Attic question, creosote??

[bdoles2]

Here's an attic from a home built in 1950. All of the rafters and ceiling joists look to have been spray painted white. Underneath the white the wood is dark, almost black. If you can zoom in enough you can see how some of the rafters look like the white paint is cracking, almost like a blistering. I don't believe there has been a fire. My question is does anyone know what a creosote covered piece of lumber really looks like?

[Mathew Hawley]

Brian,

From the picture it really looks like there was a fire. Many of the attics here in Florida are 150 degrees and I have never anything like that.

[Michael R. Boyett]

I agree with Mathew, looks more like soot that's been painted over. You cannot mistake the smell of creosote....scratch and sniff it, you'll know. I'd describe it but how do you describe that smell if one is not familair with it? Wait, I know...go smell a telephone pole, just do it up high.

[Brian A. MacNeish]

From my recollection, it would take long term heat in the 250- 300+ deg F range to cause that type of pyrolysis. Must have been a fire and the paint is the smoke odour suppressent treatment.

[Barry Adair]

Originally Posted by mboyett

I agree with Mathew, looks more like soot that's been painted over. You cannot mistake the smell of creosote....scratch and sniff it, you'll know. I'd describe it but how do you describe that smell if one is not familair with it? Wait, I know...go smell a telephone pole, just do it up high.

good advice!!! i think the 5' rule applies



and location may come into play

[bdoles2]

Thanks for the help guys !!

[Patrick J. Cloninger]

Hey Brian,
I have to agree with the rest of the guys. I have seen something similar here. They white paint is probably an odder suppressant. I'll check and see if I have a picture.

[David P. Valley]

Yep....I've seen this condition before. I scraped the paint off and there it was, burnt members. These appear to be damaged from some sort of past fire and simply painted over.

I'll bet that if you went over to those cracked areas (on the far rafters) and scraped it with a scewdriver, it would crumble.

[bdoles2]

I was hoping I could call the fire department and get some info. Unfortunately they keep all their data sorted by date and not by address. I was hoping I could give them the address and get some info. on it. Of course it can't be that easy.

Told the client that there was likely a fire at some point in the past.

[bdoles2]

Originally Posted by dvalley

Yep....I've seen this condition before. I scraped the paint off and there it was, burnt members. These appear to be damaged from some sort of past fire and simply painted over.

I'll bet that if you went over to those cracked areas (on the far rafters) and scraped it with a scewdriver, it would crumble.

The weird thing was the entry to the attic was through a scuttle in the rear porch, and directly at the entry the lumber was also painted white and I could see the charred wood beneath. But the only lumber that had the blistering were the rafters in the picture. The scuttle entry was a good 15 ft from those blistered rafters.

I zoomed a photo and printed it out and swung by the Fire department and they said thats definetely a burn.

[Bob Elliott]

Hi Brian..My personal opinion would be to not even worry about something like that in the attic.
The stuff has been around forever and is not so toxic that the attic location would cause problems with health.
"Heck" I use the stuff to treat a small patch of psoriasis.

[bdoles2]

Originally Posted by relliott

Hi Brian..My personal opinion would be to not even worry about something like that in the attic.
The stuff has been around forever and is not so toxic that the attic location would cause problems with health.
"Heck" I use the stuff to treat a small patch of psoriasis.

I'm not worried about it. But it is my responsibility to tell my client what I saw.

IMO

I hope your psoriasis is better. Do you use Windex for all your other ailments?

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by relliott

"Heck" I use the stuff to treat a small patch of psoriasis.

What would you use this stuff for?

[bdoles2]

Originally Posted by dvalley

What would you use this stuff for?

Knowing Robert, probably for his chapped lips!!

[kmiller1]

My first guess would be a burn, but when I inspected my father-in-laws place in KY, I found that all of his rafters were creosoted, intentially. The previous owner nfelt that by applying creosote to the rafters, the structure would last longer. He figured it worked with his fence posts, so..... Of course, he probably didn't need to worry about it; the original section of the house was built arounf 1780.