rlskfoster

Could it be from a recent pest control treatment? I have seen powder residue after the pest control company left. It is usually at all weeps though.

Looks like a pretty firm NO! Well, I guess I should think on this awhile and consider changing my modus operandi. I forgot to mention that the plumber that questioned my friend about me calling out the shut-off is the sellers brother and the original plumber who plumbed the house. She, the seller, called him to fix it. Thanks for the thoughts, Buster

Had a conversation with a friend last night who is also an inspector. A plumber had called him and asked did he operate the water shut-offs under sinks, at toilets, etc. He asked the plumber why and he said that he was asked to replace a water shut-off called out by another inspector. My friend asked who did the inspection and it was me. My friend does not check them for operation and the plumber had said your just gonna cause a leak if you do operate them. I had started checking them in 2003 or 2004 when I first started in this business after a client called me and was unhappy that his shut-offs were frozen and he wanted to change out a faucet set. He said if he had known he would have asked for a plumber to repair them during his negotiations. Ever since then I have checked the operation of all shut-offs. My question is what do all of ya'll do in regards to testing the shut-offs at fixtures. Buster

My bet is that if you had pulled the cover you would have found some old flat twin lead tv antennae wire.

You know the sad thing is that even with the larger hole, whoever did that had to work at it to get all nine in there. What a dope! How was the rest of th electrical.

I was still wondering if anybody knew of any significance of the pressure side refrigerant line being cold versus warm or hot?

I was always taught that 15 to 22 degrees was the range for temperature differentials. I do take them, but, I know some people don't think much of the practice. I have thermometer with a lase rpointer. Technically I beleieve you are supposed to measure at the plenum just passed the evaporator coil. Usually I find the closest register. The outside temperature on this day was 75 degrees. I just found it odd the high pressure line was cold. Usually it is warm and if there is some trouble the line can be very hot, indicating low freon, clogged coil fins, etc. So I was just wondering if anyone knew what a cold high pressure line could indicate.

On an inspection today I had a temp differential of 5 degrees. The unit was blowing 65 degree air and I had 70 degrees at the return. The high pressure line was cold, does this have any significance? I suggested they have the unit checked, but, I was curious about the cold high pressure line.

Well, more checking and some replies over at Inspection News and I am learning some new stuff. The rating is based on the whole package and when I sent in the info to Trane I did not include the blower package. My blower motor comes on at about 10 to 20% speed and after a minute or two ramps up to full speed. It repeats the same process when it goes off. I spoke to an old AC friend and he confirms that the use of a 2 speed system can increase a SEER rating, although, he said the best thing was to give Trane all my info and let them tell me the SEER rating for the complete system. I re-sent my complete system model numbers and serial numbers to Trane and am waiting to hear back from them. Thanks for the replies.

I don't know if it is cheap or not, but, it is not necessary to put a gfci outlet in each location required if the circiut has been run in series. It is generally a standard practice to run the required outlets in series, use one GFCI to protect the downstream outlets, whether it is for a kitchen or a bathroom. The GFCI outlet was designed for this type of application. I agree it could be a pain in the butt to look for the first outlet in the series, but, in actuality it is usually more convenient than going out to the panel and resetting a GFCI breaker. To say each outlet in a bathroom or kitchen should have its own GFCI is similar to saying each outelt or switch should be individually breakered. Nobody is going to do that because it, also, is not necessary.

If any HVAC gurus are out there today I have a question about my personal house HVAC SEER rating. We recently had a new house built and our builder told us we would have a 14 SEER system. They AC company set Trane XR 13 outside compressors. I checked with the Trane web site and it stated the XR 13 can be a 13 or 14 SEER unit. So I let it go figuring it must be 14 SEER, we have been very pleased with our builder and they had been quick to take care of any concerns I voiced. I kept thinking about it and decided to check a little further. I sent to Trane the model numbers of the inside coil and outside unit. They sent me an ARI certification stating my set up was a 13 SEER system. I took that to my builder and he said that I was correct that the units were 13 SEER, but, since they use a 2 speed blower system they get a 14 SEER rating. What do ya'll think. It makes some sense, but, after three years of inspecting I am always a little suspicious of builders and subv-contractors. Thanks, Buster

The yoke or strap is the frame of the device. So a duplex receptacle or a switch plug combo could be configured to have a multiple circuit to it with each outlet individually breakered, in that instance, the two breakers of the multi wire circuit should be tied together with either a tie bar or a two-pole breaker so that both circuits can be de-energized for maintenace or repair. Buster

It looks like a contactor setup for a large amount of lights. I would expect this model home had one switch that turned on a lot of interior and exterior lights. You generally see this in a large open area with lots of flourescents or other types of lights. Power feeds in to one side of the contactor and the switchleg to the lights feeds out the other. When the first employee walks in he hits one switch that energizes the contactor. The contacts, that are normally open, close and power feeds through to turn on the lights. One switch can supply a number of contactors. Buster

The builder had told us to leave the blinds up off the seat and opened to allow ventilation. We had forgotten to do this and since I opened the blinds it significantly reduced the condensation. The heating units are attic mounted horizontal Tranes and vent to the exterior with typical b-vents. I believe they are venting properly. The condensation was a little more than I expected and it made me wonder if I missed something during construction. Thanks for the replies. Buster

We recently moved into a new home. This is a new home with low-e metal framed windows with gas-fired heat. The home was well constructed, in my opinion, and any issues I raised during construction were handled without arguments. I had inspected three or four of this local builders homes in the past and was always impressed with the homes. It is a family owned business that builds 75 to 100 homes a year in our hometown and locally. During a recent cold snap the windows sweated more than I would have expected. Temps were in the upper twenties with a north wind 15 to 20 mph. Sleet and freezing rain fell off and on during the day and night. When we had our walk thru the builder had mentioned that we would see some condensation on the window frames. Well I didn't question it, but, I was not expecting water to pool on the window seat. What should be expected and is there a cure? Thanks Buster

In Texas our SOP's require the reporting of a lack of a safety pan as in need of repair if the Water Heater is in a location that can cause interior damage or located over framing. I have had a water heater fail and it flooded the garage and the Living Room. I figured that if a pan had been present it might not have soaked the carpet quite so bad. I write em up. Buster

Hey guys we are building a new house and the builder asked me today if we wanted to go with the tankless water heaters. i remember some posts awhile back that kinda suggested they were less effective after five or six years. This is an 1800 dollar upgrade and I am having trouble deciding if it is worth it. The manufacturers state they are 30 to 50 percent more efficient with twice the average life span of a conventional Water heater and you never are without hot water. We would also get a 300 dollar tax credit. This is a natural gas unit bu Noritz I think. Any thought or experience. Thanks, Buster

Man you guys kill me! I worried that the pictures I had wouldn't give you enough to make any judgement or observations. I am going to go back this weekend (vacant) and really look this thing over. Client was pretty certain he was gonna need some roof work. Another reason why this place is the best. Thanks Ya'll, Buster

This was my first flat residential roof. Iv'e seen roll roofing on low slope applications and that is what this looked like to me,however, I have been reading and now I wonder if this is a modified bitumen. The roof had a crown that sloped to each side and the seams ran in the direction of the slope. Past leaks in the home but all appeared to be currently dry. Any thoughts on this. My client is aware of my limited knowledge on a flat roof and I told him I would do some research on the subject. I really thought I had taken more pictures. Buster Download Attachment: Salinas 012.jpg 55.08 KB Download Attachment: Salinas 011.jpg 44.05 KB

Bain, Hey I feel your pain with checking the wire size. There have been times in the past that I have convinced myself that they have some # 12 under a 30 amp breaker and the only way I could really get my gage on it was to take it out of the breaker. Every time I have done that I have found that the wire was the correct size. I do use the plastic gage from PE, but, isn't it strange how you can convince yourself that something is a certain way! Buster

Here is the trap and vent for an attic mounted HVAC unit that was tapped into a plumbing vent. The drain runs about eight feet from the evaporator drain. How bad is this setup and what would be the complications. Buster Download Attachment: Chadwick 085.jpg 50.07 KB

Thanks guys, Both areas were definately vulnerable to driving rain and it had been properly flashed on the other side of the porch that had a similar roof to wall situation. I couldn't understand why they didn't flash these two areas. Buster

I recently inspected a new home and found thses two areas not flashed or not flashed over the soffit. Builder is giving the homeowner some flak on request to flash these areas. I feel that both areas should be flashed, what about ya'll. Admittedly roofing is not my strongest area of expertise, but, I feel I'm right. Pic #1 is on side of the front porch and they stopped the flashing as the roof gets to the soffit. Pic #2 is roof line of the garage as it meets the breakfast nook front wall. The soffit is directly over this area. Buster Download Attachment: Dearinger 034.jpg 51.05 KB Download Attachment: Copy of Dearinger 036.jpg 78.68 KB

What do you guys think about this. Builder touts its visual appeal versus exposed conduit. I think it looks pretty nice, but, I have to wonder if Milbank Meter Base Company thinks its okay. I wonder if it will hold heat? Buster Download Attachment: Dearinger 023.jpg 68.79 KB

New home today has a Hotpoint Microwave/Range Hood Combo. The transition piece was the silver metallic material you see on some dryer transitions. It almost feels like cloth and very flexible. Manufacturers instructions sitting on counter did not specifically identify a type of material to use as a transition, but, it has a picture of a 90 degree elbow. What is the general consensus for this material to be used in this application.I have seen the metal flex duct used for a short transition and found literature to support its use for short transitions, but I am unsure about this. Here is the picture: Buster Download Attachment: Dearinger 002.jpg 44.01 KB