carle3

Just what I need for taking panel covers off )

Here is a nice site that the Wisconsin Foundation Repair Professionals put together http://www.wafrp.com it has a contents page that is indexed into specific issues and the information easy easy to locate. Your main menu is getting quite long with all the links running together. I think having a contents page for just this subject with links and small descriptions on each indivual subject would help the presentation of this material. I do like Erby's idea of having the pages available as a PDF download.

I hope you wrote up that burnt out light bulb. []

Might I suggest using it for a door stop [:-idea]

I have Vista and Office 2007. Vista is stable and a good operating system, I have had no problems with its reliability. The issues you will face is that most of the manufacturers have choosen not to issue updated drivers for older products. You may need to upgrade equipment that lack any drivers support. I was very dissapointed in HP, my printer on my network is not that old and they chhose not to support it with an updated driver. This caused me to loose my ability to print to my network printer. This also holds true for software. For me Quickbooks 2005 lost some of its functionality, I had to upgrade to Quickbooks 2007. I really like the new look and feel to Office 2007. Some of the main application like Word 2007 have new file formats that are incompatible with the older versions. There is an option to save a file in a compatible format.

If you are going to use terms as Satisfactory, Marginal or something along those lines then it would be prudent for yo to define those terms or someone else will define them for you and I guarentee you will not like thier definition. My preference is to list things I am required to describe seperate from those that I am required to inspect. For those I am required to inspect that I find no issue with I simply list them as inspected and define inspected in my definition of terms section. Those that I find an issue with I label Repair/Replace. I do not create a graduated scale of minor problems/major problems in my written report. Note Wisconsin does not require this, some states do. My opinion is that one can marginalize problems thus soft sell a report using a scaling method of reporting. Let the client know what the problem is, what are its ramifications and then let them decide what may be a major/minor concern.

Tile's not water proof? [:-banghea

We had a thread on IR before and in that thread my contention was that inspectors were going to be buying these things and pulling it out of thier tool bags on normal inspections. This will eventually be the standard of care that will be expected. We will be stuck having to buy a 5,000 dollar piece of equipment and still make only peanuts on the inspection because of this. It is only a matter of time now.

Check above the basement stair hole. It is not uncommon to find no draft stopping in this area. Do you have recessed cans or ceiling fixtures? They need to be sealed up. Check anywhere plumbing,HVAC or electrical are coming up threw the walls. Tradesmen are not to paticular on how they cut through framing. Check the basement for holes going up into the partition walls. Weather strip the scuttle hole cover and lock it down. This is just a small list of common sources moisture. None of these may be the one bullet but a combination of all the above may be what is happening.

Amen

I use to use the BJC-80 but I found it way too slow for printing in color. Like the others, mine is still working but Vista has pretty much put an end to its usefulness. I went out and bought the fastest color printer that had WI-FI capabilities an HP 6840. Blue Tooth has a range of about 30 feet so it may not work if you want to print at a distance. I do have a power converter for the vehicle, but Wisconsin winters are not kind to printers being outside and I am not willing to let the van sit idling for 3 or 4 hours so I bring the unit into the home. My partner has the HP 460, it comes with either Blue Tooth or WI-FI depending on the card that you have installed. He had a lot of problems with the Blue Tooth version. Any printing problem and the printer had to be reset to get it working again. Resetting requires the use of the power cable. He used it with the battery in order not to have all the cables so having to drag the power cord along just for resetting the printer was a pain. I have not heard if the WI-FI connection may have the same issues with it.

A very simple reason. That which drives most decisions. Money!

This is just like the folklore about quoting code in your comments. I have seen Kurt ask an industry insurance leader straight up in a public forum to show any verifiable case in which such things have happened, the response is silence. I am sure if this instructor was backed into a corner he would say he knows someone who knew someone that.....

The term satisfactory and terms that are used to show an item is functioning as intended is not the tripping point. It is the other graduated ratings that some use such as marginal and poor or maintenance and repair that leads one into problem areas. What is a marginal defect? What is marginal to one may not be to another. These graduated ratings become a way to minimize the damage of the report and make in more palatable for the client and the agent. Look the Inspector says it is marginal therefore it is not a defect or a big deal.

Since I have weaned myself off the check-list style report I have also change my reporting methods from the Satisfatory, Marginal, Poor. I did like trying to put things on a scale. I now state Inspected for those things I have found no issues with and Repair/Replace for any item of defect. I also have a glossary of terms in my report that defines these comments.

I have Doug Hansen's article linked to my canned statement for FPE panels. It automaticaly gets printed with my report and handed to my client. I also include it as an attachment to any party that I emailed a copy of the report to. I have not had one call since I have started using this article.

I think there are quiet a few inspectors who market by price. The thought is that if I lower the price I will attract more buisness. I do not think they actually have run the numbers to see just how much buisness it takes to make up a loss of $50. So our clients are calling around and finding more of these bargain basement inspections. With the economic pressures price is a driving factor in thier decision making. They have no clue as to our liability or cost of doing buisiness. Just the thought that if X-inpsector can do it for $Y than why can't Z-inspector?

Lack of H-clips on 24 o.c. framing usaully telegraph horizontal lines at the plywood edges.

Eric, that is my line of thinking too, but in my search I found no documentation to support this and as Neal has stated there are terminations that have a combined exhaust and intake port within close proximity to each other. I adopting it as a non-issue unless I get educated to the contrary.

Thanks Terry but it was 11:00pm at night and I was looking for more immediate information from those that may know in order to get this report out. I did google this and all Rheem has on-line are technical specification and product information sheets, no installation instructions.

I have a Rheem condensing gas furnace that has been vented out the sidewall of the home. I know we have covered topics on where the vent can be placed in relation to windows, corners but is there a specification as to the seperation between the exhaust and intake ports. I haven't been able to find any source on this item so I am thinking that my opinion that these two vents need more seperation is wrong. Image Insert: 87.87 KB

Bathroom vent fans that terminate in the attic space can be a contributing factor but are seldom the major source of moisture. Those open can lights and that staircase hole would be a huge source of attic -by-pass (warm moist air).

I know the utilities will locate their own lines but I do not think they will track down lines that are not their responsibility. In my area diggers hot line will mark the service laterals but any private buried line, to like a shed, is not identified nor marked.

I have been able to call the federal goverment and get free copies of the radon publications.

Just a note, there is no such thing as mildew. It is all mold.