Richard Moore

You could go with "Heterogeneous, hygroscopic, cellular, anisotropic, cellulose fiber based braces".* "Wood braces" would work too! ---- *Wikpedia can be addictive!

I'm not totally clear on the set-up and, therefore, the "requirements", and this may be over-simplifying it, but...I would ask myself; "Is anyone ever likely to come in contact with anything plugged into the various receptacles while still wet from the pool or even just wet feet from the yard?" I'm guessing the answer to that would be yes.

By all means, Jim. Have at it!

Now you made me look! The only thing I can find is 406.4(E). "Receptacles shall not be installed in a face-up position in countertops or similar work surfaces." I can't find anything on inside a cabinet in particular but you can't expect any code book to foresee all situations, especially the more bizarre ones.

Hi Jim, I can't say I've ever looked for the code. In part, I'm paid for my common sense, and, for me, that's enough in this situation under a kitchen sink (even without the drain issue) no matter what the good book says. If it was at the back of a cabinet used for long term, bulk, dry storage I might not be very excited about it but I would probably still recommend covering the unused slots. But, I can't say I've seen that, so I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it.

Chad...I saw somewhere else recently that there is now a black, regular AAV...can't remember the brand. But, what I think you are looking at is the adaptor. I don't have a picture of the actual AAV on top of that but I know it looked quite normal and definitely not the mechanical type. (Added after a search)...Check out this site http://www.ayrlett.com/ . Just to make our lives difficult Ayrlett makes a black ABS AAV.

There were some non-electrical issues, but everything else electrical checked out OK. Keep in mind that this was a kitchen island. Those are installed very late in the construction and it's doubtful that whoever did this was the same electrician that wired the rest of the house.

2 year old, 3000sf home today. Very few issues, and no other electrical problems, but this, under a kitchen island sink, is a classic. The face up receptacle is bad enough, especially in an area where stuff get tossed in, but it took a real "genius" to position it directly under the trap! Download Attachment: stupidreceptacle.jpg 127.24 KB "Honey, I've dropped my ring down the sink. Would you mind electrocuting yourself again?"

I didn't know that! Do now. I checked the Watts site and, sure enough, some models have a version that has an 8" "extension thermostat". Here's the wording from the attached tag of the one I have...(my bold) "Combination temperatue and pressure relief valves with extension thermostats must be installed so that the temperature-sensing element is immersed in the water in the top 6" (152mm) of the water storage tank. They must be installed either in the the hot outlet service line or directly in a tank tapping. Combination temperatue and pressure relief valves that do not have extension elements must be mounted directly in a tank tapping located within the top 6" (152mm) of the water storage tank. ..." So...the one in the original photo may actually be just fine after all (ignoring all else that's wrong). I don't know if you could tell if it's an "extended" model. Watts model number on the top disc of the one I have is SL100XL. The extended model supposedly would be SL100XL-8 but I don't know if that would actually be on the label. I'll check next time I pass a plumbing store. And...I also don't know about other manufacturers. In conclusion...I've learnt something today, which is always a good thing!

No...it would still release pressure. There's no check valves on the nipples. Pressure isn't really the issue here. The IRC wording is "installed so that the temperature sensing element monitors the water within the top 6" of the tank." I bought these two TPR valves as visual aids a few years back. One's a Watts (I think the other is a Wilkens). Image Insert: 143.59 KB Anyway, they are "typical" valves and as you can see the sensor only extends about 3¼" below the threads. I don't think that would make it into the tank in the original photo. So...what others have said. It's just wrong. Judging from the photos they probably need a new water heater anyway! On the bright side, at least they installed it on the hot side (are all water heaters oriented that way?) and not effectively in the dip tube on the cold side.

I'd have to count my change jar, but I suspect I'm a little short too! Let's see...If I raise my prices a little so that I net $500 per inspection then that's 26 million inspections. I may have another 10 years in me so that's only 2.6 million a year or about 50,000 inspections a week or about 20 a minute over a 40 hour week. Hmmmm, I may have to speed up my reporting system!

I agree with all the above regarding "fault" here. Perhaps it somehow got shut off midway, and perhaps more water leaked after sitting there for a day or so, but no matter what happened or how it turned off, the fact remains that there was an existing leak...and you didn't cause that! However, and drifting a little... I realize that appliance testing is, necessarily, limited. In my case with a dishwasher, immediately after the pre-inspection spiel, the normal stuff: check undersink plumbing, check door seal, check mounting, close detergent hatch, etc, etc and then start it up in a short cycle (and tell the agent they are in charge of monitoring for kitchen flooding...makes them feel useful). The one thing I'm sticking on a little in John's original post is the line... "I'm pretty sure the dishwasher ran from "on" to "off," but of course I can't be absolutely positive." If you are going to test the dishwasher at all, isn't it "incumbent" to at least open the DW door at or near the end of the inspection to see if it actually pumped out (amongst other things)? Personally, I often get to steam clean my glasses at that point.

Randy, re: tweaking your web-site (pricing)... I'm actually surprised you are slow with... "Townhouse or Condo less than 800 square feet $295.00 Townhouse or Condo larger than 800 Square Feet $5.00" I would think you would be getting ALL of the larger townhome inspections around here. $5 seems a like a bargain! []

"Richard, send Locker down here. I'll give you $20 bucks for the kid (cash!)." Naw...the Seahawks offered me $30 if he would convert to a running back and replace Shaun Alexander at the end of close games!

I stand corrected.

But just slightly overfused for the wires!?!?

Mark, my final take on this after looking at the wide angle shot: It looks like a GEC coming from the meter base connected to a ground rod(?). I would suspect that the grounding and neutral bond is made at that panel and that the combination of the meter and exterior disconnect panel would be considered the service equipment. It's an unusual configuration (at least around here) but I see no harm in it. Of course, you can't actually see the connections at the meter base. So...recommend the grounds and neutrals be separated at the interior panel (along with any needed extra grounding bar) and have the electrician check the bonding/GEC/grounding status at the exterior at the same time. As Mike said, it's not a real scary hazard the way it is, but neutral current is passing between the interior panel and the utility grounded conductor along the bare grounding wire as well as the insulated neutral. The conduit between the panels is also in play but it seems unlikely that would be an "attractive" path for current. My guess is that it would take some freakish circumstances for this to actually harm anyone, but, it is wrong. The good news is that it is very easily corrected.

What I'm seeing is that the outside box has the insulated neutral and a bare grounding wire just passing through at the bottom without any other connections there. This looks like no more than an exterior disconnect for the inside panel but it sure isn't wired as the service disconnect. The jumper at that panel is bonding the conduit and box , but not doing much else. Is this a separate structure or apartment fed from a main house (with its own private meter for the tenants)? Is it possible that there is another panel (the actual service disconnect) upstream from this where that "pass through" neutral and ground are bonded together and a GEC then goes to an electrode? Do you have a wider photo of the exterior? I'd like to see the meter box and how that is fed from the utility. As for the inside panel...both the left and right neutral/ground bars are connected by the bar across the top. Moving wires from left to right wouldn't accomplish anything. To wire this correctly would typically require installation of another and separate grounding bar with all grounding conductors moved to that. PS..."two circuit grounds (white wires)". Mark, whites are normally neutrals or grounded conductors. Circuit grounds would be the bare grounding conductors.

Wow!!! That's almost as strange as this... Image Insert: 79.49 KB

Sorry Brian, but I think we got him (Jake Locker). Probably not enough to take us too far this year but the kid has great potentail. The Huskies have to have one of the most brutal schedules. 7 out of 13 games against ranked teams (counting Boise State who we knocked out of the standings last week). So as far as who is over-rated...I'm hoping it's Ohio State this week, but I suspect a return to reality and an ass kicking, although I'm more than willing to be pleasantly surprised. [:-footbal

Hey Charlie, The "air splice" bit kind of negates the need for me to worry too much about whether they are listed or not. But, as I've never seen these in a home before, I am now curious about their use on a 15 or 20 amp 120 volt circuit. What are they called (other than quick splices)? Who makes them? And could something be "UL-listed" for 12-volt DC but not AC line voltage and how would I know?

Homeowner was a car mechanic (judging from the garage). There were over 30, newer recessed lights, all line voltage, all hooked up the same way. Even the line voltage under-cabinet lights in the newly remodeled kitchen. Image Insert: 156.44 KB Image Insert: 147.34 KB Image Insert: 79.07 KB I suspect some auto repair shop is missing a whole bunch of wiring connectors. It's going to be an expensive fix to have a sparky remove the floating splices and install clamps at all of the fixture boxes. Just because of the time involved. It would have been so simple to do it right in the first place. But I guess that's why electricians should work on houses and auto mechanics should restrict themselves to autos.

"Personally, I don't report on this issue."... Me neither. My feeling is that a white hot wire in a panel is adequately identified by being connected to a (normal) breaker's terminals. In fact I consider it "permanent" identification. Remove the wire and, well, it's no longer hot! Frankly, I can't remember the last time I actually saw a hot white marked at the panel. It sure doesn't seem to be the custom around here. Now...if I saw an unmarked white away from the panel, say in a junction box or as a feed to a sub, that I knew was hot, then different story. THAT, I would consider a reportable safety hazard.

I found a older Gaffer & Sattler gas furnace, a name I'd never seen before. in a 1968 home today. I couldn't read the model or serial number but I suspected the unit was original. I googled the brand and came across this... http://toad.net/~jsmeenen/history.html It's a history of HVAC brand names. Very helpful to me as it indicated the Gaffer Sattler name was last used in 1969. I thought it might help others with some (not all) older units.

Any rain that enters, just like the regular condensate, will drain back to the pump resevoir and subsequently get pumped out. Not a problem IMO as long as it's the exhaust and not an intake.