Video: Home collapses into sea off North Carolina coast amid storm surge. It was second home destroyed that day.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/home-collapses-into-ocean-nc

That thing looks ancient. The pilings in the the before pic look very old. Prolly collect some insurance money.

I have learned a lot, living close to water...several inland lakes in NY State, and then, on the San Diego coast.

It is NOT...STABLE. My summertime residence (long story there) on the shores of a lake in NY...first, the lakeshore was rough terrain. Glacial lake. There was a plateau of about a hundred yards; and then, the shore went UP. Forty-five degree incline. It made driveways, access, water lines, all fun. Water lines...turn on the faucet and that column of water starts moving downhill. It's not like water in a major-metro waterline, both big, many users, and level. This was a NARROW feed, and downhill, and it had inertia. Water hammer was a major problem, until I convinced the owner to put a pressure tank in, to absorb the water hammer.

Then, the seepage and springs.

THEN, the spring ice melt. On the coast, that's not a problem; but gales and major storms, will be.

If you want a stable home...build it far back, up on the hill.

If you want dramatic views...and to pay major insurance, and to replace your scenic summer home once a decade or so...put it on the waterfront.

A prime example of people building in stupid places.

Red Lily wrote:A prime example of people building in stupid places.

I thought you wanted a beach house?

HawkTheSlayer wrote:

Red Lily wrote:A prime example of people building in stupid places.

I thought you wanted a beach house?

LOL

I've lived AT the beach but not ON the beach and IN the water. No thanks.

Casey Jones wrote:I have learned a lot, living close to water...several inland lakes in NY State, and then, on the San Diego coast.

It is NOT...STABLE.  My summertime residence (long story there) on the shores of a lake in NY...first, the lakeshore was rough terrain.  Glacial lake.  There was a plateau of about a hundred yards; and then, the shore went UP.  Forty-five degree incline.  It made driveways, access, water lines, all fun.  Water lines...turn on the faucet and that column of water starts moving downhill.  It's not like water in a major-metro waterline, both big, many users, and level.  This was a NARROW feed, and downhill, and it had inertia.  Water hammer was a major problem, until I convinced the owner to put a pressure tank in, to absorb the water hammer.

Then, the seepage and springs.

THEN, the spring ice melt.  On the coast, that's not a problem; but gales and major storms, will be.

If you want a stable home...build it far back, up on the hill.

If you want dramatic views...and to pay major insurance, and to replace your scenic summer home once a decade or so...put it on the waterfront.

I never heard of a water hammer. What is it? What does it do?

Elizabeth Theus wrote:

I never heard of a water hammer.  What is it?  What does it do?

Water hammer...is when you get a large column of water moving in a closed water pipe, and then you shut off the valve suddenly.  Water cannot compress.  Water pressure at the tap comes from either gravity (water towers) or air pressure (water tanks in well systems, half-full of air).

Imagine a pipe the size of a fat garden hose, going a quarter mile, down a steep hill...three-story differentiation...to the structure.  You're running the bathtub, say.  You shut off the water...and ALL that water, in that pipe (it's metal or PVC; it was both in places) suddenly has no place to go.

Pressure, momentarily, reaches near-bursting in every pipe that's connected.  Then, as the water stops and settles, it eases off.

Fine, but every toilet tank and faucet seal, has to endure that.

Putting a small pressure tank in the system, mostly filled with air, absorbed that. You could hear the water rush in and gradually stop and flow back a little, but the sudden extreme pressure ended.