finding those rafters... [RE-wrenches]

[Pat Redgate]

All you hole jockeys:

These are the tools of my roof-rafter seeking kit:

1  Polyurethane sealant, fifty year.  Sticks to everything... forever.  Wear 
your worst pants and shirt.

2  Bag of rags  (see #1).

3  Big ol' hammer.  Pound the roof and listen, but watch the roof detritus 
jump while  your pounding (works best on comp.. not tile).  The higher they 
jump, the further away you be from the sweet spot.  If you think you got it, 
pound high and low above the spot you shooting for to see if you get the same 
action (sound) above and below.

4  Once you have found the best spot, drill with a 1/8 pilot bit.  If you 
missed, pull out a clothes hanger or my favorite... a brazing rod.  Bend two 
to three inches to about a 60 degree angle, push through the hole and go 
fishing.  By twisting it around in the hole, you'll find the rafter.

5  Cover up your misfires with tin shingles.  Slop the poly on one side and 
slip it under the compo shingle.  Tin shingles are also great for shake 
roofs.  We put one at each penetration between shingles... acts like a big 
washer when the lag compresses the roofing material.

6  Finding the center of the rafter is easy if your not afraid to explore a 
bit or to drill on each side of the rafter.   Stud finders are totally 
useless, though I keep wanting to try a metal detector, the kind you see 
people using at the beach and park.  I figure they would probably find the 
line of sheathing nails pretty quick.

Even though we probably do not hit center dead-on except occasionally, after 
25 yrs I've never seen a roof cave-in or bow because of weakened rafters, and 
we have been known to throw a few thousand pounds up there once in a while 
(from big space/hot water to passive shw).  Little pv panels don't seem to 
worry me much, unless they are lagged into ply or OSB on 'tilt-ups.'  Then 
you can pull a whole mount out of the roof with only a little effort..  
Whatever you do, don't get in the attic.  You never know what's up there, 
fiberglass dust just really blows and you may just fall through the ceiling 
one day, hit and burst a water bed which ruins the bedroom floor as well as 
the antique dining room table on the first floor.  After you've paid for all 
the damage you still have to find the rafters.  

Just make sure you've got a case of poly, a lot of time and a whole bunch of 
rags.

Patrick A. Redgate
AMECO
Long Beach, CA
(562) 595-9570
www.amecosolar.com

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