It took driving 100 miles in early 2020 to find toilet paper when it was out of stock nearby

I’ll never forget how crazy things became at the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020. My friend’s father died in April 2020 and then his sister nearly passed away one month later when she contracted the virus at work. When I tried to get things like toilet paper and hand sanitizer from local stores, I couldn’t find any and had to resort to buying whatever I could on the internet and traveling for anything else. I remember this one car trip I took in May 2020 where I had to drive a full 100 miles in just one direction before I could actually find toilet paper. I went from city to city and every single small town in between, but I just couldn’t find my beloved triple-ply. When I finally secured some toilet paper hours into my trip, I was happy just to find the single-ply that feels like old sandpaper. In my mind, it was surely better than anything as I had nearly caused a serious plumbing clog when I had tried cheap napkins in place of toilet paper. My best friend Cindy works as a building contractor and she had similar problems with building supplies during the pandemic. Wood prices shot up and in some places you couldn’t find two-by-fours or half-inch plywood sheets for months at a time. Cindy told me she made a similar car trip for coils of steel rebar tie wire because her normal supplier was out of stock for multiple weeks straight. Cindy uses galvanized rebar tie wire for constructing large condominium buildings as it’s resistant to both moisture and salt corrosion. Since it costs significantly less than stainless steel rebar tie wire, it cuts the cost of building construction down.

 

Bar wire

The rebar tie wire was seen rusting in the Surfside Condo Buildings before their collapse

It was terrifying hearing about the Surfside condo building collapse last year when those buildings crumbled in the middle of the night killing nearly everyone inside. Right after it happened, there was a lot of confusion about the events that had transpired. Using what little video footage that was taken by onlookers ahead of and during the event, investigators tried to piece together a timeline of everything that occurred. One of the videos that was shown on international news showed chunks of concrete slab breaking apart in the parking garage underneath the condominium buildings in the moments leading up to the collapse. Water can be seen bursting on the ground below from broken plumbing in the quickly crumbling building above. Then the news learned of the inspection that deemed the building unsafe until serious concrete and rebar wire repairs could be made. Apparently a lot of exposed rebar tie wire showed that it was heavily corroded underneath the concrete that it was intended to hold together. A combination of high salinity and chlorine water from an adjacent pool seeped into the concrete over decades of time since the building was constructed until it reached a point of criticality and suddenly collapsed like a controlled building demolition. Corrosion-resistant rebar tie wire like galvanized and stainless steel options are favored in applications where salt or chlorine water is likely to seep into the concrete over long periods of time. It’s possible that the building wasn’t made with the best quality steel rebar tie wire, nor was the highest quality concrete utilized either. A number of critical factors played into the tragedy of the Surfside condominium building collapse.

 

16 gauge stainless steel tie wire

My grandfather’s company is building new condominiums with galvanized steel rebar wire

I’m proud to be from a family of business owners.

  • My parents for instance own an outdoor recreation company that specializes in renting canoes and kayaks to people wanting to traverse our coastal waterways.

They make the majority of their money for the year during the peak of tourist season, which for us is during the late autumn, winter, and early spring. People flock to the beaches here from up north because of their frigid winters that are getting increasingly colder with time. On top of that, the population is swelling in this city because the council members have worked hard the past decade to persuade building developers like my grandfather’s company to move into the area and agree to huge commercial and residential projects. For instance, my grandfather’s company is working on a set of new condominiums that are intended to use certified domestic materials that will last the longest amount of time compared to the sorts of building materials in other condominiums in the exact same neighborhood. A lot of people are understandably worried about moving into high-rise condominiums after what happened in Surfside, Florida last year, but that’s why you simply work with American-made supplies like galvanized zinc-coated steel rebar tie wire and certified domestic concrete. That way you have a building that is rated for 100 years instead of 50. I can’t imagine feeling safe in an old high-rise with exposed, rusted steel rebar tie wire and crumbling concrete. Unfortunately, you can’t always be sure of the quality of a building’s construction materials if you don’t have the paper records or watched it go up with your own eyes.

Tie wire coils certified domestic

I was talking to the lumber man at the hardware store about building supply chain issues

I like to chat with the guys at the hardware store whenever I’m picking up building supplies.

I’ve been trying to finish a mother-in-law suite for the past year but I had no choice but to finish it incrementally when supply chain backups prevented me from accessing the wood and supplies I needed.

Things haven’t really improved that much at this stage in the pandemic. I can finally get the wood and supplies that I need, but the prices have gone up considerably. I talked to the lumber guy at the hardware store the other day about these various building and contractor supply chain issues since early 2020, and he told me that it’s just as bad with concrete and rebar supplies. Coils of stainless steel rebar tie wire were virtually nonexistent at his store for several months in late 2020, and it didn’t matter if you were buying 16-gauge or 18-gauge. He had regular customers who weren’t satisfied with just galvanized steel rebar because of the coastal nature of their construction projects. It’s easier to find 304 and 316 stainless steel rebar tie wire these days, especially from Selkirk Metals. Their products are used for a wide variety of different applications, from free-standing buildings to bridges and cause-ways. The metals are corrosion resistant and flexible, and there are options like PVC coated steel rebar tie wire that has an extra layer of protection from weathering and degradation. Some of the oldest buildings in my coastal city are built with stainless steel rebar tie wire that has stood the test of time, despite the salinity of our ambient air being so close to the ocean.

Zinc coated Bar ties

He purchased zinc coated double loop ties

I purchased zinc coated double loop ties for my business.

  • I was laying concrete in basements, and I wanted to make sure it was more than a slab of concrete.

I wanted it to have some give and hold up to whatever the families in those homes did. As long as the double loop ties were used properly, they could hold up to almost anything. We had to make sure the loops were perfectly formed or they may not link or connect securely. We also had to make sure they were the same length and strength. The ties may not stretch at the same rate, and it can cause breakage or distortion. With the wire being zinc coated double loop tie wire, it was more corrosive resistant. The ties would remain in the concrete for as long as the concrete remains. When the concrete is removed, they could easily recycle the metal inside. By being aware of what could happen if the sizing and strength are not equal, we could put the wire together more quickly and more efficiently. It didn’t take long for me to realize there were other practical ways to use zinc coated double loop ties. One of my customers wanted to recycle tires and put them into the concrete in the basement, just for a more interesting look. I could bale the tires with the zinc coated double loop ties, so they didn’t move while I poured the concrete. It was definitely more interesting to look at, and it was less costly in their cost for the concrete.

Galvanzied Wire ties

Why am I buying galvanized tie wire coils?

My husband sent me to the tractor supply store to purchase galvanized tie wire coils.

I didn’t know what he needed it for, and I didn’t think to ask.

I figured he had called ahead to tell them how big a coil he needed and what gauge wire he needed. When I got to the tractor supply store, I told them I needed two galvanized tie wire coils. He asked what I needed it for, and I pulled out my phone. I was hoping my husband had his phone on him, because he was the only one who knew what he needed. When he answered, I asked what he needed the galvanized tie wire coils for? He said he had about five hundred yards of fence wire to put up to keep the coats and pigs from escaping. He wanted galvanized tie wire, because it wouldn’t corrode and it was pretty much waterproof. He wanted at less 1500 yard of tie wire, whether it was in one coil or three; he didn’t care. The gentleman at the tractor supply store quickly loaded the galvanized tie wire coils into my truck, and I pulled out. Knowing where he was using the galvanized tie wire, I headed down into the pasture and dropped it off before he could ask me to. I later wondered why he hadn’t picked it up when he was town earlier. He said he had remembered everything but the fencewire, and he was sure I wouldn’t mind going into to town for him. I guess he forgot I was supposed to babysit our granddaughter that afternoon.

18 guage wire ties

Why am I buying galvanized tie wire coils when I don't need to?

My spouse sent myself and others to the tractor supply store to purchase galvanized tie wire coils, but i didn’t suppose what he needed it for, and I didn’t suppose to ask.

I figured he had called ahead to tell them how huge a coil he needed and what gauge wire he needed, when I got to the tractor supply store, I told them I needed 2 galvanized tie wire coils, and he asked what I needed it for, and I pulled out our PC.

I was hoping our spouse had his PC on him, because he was the only 1 who knew what he needed. When he answered, I asked what he needed the galvanized tie wire coils for? He said he had about many hundred yards of fence wire to put up to keep the coats and pigs from escaping. He wanted galvanized tie wire, because it would not corrode and it was pretty much waterproof. He wanted at less 1500 yard of tie wire, whether it was in 1 coil or several; he didn’t care, the gentleman at the tractor supply store abruptly loaded the galvanized tie wire coils into our truck, and I pulled out… Knowing where he was using the galvanized tie wire, I headed down into the pasture and dropped it off before he could ask myself and others to. I later wondered why he hadn’t picked it up when he was neighborhood earlier. He said he had remembered everything but the fencewire, and he was sure I would not mind going into to neighborhood for him. I believe he forgot I was supposed to babysit our granddaughter that day.

16g black annealed rebar tie wire

He purchased zinc coated double loop ties which had to be expensive

I purchased zinc coated double loop ties for my business.

I was laying concrete in basements, plus I wanted to make sure it was more than a slab of concrete.

I wanted it to have some give plus hold up to whatever the families in those homes did. As long as the double loop ties were used officially, they could hold up to almost anything; Every one of us had to make sure the loops were perfectly formed or they may not connect or connect securely. Every one of us also had to make sure they were the same length plus strength. The ties may not stretch at the same rate, plus it can cause breakage or distortion. With the wire being zinc coated double loop tie wire, it was more corrosive resistant. The ties would remain in the concrete for as long as the concrete remains. When the concrete is removed, they could actually recycle the metal inside, but by being aware of what could happen if the sizing plus strength are not equal, every one of us could put the wire together more abruptly plus more efficiently. It didn’t take long for myself and others to realize there were other practical ways to use zinc coated double loop ties; One of my clients wanted to recycle tires plus put them into the concrete in the basement, just for a more interesting look. I could bale the tires with the zinc coated double loop ties, so they didn’t move while I poured the concrete. It was actually more interesting to look at, plus it was less costly in their cost for the concrete.

18 guage double loop ties