11 minute read
On the House
from 2021-05-REC
Cleaning Up the Crawl Space
Eliminate moisture and potential hazards
By Jonathan Susser Q:I recently went into my crawl space for the first time in a while to grab some electric lawn equipment and noticed that it’s a mess. Most worrying are condensation on ducts and exposed electrical wires. What can I do to sort through these concerns?
A:Ah yes, the crawl space. Many of us peek inside only a few times per year, and I know what I find occasionally startles me as well.
Wet Crawl Space Ducts The moisture you saw dripping from your ductwork is sometimes referred to as “sweating” ducts. You may also be finding water droplets where the round duct connects to the rectangular plenum/box or by joints and connections in the supply ductwork.
People often assume these issues are caused by problems with your cooling system. They could be, but they’re more likely the result of high humidity coming from the ground of your crawl space or through wall vents. Uninsulated or minimally insulated ductwork will make things worse. (If you are worried about your cooling system, have your HVAC contractor check your equipment’s fan speed and refrigerant charge during your next routine service.)
Sweating ducts are not a year‑round nuisance; they are usually seasonal, popping up as the weather gets warmer and more humid. You have a couple of options for addressing them.
One is to make sure the ground of your crawl space is covered, a task you may be able to tackle yourself. Installing a 6‑mil or thicker polyethylene vapor barrier on 100 percent of the crawl space floor serves two purposes: It keeps soil‑borne moisture out of the space and creates a draining surface for water that does get in, for instance from a plumbing leak. You’ll want to extend the poly at least 6 inches up the foundation walls and piers in the middle.
The other is to consider closing your crawl space, which will likely require the help of a contractor. A closed crawl space has no atmospheric vents to the outside and can limit moisture concerns while potentially making your home healthier and more comfortable. There are a few steps that go into closing your crawl space, and you can learn more at advancedenergy.org/crawlspaces.
Open Electrical Connections Exposed electrical wires are definitely a cause for concern — you don’t want to risk electrocution or shock. You may be seeing the connection between two wires (with red or yellow wire nuts visible) or shiny copper wire (maybe the insulation has been chewed through, cut off or scraped off, or maybe there’s no wire nut covering the end of the wire).
But these aren’t things you should normally be able to see. These observable pieces should be hidden in a junction box under a cover plate — this is according to North Carolina building code and resources from the Electrical Safety Foundation International and U.S. Department of Energy. An approved electrical contractor will likely be needed for this fix.
Once you get these issues tidied up, you and your home will be better off, and you’ll have less to fear the next time you venture into the dark depths below your living space.
Jonathan Susser is a writer and editor for Advanced Energy in Raleigh. Before
Say It Like a Tar Heel
A beginner’s guide to place name pronunciation
By Lori Grossman
I live in Texas, but you’ll notice that my bio says I carry memories of North Carolina in my heart. Those memories involve a childhood visit with my “Uncle” Walter, who had a fascination for North Carolina place names.
Actually, Walter was my dad’s cousin, but he asked my brother and me to call him Uncle Walter because it was more “homey.” I took to him right away because he was so much like my dad. Both of them were curious about the world around them.
My first lesson in Tar Heel pronunciations came on a drive from Pinehurst (where Walter and his wife, Thelma, lived) to the Uwharrie National Forest. He slowed the car to a crawl as we neared the entrance and asked me to read the name on the sign.
“You-Harry?” I guessed.
“No, but you’re close,” Uncle Walter said. “You say it you-WHAR-ee.”
I was hooked. Already awestruck by the tall pine trees and beautiful scenery, now my 8-year-old self wanted to learn how to talk like a native North Carolinian. I wanted to discover other mysterious place names and maybe find out why they were pronounced that way.
Over the next two weeks, Uncle Walter and I spent several hours poring over a North Carolina state map and discussing the correct/ local way to say a city or place name. I’d heard of Raleigh (Raw-Lee) before, probably while watching an Andy Griffith Show rerun. But when Uncle Walter pointed to a city south of Raleigh that had two names, I was unsure.
“How would you say it?” he asked.
Whenever confronted with an unfamiliar word, I tried to sound it out. So, timidly, I said, “FEW-Kway vuh-REE-nuh?”
“Very good,” he said, smiling at me. When I asked why one city had two names, he said it used to be two cities and they’d become one. I thought it (Fuquay Varina) sounded like a lady’s name, with her last name first.
So far, we’d been hopscotching around the map, looking for unusual place names. Now, Uncle Walter suggested a new strategy.
Fuquay Varina
FEW-Kway vuh-REE-nuh
Cullowhee
CULL-uh-whee
Cape Hatteras HAT-rihs
My family’s visit wouldn’t last long enough for us to see all the places he wanted to show us, so why not plan a make-believe trip?
“Sounds like fun!” I agreed. “Where will we go first?”
Checking the map, we chose a route west, which happened to contain some tricky place names. When we got to Asheville, he told me that the county name didn’t sound like it looked. Spelled Buncombe, it was pronounced BUNK-um. Then there was Cullowhee County — home of Western Carolina University. The locals called it CULL-uh-whee.
At the far western border with Tennessee was the Appalachian Mountains. The pronounciation may seem tricky, but in North Carolina its decidedly ap-a-LATCH-UN.
“That’s enough for today,” he said, folding the map. “Next time, we’ll go east to the Outer Banks.”
A few days later, Uncle Walter and I “hit the road.” When I saw the long, thin barrier island, it reminded me of a similar place — Padre Island — just off of the Texas coast. I knew that the Outer Banks, like our Padre Island, had weathered many hurricanes. Uncle Walter told me that it was a special place, with lots of interesting things to see. Like the Bodie Island Lighthouse.
“If you wanted to sound like a local, you’d pronounce it BODY,” he told me. “And I’ll bet you’ve heard of Cape Hatteras before, haven’t you? Well, the residents would know you were a tourist if you didn’t call it HAT-rihs.”
It was a good place to end our make-believe travels. A few days later, my family left for Texas. But not before I showed dear Uncle Walter the name of my hometown and asked him how he would say it.
“San AN-tonio?”
“No, but you’re close,” I said. “It’s all one word. Sanantonio.”
Freelance writer Lori Grossman currently lives in Texas, but carries memories of North Carolina in her heart.
carolinacountry.com/extras Our state is full of quirky place names and pronunciations. What’s your favorite? Find this story online and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Coming Soon
Carolina Calendar
During the pandemic, we’ve put our events section on hold as happenings around the state have been canceled or postponed. But as folks adapt and learn to gather in safe ways, we’re happy to feature events in upcoming issues once more.
To be included on the events section of our website and considered for print, all event listings can be entered at carolinacountry.com/calendar. For accuracy, we do not accept events scheduled more than three months in advance, and ongoing events must be submitted monthly. We look forward to seeing you out and about once more! carolinacountry.com/calendar
Supporting Zuni Culture from Afar
By Janet Smith | Photos by Mike Davis
Mike Davis, a member of Four County EMC, is an eclectic curator. His house in Elizabethtown is a collector’s paradise, filled with sports cards, vintage bottles, German war memorabilia, all things turkey-related, and more. While he says he can’t put a dollar amount on his collections, he knows some items are quite valuable (like his Michael Jordan cards and the Johnson Brothers’ antique platters). Mike’s enjoyment, however, comes from cultivating the collection, not the monetary value. And there’s one collection he continually gathers solely to give away — wild turkey feathers.
Mike has devoted almost 20 years to collecting then donating wild turkey feathers to Native American tribes in need. These tribes use the feathers in important religious ceremonies, and Mike’s assistance helps them keep their traditions alive.
Collection for a cause
Mike has always called Bladen County home and grew up turkey hunting; it’s a part of who he is. He hunted turkey with his father and enjoyed carrying on the tradition with his son, now in college. He has been a member of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) since 1997, an organization devoted to “the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage.” In 1999, while reading its bi-monthly newsletter, “The Turkey Call,” he read an ad about the Zuni Feather Project that started his collection for a cause.
The Zuni Tribe, a Native American tribe located in New Mexico, is the largest in the Pueblo nation. The agriculturalbased Zuni have always used the feathers of wild turkeys in their sacred ceremonies, and continue to use turkey feathers in ceremonies throughout the year, as well as in daily life.
However, the turkey population in the region isn’t large enough to provide the number of feathers needed for these traditions. The Zuni turned to the NWTF for help, and the result was the creation of the Zuni Feather Project. This project was truly turning one person’s trash into another’s treasure. Members were asked to donate their wild turkey feathers to the NWTF, who then forwarded them to the Zuni and other tribal nations in need. Mike participated in the project every year, enjoying helping his fellow man.
Mike Davis (right) was honored by the Zuni for donating more than 2.6 million turkey feathers to their tribe.
Although the National Wild Turkey Federation started The Zuni Feather Project, Mike has carried on the tradition.
The official NWTF project ended in 2008, but that hasn’t stopped Mike. He continues gathering the feathers, sorting and storing them in his shed. Mike now averages 250,000 feathers per year, equal to 100 birds. Every October, he loads up the boxes in his trailer and makes the long drive to New Mexico.
“I love history and I know how important these feathers are to the Zuni nation,” Mike says. “I consider it an honor to help them carry on the traditions of their ancestors.”
Word of Mike’s arrival to the reservation spreads quickly, with the announcement, “The feathers have arrived!” Roads are then blocked off to accommodate the hundreds of tribal members who line up for the feathers.
Mike has now donated over 2.6 million feathers and has been honored by the Zuni for his efforts. How does one man collect so many wild turkey feathers?
“Word of mouth,” Mike says.
News of his project has spread throughout the Bladen County area over the years, and now people will approach him and say: “Are you the feather guy?”
Last year was a little different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A spike of positive cases caused a quarantine of the reservation, but that didn’t stop Mike. He boxed up his wild turkey feathers and shipped them via UPS, at a cost of hundreds of dollars. Mike admits it was less expensive than making the trip to New Mexico, but he missed seeing the people he now calls friends.
“When I arrive every October and see the joy when they get something they need and may not otherwise get, I am satisfied,” he says.
Below left: An example of a prayer stick, similar to the type used in Zuni religious ceremonies.
Janet Smith is a communications specialist at Four County EMC and editor of the Four County Connection monthly newsletter.
If you are interested in donating wild turkey feathers for the Zuni Nation, contact the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at 866-855-7902.
