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Thank You….
On this Memorial Day, we remember those members of the armed forces of the United States who have given their lives in the service of this, our Republic. We are and will always remain thankful for their service.
Have a safe holiday weekend.
Move Over Green Roofs, There’s a New Kid in Town
Thought this article was worth passing along to our blog readers. Check out the latest information on smog-eating tiles!
Could this be a step up from green roofing? http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/04/tech/smog-eating-tiles-california/index.html
Recognizing Those that Make a Difference!
Congratulation to Chris Carlson, our Chief Structural Engineer for being recognized as President of the ICRI Baltimore-Washington Chapter for 2011. During Chris’s term, the chapter was recognized by the National organization as an Outstanding Chapter among 36 chapters worldwide. The Baltimore-Washington Chapter is the largest and most active in all of ICRI (international Concrete Repair Institute) and celebrated their 20th anniversary last year. Chis is currently serving as Past President having previously served as a Director, Secretary, and Vice President on the Board. He has served on the Board for six years. Tom Ouska, Manager of Business Development – Restoration, of Manganero Mid-Atlantic, LLC is the Program Chair for the chapter and is pictured with Chris . ETC is proud to be Gold Level sponsor. Thanks Chris for making a difference!
High Standards in Lumber
Wood, unlike other common building materials, relies on nature to develop its structural properties. Because timber is a natural material, it routinely undergoes testing to ensure that design values remain accurate.
Earlier this year the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) approve new, reduced design values for southern pine lumber that are set to go into effect on June 1, 2012. The changes apply to No.2 and lower grades of visually graded southern and mixed southern pine with widths and thickness between two (2) and four (4) inches. These changes will affect 2x4s and 4x4s, which are the sizes most commonly used in light-frame construction. Future changes can be expected for all southern pine dimensional lumber once additional testing is complete. The reason for the reduction has not been fully explained, but , but a likely cause is forestry management practices that result in faster tree growth. Fast-growing trees produce wider growth rings, making the wood less dense than trees that develop at a slower rate.
The design values will be reduced for bending, tension, and compression by up to thirty-five percent according to the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA). These changes result in shorted spans and smaller load capacities for the affected lumber. The new design values are to be used on all work permitted after the June 1, 2012 effective date, although since Building Codes are enforced at state or local levels, the exact dates of enforcement will vary.
This change to the design values and the expected changes for larger dimensional lumber must be taken into account when constructing anything of southern pine in the future. New design tables are available from the SFPA, as well as comparisons with other species. The changes also present the problem that repairing damaged lumber with new southern pine may require the use of a larger cross section, change in grade, or modification to spans to provide adequate support for the load.
Lending A Hand(rail)
According to the 2009 International Building Code, a handrail is a “horizontal or sloping rail intended for grasping by the hand for guidance or support”. We see these along common area stairways, ramps, and stair landings. They are often attached to guards (see previous posting on guards) to aid in day-to-day use, as well as in the event of a hurried emergency exit. Handrails are not intended to prevent someone from falling over the edge; this is the purpose of a guard. Handrails inside dwelling units have different requirements than those in the public areas of a building or grounds. This discussion is limited to those common area locations.
Typically, when a replacement stairway is installed, handrails must be placed continuously (no breaks or interruptions, which would cause you to let go of the rail) on both sides of the stairway, even though the original stair may have only had one railing. This squeezes the useful width of the stair down by as much as nine inches. We have found that exceptions can be made to this requirement, but safety usually trumps the desire to maintain the original stair width.
Another difference that you will find, if you replace a stair railing, is that handrails must extend horizontally at the top and bottom landing for a distance of 12-inches beyond the stairs. The handrail must also be closed or loop back to the wall or railing post to prevent objects (such as an open coat) from getting caught on the protruding end of the rail and causing someone to fall back down the stair.
Handrails must be placed at a height between 34-inches and 38-inches above the walking surface so that they can be used properly. In applications where a guard is not required, but a handrail is, such as on a ramp or stair that is not 30-inches above grade, the railing height does not have to be 42-inches tall, but rather can be at the handrail height.
Finally, the size of the handrail is regulated by the Code. Obviously such an important life safety related item cannot be too big to grab, so the Code says that the rail can be circular (minimum diameter of 1-1/4 inches, maximum diameter of 2 inches) or non-circular (perimeter dimension between 4 inches and 6-1/4 inches, and no more than 2-1/4 inches when measured from corner to corner of the cross section).
As you can see, there are many requirements for a simple rail running along a stairway. That is why using the services of a design professional to assist with a stairway replacement is so beneficial
Railing Connections
Guards are generally vital elements that perform a life safety role. We see them along balconies, retaining walls, walkways, stairs, and terraces. Often these items are mistakenly called guardrails, but the Code calls them guards because the entire assembly and not just the top rail is what is intended to prevent a fall. Guards are different from a handrail according to the Building Code (see an upcoming post for a discussion of handrails). Guards are required when a fall from one surface to a lower surface of more than 30-inches is possible.
Therefore, it is important to inspect your guards periodically to ensure that a fatal accident is not looming at your building. We often find that guards are loose when shaken, due to missing or severely corroded fasteners, loose material surrounding the posts cast in the concrete, posts that are corroded through, or broken welds. The Building Code has requirements for the load capacity of guards and if these defects exist, your guard could be non-compliant with the Code.
In addition, pickets or the material that serves to fill the space between the posts must be able to resist a certain amount of load according to the Code, so if you have loose pickets or degraded wood panels the guards are likely out-of-Code. Often wooden guard systems are problematic as they have pickets with nails that work loose over time. Missing pickets are also a Code violation and a hazard.
Currently the Building Code requires that all guards be a minimum of 42-inches above the walking surface and have spaces that will not allow a 4” ball to pass through. The rails must be able to resist either a 200-pound point load or a 50-pound per linear foot load, whichever is worse. Railing infill materials must be able to resist a 50 pound when placed on a one square foot area.
Lovin’ Philadelphia!
Bobby Racliff and I are feeling quite at home these days in the Philidelphia area. This is our 3rd year participating in the PA Chapter of CAI and we have made some great new friends! Thanks to everyone that came out to say hello. Please remember you can find us anytime in our Bala Cynwyd location. We look forward to you stopping by!
PS. I owe a big “THANKS” to one of my favorite people, Kirk Parsons – ETC’s VP! He came all the way from our Maryland office at my request to meet our PA friends. Hmmm…he just may want to transfer after enjoying a day of Philly cheese steaks & the Phillies ball park!! Thanks again!
2012 PMA EXPO
Thanks to all the managers and property professionals for coming out to visit ETC at the annual PMA EXPO in Landover, Maryland. It’s a great opportunity for us to meet new people and say hello
to many old friends in the industry. We look forward to participating in this show every year. If you would like more information on the Property Management Association, please visit www.pma-dc.org. Their staff will be pleased to answer any of your questions.
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It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s The Discovery!!
Tom Dugger, one of our Senior Project Managers, wanted to share this incredible photo he took while on the roof of the Rittenhouse Apartments located off 16th Street in Upper Northwest DC. It’s not everyday he gets to capture such awesome sites. Nice to see the Discovery Space Shuttle coming home to rest in the Udvar-Hazy Center located at Dulles National Airport. (Just right around the corner from ETC.)
Appliance Maintenance, Part Two
Clothes washers are usually connected to water supplies through hoses that will degrade with
time and failure of the hose or connector union can result. Rates of degradation and vulnerability to union failure vary with hose composition and quality. Failure of a washer hose can introduce several hundred gallons of water per hour and cause extensive damage to building finishes, furnishings, and fixtures, as well as personal property.
Washer hoses should be replaced every three to five years and they should be of the highest quality. It should be noted that hoses clad with steel braid do not necessarily perform better than conventional hoses. Most failures occur at the unions due to deterioration of their internal components, rather than high water pressure. Over time, the metal can be worn/honed (by turbulence, galvanic reaction, and other forces) to sharp edges that cut through the plastic or rubber hoses. The external braiding only affords protection against problems associated with water pressure, which is a lesser concern.
The best hoses feature multiple reinforced layers of durable materials in the hose sections and high-quality brass couplings, which are less prone to galvanic degradation. One manufacturer (Floodchek Corporation) produces such a hose and provides a twenty-year performance guarantee.
The most prudent practice would be to turn off supply valves when the washer is not in active use. At the very least, they should be turned off when away from home for longer than a day or two. Another equally effective and more convenient alternative would be to install automatic water shut-off valves that control water flow at the spigot connections. In that configuration, supply hoses are only under pressure during washer operation.
Detergents should be of the type recommended by the washer manufacturer and used in the recommended quantities. Improper and/or excessive detergent use can result in over-sudsing, possibly to a problematic degree. Suds can overflow the discharge stack into which the washer drains and can even intrude bathtubs, sinks, or toilets in spaces below
In Memory of Larry Eckert
We’re saddened to report the loss of an old friend. Larry Eckert worked with us from 1986 until his retirement, as vice president, in 2002. He passed away suddenly last 
week. He was a genuinely nice man who was never at a loss for a funny story, and the laughs usually came at his own expense. He will be sorely missed.
Larry’s surviving relatives live out of state and no local services are planned. If you wish to pay your respects, a contribution to the SPCA or other animal welfare organization in his memory would be fitting, for Larry was a lifelong dog lover.
Household Appliances (Part One)
Over the next couple of postings we’ll present some general guidelines for the operation and maintenance of various household appliances. For the most part, it will be basic information, much of which will already be known to many. That said, there may be nuggets of new, useful stuff or reminders of good practices that will be helpful. In the event of conflict between our guidelines and those of equipment manufacturers, the manufacturer’s guidelines or requirements should prevail. The first part of the series covers dishwashers and garbage disposers.
Dishwashers connect by flexible hoses to garbage disposers through backflow preventers (air gaps), which are normally mounted on the tops of sinks. They’re employed to prevent waste water in sinks from entering and contaminating the dishwashers. Deposits (detergent residue, dissolved fats, etc.) can accumulate in the hose or disposer connection and impede water flow. If you’ve ever noticed water emitting from openings in an air gap cover, it’s a safe bet there’s an obstruction and it’s likely to be at or near the disposer connection. Obstructions can occur at any time, so the covers should be turned to disgorge water into the sink.
Obstructed connections should be cleaned. One cleaning method would be to scour the opening and nearby section of hose with an appropriately sized, flexible bottle brush. The opening can be felt from the inside of the disposal and is usually just under three-quarters of an inch in diameter. The dishwasher should be set to fill and then discharge during, or immediately after brush cleaning in order to flush particles dislodged by brushing.
Only dishwasher detergent should be used in dishwashers. Liquid dish soap produces excessive suds in a dishwasher and the increase in volume can cause leakage around door gaskets. Furthermore, soap suds cannot be effectively pumped and can remain in the tub after completion of rinse cycles. Moreover, dishwasher detergent is far stronger and therefore more effective than liquid soap.
Disposers can experience leakage problems that can go undetected without periodic inspection. Some disposers (particularly lower-cost units manufactured of painted carbon steel) can rust through within as few as three to five years. Stainless-steel units tend to be longer-lived. The disposals should be visually inspected periodically, at intervals appropriate to age and quality. Older low-quality units should be inspected monthly for visible corrosion (rust) and active leakage.
In addition to corrosion/leakage concerns, disposers vary in duty rating and misuse can result in drainage obstructions or other problems. Manufacturer’s recommendations should be followed with respect to materials their devices can process. As a general rule, grease/fats should not be poured into sinks. Grease (melted fat) will coagulate and coat drain lines and can impede drainage enough to cause sewer backups. Some items (such as carrot peelings) can pass relatively intact through some disposals and accumulate in traps and lines.
Caustic drain cleaners should not be used in garbage disposals. Such materials can corrode metal and degrade seals or other components essential to operation and watertight integrity.