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The ground was sort of soft in the area where I crawled, too. No sign of leakage or flooding in the crawlspace, and we are nowhere near a hillside.
How concerned should I be about this, and what can I do about it if necessary?
A: Your foundation and supporting pier structure are presumably poured on "undisturbed" or "bearing" soil. This means the base of the foundation is sitting on hard ground below the frost line, and below the root lines of all plants in the area. As large tree stumps are removed, the heavy-equipment operator may have pulled out the largest parts of the stump, but left deep roots buried below the surface. This happens quite frequently, unfortunately. Given 40-plus years, the hidden dead roots have rotted, leaving gaps underneath the supporting structure.
How concerned should you be? If you have gaps under your piers, eventually you will encounter floor settling.
Now what to do? Depending on severity and your pocketbook, you could do the following, in order of relative expense:
A) Slide shims under the posts, waiting for further settling that may or may not occur. This is obviously the Band-Aid approach.
B) Pour concrete slurry under pressure (slab jacking) into the holes, filling the voids underground. This may have mixed/unsure results.
C) Remove the affected piers, dig down by hand through the soft soil to a firm base, and re-pour the piers. A serious pain and a lot of work, but absolutely effective.
Q: In 1999, we had our house remodeled. New areas were added and some of the old areas were redone. Starting last year, I became aware of a dark area developing in the ceiling over the fireplace. Then, I realized a similar dark area was developing in the ceiling in the entry, next to the ceiling fan. I called the contractor. After what he said was a thorough review of the crawlspace and roofing, he determined that there were no leaks or mold, therefore, nothing was wet in the attic.
Since then, other dark spots have appeared in the new parts or the house, and some are developing in the old areas. In all cases, they appear to be along the joist lines or some structural stud line.
Some of our more knowledgeable friends have guessed that it is drywall problems, paint application or vapor-barrier gaps. The paint company couldn't offer any explanation, either.
Any thoughts?
A: Prolific use of candles is the leading suspect in cases like this, followed closely by dirty electric heaters, a malfunctioning electronic air cleaner, or consistent use of an ionic air purifier. The joists and studs are showing the crud buildup, as they are colder than the remaining walls, a "short circuit" for cold, attracting the contaminants.
Try eliminating any of the problems I've suggested and let me know what happens.
Q: On July 4th, several of the neighbors' bottle rockets hit my asphalt shingle roof and continued to burn. Could this have caused damage to the surface, or started a leak?
A: Theoretically, I suppose it could, but it's not highly likely, given my limited personal experience with bottle rockets. If you have any doubts, jump up and have a look at the roof surface. Actually, I've seen more problems with old bottle rockets creating a dam of debris in valleys and gutters the following winter.
Unfortunately, your question reminds me of my sole naked firefighting experience 20 years ago. Three drunks were shooting off bottle rockets and started a fire in the three-story-high junipers outside the apartment I was living in.
I'd just stepped out of the shower when a bright orange flame blasted past the window. I grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran down the stairs without even a towel. The fire was out before I realized I was in my birthday suit, at midnight, dripping wet, standing in the parking lot with several people gaping. And they say adrenaline is a good thing.
A note on water-tank safety:
Despite long-standing building codes that require gas-burning appliances in garages to be 18 inches from the floor, an average of 800 fires, five deaths and 132 injuries annually are attributed to accidental ignition of flammable liquids (usually gasoline) in garages in the United States by water heaters.
In an effort to reduce these tragedies, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA) have come out with voluntary standards that took effect July 1. These new tanks are equipped with flame arrestors that prevent flashback fires ignited by the burner's pilot light or main burner. The flame arrestors trap and burn the flammables inside the tank's combustion area, rather than allowing ignition to occur outside.
Darrell Hay answers readers' questions. Call 206-464-8514 to record your question, |
