Recent content by Chris J

Only time will tell, of course, but most electric utilities are coal fired or hydro-based rather then fired from another fossil fuel. I don't think you will see electric rates track FF costs as they are not apples and apples. Electricity will always get more expensive as time advances, but it...

Well, I'm not looking to start a ******* contest, but you can't get completely dry air out of a pipe that has water in it. I blast with glass beads the size of flour (almost), and don't bother with a water separator either when doing this, but that little bit of remaining water will show up in a...

I like that idea! I think that would solve a lot of my storage vs. floor space concerns.

I would agree that this would remove a great deal of water (I have a back-and-forth scheme on my cooler), and is quite sufficient for blasting, but if painting is a possibility, you want a real dryer.

Unless called out otherwise, the bottom cord dead load is usually designed at 10 pounds/sq. ft. This is sufficient to hang sheet rock and lay insulation. It is NOT sufficient to carry storage loads of any size, let alone any live load. Do not do it! If you can pull the load back to the wall...

My thought is that the HD dude is demonstrating his ignorance.

Yes, it's true. Bend Pak has sold out. These days, if it doesn't say Hunter or Rotary, you should ask specifically were the lift is made, and who knows for how long this will remain true?

timgr is right: electric heat can be considered 100% efficient in that all the electricity used to generate heat, generates usuable heat. To compare operational costs, compare the cost of btus of electric heat to the cost of btus for FF heat. Electricity creates 3413 btus per KWh, and propane...

It sounds as though avoiding freezing in the garage is the primary concern, and personal comfort is not a serious consideration. While I am one to always over-build a project (which is NOT always a positive quality), as in putting the hydronic tubing, it sounds as though you might be better off...

I think we need to clarify some terms. If you are heating the slab (or any mass), the heat is radiant, regardless of whether it is from electric heater wire buried in the slab, or tubes with a fluid being pumped through them. And hydronic systems with an electric boiler fall under the class of...

I believe that is the single nicest garage I have ever seen. Well finished, but not so over the top that visiting car friends feel inferior because of a ridiculous over-display of money. Very nice. I like your use of stone around the perimeter of the foundation too. This is an idea I had not...

My concrete contractor and building inspector had never even heard of this, and the consequences of using standard hardware with the new-type pressure treated lumber is "undetermined" according the spec developing agencies. However, the use of stainless steel anchor bolts is considered a...

I have to disagree with rburke65. You are going to suffer a lot of aggravation with a "small" space if the total area is divided into three separate rooms. Also, while the end rooms will help somewhat with the heating situation, any gap more than a 1/2" thick is not a "dead-air" space because it...

There is no way to apply a simple rule to selecting tubing size and the length of the runs. No matter how you slice it, somebody has to do some actual design work if you want a system that works well and doesn't cost you a fortune to operate. 7/8ths" is a HUGE tube. Assuming you don't have a...

I know this isn't what you want to read, but I doubt the floor trusses have the strength to handle this sort of span safely. You don't say what the height of the floor trusses is, or what the load is that they are designed for, but a residential grade (40 lb/sq.ft.) truss is going to be rather...