Effect of decades drip on beam

[vjp2.at]

There was a faulty pipe joint causing a drip for decades.. (My diy uncle is an EE! His electrical work is wondrous, but..)

I don't want to open the ceilings looking for rotten beams..

Then don't know if should put steel support or epoxy-soak if find any rot..

I don't know if infrared can detect damage or (prolly) only water..

There is at least one steel beam (the house is 3.5 stories 25'x50' - actually 50x50 attached)..

What's worse, we've had 40yrs termites (Greek dictionary said termites were "white ants" and back then I was in grammar school).. we recently terminixed them..

I thought of just putting marble flooring in the bathrooms and kitchen involved and hope the marble compensates for structural damage..

One obese neighbor who recently passed away once fell through the shower floor in a nearby house by same builder..

Me, I keep telling my co-owner uncle to sell the house while the price is high.. he's says he's to old to "learn" (destroy?) a new house..

Fact is I've gotten way too used to this house (since age four) as well..

- = - Vasos-Peter John Panagiotopoulos II, Columbia'81+, Bio$trategist BachMozart ReaganQuayle EvrytanoKastorian

---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}--- [Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards] [Fooey on GIU,{MS,X}Windows 4 Bimbos] [Cigar smoke belongs in veg food group]

[bc]

[e-mail] wrote in news:dbk719$oc7$ [e-mail]:

There's no attic access to check the damage from the drip, and no crawl space to check for termite damage? I don't know about you, but if I were not playing on selling the house real soon, I'd sure rather find out and fix any problems on my schedule rather than wait for something to collapse or whatever.

[vjp2.at]

Ok, I'm lost as to how attic (on top of drip) would give a clue..

I was hoping there was a way to do it without tearing open the basement ceilings underneath the drip..

or I was hoping someone knew that the wood would resist certain damage..

my folks left me half the house and I'm kinda stuck as "junior" partner..

- = - Vasos-Peter John Panagiotopoulos II, Columbia'81+, Bio$trategist BachMozart ReaganQuayle EvrytanoKastorian

---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}--- [Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards] [Fooey on GIU,{MS,X}Windows 4 Bimbos] [Cigar smoke belongs in veg food group]

[bc]

[e-mail] wrote in news:dbkenn$8hu$ [e-mail]:

Sorry, your original post said something about not wanting to open the ceiling to look for damage -- I assumed that the drip was in a pipe in the attic. But since it is on the ground floor, why not open the ceiling and check? If it's rotten, the typical repair around here is to stabilize and isolate the rot and sister in a new beam to the good wood. Likewise for termite damage.

[Lawrence Wasserman]

Those are interesitng observations. Did you have a question?

[vjp2.at]

In by bc on Wed, 20 Jul 2005 03:11:17 GMT we perused:

*+-in the attic. But since it is on the ground floor, why not open the *+-ceiling and check? If it's rotten, the typical repair around here *+-is to stabilize and isolate the rot and sister in a new beam to the *+-good wood. Likewise for termite damage.

That's what I wanted to know, thanks!

- = - Vasos-Peter John Panagiotopoulos II, Columbia'81+, Bio$trategist BachMozart ReaganQuayle EvrytanoKastorian

---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}--- [Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards] [Fooey on GIU,{MS,X}Windows 4 Bimbos] [Cigar smoke belongs in veg food group]

[bc]

[e-mail] wrote in news:dbsk0o$hgg$ [e-mail]:

Good luck, hope it turns out well for you.