Replies

1. 
   McDesign | Apr 28, 2006 03:02am | #1

   My house is from 1886, has no galv nails.  As long as they don't stay wet (embedded in wet wood), you'll only get surface rust.  And if they're embedded in constantly wet wood, there's another problem!

   Forrest

1. 
   matt2 | Apr 28, 2006 05:22pm | #3

   Thanks McDesign, I get a little paranoid sometimes.  I'm getting ready to put my porch ceiling up this summer and figured that its easier to address it now if it needed it. I've never learned much while I was talking

2. 
   chascomp | Apr 28, 2006 03:32am | #2

   As far as I know surface rust is normal, if just from humidity. If area is dry normally (undercover, inside, above grade, etc.) no galv nails necessary. Keep wandering around and asking questions, most home owners wait til the "floor seems squishy".

1. 
   matt2 | Apr 28, 2006 05:27pm | #4

   Thanks for the reassurance,  I'll keep wandering and posting questions I'm sure.

   By the way, my wife really thinks I'm crazy when I'm wander in the rain.  I like to see where all the water goes. 

   Its amazing how much water comes off of a roof.  I put a 50 gallon barrel under a downspout with the idea that I could use the water to help me with my ongoing battle to establish some sort of lawn.  Filled and overflowed in no time at all during a rain storm the other day.  I can see how water causes so much damage if it is not drained properly...

   Thanks again

    

   MattI've never learned much while I was talking

1. 
   JohnT8 | Apr 28, 2006 09:00pm | #5

   Its amazing how much water comes off of a roof.  I put a 50 gallon barrel under a downspout with the idea that I could use the water to help me with my ongoing battle to establish some sort of lawn. 

   Hereabouts they used to install cisterns for that purpose.  Route all the downspouts through a filter box (to keep dirt/leaves out) and then on to the cistern.   You could fill a 10' deep cistern with just rainwater off the roof.  Cistern is underground, so you don't have to worry about it freezing in the winter.  You then just have it rigged to a pump and VIOLA!  Water for your lawn/garden/house.  For some of the rural folks, you would  top off your cistern via your well and then run all the house off the cistern.  If you ran out of water, just have some hauled in and dumped in the cistern.

   I know there is a formula for calculating how much water you can get off a roof based on its size and pitch per inch of rain...but I don't remember the calculation off the top of my head.

   good luck with your projects.

   jt8

   "The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views a mistake..."-- Nelson Boswell

   Edited 4/28/2006 2:06 pm by JohnT8

1. 
   matt2 | Apr 28, 2006 09:21pm | #6

   Thanks JohnT8

   One day, I would love to work something like that out.  We went 625' on our well and got 2 gallons/minute.  We were blessed to get that much but with such a slow recovery I hate to run the sprinkler for extended amounts of time. 

   I see all of that water running off during the rain storms and I want to utilize it somehow. 

   Good luck to you alsoI've never learned much while I was talking

1. 
   JohnT8 | Apr 28, 2006 09:59pm | #7

   Sounds like you're in a similar situation to those rural setups.  If the budget ever materialized, you could do the same thing:  Put in a good-sized cistern.  route your gutters to the filter box and then on to the cistern... and then utilize the well to keep the cistern at a certain level and just run the house off the cistern. 

   So instead of being restricted to 2gal/min off the well, the well just keeps the cistern 1/2 full (or whatever).  At which point your pressure tank running off the cistern determines your house's water pressure and you're good to go as long as there is water in the cistern.  The pump from well to cistern can take the rest of the day to fill it back up to the 1/2 mark.  And if it rains enough, you're not drawing off the well.

   It gets more complex if you're wanting to drink the water.  More filters and water treatment involved.

   I've also seen the rare setup where someone with city water has routed some separate plumbing for the cistern/well.  So they end up running toilets, hoses, clothes washer, etc off the cistern water and run 'city' water to any location where you'd be drinking the water.jt8

   "The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views a mistake..."-- Nelson Boswell

2. 
   matt2 | Apr 28, 2006 10:08pm | #8

   I appreciate you taking the time to explain that.  I would love to implement one day....

    I've never learned much while I was talking

3. 
   Socal_homeowner949 | Jul 10, 2019 09:46pm | #9

   I live on the beach and only use 316 grade stainless steel. The original homebuilder used galvanized which is rusting out and failing. I have to special-order them from Simpson-Strongtie through my lumberyard but using stainless allows me to sleep soundly at night.