In the garden, and RAIN!!!!

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, December 25, 2025 04:27
VIEWED: 1005090
PAGE 215 of 1154

PREV PAGE 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 NEXT PAGE

BRENDA

Saturday, July 13, 2019 11:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
My brother has been transferred back to a rehab facility in the city I live in. He says he hopes to be out next week and home.

Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Thanks for the update, Brenda. That is good to hear.

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
We'll see kiki. He thought he'd be home this week.
Hm. Well, time works wonders.

True enough. But it also just shows how bad his left leg was hurt.

BRENDA

Saturday, July 13, 2019 11:09 PM

Had a power outage here this morning. Don't know what happened. It went out around 8:33 that's when the stove clock stopped.

SIGNYM

Saturday, July 13, 2019 11:21 PM

CLEANING UP AFTER A RACCOON:

Gloves.
Mask.
Shovel and plastic bags.
More shovel and more plastic bags.
Bleach and a bucket of bleach-water.

TAKE A GOOD SHOWER AFTERWARDS

I'm trying to figure out what else you need to do to protect yourself from raccoon parasites and diseases. One of those parasites is potentially brain-eating (altho you have to eat raccoon shit in order to be infected. But if you breathe in contaminated dust that might do it, too.)

With all of that heat and humidity, plus working in an attic, you have my sympathy! we've been having 90+ weather lately too, but it's not anywhere near as humid, and I still sweat my ass off just working outdoors.

Try to do your attic work in the AM.

Do you own a fan, or two or three? It might help to position a fan to cool you off while you're working up there, plus sitting in the breeze of a fan after a shower is very refreshing.

Stay hydrated! Hubby swears by Powerade Zero, but if you don't want to spend the bucks make sure to salt your food well, and drink plenty of water.

*****

BTW, I was looking at the pix of your work in detail. You're a perfectionist, I think; ou do good work! Nice electrical!

That "clown room" ... it looks like you removed the carpet to expose the hardwood floor, correct?

*****

My "near term" plans were derailed by needing to button up the holes under the (six) sinks that the plumbers created when they replaced our iron waste lines with ABS. Right now we're just using cardboard; hubby is doing all of the hard under-sink work* and I'm his trusty helper.
*I developed a strange problem, when I lie down on my back and roll my eyes "upward" - t the top iof my head - INSTANT and overwhelming nausea! I first noticed it when I was putting some shelving together and I thought it was just a one-off, I next noticed it when I was working underneath a sink. I have no idea how that developed; supposedly I could see a doctor and get the problem fixed (otolith wandered into the wrong place in my ear, or something) but I just didn't want to take the time/spend the money.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .

1KIKI

Sunday, July 14, 2019 2:42 AM

Jack, I didn't want to pound on this topic too heavily because I didn't want to be the only one and look like chicken little and get dismissed offhand. But when I called raccoons filthy and nasty, and a bunch of other negative descriptors over my posts I was referring to: their habits (shit oozy poop everywhere), their health risks (crap-ton of viruses, bacteria, and parasites carried internally, externally, and in their poop, that you don't want to get), and their nature (aggressive / unafraid).

http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/agricult/pdf/raccoons.pdf

In addition, while they aren't rodents and don't chew their way into everything, they have VERY clever hands and minds*. For example, they will work normal live-traps open and escape. (They'll also work chicken roosts open, pet doors open, and so on.) And they do find small structural weaknesses and work them open as well. So after clean-up, if you want to make sure you're excluding them, find out where they're coming in and block / nail / screw with whatever heavy-duty / strong / permanently attached thing you can get to keep them out.

* I should have included that they're also strong, persistent, and good climbers.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, July 14, 2019 7:09 AM

Well... the since one that I have seen behaved as if she was afraid after days/weeks of banging on walls and growling through them 10 times louder than she could. Once I knew she was up in the porch attic back then and I finally built up the nerve to open that door and point that flashlight around and spotted those beady eyes staring at me, it took her a few moments to realize that I was looking directly at her and when she did she ducked out of sight.

That all means nothing though if I actively back her into a corner and/or mess with any kids she's got up there.

Trust me, I've taken everything you've both said about the racoons to heart. I'm not so far as like Howie Mandell where I go around with latex gloves on 24/7 because of germs, but I believe I have a healthy and rational fear of those microscopic monsters that live in unclean places... especially after what they've done to my jaw bones.

I just wish I was more up on my tech these days and I had a camera that I could put up there and monitor for motion 24/7, just to see what the situation is and take the guesswork out. Night or day, I would have no idea what potentially bad situation I could be walking into by going up there.

I'm glad she's been out of the house attic for weeks now, but at least when she was up there I could sort of monitor her activity because of the noises she'd make (usually sometime around sun-up and sundown, but not exactly like clockwork).

But apparently she's been living up in that porch attic for weeks without me even knowing. What little noise she does make during the day when I'd be out there having a smoke break or cooling off with ice water under the fan was incidental and I didn't hear it. I just got lucky the other day that I was working out front of the house that close for a few hours and happened to hear her stirring above the soffit in the front of the porch during hte middle of the day. Thankfully, the smell of crap isn't in the house itself, so I was unaware of the mess up there even until I had to go up there to check it out.

I took the day off. We'll see if that was a mistake or not tomorrow. Thunderstorms now. I never put the facia back up, or even got that finish coat on. But as long as we don't have torrential winds blowing the rest of the aluminum off, I'd have to say that it's probably more protected from the elements now with the caulk and two coats of primer even without aluminum up there than it was before I found out how bad that situation was.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, July 14, 2019 7:17 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Do you own a fan, or two or three? It might help to position a fan to cool you off while you're working up there, plus sitting in the breeze of a fan after a shower is very refreshing.

As hot as it is up there and as miserable as I'll be, I really don't like the idea of blowing around a bunch of killer bacteria particles to get into my eyes and nose and mouth. I mean, I've got a good hepa filter mask and some goggles, but I had those when I bleached the vapor barrier in my crawlspace years back and it still burned the hell out of my lungs. I think I'm going to have to deal with the heat.

Quote:
Stay hydrated! Hubby swears by Powerade Zero, but if you don't want to spend the bucks make sure to salt your food well, and drink plenty of water.

Water is free.

*****

Quote:
BTW, I was looking at the pix of your work in detail. You're a perfectionist, I think; ou do good work! Nice electrical!

Yeah. I'm a perfectionist for sure. :)

It's why I never really got into doing the work for money. I take too long to get things done. When I'd work for my friend's dad who taught me a lot of the stuff I know, he'd often tell me "This ain't the Taj Mahal".

Quote:
That "clown room" ... it looks like you removed the carpet to expose the hardwood floor, correct?

Yeah. The entire 2nd floor had beautiful hardwood floors that I refinished. I didn't even know about them when I first bought the house. I had always planned on refinishing the hardwood on the first floor that I knew about when I bought the place, but I doubt I'm going to be sticking around long enough to ever get to that. They really don't look that bad. The 2nd floor was beat to shit though, so that's why somebody decided to just cover it with carpet at some point.

*****

Quote:
My "near term" plans were derailed by needing to button up the holes under the (six) sinks that the plumbers created when they replaced our iron waste lines with ABS. Right now we're just using cardboard; hubby is doing all of the hard under-sink work* and I'm his trusty helper.
*I developed a strange problem, when I lie down on my back and roll my eyes "upward" - t the top iof my head - INSTANT and overwhelming nausea! I first noticed it when I was putting some shelving together and I thought it was just a one-off, I next noticed it when I was working underneath a sink. I have no idea how that developed; supposedly I could see a doctor and get the problem fixed (otolith wandered into the wrong place in my ear, or something) but I just didn't want to take the time/spend the money.

Jeez... I've never heard of that before. I hope it's nothing serious!

Do Right, Be Right. :)

1KIKI

Sunday, July 14, 2019 12:28 PM

"hepa filter mask"

Well! I get to put some of my environmental lab work knowledge to use!

Briefly, a HEPA mask filters out very fine particles. There are other filters that chemically adsorb ammonia, others that adsorb VOC (organic solvents), or sulfuric acid vapors, and so on.

When it comes to half (or full) face masks with replaceable filter cartridges, one USED to be able to purchase individual cartridge types that you could screw one into the other in a stack, that you could then screw into your half (or full) face mask respirator, so that you could customize your cartridges for the job. Do you need HEPA + VOC like for paint spray work? Or HEPA + acid for metal plating? So, for example, you personally would have been able to stack a particulate filter on top of an ammonia filter. But sadly, the a$$holes in industry decided to outsmart the consumer, and created generic 'multipurpose' filters that may or may not meet your needs, or single-purpose filters you CAN'T stack. Pisses me off.

Moving on ...

Here are the various designations for disposable particulate filters you might run in to:
Respirator Rating Letter Class
N - Not oil resistant
R - Resistant to oil
P - Oil Proof
Respirator Rating Number Class
95 - Removes 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter
99 - Removes 99% of particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter
100 - Removes 99.97% of all particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter or larger. Those are the same specs as as 'HEPA' filter.

You'll see for example N95 disposable masks in hardware stores. For the work you're doing, I think they have too much leakage around (10%) and through (5%) the mask. See at the least if you can pick up an N100, which filters more of the smaller particles and is generally made with a better fit and lower leakage rate.
Or even better, see if you can get a half-mask respirator with replaceable cartridges, though those are quite a bit more expensive.
If you DO get a half-mask respirator, see if it fits well (called a 'fit test'). Take the cartridges off, put the mask on, block the cartridge openings with your hands and breathe in. You should be sucking a vacuum, with no leakage. (Formal fit tests are more rigorous: while wearing a mask with filter you have a plastic bag put over your head with the bottom open - they're not trying to suffocate you! - with a severe irritant - dioctyl phthalate - introduced into the bag. If the mask fits well, you never breathe the irritant in. If it doesn't fit well, the tester gets immediate feedback as you choke and cough.)

I also looked up ammonia.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207883/
Nonlethal, irreversible, or long-term effects occurred when damage progressed to the tracheobronchial region, manifested by reduced performance on pulmonary function tests, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, emphysema, and bronchiectasis.
Nondisabling reversible effects were manifested by irritation to the eyes, throat, and nasopharyngeal region of the respiratory tract.
**The odor of ammonia can be detected by humans at concentrations >5 ppm; the odor is highly penetrating at 50 ppm (10 min). Human volunteers exposed to ammonia showed slight irritation at 30 ppm (10 min); moderate irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, and chest at 50 ppm (10 min to 2 h);** moderate to highly intense irritation at 80 ppm (30 min to 2 h); highly intense irritation at 110 ppm (30 min to 2 h); unbearable irritation at 140 ppm (30 min to 2 h), and excessive lacrimation and irritation at 500 ppm. Reflex glottis closure, a protective response to inhaling irritant vapors, occurred at 570 ppm for 21- to 30-year-old subjects, 1,000 ppm for 60-year-old subjects, and 1,790 ppm for 86- to 90-year-old subjects.

** You want to be under 50 ppm and your indicator will be "moderate irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, and chest".

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0028.html

The IDHL (immediately dangerous to life or health) concen

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, July 14, 2019 9:12 PM

Shows what I know... I know mine were 95... not 100.

I also didn't know you needed separate cartridges for separate functions either.

I have a half mask that you snap the circular cartridges on. I haven't used it in years though. I'll test it out like you said before I do. Thanks for the tip and the info.

And I probably had 500ppm or more with the bleach for around 4 hours when I cleaned it. I was in bad shape afterward and had to miss work for a few nights. When I tried smoking a cigarette shortly afterward it felt like somebody had burned my lungs. Whenever I get really sick in the winter (about once every other year) the bronchitis that sets in usually lasts a few weeks after I'm over it. That never happened until the bleach incident.

Damn... I didn't even know Ammonia was the same type of thing. I just thought it was an unpleasant smell. I can't imagine how a racoon is going to stay up there since I emptied nearly an entire bottle into 10 plastic cups and poured some on rags and the flooring. I might have killed it in it's sleep if it didn't vacate on its own after I got out of there.
.
Do Right, Be Right. :)

1KIKI

Monday, July 15, 2019 1:42 AM

Also, fwiw it's not a good idea to mix bleach with ammonia, or bleach with substantial amounts of urine, or bleach with substantial amounts of poop, as that can create toxic chlorine gas and toxic chloramine gas. I did that once when I accidentally peed into a toilet I was bleaching out (I forgot it still had bleach in it). I know that windpipe and lung pain you posted about, though probably not as well as you do! I think bleach bottles do have that caution about not mixing with ammonia on them.

Now that you know what IDL (immediately dangerous to life and health), OSHA PEL (permissible exposure limit) TWA (time weighted average) maximum exposure averaged over 8 hours, and NIOSH REL (recommended exposure limit) TWA are; you could probably reasonably well look up whatever you want to look up in the NIOSH pocket guide.

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/default.html

I'm not sure how the professionals clean up and sanitize after an animal infestation. That, sadly, isn't in my repertoire of knowledge to pass along.

1KIKI

Monday, July 15, 2019 4:21 AM

However, this is my personal, unexperienced plan I would try, and see how well it works out. Double glove with at least one set covering up onto the forearms / disposable Tyvek® Coverall (available at hardware stores and online, but as I've been told, it's as hot as wearing a plastic bag. I've been told that professionals who use them wear them on top of underwear only.) / N100 (HEPA) particulate mask / 7th Generation sanitizing wipes (funky-smelling herb-oil based anti-bacterial wipes that also do a good job cleaning) / safety goggles / heavy duty trash bags for waste / thermometer to monitor ambient temperature / perhaps a good 4 x 4 piece of plywood to move around to span the ceiling joists as a platform

Perhaps I'd start with a sprayer and a dilute deterg solution and spray down anything really dusty or friable (eg insulation, old boxes), just enough to keep the dust down. Then I'd manually // clean up (with wipes) / wipe up (with wipes) / gather up (eg insulation, old boxes) // toss out // as much stuff as I could, to reduce the physical, biological and chemical load as much as possible. After the place appears physically clean, I'd get out the trusty sprayer and fill with a standard sanitizing solution (I'd need to think about bleach v lysol v any other ..) and spray all previously contaminated surfaces with enough solution to keep the surface damp for the specified time (with bleach, it's 10 minutes).

Now, irl, any of these steps might stumble into unanticipated problems. But that would be my initial plan.

PREV PAGE 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 NEXT PAGE