tim5055

Thanks!! Right now the sensor is just sitting on a shelf by the door to the crawl. Prior to encapsulation there was no mold in this area, so I assume my crawl has several micro-climates. I'm moving the sensor to the area that had black mold under the insulation and on the joists and see how the readings change.

Here are the generator interlock kits I found. Thoughts if you find on of these bolted to the dead front of a panel? QO LOAD CENTER GEN INTLK OUTDOOR HIGH AMP Aftermarket Interlock Kits

I guess you can consider me one of the nerds. I purchased THIS weather station as well as an additional temperature/humidity sensor for the crawl. It gives me the information I wanted and allows me to stream it tot he web where I can look at it on my smartphone. As of right now this is what I show (purple is outside/green is crawl)

It will work, but may kill the lineman trying to restore power if Bubba doesn't remember to turn off the main. On a similar note, as I am researching adding the generator to my house I saw an adapter made for certain Square D panels that allows something similar to this installation. It is a two pole breaker that goes in the upper right slots of the panel with an adapter that attaches to the dead front that will not allow that breaker and the main to be on at the same time. Maybe Bubba saw that and decided to copy it.

OK, I have the thermometer/humidistat running in the crawl. It may take a day or two to settle, but what RH should I be shooting for in the crawl? Once it gets there I can dial back the dehumidifier as the dial on it just says dryer with an arrow to the right.

From reading the article it appears that there is money to be made in MA by teaching classes on HI report writing.

Funny you should say this. One of my previous houses had a stain that kept reappearing on a wall in the bathroom. I finally decided to bite the bullet and cut out the drywall to find out what was going on. A plumbing drain ran up the wall and the dry wall installers obviously found the "stud". It had drywall screws in it from floor to ceiling, following the PVC pipe.

It appears to be a USB charging adapter LIKE THESE. I assume the plug to the right is for something else.

I'm already looking for a RF thermometer/humidistat so I can watch the temperature difference between the crawl and the house. I'm told that with "leakage" in the ductwork they will eventually get "close". I'd like to know what close is

Well, I've been watching the dehumidifier and it's pumping out quite a bit of water.

Well, here are the before & after shots. I tried to take the afters as close to where the before shots were made. I'm happy with the outcome and only time will tell if it was a worthwhile expenditure. Watching for the past three days tells me that the company made a good profit. But, would I be willing to do it myself - no. The job took 2 1/2 days. Two guys were there the full time and two other guys were in and out. My best guess is 60 man-hours work. They worked from the time they arrived until they left, no slacking.

Encapsulation work has started. Step 1, close and seal all vents. Each vent closed and a 3" think foam board is cut to fit - then foamed into place. Step 2, Rim joist foamed and sealed around the entire house. Step 3, the plastic is put up on all walls. Several inches of the top of the foundation is left uncovered for termite inspection. The entire job should take 2 - 3 days. I will keep posting photos as they work.

Thanks again to everyone here! I am now connected to the city sewer and all bypassed plumbing reconnected. All funky plumbing noises are gone.

This is becoming my clue that the previous homeowner did the work himself. I'm finding that his self perceived abilities are far above his actual abilities.

Thanks for every ones input. Company #2 is my choice. While they are a little more expensive, I feel they are putting forth more effort justifying the added expense. As recommended by Roger, I did research SC regulations and the service my existing company wants to do does not meet state requirements. The bait Sentricon system is just too much money (both for installation & yearly fee) for benefit I may receive.

Mud Dauber Wasp Nests Nest Photos from Google

Well, John's bootleg most made me think - the previous owner of this house was a hack. I don't think I have taken a switch/receptacle plate off yet that did not reveal device being held in with dry wall screws. Is it too much to keep some 6-32's around the house? Today took the cake. We got a new dishwasher which was delivered today. I killed the power and the delivery guy started his work. He immediately said what the heck (different word[:-censore) is this while disconnecting the electric. Once the old unit was pulled out more wonderful work was shown. The NM-B feeding the dishwasher was apparently too short so he spliced a length of UF-B on to it. Unfortunately, all he did was throw on wire nuts and wrap the whole thing in black tape. Too add insult to injury, the ground wasn't hooked up..... He must have purchased a huge roll of this UF-B when he installed post lamps on both sides of the driveway. The left-over wire I'm finding being used everywhere in the house! It took me all of five minutes to install a proper junction box that is not burried - Why couldn't he?

Company #3 estimated today. A franchise of one of the big national companies. They quoted both liquid treatment with Termidor as well as Sentricon. Both prices were within $100 of each other, but was about $2,400 higher than the previous prices.... From what I have seen in this (and the Northern Virginia) real estate market is that without a current termite contract/bond you loose a percentage of your prospective buyers. The thoughts of doing something before I seal the crawl is a major factor in moving this up to the top of the project list. All my research agrees with you as to Termidor. Thanks for the background on the bug industry. I'm sticking with companies that offer a lifetime renewable warranty and include not only a re-treatment clause, but also a repair bond. I just don't understand my current company just doing a perimeter trench rather than a full treatment. I have another local company coming by tomorrow to quote liquid and Sentricon. So far company #2 is wining with a full treatment with Termidor.

Well, the jury seems to be voting the same. Any feelings between the two different ways they want to do the work? If I use company 2 this will have to be done before the crawlspace encapsulation.

I forgot to say, thanks for reading and answering. Thanks! Well, this is house number five for us (I think): This is what we have experienced: Miami - New construction pre construction treated and as far as I can remember we never had a contract or re-treatment Annapolis, MD - Second owner of the house (7 years old), pre construction treatment and as far as I can remember we never had a contract or re-treatment. Atlanta - Second owner of the house (12 years old), pre construction treatment and Sentricon. Yearly contract with repair bond. Vienna, VA - Second owner of the house (12 years old), pre construction treatment and "bait sticks" (not Sentricon) around house. Had them swarm out of a window casing and the company came back and retreated that area of the house. Yearly contract with repair bond.

Company 1 did not come out, but they did the original treatment and have been there. They use Termidor The second company did come out and view the property before they gave a price. They use Termidor.

Well, as I deal with all the other issues you all have been so kind to help me with I found the next one... For those of you who are into bugs, here is my situation/question. The house is having it's 10th birthday this year and the pest control company who has the re-treatment/repair bond says it will need to be treated this year. A Google search and a couple of hours reading have informed me that this is not uncommon with the chemicals now being used. The company that holds the bond says their method of re-treatment is done all from the outside by trenching the perimeter of the house and treating it there. To keep them honest I got a second estimate and that company says their re-treatment is the same as a new treatment, drill all blocks in the foundation, drill all piers in the crawl and drill any flat concrete surfaces (garage, patios ect.). The costs are close with second company slightly higher in both the re-treatment fee and yearly inspections, but not so much so that it's a game changer. I feel most times you can get what you pay for. My gut feeling is that the second company's method is going to be a better way of doing it, but that is just my uninformed thoughts.

Well, I will show my ignorance here... First, why does a "tankless" water heater need a TPR? There is no tank to overheat, rupture and create a missile. What am I missing? I ask because we have one installed in our barn in the mountains of NC. There are no provisions on the unit for a TPR and I questioned both the plumber and plumbing inspector and both stated a TPR was not needed. For your reading pleasure, HERE is a link to the manual for the unit.

The foam plate covers are. Available at your favorite big box store. Frost King Foam Electrical Outlet and Wall Plate Insulating Kit

I cut them down 50% More? Thanks for looking.