Will it EVER dry up?

[k4kyv]

I have been trying to do some repair and painting to the exterior of the shack, and when I finish that I need to get started on the main house.  I had planned to have all the exterior work on both buildings finished by the end of the summer.  Right now, part of the rotten siding is ripped off the back wall of the shack and I am trying to pull out the fibreglass insulation that collected moisture and caused the wood siding to rot.  The insulation was worthless, since only one wall was partly insulated.  My mistake was putting in the insulation when I re-sided the wall 18 years ago, just because the wall was torn open and I happened to have several rolls of fibreglass batting on hand.  I had thought it couldn't do anything but help, but soon became aware that while insulation in the wall may help with the heating bill, it will cause severe moisture problems if the wall isn't perfectly sealed against water infiltration.

But the problem is it won't stop raining.  It has been wet all summer, with just a couple of dry weeks in July.  I had to delay painting the other walls through April and May, until almost June before it got dry enough that I was able to apply a final top coat between showers.  It has rained every day for the past week except for Sunday.  I'm sitting here now watching the open studs getting soaked in the pouring rain, and the WX forecast calls for this to continue every day for the next week!

At the rate I am going, I won't get much more building  repair work done the rest of the summer, and will be lucky to escape further moisture deterioration before I can get the damaged siding replaced.   

[flintstone mop]

YUP Don,
It's getting old here in Western Pa.
RAIN RAIN RAIN and very cool. I wonder what the Farmer's Almanac is thinking right about now?

Long time residents think the cool Summer will lead to a very cold wet Winter.
Better get those antennas built and tested!!!
Fred

[Jim, W5JO]

When you put the insulation back be sure to put a moisture barrier between the outside wall and the insulation.

[ka3zlr]

Yea my Tomatoes are not doing to swift either...and the news was just talking about something effecting them this year. I miss it I was in the kitchen getting a coffee...

73
Jack.

[k4kyv]

When you put the insulation back be sure to put a moisture barrier between the outside wall and the insulation.

I'm not going to put the insulation back.  90% of the building is uninsulated anyway, so insulating this little section of one wall will make negligible difference.  The siding on the entire building would have to be taken off to install insulation and a proper moisture barrier.  That's way down the road, if ever.  On the main house I insulated two exposed walls and put stuff called TyPar over the insulation, leaving a small air gap on the back face of the siding, and have had no moisture problems whatever.  Nowadays, you would put up a layer of plywood sheathing over the studs and insulation, cover that with a breathable moisture barrier, TyPar, TyVek or similar product, and put the siding over that. 

The shack was built in 1930 and the house was built between 1850 and 1870, so they both came with nothing but interior wall, studs and exterior siding.  I think the effectiveness of wall insulation is somewhat overblown if you can effectively block air infiltration.  Where insulation is most effective is over the ceiling beneath the loft.

With all this rain, I could cut the grass twice a week (if I could get the mower through the soggy lawn) and it would still need cutting.  I can usually stretch it out to 10 days between cuttings, or even 2 weeks it is especially dry.  If it doesn't turn dry soon, I'll just try to finish that wall, get one coat of paint on it, and put all the rest off till next year and hope for better wx conditions.

I would gladly trade a cold, snowy winter for this summer muck.

[WA1GFZ]

Don,
I seem to remember wet fiberglass insulation makes some nasty out gas.
be careful. We got a hot summer day today. Be careful in what you wish for.
I would install the AC tonght if I wasn't so crapped out from doing 4 gallons of paint yesterday.

[WB2YGF]

Almost 90 here (before the thundershowers).  AC been in for months. 

[WV Hoopie]

RAIN..........as long as it's not 5 feet high and rising, you have a few more months to get the outdoor work finished.

104 degrees F in the shade here in OrYgun today.

Craig,

[K1JJ]

Yep, it's a joke how the 5-day weather forecast has shown rain for months on end.   I've been out sailing only six times all year.  But it doesn't bother me too much. I still work in the rain or time the wx for the brief clear interludes.

What's interesting is how nature balances itself out. At the reservoir where I sail, two summers ago it was so dry, it hit 30 year drought levels. I could walk around the whole thing on the beach shore and not get wet.  But now, it's so full that some of the water tunnels are full to the tops and cannot be passed. There are islands that no longer exist.  The shores are impassable in deep water. This water depth swing is the most extreme I've ever seen.


Even the CT River hit 13 feet the other day. Flood stage is 16'. This is unheard of in late July when the level is usually down around 3' or so.

Well, based on long term weather cycles, I've read that we are in a very hot, very cold, very dry, very wet volatile period that will last another 30 years or so.


Yes, Don, it's been raining like heck here too, but today was FB...

T

[ve6pg]

...don...2 things you can send my way:...

..1..rain
..2.. jimsen weed seeds...



..sk..

[k4kyv]

I'm still looking for some jimsen weeds.  Seems like the things were everywhere when I wasn't paying any attention to them, but now that I want to find some, I haven't seen a one all summer.

[Opcom]

brother, I'll trade you some heat for some rain..

[W2VW]

I had plans to stick a quad antenna up this summer. Plans canceled. If the Wx trend continues we will have ice storms. Last one here was 1996 and it destroyed my big Radio Shack TV ant.

[k4kyv]

It's 2303 local time, we had intermittent showers starting this morning at about 1000 local time,  and it's been pouring down solid non-stop for over 5 hours now with a tornado watch due to expire at 11 PM.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

I'm still on the OEM/VEM mailing list Don, and I see they've issued flash flood warnings for much of VT and the northeast. So you're not alone.

According to a recent conspiracy-theory show on the History Channel, some believe that the HARRP people are responsible for this weather, by super-heating the ionosphere to set up a stationary high off the SE coast. This was apparently done to protect us from more hurricanes that our enemies are pointing at us with their super-secret weather machines.... 

[WB2YGF]

The front just pushed through and it's going to be dry tomorrow...then it's back to showers for Sun, Mon, Tue...

[W1ATR]

Yeah, it's just been raining too damn much now. Jokes over and lets get to some sun and heat already before I gotta hit the soup line. Being an HVAC company, we have been taking a freakin beating waiting for summer to start up. Now, 2 months late, it's just starting to pick back up.

We got doused with another 2 or 3 inches this afternoon with a tornado supposedly spotted in Naugatuck and crazy winds that knocked out the power for a little while.

[W1VD]

Other businesses taking it in the shorts around here...

Landscapers - mowing on the occasional dry day but few landscape jobs

Pool guys - almost no new installs

Painters - wood never has a chance to dry out with only 1 day between rainstorms

Roofers

No doubt some of it is economy related but the combination is a one-two punch.

[K1JJ]

Other businesses taking it in the shorts around here...

Landscapers - mowing on the occasional dry day but few landscape jobs

No doubt some of it is economy related but the combination is a one-two punch.

I saw a  lawn mowing service guy working in the pouring rain yesterday. He was driving his pro-disco duck mower like a maniac in a Grand Prix. It was like he said, "Screw it! - I've had enuff of this crap!"  I always thought the grass would cake up when wet, but evidently his mower could handle it....

Yes, the perfect storm of economies somehow got the WX, OM to cooperate with its plans.  The taking heads are saying the worst is over and we are headed for good times.  It's almost time to start buying more schtuff we don't need again - with money we don't have - God help us.

T

[WB2YGF]

Yes, the perfect storm of economies somehow got the WX, OM to cooperate with its plans.  The taking heads are saying the worst is over and we are headed for good times.  It's almost time to start buying more schtuff we don't need again - with money we don't have - God help us.

Yes, the weather is as gloomy as my stock portfolio.  It sucks sitting on the sidelines while one of the best monthly rallies in history happens.

[K1JJ]

Yes, the perfect storm of economies somehow got the WX, OM to cooperate with its plans.  The taking heads are saying the worst is over and we are headed for good times.  It's almost time to start buying more schtuff we don't need again - with money we don't have - God help us.

Yes, the weather is as gloomy as my stock portfolio.  It sucks sitting on the sidelines while one of the best monthly rallies in history happens.

Yep, I know the feeling, OM...

But don't feel so bad - the many who are "locked in" with 40%-90% stock mkt losses after buying near the 2007 highs still have a long way to go to get whole again. At least you had the foresight to get out and keep your powder dry. No position is still a position, and I think it's still the best position for a longer term person right now. Cash is still king.

This market has changed from a buy and hold - to a nimble trading market. I still believe those who buy and hold for the longer term will be sorely disappointed in the future.  Short term trading has gotten quite lucrative for the nimble pros.  We'll have to see if the mkt makes it's usual high in August and then a huge sell-off into Sept/Oct like many past corrections have done.  I wouldn't chase this mkt to the upside.

T