Stephen Lagueux

Here's the pic with the iron pallet. pest infestation is a good start, Thanks for the input. here's a thought that just poped out in my head. The darker lines would represent colder area hence the theory of the tunnels which would make sense. Now, let's not forget that since there is an air space behing the drywall and then aluminum foil over insulation pannel. Could it be that the lighter area is the heat reflected from the foil back to the drywall and the darker lines are in fact electrical or tv cables that block that reflection. The absence of the reflected heat would then appear darker. Does that make sense? Click to Enlarge 26.46?KB

Got this image from an inspection a few days ago. I'm curious to know what these lines are. Basement wall (below grade), drywall over wooden studs and isofoil type insulation behind. No signs of infiltrations. Could they be electrical wires? Any idea? Thanks Click to Enlarge 34.93?KB

found this interresting site. http://waterheatertimer.org/Figure-Volt ... eater.html here's an excerpt; Check label on side of tank for volts and watts Every appliance, switch, outlet and bulb has a label Residential water heaters with 2 elements are 240Volts Residential water heaters are non-simultaneous This means both elements are never ON at same time. Element wattage is tank wattage If tank has 4500 watt elements, then tank wattage is 4500W Recommend 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire for all 240Volt water heaters What size circuit breaker? 30 Amp For safety > a circuit breaker is allowed to handle 80% of Amps shown

That's what I thought too, thanks for the input.

Don't know, but the heater is 240 volts according to the label. With the following calculation; 4500 watts/240 volts= 18.75 amps. therefore a 25 or 30 amps breaker should be used. Now the problem lies with the wiring. If an electrician used a 12 g wire thinking a 20 amp breaker was fine and we call it out as being inadequate, that might cause some problems wouldn't you think?

I'm in Quebec and I rarely see 30 amps breakers on water heaters. Most are as descibed above. Installation guides state that WH should be installed according to the Canadian Electrical code CSA C22.1. I guess where I get comfused is with reading the labels. A 3800 watts single element will be fine with a 20 amps breaker but the 4500 watts max rating will require 25 amps. Click to Enlarge 55.21?KB

8 times out of 10, I will find 20 amps breakers on water heaters that mention 18.75 amps on their labels such as this one here below. 18.75 being 80% of the minimal capacity of the required breaker (18.75/.8= 23.4 amps), would the 80% rule be applied, those 20 amps breakers are inadequate. Do you guys call out breakers (or fuses) that do not meet this 80% derating rule? Click to Enlarge 45.85 KB

ok thank you

From today's inspection. Not quite air tight but clever nonetheless. Click to Enlarge 63.85 KB Click to Enlarge 43.12 KB Click to Enlarge 58.41 KB

Any idea how to get the age of a Brock oil fired water heater? here's a pic of the label with serial number. Click to Enlarge 82.9 KB Click to Enlarge 59.97 KB

Hmmm! I wonder if most of you here would agree to sleep in a room night after night where mold is growing on walls??? Some will get sick and others will get immune to it. If that's the case for most of you fellow inspectors, then good for you. As far as I'm concerned, I know what it is to be sick from it and I don't take chances with my health nor the health of my clients families. Yes there are procedures to undertake to get rid of mold and more importantly, get rid of the source but to make it sound like mold is no big deal is irresponsible to say the least.

the old shingles will trap in moisture coming from the original attic if the ventilation in that area is not adequate. That is one of the problem we see here up north with wall shingles on older houses that were remodeled and put siding over it. The sublayer will tend to rot.

lmfao looks like that weekend plumber was inspired by windows pipe screen saver.

It just so happened to be the bathroom window. Talk about recirculating air. [:-monkeyd

Can't run it through the roof, try the wall...just underneath the window. Click to Enlarge 97.64 KB

came across one of those just today. Click to Enlarge 76.15 KB

You're right, one doesn't really need an IR camera. With all them clues, it's pretty much straight forward. I used it for my own amusement to see what kind of thermal pattern I would get, add the image to my library but mostly to plant a seed and get people around me interrested in a possible thermal inspection later on....

yes, that is the outside wall. There is a crack in the grout in the corner which is too small to see on that picture. Yes, when using a moisture meter, I always make sur to have a base reference to compare readings. In that case, the wall was checked in several places and I will always check the top section where it is less likely to be affected by humidity.

I thought I would contribute to this topic with this new thread. When inspecting houses, I often come across bathrooms with presence of mildew around the tub. Loose faucets and spouts will lead to water infiltration inside the walls from the splattering water of the shower. Damaged grout and cracked tiles will also have the same consequence on drywall and framing members behind. For having repaired my own bathroom walls for the same reasons not too long ago, I thought I would post a couple of pictures from a recent inspection. Visual inspection revealed presence of mildew, damaged grout, cracked tiles, loose faucets and spout. A combination of all the clues put together. Using the IR camera, I was able to get this thermo image. One needs to make sure that the surface is dry though and account for high reflectivity of the tiles. The thermal anomaly was confirmed with a moisture meter. Click to Enlarge 23.65?KB Click to Enlarge 13.48?KB

thermography could possibly help determining the source in this situation.

I'd say old fire tubes that were once going to a smokesatck. Could be wrong but it looks like this boiler has been modified. ??

Thank you

How would you clean efficiently and/or get rid of pet urine stains and smell from concrete floors?

I wonder what is the R value of 8 inches of dog sh..t? [:-monkeyd

Imo, it would be the realtor's responsability to inform the buyer. Recently did a house with suicide in the basement. The realtor told the buyer and the transaction went through smoothly. I had no idea until the realtor told me the day of the inspection and the house is only a few blocks from mine. I would have to be 110% sure that something like that happened in the house to tell my client and even then it's just hearsay and I would never write something of such nature in the report.