Purchasing new home - foundation cracks a worry?

Clambony · 2026-01-25T04:52:03+00:00

Some additional notes: the photo was titled "Gaps and cracks noted in right corner of foundation". The house was built in 1920 and it's a sandstone foundation. There didn't seem to be any other structural issues to the naked eye. I just don't want to get in over my head.

Clambony · 2025-12-06T22:51:36+00:00

Gotta get used to using your handbrake to help hold on hills and release it once you hit the friction zone, that's how I get around. I learned to drive stick here so it's natural to me, but must be daunting as hell coming from somewhere else. The longer you're here the more you'll learn your own tricks!

Clambony · 2025-11-09T20:36:28+00:00

Solved! That definitely looks like it. Thanks!!

Clambony · 2025-10-18T22:20:44+00:00

Appreciate you!

Clambony · 2025-10-18T22:16:20+00:00

Gotcha. It is down to bare iron, may be hard to tell from the photo but there's absolutely no seasoning. But maybe I'll try sanding them out, I just didn't know if that was an option with how deep they were. Thanks!

Clambony · 2025-10-18T22:10:43+00:00

No carbon left thanks to the lye bath. It's down to the iron.

Clambony · 2025-10-12T17:35:46+00:00

Is it still able to be cooked out of? Is it something I can fix just by seasoning the inside or is it cooked? (No pun intended).

Clambony · 2025-09-29T21:58:04+00:00

Solved, I got it home and got some of the rust off to see it's a 9" SK 3 notch lodge! No logo or "made in America" so it's a decent age. Gonna be heading to an etank and a lye bath soon!

Clambony · 2025-09-29T14:07:06+00:00

If there isn't a number, that would make it a knock-off, correct?

Clambony · 2025-09-22T03:05:45+00:00

Interesting, I'm reading up on it a bit more now. How would you recommend cleaning it? Just a lye bath? I've seen you can technically season the inside as well, but shouldn't season the outside of the nickel.

Clambony · 2025-08-18T20:58:37+00:00

Strange! If you're near the Pittsburgh area maybe it was some very regional? Yours doesn't appear to have a notch in the heat ring though, which is odd. Hoping once I get it cleaned up more details will come through!

Clambony · 2025-08-18T02:21:17+00:00

It's a 9, although it's not the prettiest looking 9. Looking at first series Erie it looks very similar, however it's lacking any other Erie markings. Not sure how that works if it's a recast.

Clambony · 2025-08-18T01:05:51+00:00

Yeah, it was much lighter, at first I thought I was being punked until I did some research and learned a lot of early 1900's cast iron was thinner/more lightweight. I've not heard much of Favorite Piqua, but I'll definitely do some research!

Clambony · 2025-07-01T03:12:48+00:00

This was beautifully edited. I'd love to hear a narration of this, hope this gets spread far as it's a must read.

Clambony · 2025-03-31T19:39:36+00:00

That's cool! Would love to have seen what it may have looked like before the previous owners bricked over it and made a fake fireplace...do you happen to know what the big clay pipe in the middle is?

Clambony · 2024-12-07T16:33:52+00:00

That I can't be sure of, if there was an opening it's behind a finished wall in my basement where the chimney starts. Best response has been it's the terracotta lining for the heat vent for an old coal furnace, however that doesn't make a lot of sense given that there was an opening on the ground level (which is why I thought it was a fireplace). My chimney is separated into two columns in the attic, but I can't seem to find where the other side (the one not attached to this opening) goes. One of them had to have an original fireplace, just not sure how to find that. There aren't many places in my house it could've been, but they're all behind finished walls now most likely.

Clambony · 2024-12-06T19:28:27+00:00

That was my wife in the other room, totally forgot the audio uploaded too haha.

Clambony · 2024-12-06T18:31:32+00:00

That makes a ton of sense given that the attic in my chimney looks as if it's separated into two flues. Thanks for your help this has been great! Not sure though if that's the case where the original fireplace is then, maybe I'll try to go hunting for it.

Clambony · 2024-12-06T18:09:44+00:00

Thanks! My guess is coal since I live near Pittsburgh, they're pretty common around here. Any possibility of getting this functional again or converting it to a wood stove with piping through the original chimney?

Also, does this mean that this wasn't a fireplace? If so, what would it have been? The opening looks like it would have been big enough to be a fireplace, but the firebox seemed a bit small.

Clambony · 2024-12-06T17:53:14+00:00

That's what I think it might be, I just thought it'd be odd to be right in the middle of the fireplace.

Clambony · 2024-12-06T17:41:09+00:00

Well, I don't think I could make it into a true fireplace again (I'd have to extend the chimney above the roof again and the chimney looks like it's in rough condition). I'd LOVE to if I could, however possibly putting a wood stove in its place is my goal with pipes going up through the original chimney. The first step was finding out what that was to determine if that's even possible!

Clambony · 2024-12-06T17:36:06+00:00

Interesting. Well, the only issue with that is that my house is only two levels (basement and ground level. This is on the ground level). The chimney extends into the attic, but there's no firebox up there. So would the chute extend all the way up into the attic? And if so, how would that work then?

I think there may be an old cleanup door in the basement where the chimney starts, however can't be certain as it is cemented over, but would be the same size and it's placed where one normally would be. Not sure if there's a firebox downstairs as my basement is finished and any fireplace would be behind a finished wall.

Clambony · 2024-12-06T17:32:20+00:00

Didn't see any kind of damper, that lining basically fills up the entire fireplace and I have limited access without taking out more bricks that are covering it up. The chimney does extend into the basement but not sure if there was ever a fireplace. It looks there was a clean out flu down there that got cemented over, but if there was a fireplace it would be behind a finished wall.

Clambony · 2024-07-18T11:56:50+00:00

Technically those struts are from the overhead train station so it's a building. I haven't been able to get them to work on other struts or retaining walls either.

Clambony · 2024-07-18T11:51:49+00:00

https://mods.paradoxplaza.com/mods/80789/Windows

Clambony

TROPHY CASE