PEX pierced by Western Conifer Seed Bug
piegirltoo
10 years ago
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10 years agoklem1
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Conifers at Highlands NC
Comments (24)resin: Thanks for the tall tree information. Interesting that the Nordmann is reported to grow so tall. And interesting about the Sitka spruce in Prairie Creek SP. I had spend a fair amount of time there and saw some wonderful Sitka spruce there, but I am surprised that one there is so tall. The oldest Norway spruce here, that I have seen and have some halfway reliable information about the probable ages of, is about 180 years. I am sure there were trees planted earlier, but I don't have any specific information and haven't seen them. The oldest forest planting, I am fairly sure, is the "Rothkugel" east on the town of Bartow in West Virginia, on the national forest there. This was not planted as a pure stand, and the Norway spruce are growing in a mixed hardwood stand. They were planted in 1907 on an area that was logged and then burned. They were planted with black locust--all gone now--and European Larch, of which there are a few scattered individuals and groups remaining. I think what happened is most of the planted trees were overwhelmed by the growth of brush and weeds, before they became tall enough to compete effectively. There is no evidence of any of the NS trees dying in this stand--there are some people over here who think NS is not long lived, but these trees are now over 100 years old and seem very youthful. These trees are scattered and in small groups because of factors during their establishment, not because of any subsequent mortality. Anyway, the NS are "head and shoulders" above everything else, and the last time I was there and tried to estimate their height--about 10 years ago--I thought about 140 feet. And they seemed to be growing at about 6 or maybe 8 inches per year. I am not sure how well that growth rate will be sustained. But these trees are growing in a very ordinary soil--I would guess a class 3 forest soil. If they were on a class 2 soil their growth would be significantly faster. And to my eye--and I really have to guess based on a combination of characteristics I can observe--these may not be a particularly good strain. The stand near Glady, WV I describe in an earlier entry here already has taller trees, even though it is about 25 years younger. At Glady the soil is also just a class 3 soil, but the trees seem to me to be of a superb strain for fast growth in that area. The only stands of NS I know of growing on a class 2 soil are the two on my own timberland, and one of those two stands seems to me to be of a excellent strain for fast growth, and the other is not bad. The better trees are averaging growth of 28 inches per year, in spite of the frequent weevil attacks. It is about 35 years since they reached the baseline height of 4.5 feet, and the tallest trees are now 85 feet tall. According to growth curves developed at SUNY Syracuse, their present growth rate will continue for at least another 15 years, but based on my observations at Glady, there will be a slowing not too long after that--I would guess in an additional 10 years or so. Anyway, If I live to be 95 (my father made 98), I will see these trees up to about 140 feet or so. --Spruce...See Morebugs under cedar shingles
Comments (1)Have it tented with liquid nitrogen? I mean, I have no idea but that comes to mind as something that would be both thorough and very safe to use. It would be expensive, though so I hope it doesn't come to that. Good luck!...See Morescary bug
Comments (13)Q: Why do Texans wear pointy-toed boots? A: So they can squish the cockroaches in the corner. Our house is over 150 years old and we have had about every kind of creature you can imagine. One of the most common is brown recluse spiders. I had seen them crawling around ever since we moved here, and never paid much attention to them, thinking that black widows were the only dangerous spiders in this area. Then I heard about brown recluses, but still didn't pay much attention until I saw some pictures. That's exactly what those little brown fast-crawling ones here are. Even worse, I saw some photos of what can happen if the bites are left untreated. I don't let them freak me out, but I am much more careful to avoid them now....See MorePEX vs. copper
Comments (9)"certainly for any exterior wall applications (in northern climates). Even though it is better to try and use interior walls, that is not always possible with todays open concept floorplan. With pex you no longer have to worry about freezing pipes that crack." WRONG- While it is true that the PEX tubing will tolerate freezing it also must be understood that when a fixture is installed in an outside wall the PEX fixture stubout is also in that outside wall, and if freezing occurs it can and generally will occur first at the fitting. If freezing occurs in the fitting it will expand the fitting wall and the PEX crimp ring so that when the line thaws and everythig returns to normal size the expanded crimp ring no longer has the correct tension and the line is likely to blow off, not to mention that the end use fitting is copper and it is subject to splitting in the same manner as copper pipe. quote "It is nice when you have a manifold in the basement that equalizes pressure." WRONG- a manifold does not equalize pressure. Pressure changes are a result of vertical static head & friction head in the pipe runs. If the lines are sized correctly their is no more pressure losses in a main & branch system then there are in a home run manifold system. Quote;"allows for individual shutoff valves" Per code, all fixtures with the exception of showers and tubs are required to have individual shutoffs and when servicing a faucett on a second floor I find it much more convenient to reach under the sink and turn the angle stop off instead of running down two flights of stairs and locating the manifold to turn the water off. (Perhaps that is why most local codes still require the angle stops even though you have a manifold system). Quote;" It's also much cheaper" When you factor in the cost of the manifolds & end use stub outs plus the amount of tubing required to construct a manifold system in the end the material cost will work out nearly the same if not more expensive. Quote:" and much faster to install" Here again, this is wrong. While it is certainly easier to fish PEX tubing than to run rigid copper to install PEX per complete code, ASTM & manufacturers specifications it reqiires MUCH MORE attention to detail, but then I doubt if one in fifty PEX installations are really up to spec. The bottom line, if you install PEX in a standard main & branch configuration there is a substantial savings in material costs however if you install a PEX manifold system most plumbers will quote the same price as copper. On the other hand, there is nothing that would prevent you from installing a manifold system with copper, in fact, I once worked on a Jail where they did just that. They installed a manifold in a utility closet in the hall way and a separate copper line to every shower, WC & Lav so if a prisoner should happen to tear something off the wall the guards could quickly turn that fixture off without interrupting water service to the other fixtures on the floor....See MoreUser
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