rdhutch

A few years ago I purchased/downloaded an excellent publication through someone in this group. It was a very detailed manual about primarily residential electric principles, requirements, and even a historical prospective of the evolving codes. Again, an excellent book. The computer I downloaded it to has recently crashed. Does anyone have an idea of where I can download another or even better, get a print copy?

I ran across this old GE unit in a house in coastal Georgia. It's a weekend get away, still works. The guys uses it for his beer and wine. I could not find a model #, but the serial # is 82-334-302. Any idea how old it is? Click to Enlarge 23.34 KB

We use them in our pest control department, but only in the sales phase. Its a handy tool to help close the deal, especially in commercial establishments. On the technical side, our technicians don't need them. They know how to track and trap rodents. Most of our equipment distributors don't even push them anymore.

It does not sound like Powder Post Beetles to me. I agree with Jim Katen's analysis. The most obvious clue was the presence of larvae. Wood destroying beetles do not exit in the larval stage.

I agree with Mr. Katen's question, what are attempting to accomplish. Boracare is a very effective fungicide, but once again, if you fail to eliminate the source of the fungi or mold, you are wasting time and money. Consideration should be given to the installation of a moisture barrier and increasing crawl space ventilation. Crawl space encapsulation, done properly, has shown to be a great method in my humid area, but it is very expensive. On the other side, Boracare is also effective as a pesticide that when applied properly, is very effective in the control or prevention of termites, powder post beetles, and old house borers. "Applied properly" is the key term, anything less than that is a waste of time and money.

That is not wood boring beetles. That frass is from Drywood Termites. Under a strong magnifying glass or microscope the fecal pellets look like this: Click to Enlarge 7.26 KB

When I do a tight crawl space, I always take a small shovel in with me. It's actually an old Army entrenching tool. It makes a good tool for clearing spider webs from my path, a good weapon if ever needed, most importantly, it permits me to make my way under tight spaces and will always get me out if I get stuck, which has happened several times over the years.

Here is Southeast Georgia we get frequent calls about wasps, bees, and other stinging insects. If the culprits are bees, we call in a bee keeper to extract them from the house. If they are wasp, a can of wasp freeze usually solves the problem. Yellow Jackets are aggressive but rarely nest inside a home. However, when they do, we drill small holes through the sheet rock (quietly) and inject a pesticide dust (Drione) to kill them. We try to do it during the evening when most of the workers have returned to the nest. Once they are dead we cut out a section of the sheetrock and extract the mess. My advice, call an expert like you would for anything else on your house that you are not familiar with. These critters can be deadly if provoked.

We use Timbor or Boracare. Both are very effective in combating mold and Powder Post Beetles. Read the labels, mixing instructions are critical, especially in cold weather.

Good observation on the 4 wheeler. No, it isn't mine but I wish it was. It belongs to the survey team. This was a rural property that has been tied up in an estate and vacant for 3 years. The vegatation you see in the background surrounded the detached work shop but is similiar to the entire 5 acre lot. The crawl space was infested with roaches, several wasps nest on the house, and the gnats were horrible (thus the long sleeve shirts in 90 degree weather). The house is a piece of crap but the lot will be great once it is cleaned up and all the critters are gone. I've had better inspections.

Killed this one last month during an inspection. Click to Enlarge 115.64 KB

I smelled gas around mine and suspected a leak. The gas company checked it and said everything was ok, that the smell will get stronger as the tank empties. I had a new tank put in a couple of years ago after some remodeling. Same thing, each time the tank gets low I can smell gas when I get near the tank. We don't bury them here either so I'm not sure of the affect there.

Standard practice is drilling through the hollow void in the CMU blocks. The purpose of which is to inject termiticide under the slab, and into the block voids. Current rules call for drilling each hole a minimum of 12" apart. If the blocks have been poured with concrete, then of course there would be no void so there is no harm in the drill locations that you see. If the treatment was done prior to 1995, the standard was to drill one hole every 18" (which could also be an indicator of why the drill marks are in the mortor joints in your picture).

To define a weed: any plant growing in a location it is not wanted.

I have never done a home inspection on a mobile home and have no plans to do one in the future. However, I have performed many termite inspections on them. Recently a local HI wrote up one for having the tongue removed but remaining under the house (in the crawl space). He stated this was not allowed. He did not answer my question, but why is this wrong? I see them under most of the trailers (correction, mobile homes) that I have been under and have never seen a problem.