Bain

A few years ago, I was working with a condo HOA. Some of the units--which had been recently constructed--looked like those in Mikey's photos, and I said the cause was excessive moisture behind the veneer. On a Sunday before a Monday meeting with the HOA, Tim Carter's column in our local newspaper said that efflorescence in new construction is quite normal and nothing to be concerned about. Unsurprisingly, several members of the HOA had read the same article, so I got to stand there, as all of us have, and say, "Well, but Tim Carter is WRONG."

Not in a flush-mount box like that. Was it ever allowed, Jim? I look at lots of houses that are 30-40 years old in which all the cables are stuffed through one large hub like that. I always tell my customer about it, but the electrician who comes behind invariably says it grandfathers in.

Square Up is beginning to make the $30.00 per month--plus fees--I give PayPal every month look like a sap's play. Why does Square Up limit transactions, I wonder? Some weeks I don't process any credit cards. But other weeks, I may get paid with credit cards five or six times. I don't want to wait thirty days for the money to be transferred into my bank account. And of course who wants to keep track of receivables to make certain Square Up doesn't make a mistake? Does anyone know of similar companies that DON'T have transaction limits?

Thank you, but I'm aware of the ten foot requirement.

Ah . . . if you look above the UPC code in the second photo, I think it actually says, "Selvent." I, of course, don't remember what it said 'cause I was looking for Ultra- or Plex-.

I found this in a house today. I thought all black or gray HTPV flues were condemned, but when I went to the CPSC web-site, it said that the recalled flues had Ultravent or Plex-Vent stamped on them. There was also a list of manufacturers participating in the recall, and Selkirk wasn't listed. I already told my buyer she needed to check with an HVAC dude to determine whether this pipe was okay or not. But . . . I was curious if someone was more knowledgable about it than I am. Click to Enlarge 47.74 KB Click to Enlarge 49.87 KB

I use PayPal, just because I'd rather pay a fee than maintain and chase a list of receivables. The only downside to Squareup is that it doesn't look like you can enter card info when it's given over the phone, which is often the case for me with out-of-towners.

You know more about windows than anyone I've ever encountered.

Words of wisdom, from a sage. And if you think convolutedly like I do, you tell yourself, "Well, but I can write the thing off, so it's really only costing FIFTY-FIVE hundred dollars." I'm checking out a commercial building for a second time tomorrow. The first client walked several months ago due to moisture problems associated with the horrid EIFS installation and all the water swishing in around the windows. I would LOVE to have an IR camera slung on my hip when I pull into the parking lot, and I'm certain the buyer would have no problem with paying extra for an IR scan. I hear what you're telling me about the additonal features on better cameras. Like I said earlier, I understand that the more expensive camera doesn't only have higher resolution, it's a better piece of equipment. And as for batteries, I remember when I used to charge four UltraStingers every night 'cause the runtimes were so crappy. And there was nothing worse than having the battery or the bulb peter out when I least wanted it to. (There was this attic, once. The UltraStinger gasped its last breath and there I was, in near total darkness, trying to find my way back to the scuttlehole.) I was looking around the internet earlier and found this blog post (That Patterson guy gets around.). It pretty much reiterates what you and others have stated previously. http://activerain.com/blogsview/125497/ ... -good-for-

Thanks for the thoughtful responses, everybody. They were truly helpful. I'm taking a break from looking at some section 8 duplexes at the moment, and the buyer is concerned about the tenants' high utility bills. Besides several inherent design flaws in the HVAC systems, there's also no insulation above the vaulted ceilings. It would be way cool to add a thermal image to my report to demonstrate the differences between the insulated and uninsulated portions of the ceilings. Like most, I'm a geek when it comes to electronic devices, and it seems like IR cameras are comparable to how one views flat-screen televisions. No matter how big the screen of the television you buy is, there are going to be times when you wish it was just a LITTLE bit larger. However, fence straddling and waiting-for-prices-to-go-down could well paralyze me for years. And, as primitivelamps said, if owning a camera is going to increase revenues, I'm a dope if I don't go ahead and dive in. Thanks again.

You must be in a good mood, today. Kurt, I've come close to buying a camera several times, but haven't taken the proverbial plunge, yet. Does the 320 x 240 resolution make a HUGE difference versus the 120 x120 when it comes to functionality? Or does it simply make a good thing better? Do you think there are things you would see with better resolution that wouldn't be evident if it were lower? I've learned that the higher resolution cameras are simply better and have more features, but if I wanted to taste IR for 2.5 K rather than 9K, would I be losing a lot of utility?

. . . and I'm wondering if the extension cord is rated for exterior use. Click to Enlarge 56.68 KB

This has come up before. There's no prohibition against the panel being there.

Because it's not a problem? Indeed, but what kind of bizarre confluence of conditions would have to occur to affect intake- and flue-pipes on opposite sides of a house? I've angered more than a few people with finished basements when I busted them on the "atmospheric zone" issue. I get the logic of the rule, mind you, but it really doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Just speculating: When the wind is blowing, one side of a house might be subjected to high pressure and the opposite (lee) side, low pressure. If you had high pressure on the exhaust side and low pressure on the intake side, the two might conspire to overcome the draft fan and cause the furnace to shut down. - Jim Katen, Oregon Yeah, but it would take a lot of air swooshing into that flue pipe and wicked low pressure on the lee side to cause the draft inducer to have a hiccup. Like I said, I understand the concept, I just can't imagine there ever being a problem in real time unless there were a tornado, hurricane, or something. And then, pretty much the last thing on my mind would be whether the furnace was smoothly purring along.

Because it's not a problem? Indeed, but what kind of bizarre confluence of conditions would have to occur to affect intake- and flue-pipes on opposite sides of a house? I've angered more than a few people with finished basements when I busted them on the "atmospheric zone" issue. I get the logic of the rule, mind you, but it really doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

So ask yourself this . . . the intake and flue pipes can't be located in different atmospheric zones--i.e. on opposite sides of a house. I wonder why the manufacturers are okay with interior/exterior intake/flue configurations?

Mike, I just looked at the installation instructions for my own 1-year-old 95% furnace, and it mentions nothing about decks or clearances from soffits, etc.

And to elaborate, I've never encountered a house that was needy, jealous, and manipulative.

I hear you and I agree, but since it's allowed, why write it up? Do you do it simply for the buyer's benefit, in case they want to improve the configuration in the future? I'm not being contentious. I'm merely wondering if I should say something about it myself. Currently, I never do.

Exactly. I have a photo of my dog on the index page of my site, and customers I've never met before often smile and say, "Tell Loki I said hello."

Well done, Joe. Like Tom, I have some reservations about the respirator, but then again, THAT IS what we do. I have three short videos on my web site, in which the babelicious Sarah Jane tells the world how wonderful I am. I've had nothing but positive responses and she definitely grabs the eyeball. I think maybe it's not the content of the videos so much, but rather that they personalize a web site, rather than telling a surfer for the millionth time that "buying a house is one of the largest financial investments you'll ever make . . . " I mean, really. Yawn city. Kudos to you!

This reinforces the reality that a large part of our job is simply being willing to hop, slither, or scoot around a structure to see what's up. One doesn't need a degree, or even much expertise, to look at Rachel's chimney and know that it's screwed up. It isn't fair to lambast her HI without hearing his side of the tale, but if Rachel can grab photos of that mess, why couldn't the HI at least shine his flashlight on it?

I don't know if the rule's derived from the NEC, but in my area, a disconnect for HVAC or an electrical water heater isn't required if the appliance is in sight of the electrical panel.

Fear not, for the trenchant chiarascuro of your thoughts is still noticed and appreciated by me, despite my occasional ball-breaking . . .

I see this fairly often, especially in one particular neighborhood. I've spent some time looking for some sort of empirical data that blesses or condems copper-clad AL, but haven't had any luck. I'm not much of a punter, but I ALWAYS tell a customer that an electrician should take a look and render an opinion. From Chad, in the old thread John G. linked to: I'd be willing to bet that there isn't any reliable data anyway. True forensic methodology is hardly ever used to determine the cause of a fire unless the insurance companies suspect foul play. If the occupants don't smoke and and weren't cooking then the cause is electrical. I think he nailed it.