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Thumbs Up To OCDC
The Ocean City Development Corporation invites you to attend their annual golf outing on Wednesday, October 12 in Ocean City, Maryland. Enjoy an afternoon of golf, networking and great food while helping to beautify downtown Ocean City! There is still time to register! Just click on the link and complete the registration.
BIG THANKS go out to the Chairman Igor Conev, of Mann Properties and his committee members for their dedication to this great community! Ocean City, Maryland is no longer just a place you want to vacation…it’s a place you want to LIVE!! So come live-it-up with us on October 12…register today!
Fireplace and Chimney Maintenance
Incomplete combustion of wood in fireplaces creates a buildup of flammable oils (creosote) in chimney flues, which can contribute to chimney or building fires. Only dry, seasoned wood (preferably hardwood) should be burned in fireplaces. Green and/or water saturated wood burns at a lower temperature and less completely than dry, seasoned wood and poses a greater potential for creosote deposition. Coniferous woods (pine, fir, spruce, etc.) should not be used. They tend to be highly resinous and will deposit more material than hardwoods. Household trash or other items should never be burned in fireplaces.
Artificial logs should only be used in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions and limitations. Most such products are intended to be burned only one at a time. Artificial logs vary in composition from hardwood fibers (sawdust or other sawmill waste) combined with wax or other binders, to petroleum wax (paraffin) mixed with various recycled materials. As a general rule, artificial logs should not be used unless the composition and burning characteristics of a specific product are fully described and deemed acceptable. Plastics, unidentified composites, or other materials of questionable makeup should be avoided.
Fireboxes require occasional cleaning/removal of ashes. Ashes should only be removed when absolutely no embers are present. Because embers can remain undetected long after a fire is out, ashes should only be placed into fireproof, metal containers.
Chimneys should be periodically inspected and cleaned, the frequency of which depends on fireplace use. Annual inspection is recommended for fireplaces that are used regularly. Cleaning may not be necessary at every inspection interval. It should be noted that chemical cleaners (cleaning logs, fire additives, etc.) should not be considered equal to professional cleaning.
Some products incorporate catalytic chemicals that react with the creosote and cause it to soften, flake and debond; however, the dislodged material can accumulate on shelves or other chimney offsets. They also tend to react only with the outer layer of creosote and are only partly effective in the presence of heavy buildups. They also may have no appreciable effect on soot, or residue from artificial logs.
Some products (which employ copper or other metal salts) rely on the rapid expansion of gas created when the salts are burned to dislodge deposited material. The effectiveness of those products is questionable, particularly with respect to heavy accumulations.
We Will Never Forget
On this solemn day, we take a moment to remember the innocent victims and selfless heros impacted by 9/11. Our thoughts go out to all those who were lost and for those that grieve them. It is our sincere hope that the coming years bring PEACE, for all of us. God bless the United States of America.
Gucci hard hats…I wish!!
At ETC, we believe that safety always comes first. Especially when it comes to our clients and employees.
Whether it’s hard hats (as shown in the photograph), overhead protection for walkways at buildings under repair, safety glasses, or window protection during exterior wall renovations, “good safety is no accident.” Proper planning is essential and a little old fashion, common sense goes a long way.
Crack Treatment Program
ETC offers a 30-45 minute presentation to clients, property managers and/or building owners for identifying cracks in their buildings and foundations. Our presentation is called: “ Crack Intervention – You’re Not Alone”
It focuses on a four step program…
1. Identifying a problem
2. Understanding the severity of the problem
3. Going to rehab
4. Maintaining a healthy structure
As you see from the titles, we try to keep it a little entertaining while giving useful information. This educational presentation is given by our chief structural engineering counselor, Chris Carlson, P.E. He will be happy to answer any/all question regarding building structures. Contact mindy@etc-web.com for your FREE educational presentation. (ETC provides engineering and consultation services to the Mid-Atlantic region.) We are currently setting up seminars for early November. Look forward to hearing from you!!
Mother Nature…Round Two!!
With Hurricane Irene scheduled to make her appearance in our area late Saturday, we should make plans to protect our properties from the expected rains, and especially the high winds.
Make sure that all lawn furniture, exterior loose items, etc. are brought inside or properly stowed. Also make sure drains, gutters, downspouts, etc. are clear and open to collect and discharge water.
If you have contractors working at your property, make sure they secure their materials, tools, scaffolds, staging, etc. so that the wind doesn’t make these items cause any damage to the building. It is better to be safe and take things down or off the building, rather than to risk serious building damage and possible harm to residents.
What’s Shakin’?
The 5.8 magnitude earthquake that hit our area on August 23 was a significant, but fortunately not a devastating geological event. The expected damage to buildings should be minimal, if any, except where buildings have been poorly maintained or have some sort of construction deficiency.
Buildings should be closely checked for signs of movement, such as cracking, that may require repair or further analysis. If any exterior problems are observed, check inside the building to see if is the interior finishes have been affected.
Also check building utilities, especially gas lines. Earthquakes can break the conduits and pipes, causing gas, water, or sewer leaks as well as power outages. Report any concerns to the appropriate utility as soon as possible.
This was not the first seismic event of this magnitude for the East Coast, and it won’t be the last. Unlike those who live on the West Coast, we are not attuned to this type of geologic activity. We all stand in awe at the power of nature and vulnerability to it.
EARTHQUAKE!!
If you are reading this, chances are that you felt the ground rumbling from the largest earthquake that ever rocked the Mid Atlantic region and you are wondering if your house or building could have been damaged. Earthquakes move buildings in a vertical and horizontal motion, which can exert higher loads (and in a different direction) on the structure than those for which it was originally designed. Typically short (3-4 stories tall or less) buildings are less prone to damage as the whipping motion of the structure is more intense as the building is taller. Wood framed structures tend to be flexible and able to handle the loads in a more forgiving manner, so they too are less prone to damage. Buildings utilizing load bearing masonry and reinforced concrete tend to be less flexible and can display cracks at corners of windows, doors, or along structural connections. We recommend that you walk around the inside and outside of your buildings and look for cracks that were not there yesterday. If you see any new or disturbing cracks have a professional engineer check them out. Some cracks may not become evident until the next rain (or in the case of this weekend, hurricane Irene). We may release more information as the situation develops.
Summer Dazes
Thanks ETC for a great family picnic!! It was quite a treat visiting Nationals Stadium this year and nice to have the Nationals playing our other favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies! With ETC having offices in both areas, it was a win /win situation for us! Too bad for the rain delay, but there was still fun to be had by all. Thanks Joe for including our families…nothing better then BIG smiles on all the kids faces!
X-Ray Vision vs GPR
We haven’t quite developed Superman-grade X-ray vision, but we’re getting close. Some would argue too close, given the invasive capabilities of equipment used for airport body scans; but that’s fodder for other blogs.
Radiography (erroneously referred to as X-ray) examination used to be the only reliable way of determining the presence and depth of reinforcing steel or conduits in concrete. That technology employs a radioactive source capable of penetrating concrete sufficient to project an image onto a photo/radiographic film or screen placed on the side opposite the source. X-rays project a high-energy beam of electrons with similar effect and the energy requirements make those systems essentially non-portable. Radioactive materials are inherently hazardous and their possession and use are tightly controlled by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency.
A safer and more accessible way to see inside concrete is the use of ground-penetrating-radar (GPR). GPR directs high-frequency, high-energy radio waves into the material to be examined (concrete, asphalt, soil, etc.) and the materials located therein will reflect the waves back to the source. Because the degree and nature of the reflections vary with density and other factors, an image of the scanned structure is created.
GPR has been around for awhile, but resolution issues limited its use in building diagnostics. Improved resolution and such innovations as 3-D imaging have elevated GPR’s use to preeminence in non-destructive testing of concrete and other building elements.
P.E. 2 B
Congratulations to Luke Valentine and Cassie Thompson for passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam this past spring. This eight hour long test that covers everything taught during four years of engineering school has roughly a 30% pass rate. It is quite an accomplishment to pass the test on the first try. Achieving this milestone puts them one step closer to becoming licensed professional engineers. WELL DONE!!!
Getting To The Point
Here’s an example of how not to set a swing stage. It looks like the contractor put down protection (layers of rigid insulation) for the counterweights, but either neglected to use them or the rig shifted and no one bothered to reposition the pads. Either way, the pointy parts resting on the roof is not good for the system.
