Blog Archives

Drainage Systems

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

Drainage systems come in many shapes and forms (see Chapter 13) but they also share many common features – they are placed lower than the section of road or earthworks they are intended to drain and they comprise materials (and/or pipes) that

Подпись: Fig. 1.11 A gravel-lined swale with planted reeds to function as a soakaway. Reproduced by permission of VicUrban Note: Infiltration is encouraged by providing a porous surfacing.
Drainage Systems

are more permeable than the surrounding materials. Broadly, they may be classified as follows:

i) Horizontal (or sub-horizontal) drainage layers.

– When placed in, or more usually at the bottom of, some imported soil used for earthworks, these are termed blanket drains. Then they are used to isolate earthworks from underlying groundwaters, allowing any up-flowing water to be intercepted before it causes deterioration of earthworks and to catch water draining down from higher layers.

– Drainage layers may be provided only to carry small see...

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Tools

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

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The tools in this chapter are a subjective col­lection. Yours should be too. Choose tools that are right for the scope of your renovation, your experience, your storage space, your budget, and your physical strength. Because tools become an extension of your hands, shop for tools that are comfortable to use. Other specialized tools are presented in pertinent chapters.

Tool Safety

Few things will slow a job more than an injury, to say nothing of the pain and expense involved. Don’t be afraid of tools, but respect their power and heed their dangers. The following sugges­tions come from professional builders and tool manufacturer owner’s manuals, so read and heed them. Always comply with safety tips provided in tool-operating manuals...

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In Egypt, the Nile flood is a blessing

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

Agriculture developed in Egypt about 5000 BC, perhaps under the influence of Mesopotamia and Syria. Subsequently, the need to take maximum advantage of the flood for land fertilization and irrigation led naturally to the organization of human resources for this purpose. Flood risk on the Nile is less than on the Euphrates and Yellow Rivers. The Nile has a relatively regular annual flood cycle, but still has suffi­cient variability, from one year to the next, to cause plenty or famine. The importance of the use of the flood in Egypt appears in numerous texts. In the Book of the Dead, in the heart of a long litany in which a person, embarking on a final voyage, proclaims his (or her) purity, are the following verses:

“I have not stopped water when it should flow...

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A LITTLE GEOMETRY

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

A little geometry is needed in the plumbing trade. Whether you are work­ing with roof drains, figuring floor drains, or doing almost any part of plumbing paperwork, you may be using geometry. I hated geometry in school, but i’ve learned how to use it in my trade and how to make the use of it much more simple than I ever used to know it to be. I’ll share some of my secrets on the subject.

Plumbers use geometry to find the distance around objects, to find the area of objects, to determine volume capacities, and so forth. A lot of plumbers probably don’t think about what they are doing as geometry, but it is. So, let me show you some fast ways to solve your on-the-job problems by using geometry that you may not even realize is geometry...

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The Yellow River valley and its catastrophic floods

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

In China, agriculture first appears about 6000 BC along the Yellow River. Omnipresent in the beginnings of the Chinese civilization is the legend of its founding hero, Yu the Great. In about 2000 BC Yu was apparently “master of River Control.”

“In ancient times Emperor Уй deepened the rivers and saved the empire from flood, bringing relief and security to the nine provinces.”[17]

During this time, according to legend, “the flood waters rose as high as the sky”.[18]

Yu’s father, Kouen, had earlier been given the responsibility to curb the floodwaters, and constructed dikes over a nine-year period. But he failed in his assignment and thus was banished. Yu then decided to sacrifice himself to the river, taking the sins of all upon himself...

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Home Remedies for Energy Nosebleeds

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

■ BY BRUCE HARLEY

M

y friend Terry Brennan told me that on his first job as a mason’s tender he learned two things: "Whatever I did was wrong," and "If the work wasn’t going to show, don’t strike the joints" because it didn’t have to be pretty. Now, not taking the time to smooth out a mortar joint that no one will see may not rank as a great offense. But the fact is, many things that go wrong in home building go wrong where sloppy work is done because "it’s not going to show, so it doesn’t matter." I know this because as an energy consultant, I plug the same nose­bleeds in new and old homes alike. We’re good at cutting construction costs but bad at building houses that serve their owners well, minimize operating costs, and also reduce pollution.

Gaps in the Construction Sequence Cau...

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RYNERSON HOUSE

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

The renovators: Juanita and Steve Rynerson had lived in the original house 14 years while raising two sons. According to Juanita, a teacher, and Steve, an architect, "we no sooner had an empty nest than we demolished it.” To make an ambitious renovation affordable, they house-sat various houses for a year, which required that they move from house to house, while working full-time jobs and overseeing the renovation.

The house: This two-bedroom Craftsman cot­tage was built in 1915. In the mid-1960s, accord­ing to Steve, "the previous owners stuck their heads in the attic and said, ‘Oh, we can put two more bedrooms up here.’ ”

What worked: Great schools, nice neighborhood, large pleasant backyard...

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Chronic Illness from Acute Exposure to Virulent Mold Species

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

In 1993 when Tomasita Gallegos was 37 years old she first consulted Dr. Elliott. At that time she was frightened, in a state of severe agitation, and somewhat disoriented. Her face was bright red; her mouth showed increased salivation; her eyes were watery with constricted pupils; and her skin was warm to the touch. She was referred to Dr. Elliott by another physician, who felt she might have experienced a pesticide exposure.

Ms. Gallegos was employed as a housekeeper in a private home. The morning of the day she became ill, she was instructed to clean the guest house, which had been recently occupied. Shortly after the patient entered the guest house, she be­came acutely ill with the above-mentioned symp­toms...

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Development

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

For years the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the NAHB National Research Center (formerly the NAHB Research Foundation, Inc.) have been searching for solutions to the rising cost of housing.

The Joint Venture for Affordable Housing (JVAH) program has been. a significant step toward lowering _ housing costs. This manual contains a compilation of proven cost-reduc­tion methods of land planning and development, as well as actions local governments can take to _ encourage more affordable housing.

All the techniques may not be applicable in every situation, but most builders will find many ways to lower housing costs. Volume II, the companion manual, contains proven cost-saving construction techniques.

Acknowledgem...

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Preservative Treated Wood

Posted by on 12/ 11/ 15

Preservative Treated Wood

The treating of wood in recent years has gone through some major changes. The most important thing to know is that there are different types of preservative treatment and that some of the treatments require specially coated fasteners to prevent corrosion.

A little history will help in understanding. For years the predominate chemical for preserving dimension lumber had been chromated copper arsenate (CCA). However, health concerns arose because of the arsenic content in CCA, and in 2004 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required labels on CCA, which had the effect of disallowing the use of CCA-treated wood for most residential uses.

The first commonly used substitutes were copper azole (CA) and alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ)...

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