Comments on: Help?

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 03:23:03 +0000

Badtux, it has an oversized heat pump for HVAC, and that vents outside. I have a couple of oil-filled radiators and an oscillating ceramic heater to speed things up, as soon as the power comes on. I was hoping for today, but maybe tomorrow.

Ame, the moisture is from internal sources, plumbing, which have been stopped, but it maxed out the humidity inside the duplex. If it dries out, we can move forward.

I have plenty of small AC units that would do the job, if it were warmer, and if the power company would show up. Now I’ll do it with heat.

By: Ame

Ame — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 23:03:03 +0000

You might want to rent or buy a cellar extractor, or get a really good dehumidifier. In my experience placing the unit in a room and closing the door and running the unit for 24 hours then moving the unit to the next room running it for 24 hours, until all the rooms are done. Close the door in each room as it has it’s turn, the start over and do all the rooms again. After the initial drying event 🙂 more moisture will come to the surface. Sometimes it takes 3 or more drying sessions before it stops sweating. I’d do all the caulking before starting so moisture doesn’t continue to leak into the house.
http://www.dry-it-out.com/dehumidifiers/cellars

By: Badtux

Badtux — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:50:01 +0000

BTW, one thing I do recall from a friend who had some block houses in Louisiana is that the only way to get the humidity down inside during winter is to get the heat up inside by turning up the furnace to “blast”. It takes a while, but eventually the walls *do* heat up enough to stop condensing. This assuming you have a vented furnace (or electric furnace) and not a ventless heater, one of whose combustion byproducts is, err, water vapor (oops!).

By: Badtux

Badtux — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 04:07:18 +0000

I owned a block house in South Scottsdale, Bryan. So I learned about block and paint quite well, just didn’t have to deal with humidity.

Regarding sandblasting, nowdays for restoring cars they use walnut shells or glass beads, depending on what they’re blasting. Reduces the casualty rate from sharp sand eating holes right through critical pieces and chewing up bearings, heh. One of these days I’m going to do a complete frame-off restoration of an old vehicle. Of course, given how long I intend to keep my Jeep (which is the last of the classic Jeep line with the 1964-vintage AMC straight 6), that vehicle may well be my own Jeep :).

— Badtux the Handy Penguin

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:58:58 +0000

You’re right about block. Badtux, as anyone who has ever lived in one of the old houses along the Coast knows. If it isn’t dry and warm, there is no point in trying. It also requires a better grade of paint than drywall.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:52:43 +0000

Steve, they are alright for washing the exterior of houses to remove mold, or for getting rid of paint on driveways. but in the wrong hands they just tear things up.

I’ve watched a few people lose hard to replace parts using sandblasters, PJ. They were looking for a short-cut while painting metal. I admit that they ended up with a lot less metal to paint. 😉

By: Badtux

Badtux — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:47:19 +0000

Painted, we *still* have sandblasters. We merely use them to do surface prep on cars today, not interiors :twisted:.

What, you thought big boys would give up their old toys just ’cause a new one got invented? ;).

Regarding the dolt who believes you can just slap paint onto concrete block the way you can onto drywall, those of us with a clue know that if you do so, you end up with blistered peeling paint. Concrete block is an unforgiving surface to paint, sigh…

– Badtux the Snarky Penguin

By: paintedjaguar

paintedjaguar — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 02:20:38 +0000

Kids today with their wacky pressure washers, huh Steve? Now when I was their age, we had sandblasters…

By: Steve Bates

Steve Bates — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:33:50 +0000

Bryan, occasionally I run across an individual who thinks a pressure washer is the solution to all surface-related problems, no matter what, no matter where. I always ask them please to point the damned thing somewhere far, far away from me.

By: Steve Bates

Steve Bates — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:29:23 +0000

Sigh. A lack of at least minimal scholarly interest in the idioms of one’s own native language… yours and mine, David; we were both born to it, though clearly you owned it first… shows not so much lack of effort as lack of curiosity. And that is the core of conservatism: lack of curiosity.

David, I recommend a dose of Steven Pinker’s work… if you’re the least bit curious. He’s at Harvard; are they conservative enough to suit you?