R values

[mdshunk]

Anybody know what the R value of 3.5" of bat guano is?

I was working today rewiring a 1920's home. When I cut in a box on the third floor, loads of very stinky dried bat guano poured out of the box cutout. I got a shop vac out of the truck and started vacuuming out the stud bay. Apparently, almost the entire height of that stud bay was completely filled with bat crap. That's the first time that ever happened to me. I jokingly asked the paperhanger that was stripping walls downstairs if he knew what the R value of bat guano was, and explained what I found. He came upstairs to see the proof himself. I took the top off the shop vac to show him, and we both were immediately repulsed by the strong smell.

Some people think that an electricians job is glamorous...

[bmwpower]

puke_1

I just threw up in my mouth, thank you very much.

[Mr T]

First I need to know what the bat's diet and cholestoral are. If there are multiple bats, I will need the weight of each bat. Also needed for more accurate results is the family history of the bat(s). I will also need to know the size of each hole or gap in the stud cavity, the thickness of the material the hole is in, the size in cubic millimeters of the area that it opens into, and the average and adjusted (R+M/2 method) temps of that area. One last thing I need is the amount of days that the moon is in the Waning Gibbous phase. Then I will be able to calculate the standard M, Z, and O, manual Q, automatic S, and sometimes Y numbers. I can plug them into my conversion calculator and the results will tell me that the homeowner has a very poor sense of smell!

What did the homeowner say about this? Did you tell them? :D I found some racoon crap in a wall cavity while rewiring this house. The shower/tub was on the back side of the wall. THe ceiling over the tub drops a foot below the rest of the ceiling, leaving a opening in the stud cavity up in the attic. The racoons that we bought with the house apparantly used that as a nesting area. THere wasnt piles of it in the cavity, but when we had the attic's insulation sucked out, the stuff going down their 8" suction tube sounded like gravel being sucked up by a shop vac. I would guess that htey lived up there more then the 2.5 years that the house was vacent.

I have always enjoyed working on houses, but restoring this house has changed some of my views on that!

[mdshunk]

... the results will tell me that the homeowner has a very poor sense of smell!

What did the homeowner say about this? Did you tell them?

Well, there was no smell until the bat crap was disturbed. No kidding. It was old and dried, but once it was disturbed it had an odor that I've never really smelled before. It was closest to chicken crap if that provides any reference, but still different. There was no "homeowner" per se. The dwelling is a huge old house that was vacant/abandoned for 9-1/2 years, but in otherwise remarkably good condition. It is being converted into apartments by a group of investors from what I understand.

[Mr T]

.....by a group of investors from what I understand.
I would have left it in then.....

[mdshunk]

I would have left it in then.....
I understand what you mean, but that's not really how I work. Premium price for premium service is my motto (if I had one).

[Mr T]

ahh I see.. you take the "They have deep pockets....very deep pockets" approach with them.

You didnt look in the attic did you?

[Roger]

I suppose we are now going to hear every freaking electrician,plumber, and excavators crap stories.....thanks MD..... ladyman_1

[mdshunk]

You didnt look in the attic did you?I had been all through the attic previously. No sign of any bats. There might not have been bats there for the last 50 years for all I know. I'm not sure how long it takes a bat or bats to fill a stud cavity with bat crap. Found a few shed snake skins in a basement 2 weeks ago, but no live snakes. The one was pretty impressive. It was 40 odd inches long when I measured it.

[Roger]

News Flash......Mdshunk of Pa. strikes it rich with discovery of large mother lode of bat guano in old home. Retail value estimated in the thousands of dollars. You can order it in special packaging see below.
http://www.truevisionhydroponics.com/shop/images/products/MexicanBatGuano.jpg

[Mr T]

I suppose we are now going to hear every freaking electrician,plumber, and excavators crap stories.....thanks MD..... ladyman_1


Well since you wanna hear.....
I'm sure XK has some nice finds....


In this house I have found 2 screwdrivers so far (probably left that many too)
In current and previous jobs, i have found numorous home stereos with ****roach nests in them (they are attracted to the humm/buzz of transformers), a bee nest in a copier, mouse nest in a computer (of the maintenance dept of a college) and a live mouse in a fax machine which resulted in the one and only ever apology from my manager (i can tell the story if anyone cares... pretty good).

Now, I'll shut up so that everyone can go take their stereo's apart

[xkvator]

I suppose we are now going to hear every freaking electrician,plumber, and excavators crap stories.....thanks MD.....
Roger.....my feelings are hurthttp://jm.g.free.fr/smileys/unclassified/Cry201.gif

Well...at least you didn't call me freaking like those electricianshttp://jm.g.free.fr/smileys/unclassified/smiley_abyc.gif

anyway...I have no guano stories...that i can remember...todayhttp://jm.g.free.fr/smileys/non-smileys-animated/smiley_caca.gif

[Roger]

Roger.....my feelings are hurthttp://jm.g.free.fr/smileys/unclassified/Cry201.gif

It has never struck me that you guys on those big earth movers had feelings you were always so intimidating to us little guys on the ground. bow_1