Take at a look at my subfloor readings and hygrometer for my next job:
If we are to use the numbers, can we not install this job? It's a 3-inch white oak remodel. There is plastic on the earth, no mold and very clean crawl space. The meter says 18.1 (that's an average with 23 tests), the crawl space is 74.2, outside is 90.9, the RH is 76 in crawl. The outside RH is 95 and the dew point outside per the weather folks was 75 F.
Now, as an install, sand & finish man, this job will fail if we do not find a way to correct the crawl space. So I need to ask my fellow bloggers, Craig and Howard: As the inspectors, what is your advice? What would you do? I have the white meter in the crawl, and the black one is over the fireplace in the home. My readings just make me as nervous as a long-tail cat at a rocking chair convention.
My first conversation with the homeowner was about putting a mechanical system in the crawl, but the cost is very high from the company doing the install of those units. It comes down to leaving washer rows in the floor but now, will the cracks show in the winter months? If I do the math; it will require a washer row every 18-21 inches.
On to the next question: I was asked by a builder about power and if I have a electrician license? My response was, "Nope, I do not have an electrician license." To that he said, "Then how do you hook up?" Now my next reaction: "Why do you care?" Well, it turns out in the past a floor man he had hired hooked up to the box and almost melted the house down. I took him to the trailer and this is what he saw with a smile:
We are lucky that most of the homes around here have electric dryers or stoves we can tap into with the right pigtail. I did tell him that for some jobs we have to hook up to the box, BUT we always make sure a breaker is in-line so at no time are the workers or the home unprotected. We also have breakers in the trailer for all the boxes we see in our market; this way we are confident that it is safe. We also make sure the cover is installed over the box to prevent anything or someone from hitting the main lines. If you do not know how, PLEASE DO NOT DO IT. If you know how, always do it safe and make sure protection is in-line. I still will preach this: NEVER TIE THE EARTH GROUND AND NEUTRAL TOGETHER. That is a huge violation of code. Take a look at the article the magazine did on electrical hookup safety.
Enough questions for one night, we are working on the good-size job: 700 feet of wood and 300 feet of tile. I have to install the plywood, so that it is all back to normal, this is the job that had the pipe break and all press board on top of 1/2 inch ply, so we had to tear out the press board and install the new ply. This is the job that we took the 30 sheets to last week to aid in the moisture. I have 15 felt down, then the 19/32 plywood, then Aquabar on top of that so we can install the flooring when it is ready. The wood is coming in the morning, and yes, I will test the wood before it leaves the distributor. I will start my paper trail. I have the readings written on the subfloor and will transfer that info to the job ticket so it is all in one place. I will leave a copy with the homeowner so everyone knows what it is and where we want to be.
I hope to have the tile done by the end of the week and let the wood sit, as well, so it will be ready ASAP. The wet work comes first, then installing the flooring, then letting that sit a few days before the sand & finish. Here is the sad part: The paint man has a trim man coming for the trim work; he wanted the trim up before the plywood and wood has been installed. We had words, but he does not understand the way it works ... apparently my words were better, because the trim is not up. I know the trim man and he is very good! The paint man has no license and told me he wants to run under the radar. Now, that is just wrong-he's a part-time guy making money tax-free while we pay for all the things we have to pay for. Oh well, just deal with it and move forward.
