Charles46

I have an Extech MO 280 pin/pinless meter and a Sonin Rapitest pin meter. The Extech in pinless(non-destructive) mode gets the most use. I also have an Extech MO 290 that came with and syncs with my Flir IR camera. I only use the 290 when doing IR.

Based on the way I see the cable placement in the last picture and the comment that the line point to outlets, I would agree that they are cables. However, there is a line to the left of the center furring strip that goes down or out of another line so I question the theory of it being a cable or electrical line. Another option is damaged foil on the insulation. If you look at the last picture you can see where some scraping or rubbing was done to the foil. If it was severe enough, that would alter the temps in that spot. Was this the only location where you saw this, or was this widespread and this is just a sample of what you saw? Sometimes I just want to tear a wall open to see what is really going on.

Could be pest infestation tunnels, ie termites. They will tunnel their way thru rigid insulation to get at the good stuff. Can you change the color pallet on your software or camera to give you more clarity, more contrast? Personally I am not a fan of gray scale.

With the software I use, I can add or delete sections as needed. So I created a section titled Manufactured Home and it incorporates those items that are unique to manufactured homes. Everything else gets reported in its typical location on the report.

Thanks for the input gents. For me and those I trained with, inspecting the crawlspace has always been SOP, assuming acceptable entrance and safety concerns. Now, altering pricing due to crawl or not and your explanation of it, just never entered my thought process before. Always good to get another point of view on things. Glad I asked the question.

Had a conversation with my Pest Control Contractor the other day and he mentioned servicing a home while some other inspector was inspecting that home for a buyer. The HI asked him if he saw anything unusual while in the crawlspace as he charged extra to inspect the crawl and the buyer did not want to pay the additional fee. So that got me thinking, should we be charging extra to inspect the crawlspace? Is not the crawlspace part of our normal inspection? Did I get beamed to the wrong planet?

Had a situation similar to this last week. Had only gotten around 75% of the exterior when they said they had enough and were terminating the inspection and the purchase. I took my reduced fee and wrote them a short summary of what I had seen already. That short little summary helped them get their deposits returned and got me their next inspection.

I was in your situation this time last year. Downloaded trial versions of the ones everyone is mentioning. Spent time taking them all for a test drive. They all had their good points. Once I made my choice (HomeGauge), I haven't looked back.

No, those pipes are not part of the roof rain water discharge system. If you look at the first picture you can see the downspout with a splash block on the left rear corner of the house. I think I might take a walk across the street to the house under construction and see if the same design was being used there. If so, maybe someone there can explain its purpose. Also in answer to your question John, I agree with Mike, they should not be perforated.

I had a dryer several years ago that had an upper and a lower heating element. The lower element went out and the clothes would not dry worth a flip. Pull the dryer out from the wall, disconnect the vent hose and cover the end with a sock or point it towards a 5 gallon bucket with a couple of gallons of water in it, then turn the dryer on. This will contain your lint and confirm if the dryer is indeed working correctly. If the dryer is working correctly, take an electric leaf blower and let it blow into the vent. You should be able to feel the air coming out the vent if the vent is not clogged. Or just take out your IR camera and follow the heat trail in the wall.

I measure and report whether it is to low, to high, or within acceptable range.

I put a picture of the kitchen in my kitchen section, a picture of the living room in my interior section, and pictures of the bathrooms in the bathroom section even if there is nothing to report. I take at least one picture of every room when I enter it, even if I don't use it in the report. Never know when you might need supporting documentation. As for the rest of the report, if I see it, I take a picture and put it in the report. I let the client decide what he considers important. Makes for some longer reports, but my clients are always happy, happy, happy.

Satellite installations per satellite companies are to bonded and grounded per NEC requirements. From what I can see from these pictures, this install was done per manufactures requirements. The messenger wire (thin wire that is burned) should have been attached to the dish mount via a green self taping screw, and the ground wire(green wire in the last picture) should have gone from the single connection grounding block to ground source, which it appears to have done. Saw an install once that the installer did not bring to the ground source and when lightening hit, not only was the messenger wire fried, but the coax cable, the satellite receiver in the house, the TV it was attached to, a telephone, and an answering machine were all toast. For that reason, I mention it to my clients when I see a system that is not properly grounded.

As is always the case, what the client does with our reports and our recommendations is up to them. When it comes to electrical issues, I don't play games and I don't take chances. I tell my clients up front I am sensitive to electrical issues. So I would tell them it does not meet current code, that it is considered a safety issue and that it needs to be replaced by a licensed electrician.

It is still a No in Georgia also.

A while back I asked some people if they were going to be purchasing a home and wanted an inspection, how would they go about selecting the inspector. One of the top answers after referrals was they would check out the inspectors website. So the next question became, what were they looking for in the inspectors website. The answers were it needed some visual appeal, it needed some easily readable content, and it needed to tell them why they should choose that inspector as opposed to the other guy with the really flashy website or the guy with the boring just the facts ma'm website. So what is the purpose of the website??? To get them to contact us. So if you were to purchase a home and the realtor gave you a list of preferred inspectors and on that list was everyone that has responded to this post, the question becomes will your website put you on the short list of inspectors that home buyer is going to call?

Vincent: When I first started I used Inspection Report Creator as it was a total online report software option. I later switched to Home Gauge as the total package was more to my liking. When it comes to software for your reports, you just need to take the different options available for a test drive and go what is right for you.

For me this is the most relevant question asked: "I'd still like to know more about what exactly the manufacturer means when they say the max exhaust temp = X. Where and under what conditions?"

Slab floor, 20 year old home, 4" floor height from slab. The door goes from the patio to the kitchen.

I can use your help and experience on this one. Was wondering why someone would have placed a layer of concrete over the slab under this rear entrance door. Click to Enlarge 55.75 KB

I would leave my 20' extension ladder on the truck and break out the 28 footer and approach the second floor from the back side. However, I promise you, from personal experience, it really hurts to come off a roof unexpectedly. Like John said, the fees are not high enough to put yourself at risk. Remember, stupid hurts.

A "Blob" camera? What do they mean by a "blob"?

Got mine and plan to fill it out over the weekend.

Appreciate the answer. I was thinking they were just to close. Must have been having a brain cramp due to all the homeowner special plumbing in the home.

Gentlemen: Doing an inspection recently I came across two electrical outlets located under the kitchen sink behind the drain lines and slightly down the back wall. The outlets are within 12" of a plumbing waste line and one is even closer to the supply lines. I called this out as being unacceptable and when pointed out to the customer, they laughed and thought that was the dumbest location for an electrical outlet. Problem is I cannot find a code that says it is not allowed. The plumbing on this house had issues of its own, but if someone can set me straight from an electrical standpoint I would appreciate it. Click to Enlarge 31.95 KB