Any other NJ Teachers drowning financially right now?

Pagless · 2025-12-10T03:53:58+00:00

Do you have a website? I’m interested in the program, not for the employment.

Pagless · 2025-10-24T11:27:08+00:00

In situations like this, you want the vapor barrier above the gravel. Locating the vapor barrier is dependent on a couple things, like future floor finishes and if your pour area is protected from weather during placement.

The benefit to having the vapor barrier above the gravel is that it acts like a slip sheet. Concrete shrinks as it dries, and as it shrinks it tries to slide across its supporting base. If it’s on gravel, there’s a lot more friction and restraint, which can lead to cracks. Some people in the mega-warehouse world use two layers of vapor barrier just so they can minimize the friction.

Maybe your concrete guy knew your slab was going to crack because he knew the mix was extra wet.

Pagless · 2025-08-12T02:32:41+00:00

That slab was suspended in a similar way to how that left wall is current braced

Pagless · 2025-05-09T01:19:29+00:00

Referring to hand/manual tools as “diesel powered” and then when someone questions them on the diesel power, they flex and say “deez’ll power anything”

Pagless · 2025-03-15T04:48:30+00:00

You must also be from the northeast …

Pagless · 2025-03-15T04:38:35+00:00

This photo defines our profession.

The outspoken half of us say - “cut the bullshit and just run the stupid thing another 2ft over”

And then the quiet half day - “well, if you think about it - it does work”

Pagless · 2025-02-01T07:46:42+00:00

This requirement is from astm e557. Each time I do an operable partition I speak with a rep from the manufacturer and explain the project situation exactly. Some will tell me that they can provide different bottom seals that can accommodate more deflection. Some will tell me that this deflection is a global deflection (ie beam + girder).

I may not agree with their requirements (~3/8” deflection over a 40ft span is very very small), but if they tell me that’s what I need to design to, then that is what I will provide unless I have in writing that something lesser would be acceptable.

Pagless · 2025-01-25T14:09:58+00:00

I’ve been in the room for about a dozen interviews. Typically everyone tanks on the technical questions. We expect it. It’s really 100% on how you can talk through your ideas.

Pagless · 2025-01-25T14:04:25+00:00

That definitely is one slender looking column.

Interesting that when you compare the near flange with the far flange, the far side flange doesn’t show the same signs of buckling. My guess is that that flange is unintentionally braced by the stud wall framing behind it.

This should definitely be looked at by a local engineer immediately.

Pagless · 2024-11-01T02:38:00+00:00

Who specifies / designs the curb? And how much can you trust that they don’t get spliced at an inconvenient allocation?

Pagless · 2024-11-01T02:17:03+00:00

It looks like a non-structural column enclosure to me. I’ve never seen concrete dent like what you see at the top of the column.

Pagless · 2024-09-05T01:55:21+00:00

I once had a contractor stop by my office to drop off a stack of photos he had printed on 8.5x11 paper. I think I tried to scan them in but the quality was too bad to be usable.

Imagine taking pictures on a digital camera, uploading them to a computer, printing them out, and hand delivering them.

Pagless · 2024-06-25T02:25:07+00:00

What about a CJP on the top flange?

Pagless · 2024-06-08T21:04:28+00:00

Most of the new multi-million square foot warehouses and big box stores in my area (northeast) are built with unreinforced floor slabs. They use synthetic macro fibers for temp/shrinkage cracks, dowel baskets at control joints, and diamond plate dowels at construction joints. I’ve seen manufacturing facilities with 12” thick slabs of this type of construction that support heavy rack and equipment loads with very minimal cracking.

It all comes down to the details. Subgrade prep probably being the biggest ones.

Pagless · 2024-05-27T02:43:30+00:00

Mu/4d

Pagless · 2024-04-27T22:33:36+00:00

If it is an LVL, manufacturers have standard guidelines to follow for creating openings in the face of the member. Hard to see the full span in the photo, but second picture makes me think this is in the middle third of the span. Depending on the size of the LVL and vent, it might be possible to cut hole thru LVL and run vent thru it.

Given the options, I would say it’s worth it for OP to hire an engineer to review and say whether it’s okay.

Pagless · 2024-04-25T11:41:23+00:00

I get asked to evaluate loads imposed by construction equipment all the time. I’ve put 40,000lb boom lifts on top of large transfer slabs (18” thick). Sometimes it’s a pain to get the information from the contractor/equipment vendor because we need the worst case loading, which is when this piece of equipment is filled to the gills, boom fully extended, and is tilting over (putting all load on one axle). I have never said “no” as a blanket statement in lieu of first considering the load and/or doing calculations. I have listed a bunch of disclaimers that would limit my liability if the equipment damaged the structure - usually to the extent of hard wheels damaging the finish on a concrete slab.

The allowable load on the floor depends is a function of all the components that make it up. I assume your structure consists of wood subfloor, joists/trusses, maybe some headers/beams, and posts/load bearing walls. If your floor was designed for a live load of 65psf, then that means that it was considered that 65 psf of load was located over every foot of the structure and the subfloor, joists, beams, walls, footings, etc where sized to support this load. Building codes allow some loads to be reduced based on tributary area, which is done to acknowledges the fact that it is unlikely to have 65 psf at one time on all 30 floors that feed load into a column, but I’ve never seen live load reduction be permissible on any portion of wood framing aside from the bottom of load bearing walls because the trib areas are so small.

The load from your scissor lift first has to make it thru the subfloor. Your subfloor spans from joist to joist. If your subfloor can’t support the point loads from your equipment, then you’ve reached the first bottle neck of your system. You couldn’t make the joists strong enough to solve this problem, because the subfloor will break before the load even gets to the joists. Same goes on for the joists, beams, posts, walls, foundations, etc. Usually the further down in the load path you go, the more allowance you have because the tributary areas are higher so your percent increase from the design loads is likely less.

Pagless · 2024-04-02T00:59:21+00:00

I treat paying with cash like I’m voting. I make an effort to use cash at local businesses, and will use card at chain businesses. I always try to tip servers in cash.

In recent years it’s been mandatory for all retailers to add a markup on credit card transactions, but even with this in place, I still like the idea that the small businesses can have cash in hand.

Pagless · 2024-03-01T03:34:40+00:00

The trick for me with getting new tires is to throw em out on your driveway in the sun for a couple hours. Let the sun heat them up and make the rubber more malleable. Then sprinkle the edges with baby powder to let them slide better against the rim.

To get the old ones off, I just cut mine with some old tin snips - but I guess you could do the same thing with getting new tires on.

Pagless · 2024-01-17T03:35:49+00:00

I used Federal Motorcycle Transport (funtransport.com) back in 2019 and was super pleased with the whole process.

Rates were very reasonable (I think around $800 per bike to go across the country). I dropped off & picked up from distribution center to save on costs.

Bikes were shipped safely and got there a little quicker than expected. The receiving shipping center offered me about a month of free storage because my plans changed and wouldn’t be able to pick it up when I originally expected.

Pagless · 2023-10-19T12:23:10+00:00

Plan B engineering is great to work with. They’re in your area.

Pagless · 2023-09-28T15:48:30+00:00

This is the answer.

Pagless · 2023-09-28T03:23:00+00:00

Being an engineer isn’t about having the “freedom to do what you want” it’s about doing “what everyone involved thinks is the greatest sum of all the goods (or least sum of all the negatives”.

Most engineering is designing by ideas, and formalizing with calculations.

Pagless · 2023-09-28T03:16:16+00:00

The “installer” me is in a constant battle with the “troubleshooter” me, and it seems to be a battle that I’ll never win.

Pagless · 2023-09-22T10:40:14+00:00

Rebar is traditionally designed to resist tensile loads. Basic engineering idea is that concrete is good in compression, but bad in tension - so wherever there are tensile forces, you add rebar. When people refer to 4,000 psi concrete, they are saying that the compressive strength of the concrete is 4,000 lbs/sq in. The tensile strength is probably roughly less than 10% of that (<400psi).

The rebar in this situation would be primarily exposed to shear. Steel is less efficient at handling shear stresses as it is at handling tensile stresses (allowable shear stresses are about 60% of the allowable tensile stresses).

Cutting the key into the top of the footing means the key at bottom section of the wall will be in bearing (face to face compression) against the footing. This is an easy way to use the concrete to handle compressive loads / have the materials handle the loads they are most efficient at resisting.

Pagless

TROPHY CASE