Bain

Steven, did you understand what was wrong with the beam in the basement? I looked up from what I was doing, and the camera just showed Holmes peering through the joist bays with his flashlight. Unless I missed something, the beam problem was the ONLY one that was visible without removing drywall.

So I watched Holmes' show for the first time, last night. And now I understand why we don't like him. The Reader's Digest version is that a couple bought a house, and wound up with some cracks in the kitchen walls and ceiling. Holmes goes down to the basement and finds a problem with a beam. The camera doesn't take shots that would interest people like us, and the problem wasn't fully explained, so I'm not sure what was up. Plus, I was doing paperwork and not paying terribly close attention. Next, though, Holmes fires up his reciprocating saw and pulls down a bunch of drywall. THEN, of course, he found all kinds of problems. He also pried up a couple of cracked tiles in a newly-remodeled bathroom, and found wet framing members because the pan/membrane didn't extend high enough over the lip. The pisser, though, is that he asked the homeowners if they had an inspection and what it cost. The answer was yes, and the job cost a little over three hundred dollars. Holmes rolled his eyes, as if to say, that guy was nothing but a jerk-off. It would be senseless to debate what an inspector should or shouldn't have seen, but NO ONE would have found the structural issues without removing drywall. Maybe an IR camera would have found the shower issue. But maybe not. Even IF the kitchen cracks were visible when the inspector was in the house, what could he say? Tell the buyers to have the sellers remove a ton of drywall so the framing could be looked at? What a crock . . .

Most importantly, I'm glad your daughter and everybody else are okay. I probably read it here, but that happens +/- 15,000 times a year in the States, alone. The tumbler looks pretty new, which is scary.

Thanks, John. It's already queued up on the DVR.

Dunno. We just tell our box to record anything that says "Holmes Inspection" and it automatically seeks, finds, and records. Your box is brighter than mine. I'd have to check the on-screen schedule and search the three million channels that I pay for but never see. Perhaps I'll try Mr. Google instead . . .

I've never seen him, but want to DVR his show. What network is it on? Is there a regular time or does it air scattershot?

I was teasing you. It was a dumb joke . . .

I've never heard the term "constriction device," either. I wanted to learn, so I Googled it, and was surprised to see that only one kind of device was mentioned on the first results page. Are you certain you aren't confusing your professional life with your personal life, Marc?

Ditto that. I often see the round base meter can on 100 amp service, but it is invariably an older home with an updated (probably from an original 60 amp fuse box) to 100 amp service. John, don't change that avatar. You've got the look there of the lead character in the "Walking Dead" TV series. He's a Highway Patrol type cop that goes around the Eastern States saving lives by blasting zombies. Perfect analogy. [] Thanks, John. The credit for the photo goes to the person who took it, and I actually have it on my web-site. Let's hope it doesn't frighten away the meek at heart.

The secret is humility. No one who wanders into this place is going to know more than the collective body. No one. So anyone who wants to walk in and proselytize about what's right and what's wrong may as well bend over and get prepared for an ass kicking. The copper, radiant-heat system being discussed in another thread? I've never seen one, and probably never will. But if I do, I know I can pop in and ask what to look for and what to be aware of, and others will race in to lend a hand. Unlike most of the others here, I don't let my clients follow me around while checking out a house. I find it too distracting. But that's just me. It isn't right and it isn't wrong. It's just how I like to do things. But if I came aboard and started telling folks that my way was the ONLY way and the PROFESSIONAL way? That would be insulting, and I'd deserve any and all flak that was tossed back in response.

Here's a random installation manual I found. Check out page three. There's a minor difference from the manual for my own unit. http://www.goodmanmfg.com/Portals/0/pdf ... SX-GSX.pdf

I was typing while you were posting. The line in your photo may be 1/4", which would be okay under the right circumstances. And you can question me any time you want. I'm not THAT big of a prick, am I?

A P.S. to the above. I just looked at the destructions for my own unit. The liquid line is supposed to be 3/8" for all applications UNLESS the condenser is 1 1/2 or 2 tons. THEN the suction line is supposed to be 5/8" and the liquid line is supposed to be 1/4". That's why I said you need to check the manufacturer's specs.

You really need access to the installation manual to know what's necessary. The liquid line is typically always 3/8", but the suction line can vary in diamter depending upon the size of the condenser and the length of the lines. It looks like the liquid line in your photo is 3/8", which would make it okay. I did a quick Google and found this generic diagram that sort of explains what I'm talking about. Click to Enlarge 34.9 KB

Erby, I've never seen a round meter wired into a 200-amp service, but I see them connected to updated, 100-amp services fairly often. I spoke to someone at Kentucky Utilities about this several years ago. Their position is that if the #6 wire has been replaced from the pole and into the house, round meter bases are acceptable for 100-ampere services.

I do crank and pot?!!! Eating Cheetos at the speed of light. I can actually envision Mikey gnawing on his Cheetos while furiously scribbling in his camo notebook. And he's wearing glasses. Absolutely wearing glasses. Mike, if you feel a need to respond, no more than two paragraphs. Please . . . .

With nothing but love, Mikey, this doesn't surprise me. That camo notebook somehow . . . suits you. I'm currently using a Samsung Convoy. It's *supposed* to be shockproof, dustproof, etc., but the biggest advantage is that its battery is twice the size of a normal one, and it lasts seemingly forever. I can also check e-mail, but can't really respond as the phone doesn't have any kind of keyboard. I always have a laptop with me when I'm working, so I'm never without an internet connection, schedule, and all the rest. The downside is, like Randy mentioned, I still need an aircard for an on-the-go wireless connection. When it's time to renew, I'll probably look for a phone that my laptop can piggyback onto the internet. I have an iPod touch that I use the aircard with when I'm traveling, so I'm familiar with how much fun an iPhone is, but because of the slowness with which keystrokes can be tapped, it wouldn't work well for my bidness. The thing that I find truly amazing about all these gizmos, is that they're in their nascent stages of development. I wonder what we'll be talking about in ten years, and how we'll be handling the internet, phone calls, and all else.

You're braver than I am, Mark, so kudos. I will never post a report. I'm in the more photos, less narrative camp. If we got into a discussion about how I deliver info to my clients, it would get ugly. Quick.

Maybe give him a chance to respond, and to learn. I made that same mistake on my very first post 14 months ago. Some criticism is warranted but it's very easy to overdo it and discourage a potential new contributor from ever returning. Marc True. I did everything I could to get rid of you--and I mean EVERYTHING--yet here you are, breaking my balls because of something I've said. Disclaimer: For those lacking senses of humor, the above was said in jest. (That means wipe your eyes, Marc.)

hee hee hee...... "After all, we are supposed to be professionals." I'm so glad someone has found one thing in this biz that's beyond debate.....delivering reports on site. FTR, I haven't delivered a report on site in 17 years. I think we have another noob who's discovered the business, is sure they have it all figured out, and they're going to enlighten us on how to do it...........Next........ Yeah, it's difficult to engender much tolerance for a noodge with one lifetime post lecturing us about professionalism. Next, indeed.

I'm pretty sure the police frown on its use as an aphrodisiac. I don't give a damn. I know some gals who are TOTALLY into that shit.

Very cool, Steven. You should be proud.

Yesterday, I checked out a house for woman who's a doctor and who teaches medicine at the local U. She mentioned something about mold, then quickly interjected that she wasn't really worried about it; that all the mindless hysteria was exactly that. I point out mold all the time, and call it what it is. And if you think about it, are you protecting yourself more by dancing around the issue and saying, "Maybe," or is it more prudent to say, "there's mold in this house?" What's more clear or more defensible than that? As for experts, there's a person who chimes in on this forum occasionally who has lots of creds behind his name. I posted a bunch of photos once of a disgusting, moldy crawlspace and he took the position that the black gunk all over the place absolutely, positively, was NOT mold. He claimed to not know what the gunk was, but avidly stated that it WAS NOT MOLD. But it was. I saw it. I smelled it. And my lungs and eyes reacted to it. That's the day I realized this person was anything but an expert, and also that in real time, the creds didn't equate with common sense or cognitive ability.

I see this several times a year. It's wrong, and I make an issue out of it, but I've never seen any signs of movement or other deleterious problems caused by the lack of footers. Typically, the new/old roof connections are atrocious and the valleys contain lots of goop.

I don't understand. How could a double-tapped neutral damage computer equipment?