“MAN, THIS IS CRAZY!” I said to Ruben, as I showed him the moisture-meter’s readouts on the corner front column. For years, I have been hunting the source of the moisture that keeps ruining the paint on this column—as discussed most recently HERE.
 |
| Illustration from the Home Depot product page |
The column was wet!
And we have no idea where the moisture is coming from!
Below the jump, I recount the situation in more detail.…
THE CORNER COLUMN keeps getting soaked from the inside, upon rainfall, as does the portico slab beneath it. Somehow. And even after we have eliminated several suspected pathways for water intrusion.
 |
| Rainwater is causing discoloration, bubbling, and cracking of the paint— only on this column, and only on one side. Where is it coming from? |
Last week, the general contractor Yosi Arbib speculated about a possibility that I had not previously considered: whenever rain soaks the planter that is next to the base of the column, moisture is being drawn, via wicking, both up into the column, and down below the column.
 |
| Yosi’s hypothesis |
It seemed to me that Yosi’s hypothesis would be fairly easy to test. Basically the test would consist of pouring water into the planter, and then seeing whether the column gets damp.
Below the jump, this post documents the experiment that I carried out.…
ON OCTOBER 29, our waterproofing contractor for the sanctuary’s south wall tied up the last remaining loose end, in the project it had begun the previous summer. It did so in conjunction with its annual maintenance visit. At least, the south wall project is complete!
 |
| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
Below the jump, this post documents both aspects: the waterproofing installation, and the maintenance.…
THE TITLE of this post is a sincere question that is being posed to our waterproofing contractor, Cameron Figgins of Absolute Maintenance & Consulting. My focus here is on the concrete stem wall (also known as the foundation wall), which juts out along the bottom of the overall exterior wall.
 |
| Why does the section on the right of the pilaster look so different from the one on the left? (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
My concern is not aesthetics but rather that the rightmost section seems less well protected from future water intrusion.
I’ve been wanting to pose that title question in person since mid-August, but I haven’t succeeded in meeting up with Cameron on site. So last week, I asked him via email. He promptly replied:
Please send me something from a few different angles.… I'm really interested to see what you're talking about here, see what you might mean.
In response, I am uploading photos to this post. Below the jump break, I document how the easternmost section of our wall looks markedly different from the other sections.
BOTH FOR OUTDOOR PROJECTS and to keep tabs on water intrusion, it can be helpful to know when and how much rain has fallen. Fortunately, the County has a rain gauge close by. It’s at the Electric Avenue Pumping Plant, located at the corner of Brooks Ave.
 |
| (As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.) |
This post pinpoints that gauge’s location relative to Mishkon. It also explains how to read the continuous online report.
YESTERDAY, thanks to our gracious neighbor, I got a closer look at the exterior south wall.…
PHASE II OF THE FLAGSTONE RESTORATION PROJECT was undertaken in late 2021, mainly to control ongoing water intrusion into the sanctuary building. Three smaller projects meanwhile also had the same goal. As this fiscal year comes to a close, here is a blog post that gathers those threads, weaving them into the fabric of a loosely told story.…
PHASE I OF THE FLAGSTONE RESTORATION PROJECT is a great reminder of what such efforts can accomplish. Last spring, the flagstone pavement in front of our sanctuary’s steps was looking pretty darn decrepit. Happily, by November, it had been restored to the point where routine maintenance should be able to keep it in decent condition for a couple of decades. Here is an overview of how the project proceeded.…
(Weekly posts from July–August 2021)
Compiled in one handy location:
Now you can binge-read the entire series…
9. Reckoning with Hole-iness as the Year Turns
An unexpected underground void turns up between our building and our neighbor’s
8. The Season for Going Beneath the Surface
Surprising challenges that must be faced while restoring the front patio
7. How is This Hole Like My Life?
On dealing with a void that opened up in the “solid” concrete pavement
6. Donating to Support Our Buildings' Restoration
About the newly created Capital Improvements Fund
How we found and dealt with these voracious critters
4. How Your Dues Helped Preserve Our Facilities
Tabulation and categorization of expenditures during the 2020–2021 fiscal year
3. Board Plans Facilities Restoration
Defines “restoration” and describes the board’s forthright approach to it
2. Restoring the Building Means Solving Puzzles!
Challenges in dealing with stormwater drainage, given the absence of records
1. Restoration Project Underway: Flagstone on Main Street
Why this project had been undertaken, and its goals