Kyle Kubs

Sweet. Someday I'm going to get one of those things. If nothing else I'll be able to see where animals are waiting in the woods at night before I tell the dog he's allowed to go dump. Two weeks ago I turned around and he's standing right next to a skunk! [:-bigeyes

I'd say those two things are your most probable choices but in thinking about it, what did you get between the hot & the ground?

Hi Frank, It makes sense that the through bolts would make a substantially stronger connection. But at what point does that strength become moot? I suspect that long before the bolted ledger-to-rim joist connection would fail, you'd see a failure of the connection between the deck joists and the ledger. Is there any point to making the ledger connection to the house stronger than the ledger connection to the deck joists? Isn't it kind of like trying to make a chain stronger by making one of its links *really* big? - Jim Katen, Oregon Not that it should matter in a perfect world where the whole thing is done right, but I think when you have poor or no flashing the lags will be more prone to letting go.You only need to rot the wood directly around the lag threads. With the through bolts it has to get to the point where the entire rim joist will let go or is rotted out sufficiently to let the entire washer come through it.

I don't have my books at home but I think it's R703.8? On this topic... should we have a category for interpretation? Maybe we could call it "Speaking in Code"? Our state code's R703.8: Approved corrosion-resistive flashing shall be provided in the exterior wall envelope in such a manner as to prevent entry of water . . . Silly-Putty pretty much fits the bill except for the "approved" part of the citation. The problem around here, though, is none of the local enforcement people want to take a stand and say what is or isn't approved. There is something more specific about what approved flashing is or is not. My head is swimming with several other things right now but I'll look for it. Often I find this type of supporting information not in the codes but in things like ASTM standards. As far as the felt goes that is pretty easy, the manufacturers specs list a limit of exposure to UV light... Never a shortage of dumb asses among builders.

I'm going to interject here for clarity. What Mike is talking about (NM, yellow, orange...) is the cable sheathing, the outer covering that encloses the insulated individual wires. There's typically a lot of confusion and cross use between sheathing and insulation around here so for those who are still getting familiar with what's what... The insulation is the stuff that coats/encloses the individual wires, separates them or should I say, insulates them, from contact with each other. The outer jacket being the sheathing which basically holds the individual wires together creating a cable and protecting the insulation from damage. That said, the original wiring, Knob & Tube and then eventually assembled cables such as old NM or BX had the wires insulated with a cloth loom, usually woven cotton and latter Rayon, that was saturated with rubber. (I grew up calling this Loomex, I think it was a trade name but not certain) Components in the rubber are corrosive to the Copper so it was tinned to create a barrier that protected the Copper. The outer sheathing may have been cloth loom, BX, & later PVC, still with rubberized cloth loom insulation on the enclosed wires. Once we moved to more modern plastics & thermoplastics for the insulation there was no longer a need for tinning the wire. So, if you see rubberized loom insulation it will be Tinned Copper. If you see any type of plastic it will almost certainly be Aluminum. The outer sheathing 98% of the time is also a cloth loom or BX, or unsheathed Knob & Tube when it is tinned Copper but there was an era when the outer sheathing was plastic and the insulation was still rubberized loom (I have seen this only once or twice in my career, I'm fairly certain it's not just my recent lack of sleep getting to me). Aluminum will always have a plastic insulation and non woven sheathing. By the time Aluminum came around, grounded receptacles were required by the NEC. Also if you've got an older cable that has a ground wire present but it is smaller then the main conductors, that will also certainly be Tinned Copper.

I don't comment about that stuff whatsoever. I tell my clients flat out, I'm not here for cosmetic stuff, I'm here for important stuff... Structural, major mechanical, safety hazards. They can see the carpet, floors & cabinets as well as I can. The only place I may make an exception would be if I saw damage of some kind in an otherwise pristine home or if it is a new house.

Sure, just post one and buckle in for a ride! [] [:-bigeyes - Fair warning, you'll be sorry...

There's quite a bit of heavy stuff in there for a Condo... Is it all electric? (Heat, Stove/oven, water heater, dryer)? Yes CH definitely made a split bus. As has been said, that is not one, but they did make one.

As Bill stated, yes, the GFCI can do it's job without the ground in place. Your tester however cannot. The typical three light tester or the Suretest have to simulate a ground fault by faulting a small amount of current to ground, so when the ground isn't present, it's like calling out to someone who isn't there... In this case if it works with the test button of the receptacle it is fine. The NEC [210-7d] allows an exception for replacing ungrounded receptacles with 3 slotted, grounding receptacles on a two wire, ungrounded circuit as long as they are GFCI protected (the GFCI protection does not have to be at that receptacle), the receptacle must be clearly labeled "No Equipment Ground". (They never are, as if 99% of the population would know what that meant to them anyway...) This is considered an acceptable remedy for bathrooms, kitchens and such but it still will not provide all the protection of an equipment ground in other places, like where you would plug in a television or computer, you rely on the equipment ground for static dissipation and for things like surge bars to be able to do there jobs. Curious, what did you mean when you said "I connected the ground wire and still got an open grounded outlet with the tester"?

I have one really great reason for taking pictures if you don't. You don't have to take notes anymore. I take a picture, or several, of everything I need to remember for the report, my camera is my notepad and my memory, 1 gig.. It's really great, all the info on an A/C data plate comes home with me from one click, along with proof of how the attic was packed solid from end to end if ever needed for litigation, and it just makes the report look good. The clients get a big smile on their faces when I come down off the roof, tell them whats up there and finish with, "don't worry I took pictures, you'll see exactly what I mean". I can't even tell you how many times I've noticed something in the pictures that I didn't on site while the clients, agents and homeowners were bantering at me. Ok, so it was several reasons.

The first picture looks like what I've always called Japaneese Beetles, wouldn't have given them a second glance on an inspection. The second & third photo's are definitely Carpenter Bee Damage. They're very prevalent here. You often see them hovering around the holes this time of year if they are active. Download Attachment: DSCN1553.JPG 967.41 KB

Couldn't get under it because it is filled under the masonry deck? Maybe wicking up moisture. A seemingly odd question. What was the exterior siding on the house? Stucco perhaps?

Robert, just to enforce proper nomenclature. That is not a "B" vent. A B vent is a listed, double walled pipe. You probably already knew that, but if I don't post more, I'm going to be a two star member forever....[:-dunce]

Sounds ridiculous. It's going through the foundation wall, outside then coming back to the chimney? So if I understand what you are saying, some codes you might look at would be; Flu connector is required to be as short as possible and direct to the chimney. Sounds like it has enough bends in it to violate the maximum length of a flu connector just by the equivalent length of the bends. Pitch requirements Was there room for a barometric damper which is required. I'm sure there are others. Don't take this wrong but, are you sure you're seeing what you're seeing? What you are explaining sounds totally absurd.

Wayne, it would help if you would elaborate a bit about what kind of system it is. Venting underground to where? Is this a downfire burner? What kind of boiler, how old? Pictures? The only material I know of that you may be talking about would be Transite pipe. Asbestos/cement composite. To my knowledge there is no such specific code.

I think I understand what Scott was getting at. The grounded conductors being in a sub panel doesn't make any difference. Yes, they are isolated from the grounding conductors in that panel but they are bonded to the terminal bar which in turn is bonded to the feeder cable that goes back to the main panel where it is bonded to the Neutral bus which is also grounded. So, in relation to the grounded conductors, just think of the sub panel as a glorified junction box where the Neutrals happen to have a splice. The current they are carrying doesn't go anywhere in that enclosure except along the terminal bar to the feeder Neutral and back to the main panel, no different then if it just went straight back or maybe through a junction box or two along the way. It's one of my beefs with the NEC. They use the word ground and its derivations to mean too many different things and it leads to confusion. - Jim Katen, Oregon Agreed. It's kinda like the snobby boat people that get mad at you if you should, god forbid, call their lines "a rope"... I think it makes them feel more special to have their very own lingo. But it's fun to mess with the boat captains over it, after the dive is over of course, otherwise you surface to find the boat has moved upstream 300 yards.

Hey Scott, In the electrical industry, Neutrals, as most people call them, are referred to as Grounded Conductors. They are conductors but they are grounded at the transformer and the panel. Dave stated it correctly.

I've seen several instances where metals have become just slightly magnetized from being repeatedly heated. Any chance thats what was going on here? I would have put a voltmeter on it just to double check.

What Jim said, almost to the letter. While I'm up there I start making mental notes of where to look in the attic. Most times you can see if there's anything to avoid. Had a client follow me up once, he said he was familiar with the business end of a hammer so I said "sure if your comfortable". While we're up there he passes me when I stop several feet back from the rake edge with a good 3 story drop and proceeds to walk right up to the edge even as I'm yellin at him to stop. He turns around with a smirk like, I showed him... When we got in the attic I pointed to the badly rotted out sheathing a foot from where he was standing and explained that had it given, he would have fallen forward not back. He said, remind me to listen to you from now on... Can't say I've never stopped in my tracks with arms raised to my side like a high wire walker trying hard to mentally make my self fifty pounds lighter but I've never even come close to falling through. So far as some fool telling me I'm paying for it when I do, he'll be picking his teeth from the lawn as I'm pulling out the driveway.

It's actually pretty common in what used to be farming areas or old horse stables, turned residential. All a matter of the lines on the street being 3-phase or not. I wish mine was, I've got a more then 100 year old, 20" bandsaw with a 3-phase 1.5 horse motor that I just can't seem to find a good single phase replacement for.

Hey now, be nice. NJ is not without it's craftsman, . . . I meant no insult. It's just that shake roofs seem to be rather rare in the northeast. (I've lived & worked in CT, NY, VT, MA, & DC. I could probably count the number of shake roofs that I've seen in those states on one hand.) As with any rare material or technique, the contractors don't quite know what to do with them. (Of course, shingles are a different story.) In contrast, shakes were the roofing material of choice in the Pac NW for most of the 70s, 80s, & 90s. When I first started inspecting, I could go for days, and sometimes weeks, seeing *only* shake roofs. My opinion of them is the same as Chris's. They're expensive and they only look good and last well if you invest in constant maintenance. Otherwise, they end up looking like the one in Darren's picture. - Jim Katen, Oregon Oh I didn't get insulted at all. Just a little friendly posturing. [] Sad truth is you're mostly right. There are some areas here where old wood roofs are/where very common, much more shingles than shakes but if you know what historic areas to go to you can find quite a few of them. Not fair though, you guys have the Western Red Cedar there. We get a lot more White Cedar coming down from Canada, it's just not as good unless someone cuts a little too close to an old growth area. Actually there is/was a lot more slate here then wood, which I prefer. Unfortunately with our proximity to Pennsylvania the most accessible slate was the poorest and most have or are failing. Even worse many of the old affluent towns where you find houses over 100 years old are now run down slums with what were beautiful huge old houses turned into multi, and I do mean MULTI family dwellings or boarding houses, or even better, crack houses...[:-weepn]

Hey now, be nice. NJ is not without it's craftsman, we're just busy hiding from all the NY yuppies that want it all for nothing... Case in point. http://www.alper-enterprises.com/index.html Darren, if you want a good local craftsman to throw at them or use for the future, try; Kasharian in Hackettstown. Though I agree with Jim & Chris, Cost/benefit of repair just doesn't balance out. The wood itself looks pretty clean, no moss, fungus, algae, was there a Copper ridge or something?

Leaving the stack of cans next to a set up like that might qualify them for a Darwin award. Normally you just clip right to the main lugs or exposed hot bus. This panel apparently was a little crowded for that. I'll admit I've jumped a welder or two off the main lugs of a few panels with alligator clips but that's a little on the shaky side.

When the photo displays in a window look at the lower corner of the window and then choose zoom size and then click at the upper corner to go full screen. I can get that photo too completely fill my 21-inch monitor screen in about two clicks. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Hey Mike. I don't see anything in the photo's/window that I can click on. I'm on a Mac using Firefox... could that be why? If this house is on city water, they may simply be getting low pressure from the main. In order to increase the pressure, they might have installed a booster pump and a tank to store the pressure. If you follow the wires from the pressure control switch, you'll find the pump. I suppose the pump could be remotely located but in every booster system I've laid eyes on the pump was mounted right there at the tank. And Jet pumps aren't known for being quiet either. It's been 19 years now and I'm almost ready to get around to it. Yah, I've got several projects like that. Ok, maybe it's several dozen, but I'm gettin to em.

I'm not liking these new pre-sized pictures (read small) I can't zoom in and see things up close. I've got a 19" monitor here and I'm looking at a tiny picture that only covers less then 1/4 of it. What I do see in your image is the pipe coming into the tank and an electric cable coming into the pressure switch but no water pipe continuing past the tank and no visible power cable coming out of the switch to go to the pump. Makes me think it is an unfinished installation. Looks like a plug in the end of the pipe just to the left of the pressure switch, where the pipe normally continues to distribution. Maybe a well for landscape water? There is a sediment filter on the piping to the right, usually indicates a well...