Well, the whole idea of perforating the i beam is now moot. I did some more detailed groping of the i beam. Remember, I often go off on mental paths without fully investigating reality first.
I know some of you won't understand, or possibly believe my explanation here. Well, it turns out that the front side of the i beam is essentially inaccessible. The cement slab of my porch floor, sits on the front side flange of the i beam. Actually, imagine the slab of the porch floor to look something like a box lid. It is a few inches thick although around the edges it is a couple of inches thicker than that. The edge of this box lid affair sits in the gap between the flanges of the i beam. In order to perforate the web of the i beam, I would have to go through several inches of concrete first, then the steel of the i beam. Screw that! I guess I will go under and around. Not sure if I will use pex or reuse the Copper that is there, but try out Shark Bight or ProPress fittings. I am not sure I want to try sweating pipes yet. I may put a dirt leg in at the bottom of the U that goes under the i beam, with a drain in it so I can bleed water out if I believe the U is getting clogged with debris. Again, my fantasy world may differ vastly from reality, so this project may never happen. Although, I am putting in some real hard hours in my head. *GRIN* -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: [email protected] Tel: (412) 268-9081
