Richard Moore

Me neither. I do have a nice photo of what happens if you burn your trash too close to the siding. Download Attachment: 050212H009.jpg 109.11 KB One of those "Duh!" moments.

Here's a picture of the general area. Download Attachment: 070306S-003-small.JPG 134.44 KB I had one visible weep hole at the left and the rest have been buried by the raised bed (another, but related issue). The bulging sure had the appearance of being pressure related (the photo sucks...you had to be there). There was a much bigger mound of dirt on the moisture barrier beneath the one in the photo. Don't know about ants, but the hole may have originally been rodents as there were plenty of older droppings in this area. My guess is that they miscalculated or otherwise screwed up when they poured the foundation and then just buried their mistake. Tough to really say what is going on, but I know it ain't right and needs a good fixin'! I don't know if they originally had the home inspected but, if so, I wouldn't blame that inspector. If it hadn't been for the bulge, the hole and the dirt, I doubt that I would have put two and two together. That's a little scary!

Found this in a crawl today. 1989 home. The photo doesn't show it very well but the OSB to the left was really bulging in. The 2nd photo is the area directly above. Download Attachment: 0032.JPG 82.68 KB Download Attachment: 0037.JPG 92.93 KB It's as if they poured the foundation and framed for a wood "deck" front porch and then decided to fill in the area and pour a concrete porch. Kind of a shame as the house was otherwise fairly clean, but it looks like a very expensive fix. I don't see any option but to rip the porch slab out to expose the area. ??? I haven't quite phrased the report yet, but it's gonna have to end with "structural engineer".

Things could be a lot worse!!! Download Attachment: Large_sink_hole.jpg 113.21 KB

No, not 1958. A lot of their model numbers start with 58. Normally, the Carrier serial numbers I see are WWYYxnnnnn. You seem to be missing two numbers before the A? EG. (from a recent inspection)..."The furnace is a Carrier 5868C065-CB with the serial # 1888C40713." This was 18th week of 1988. It's possible that older furnaces didn't adhere to that numbering system.

Download Attachment: DUH.jpg 68.94 KB

I did find some info at furnacecompare.com that indicates that Airquest (an International Comfort Products brand) NTC6125KJ** furnaces might be either up flow or horizontal flow. I'm not sure what the last 2 digits (the G1) mean but it does seem likely that it's OK.

Chad...I can't help with the training but, if you have Office Pro 2003, you should already have and own PowerPoint. Did you do a custom install and not install that program? Click on Start, All Programs, and then Microsoft Office. You might find it there.

Chad...I believe Powerpoint is now included with all levels of MS Office 2007. Depending on the age of your software, it might make more sense to upgrade your Office suite (assuming you have one(?)) than to buy it separately.

I'd have to go with neither. Both are correct that if it won't trip then it should be replaced. But if it "trips and current continues to flow" my first guess would be wiring line/load reversal, which should be checked before throwing the GFCI away. The CSPC's version is a little better, but what "light" are they talking about? If it's a lamp plugged into the receptacle, then fine. If they are talking about an indicator light on the receptacle...well, they don't all have them and some have a light that only comes on when tripped.

Sorry Scott, but that sounds a little strange.and I don't know if you meant it the way it reads. I don't consider myself "code folk" but just because the city inspector (probably without getting out of his car) issued a CO doesn't negate the need to bring things (especially safety items) up to code when the house finally gets its first(?) inspection 4 years later. The certificate is a nice piece of paper but it doesn't seem to miraculously fix all the crap we find in new houses! In FQP case, it sounds like the HVAC installers got there before the drywall guys had finished...or maybe the drywallers just spaced out.

So it turns out the rep's undisclosed installation error was choosing his product! I've just put down about 600 sf of prefinished Brazilian cherry. I went with an engineered product from SunFloors. It's about 5/8" overall with 3/16 inch of actual wood. I went back and forth over solid, prefinished, etc, etc but ended up with this because it came in 5½" width, "solid plank" (I didn't want it to end up looking like Pergo), all pieces 82" long, and has no bevel (which I don't like the look of). Brazilian cherry (actually Jatoba) has the hardest index of any wood flooring out there, which helps if you have a large dog. It also happens to be drop dead gorgeous with a lot of "character" although, as it darkens quite a bit with UV, you need to hold off on the rugs for a while. This product came with a choice of glue-down or glue together (and float). I chose the latter over 1/8" cork as I had to do a lot of leveling on the second floor (ex attic) of my old house. I actually leveled with roofing felt and even some shingles. Made my own transitions. It wasn't cheap, but I guess you get what you pay for. Even without any bevel, I have zero ridges and very smooth joints. At least...so far! Gotta tell the maid to go easy with the mop.

Jim, I often see that, in fact it is probably the norm, in 50's to 70's ramblers, but I can't remember ever seeing it on anything much newer than that or at the first floor of a two-story home. You guys still build that way down there?

These "engineered" floors are a lot more stable than solid hardwood and shouldn't need the weeks of acclimation, especially for a floating system. The plywood backing is very porous and I really don't see moisture from beneath only affecting the edges. Assuming they used a normal foam-type underlayment(?), those are typically a fairly effective moisture barrier as well as cushioning. I would expect to see cupping if excessive moisture from below was a problem. From Jim's description of "ridges" at the joints, I would have to go with excessive wet mopping as a first guess. Are the ridges appearing under rugs or furniture that doesn't normally get moved? Then, perhaps, very excessive moisture in the rooms as a second guess . Does she use the bathroom fans etc? BTW...Is this a slab or sub-floor? "The rep’s conclusion is that the product is not defective and that the ridges are due to an installation error, but he won’t say what error." What a cop out!

Directly copied from today's in-box... Sender: NACHI mail. Subject: Now Available - NACHI Report Writing Solition Fink itz a gud "solition"?

Does PVC conduit weaken at higher hot water temperatures like regular PVC plumbing pipe? Do we care? No PVC (other than CPVC) is allowed for interior distribution plumbing by any code that I'm aware of. As Jim said, it probably will be fine, but then garden hoses would also probably work. Both are less than the minimum standards set by knowledgable people who likely actually tested those options, and increase the possibility of a flooded home. It's just wrong. I wonder if the homeowner is an electrician?

This is from the Pergo.com website (my bold). I think I'm with Chad. I'm not sure that the near-surface 700 surveymaster readings on a slab just after the pad has been pulled up are really that indicative of a problem. You would expect much lower readings on exposed concrete outside. It would be interesting, but for us impractical, to take readings after the carpet/pad had been pulled up for a few weeks with some ventilation. I guess my point is that I wouldn't be comfortable saying that Pergo could or could not be used and would probably recommend the "waterproofing or flooring contractor for further moisture testing or abatement". I would assume one of those guys would have a better testing method than is available to us during a quick inspection (unless you want to spring for a dedicated deep reading concrete meter).

Bill, What happened here was a horribly added mudroom/laundry (basically looked like they filled in the rear porch). They then "blended" a shed roof into the original roof over that POS. Just an educated guess, but I imagine the service got upgraded a long time ago at which time they used the original 3-insulators as the attachment for the drop to a then new mast. All was well until the new roof. "Don't they get inspections in your part of the country?" Only when things are done with permits! The owner/landlord of this rental had screwed up every "improvement" he had made. Here's the only "upgraded" window, another example of his fine handywork... Download Attachment: blisteredwindow.JPG 66.78 KB Can you say "vapor barrier"? My client, the sitting tenant, decided not to pursue the purchase after the inspection. Scary thing is she is still living there while she looks elsewhere.

Spending way too much time on this but... The way I'm reading that is that this particular oven has a 3.6 KW rating at 240 volts. That equates to 15 amps. They then sensibly reccomend a 20 amp breaker for any oven up to 4.8 KW. The point I'm getting at is that a 15-amp breaker not tripping would not mean it or the 15-amp max oven was defective. To be honest, if they aren't already experiencing nuisance tripping with the 15-amp breaker, then there probably ain't nuttin' wrong in a purely practical sense and changing out to a 20-amp has no effect (function or safety). But, as the manufacturer reccomends a 20-amp breaker it should have one.

Sorry, it's a sad case of the blind reading the blind! Anyway...still only a 15-amp draw.

Mike...I think you misread that. The original post states that they recommend a 20-amp breaker for any oven 0 through 4.8 KW but this particular one is rated at 3.6KW (15-amps at 240 volts). I don't think the oven is "defective" because it's not tripping a 15-amp breaker. Still should have the recommended 20-amp breaker tho.

Never seen it before. Of course, most of the pre-20s homes I see have basements with "regular" furnaces down there. I reported it as "unusual" and deferred to the mason needed for the rebuild but, there was so much other stuff wrong with this fixer rental home that the tenants informed me they would be looking elsewhere before they even got the report. Still seems like a crap idea even if it is "common" elsewhere.

"120/240 volt = 3.6 KW" which does equal 15 amps for the 240 volts. However, nuisance tripping from initial surge or all-on use might be a problem and I'd recommend changing to a 20-amp breaker. Nothing actually un-safe about the 15 amp tho. Also nothing wrong with oversized wires for the circuit (or any circuit come to that). Fairly common to use the existing 50-amp range circuit wiring rather than run new cable. The only question is...how did they get the #6 into a 15 amp breaker? I believe most 15/20 amp breaker lugs are rated/sized for no more than #8, meaning you would have to pigtail or otherwise splice to the #6s.

Yep...I'm seeing a lot of them, especially in new or newish townhomes, feeding fan driven wall convectors. Usually only a 50-gallon, albeit high BTU, heater run at higher temperatures with a tempering valve for the potable water. Some homes have a "blown" gas fireplace for additional heat...some not. Aside from no air filtration, they seem like a good, zoned system for a well insulated home. Running the PEX to the heaters is no doubt simpler than forced air ductwork, but the wall convectors obviously cost a lot more than simple floor registers. I wouldn't call it "cheapy" either.

I haven't made up my mind how to report it. The whole chimney probably needs rebuilding anyway. This is a tenant looking to buy the house from the landlord. One of the first things she tell me is that when the furnace is on all the windows steam up. I suspect backdrafting. I can see rubble from the top and when I'm in the attic I see a new connection has been made to the chimney above the old one. Download Attachment: 0031.JPG 51.21 KB A little more interrogation of the tenant and it turns out that the original flue was blocked during that time. Anyway, I'll probably just defer to the mason or HVAC guy (a metal flue through the roof would make more sense than a rebuild). Just saw Bill's post. No signs of a patch or old footing in the crawl (may have been under the moisture barrier but I doubt it). The wrinkle seemed to just be a blister in the paper over the lathe and plaster. The home had quite a few of those.