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ARCHITECTURAL MAINTENANCE TIPS
June 10, 2010
1. Wood
French Doors
Since these door assemblies are very expensive to replace, it behooves us to
keep them properly sealed and protected against the elements. Those doors
positioned in direct exposure to rain and sun are particularly problematic. So,
what do we need to do for these doors? Thoroughly seal and paint them for the
best possible protection before each rainy season.
Two areas of
these doors are identified for particular attention. 1. The bottom edge,
especially the exposed end grain of the vertical members (stiles) and 2. The
upper edge of the lower horizontal member (lower rail) where it joins with the
glass. The aluminum channel threshold seal must be removed to gain access to the
door's lower edge for proper sealing and painting. This is where the stile end
grain is found which literally sucks up moister that in turn swells the wood and
cracks away the paint leaving it vulnerable to further damage. Most installers
leave this area as bare wood. As for the area between the lower rail and glass,
simply caulk that joint every year before the rainy season to keep moister from
seeping down into the lower rail which warps and disintegrates the wood.
Doors that have
deteriorated badly in this lower area can be saved by installing aluminum "kickplates"
over the entire area below the glass. These can be purchased at Lowe's Hardware
pre-made for this purpose.
2. Water /
plumbing system
We have two
possible sources of damaging overpressure to our plumbing system, either of
which can create leaks through weak pipe walls or solder joints. First is the
pressure regulator which reduces the street pressure of 150 psi. to a nominal
working pressure into the house of 70 psi. and acts as a oneway check valve.
This unit is problematic because our water is loaded with minerals and salts
that collect on it's working parts rendering it inoperative over time. How much
time this takes varies greatly and requires that it be checked at least once a
year. The unit was installed with original construction and is the
responsibility of the unit owner.
The second
component, the expansion tank, was not included with original construction, but
is required by plumbing code with new construction. This unit allows for thermal
expansion of the water heated in the hot water heater after use of hot water and
all valves are closed whereby the volume of the system would otherwise be fixed.
Without this unit in place, the pressure can easily spike to 175 psi. in a tight
system. Please note that all owners are strongly encouraged to install this unit
since the board's policy to cover the cost of slab leaks will be honored only
with the presence of an expansion tank.
3.
Replacement Garage Doors
Some years ago,
the board created a provision whereby owners could replace their old swing-up
doors with steel roll-up doors without submitting an architectural application
with the provision it is of the approved design. The design requirements are as
follows: 1. Steel long panel design. 2. White in color. 3. Optional clearlite
windows in the upper section. 4. Optional insulation with two grades available.
No other design variations are acceptable. Your vendor can easily replicate what
we have throughout the neighborhood. You door opener must be of the long drive
design to accommodate the roll-up track door. Alicia Garage doors of Lake Forest
949 770 6787 and Besser Brothers of Laguna Hills 949 830 3667 are reputable
vendors we recommend.
June 12, 2009
WEEP SCREEDS
 
What's all this about weep
screeds? Ch. 2, Ver. 11
And it came to pass in those days the
people in their ignorance allowed their weep screeds to be covered. And
the heavens rained for 40 days and 40 nights and the people found the water
rising within their abodes. And the people asked amongst themselves "What have
we done to have wrought such pestilence?" And there was much anguish
and nashing of teeth. And Noah (maybe Jonah) answered, "wherefore art thou your
weep screeds?" And the people huddled amongst themselves to learn the
answer. And the prophet spoke saying: I beseech you to pay special
heed to thy weep screeds for the Lord's wrath will surely befall you. And the
people saw the folly of their ways.
Modern translation:
The board has reminded us about the
importance of weep screeds as a result of the tragic history our neighborhood
has experienced with water intrusion including toxic mold within the structures.
I will attempt to clarify what it is and how it works.
Stucco over wood frame construction requires a special margin or "fence" where
the stucco field terminates. Around the doors, a treated wooden "stucco
mold" serves this purpose. The aluminum window frames themselves do this
as well and whatever roof member situated next to the stucco field also serves
in this way. That leaves the lower edge of the stucco field just a few inches
above ground level. The weep screed does this job. But it also has
another job. That job is to drain the water flowing down behind the
stucco. It does this with little holes positioned every few inches along
it's sheet metal length. It is literally a screed that weeps. This
is necessary because stucco is extremely porous and keeping water out of the
building is the job of the lathing paper just behind the stucco.
So what is the problem?
Unfortunately, some of our owners have unknowingly allowed contractors to block
the lower edge of the stucco field where the weep screed resides virtually
rendering useless it's function of allowing water to flow through it. This
is usually done with patio slabs or curbs built over and above the lower edge of
the stucco. Here is what happens when the weep screed is blocked:
water flowing down between the lathing paper and the stucco backs up until it
reaches the level of the first lathing course. The second course is lapped
over the first similar to shingles or tiles on a roof, but they are not sealed.
The water, having been impeded from it's downward path, rises to the top level
of the first lathing course and drains directly inside the wall resulting in
certain damage. The condition is insidious in that it will not be noticed
until well after the damage has been done.
So there you have it. This reminds us all why it is necessary for any work
impacting the common area must be requested properly with the application
process.
Your friendly Architectural
Committee
Los Verdes Architectural Committee Chair
Ronn Gottschalk
rgotts@cox.net
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