[AT] Talking about shops/sheds + (OT) Building Code Changes

[Chuck Bealke]

On 3/5/2011 9:14 PM, Larry Goss wrote:
> You understand completely, Ralph.  REALLY completely!  It's the most frustrating thing you can imagine.  The old tubes were efficient, just not as efficient as someone wanted us to be.  So we've got to go through and change out everything.  When I changed the incandescent emergency exit lights at the church over to CFL's, I did the calculation on power savings alone and found that we amortized the complete cost of the changeover in less than one year.  But the congregation doesn't understand the full meaning of what I say when I tell them that the infrastructure of the church isn't worth our efforts to save it.  None of it was built to code.  Even though it is only around 50 years old, everything has to be replaced -- all the plumbing, electrical, HVAC, septic, parking lot paving, outdoor drainage, concrete floor, single glazed windows with steel casement frames,  --- everything.  The sound system stopped working about a dozen years ago because the insulation rotted off the copper wires of the 70 volt audio output.  It's all in steel electrical conduit, so it shorts out very easily.  But it's NOT just a job for pulling out the old wire and pulling in new.  All the original conduit was undersized, and you can't pull anything out to replace it because the new stuff is larger in diameter and won't even fit the existing space.  It's a good example for why nothing should ever be left up to a committee.
>
> Larry

Ralph and Larry,

Code changes over time that render church structures non-code compliant 
and thus pose financial threats is one pregnant topic.  I have been on 
the finance - sorry, Larry - committee of our church for seven years.  
It has been an education on building inspectors finding fault with what 
was in the mid 50s - when the church was built well and met all the 
applicable city and other codes - a splendid, high quality building.  As 
you likely know, churches are by and large threatened by diminishing 
membership and finances in this age.  Many in our area have closed or 
are in the process.  Elevators, wiring, and fire protection equipment 
come to mind as items subject to new requirements which can threaten 
church financial solvency pronto.  In our case, we have a school on 
property (Grades 1-5) and some florescent tubes overhead.  Hope the 
changes to lighting requirements like those mentioned in your shop 
discussions will not represent too bad a cost for us.  Will check it 
out.   Thanks for the heads-up guys.


_|___\  __
|_____/    \          ~ Chuck Bealke ~ Dallas ~
(  )       \__/

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