leftover charge” not carried by the wire outside the structure. In fact, if lightning strikes the chimney, most of the current will follow the indoor wire to ground because the indoor wire has fewer bends. Furthermore, the outdoor conductor, if installed as illustrated, could be largely ineffective because of the multiple bends around the eave of the structure. Note that the metal chimney itself is like a superhighway: straight, with lots of surface area.
Another important consideration is that such installations might be subject to municipal regulations. Any such codes will probably cite NFPA 780, Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems (available from the National Fire Protection Association; 617-770-3000) This document prescribes protection methods for structures and discusses other important aspects of the science of lightning protection.
—Christopher W. Hall, Lakeport, CA
Rex Cauldwell replies: Your comments on lightning and its unpredictability are well taken and for the most part accurate. The gauge of the ground wire does, however, make a difference. Because lightning loves to travel on the surface, the larger the gauge, the better. The straight-run suggestion is well taken but impossible to implement in the field—except for the galvanized-pipe lightning rod I recommend.
We don’t have to understand lightning’s behavior totally to know that if we don’t provide a path for it, lightning will jump out on its own. And there is no reason to go into a considerable amount of theory because no one will understand it but us. But theory is just that: theory. All the homeowner wants is to minimize the damage. That can be done in almost every case by grounding anything that can conduct and is not an official conductor.
And all you’d be doing is following the NEC. And I quote: “Bonding of all piping and metal air ducts within the premises will provide additional safety.”
If the flue in my “Q&A” illustration was properly bonded into the house grounding system, the homeowner would keep the EMF buildup off the chimney. Whenever there is lightning, magnetic lines of force saturate the area, and a buildup of voltage begins on all nongrounded conductors. The buildup continues until it breaks over (arcs) to something to find a path to ground. Knowing this, we are foolish indeed not to provide one for it. But the path is only half the battle. A low-resistance grounding electrode system (ground rods) must be in place (I suggest a minimum of eight—see my book Wiring A House, The Taunton Press, 1996), or as you so astutely said, you might be worse off than when you started. And if the home gets a direct strike large enough that the current won’t follow the bends in the ground wire, I don’t think the homeowner will have to worry: There won’t be anything left anyway.
Says biscuits improve countertop installation
I can’t believe that Steve Morris did such a wonderful job writing “Counter Act” (FHB #121, pp. 68-73) and failed to biscuit-joint the miter joint. I have done many postformed laminate countertops, and it is a rare occasion when neither side has a bow. The only way I know of keeping the countertop from bowing is to store it in an upright position. If it is laid flat with either side up, the counter will bow, and that leads to lots of hard work to do a not-so-good job. Biscuit joints are the only way I know of to get both surfaces aligned, which aids greatly in producing a waterproof seal.
—Bruce Abernathy, via e-mail
Comments on toilet installation
In the article “How to Install a Toilet” (FHB #121, pp. 78-83), Peter Hemp does well to warn of the potential for leaks. The absolute—bar none—worst warranty work is leaky toilets one year out.
Another thing to consider when installing toilets is that newly installed float valves often need to be cleaned out because of either debris from the old valve (if reused) that was disturbed in turning it off and on for the first time in years; or debris from turning off and on the main shutoff valve if a new valve was installed. Such debris invariably gets into the float valve and distorts it, or actually damages the rubber surfaces, if they are not promptly removed. Thereafter, the toilet continually leaks and wastes water, unknown to the owner.
—Paul K. Chaney, Alhambra, CA
On receiving the latest issue of Fine Homebuilding, I was immediately attracted to the article “How to Install a Toilet” because plumbing is not the most common subject in your magazine. Peter Hemp obviously has installed many California toilets, but whether his location’s plumbing supplies are so varied or construction practices so different, I find comment or objection with the following:
In discussing types of flanges, solid brass, the most common used in the Northeast over the years, was omitted. It seems foolish to be concerned with brass-plated steel bolts and subsequently install a painted-steel closet flange. Neither item is in keeping with a durable job.
Filling the tank with water will provide an even vertical pressure to aid final bolt tightening of both the tank and flange.
Braided supply hoses might be quick to install and have a function in very tight situations, but they can kink with poor positioning or contact with bathroom articles such as wastepaper baskets and vacuum-cleaner wands. The tried-and-true copper chrome-plated supply tube can be properly formed in a few minutes and is not threatened by normal household abuses. I have found that a tube with a molded nosepiece and sealed with a neoprene “top-hat” washer below the nose is less likely to leak than the old style flat-top tube with the poly insert. The tightness of the fill-valve coupling nut is also less critical.
The author’s avoidance of a bowl-to-floor sealer might suffice with the even surface of marble or with plywood-underlaid vinyl tile but is inadequate for a mortar-supported ceramic-tile floor. I press wet plaster into the void as insurance against any rocking possibilities. The plaster is also not a problem if the bowl requires removal, which would be difficult with silicone sealer. The seepage test is always a good practice prior to using plaster or silicone.
—Dale R. Welsch, Fort Salonga, NY
Peter Hemp replies: The introduction to my article did state that I was discussing “new, wood-frame construction.” And plastic piping is the dominant DWV material for new construction all over the country, including the Northeast, with solvent-welded all-plastic and plastic-hub/steel-rimmed closet flanges being the norm. The steel-rimmed flanges, by the way, are powder-coated, not painted. There is a big difference.
Yes, as late as 30 to 50 years ago when cast-iron drainage piping was still common in residential construction, oakum and hot-leaded brass flanges were common. In residential construction, that is not the case today. Plastics reign.
As for supply hoses, the novice will have more leaks (and resulting property damage) using hand-bent chromed-brass and chromed-copper supply lines than the less aesthetically pleasing but superior-sealing stainless-steel-over-braided supplies. For those who wish to work with chromed brass and copper supplies, this topic is dealt with in detail in my book Installing and Repairing Plumbing Fixtures (The Taunton Press, 1994).
And finally, if a mortar-supported ceramic-tile floor is installed correctly, it is as level and flat as vinyl or marble.
Of new trucks and dead opossums
The photo on the cover of your December 1998/January 1999 issue (FHB #120) showed me something: I thought all transit mix trucks came from the factory with faded paint and 200,000 miles on the odometer. Next you’ll tell me opossums aren’t born dead on the road.
—John Michal, Abingdon, VA
Surging toilets revisited
I have a comment regarding Mona Marinovich’s question about mysteriously surging toilets (FHB #119, “Q&A,” pp. 20, 22). Mona, you’ve been using those chlorine-based “pucks” that claim (probably not inaccurately) to reduce staining in the toilet bowl, haven’t you? I had the same problem with two of the three toilets in my house. Being a bachelor (spelled L-A-Z-Y), such a labor-saving notion appealed to me; but after less than a year, the flush valves in the two toilets I used them in began acting just as you described. As it turns out, the material the valves are made of reacts poorly with those stain-reducing “pucks,” and the valve flapper deforms slightly, becomes hard and loses its ability to conform to the valve seat, causing a slow leak.
You can find replacement valves locally (silicone or silicone-treated rubber) that are touted to resist this chemical attack, but I just replaced the flappers and quit using those tank additives.
—Tom O’Donovan, Highland Park, IL
Cheap electrical insurance
I enjoyed David E. Shapiro’s article “Working With Old Wiring” (FHB #120, pp. 112-115). Using an extension cord as a reference is a good idea.
My toolbox has an additional tool, a non-contact voltage detector. It is great at checking for live wires in cramped spaces because it gives both audible and visual indications. It can also detect bad splices in knob-and-tube wiring. A voltage will be detected on only one side of a splice showing where the break is. I recently had to do this while in a crawlspace on my back.
An electrician I know keeps one on a chain around his neck as a last check to see if a circuit is still dead. This is cheap insurance for under $20.
—Eddie Zanrosso, via e-mail
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