paul burrell

Let me guess. The PVC piping is not an electrical conductor and therefore will not take a short to ground. Please don't criticize me if I am wrong cause I am sensitive.[:-paperba Paul Burrell From the land of cotton, well used to be.

Every TPR discharge that does not discharge to the outside that I have encountered which is a significant amount I call it because that is where it is supposed to vent. To me it is a safety thing (scalding water). Also a liability thing. I am also a common sense advocate. But I am also quite sure that in a damages lawsuit the judge would side with the established code. I actually observed a discharge line terminate over the top of a basement door. However it was pointing down toward the ground [:-hot]. Been several years but I am almost sure I wrote it up.[:-magnify My 2 cents worth, Paul Burrell

BADAIR, From your description of the characturists it may be fungus among us [:-slaphap. Just kidding we see strange things as inspectors. Did you report this stuff in report. Paul B.

Looks like typical settlement cracks. Reason I know is my client's Realtor said so about a similar foundation problem recently. [:-paperba Paul B.

Jim I agree with your methods RE: brick veneer inspection. We have lot's of brick veneer construction in my area. I was called to a red brick new home a few weeks back and it looked awful with efflorence. The flashing and weeps were not installed correctly and not at all in some areas. My client was about to have a nervous break down arguing with the builder for six months. They paid $325,000 for home which is a lot in this market area. I furnished them with code section and diagrams of proper installation. I informed them that in my opinion all the brick needed removal and start over again. Lo and behold my client knocked on my door last week with a gift certificate and thank you note. He said the builders sub was going to remove the wall and re install it because of the info I furnished them. The certificate was for $50 but the thank you note was better than money but I can not post it as it has a religeous connotation. I also see brick homes with no weeps or flashing exposed with no visible moisture problems at all. Paul Burrell PS: Mike H. and Kurt furnished me with some advice on the job metioned above which I appreciate.

Yes on all new or recently built homes. The code calls for this. On older homes there is seldom weeps and flashing but brick layers did a better job on older homes and if there is not an obvious moisture problem I do not call it. Paul B.

No it will not help to drill holes and add weeps after the fact. Weep holes must be installed during construction with proper flashing under weeps to direct moisture to the weeps. The brick will have to be removed to do the job correct. The flashing is installed under edge of building wrap. Cost is not cheap. Paul Burrell

Mike, If I am not mistaken and I could be but I read an article a few months back in the Communicator magazine RE: ASHI and the NAR having meetings for what I forgot. Maybe someone else has a better memory that I. Thanks Mike for you worth while efforts. Paul Burrell

Gerry, Include me in the safe access code. Paul Burrell

I thought I had enough to worry about now this comes along. Now every time I turn on a dishwasher I will have to run outside for a few minutes. Does it ever end? [:-banghea Paul Burrell

Wire nuts are OK in panel. GFCIs should be recommended and depends on local code for remodeling upgrade. In my area older homes that are remodeled always have GFCIs installed in baths, laundry, kitchen and exterior receptacles but a great many do not trip and are wired wrong. I just wright them up and forget it. Paul B.

I have encountered only a couple circulating boiler systems in homes. Of course this is the geographical location. My Brother is a professional steam fitter and he installed a hot water circulator in his home decades past. It is an excellent system. He says it is the best heating system to have. Anyway I have a gas fired forced air system which is typical for this area. My utility bill tripled from October to december. $120 in October to $370 in December which is considered high for this area. Most of it was natural gas for furnace. I am just wondering what you pay for utilities for hot water boiler circulating systems in the north country monthly. Paul Burrell Georgia

If the equipment was installed and furnished by a professional contractor maybe they are the ones to contact about installation specifications. Ask the home seller/owner who installed it.[?] Paul Burrell

Are some landlords just plain stupid or just plain greedy. Do they take advantage of humans or do they not know any better. If the renters get a Lawyer and a big chunk of his/her bank account that will go a long way towards the landlords education against stupidity. It is hard to believe that a licensed HVAC company would say that the furnace and flue system was OK. Maybe Lawyer time for the HVAC guy also. Paul Burrell

$15 for me would be out of the question. $18 is more like it cause I don't work cheap [:-slaphap Paul Burrell

Go for it. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Advice: Don't treat your customers like recruits.[:-slaphap. Paul Burrell

I use the kiss method. If my knees buckle when I catch the door with my hands and the door falls off tracks on me I conclude the door is not operating correctly.[:-dunce] Seriously I have had only one door damaged and that was years ago when I first started inspecting and and did not have enough sense to not hold on to the door long after it would not kick back [:-banghea. After thousands of inspections later this has not happened again [:-graduat. I do think it is a good idea to recommend up grading to electronic eyes if they are not present on older homes. But of course the owner will say it was not code when house was built, just like the gas water heater sitting on garage floor was OK way back when.[:-splat]. Just my 2 cents worth, Paul Burrell

Some times common sense should prevail. When I catch the door with both hands and the pressure is so great in my opinion that it would break the neck of a child before kick back to me it is not operating properly. If it kicks back quickly with little pressure to me it is operating properly. With the 2X4 method it is impossible to know whether the pressure is great or slight before kick back. If pressure is great before kick back if could do damage to a child even if it does kick back. In other words I trust what I can feel rather than what I can't feel if I use the 2X4 method. Just my 2 cents worth, Paul Burrell

If you are doing an inspection for a buyer it should be to your state standards. A Destination HI, should not be any different than a normal home inspection. I do these type of inspections all of the time, for folks that are being transfered in. Their employer or relo company pays for the inspection, but they are not my client. The buyer is my client and writes me the check, they are then reimbursed by their employer or relo company. Same here never been paid by a Relo Company for the inspection always paid buy buyer and do the inspection same as always. Never had a problem doing it that way. Paul Burrell

I bet youse guys thought I was joking but I call myself on a regular basis as needed.[:-bigeyes. Small business people must cover all the bases [^] Moral of story: If one want's to feel secure punch a time clock. If one want's to occasionally feel anxiety be a small business person. I had rather be a small business person because it always averages out and I get to play golf, ride my harley davidson, fish in my back yard pond and just plain goof off when things are slow. There will be plenty of time to work when the phone starts ringing. Paul Burrell

By the way does anyone out there ever call yourself on your business phone to see if it is working[:-slaphap. Paul Burrell

Thanks guys, Very helpful info. I located some good web sites on brick construction and the info was pretty much what you said. The Southern Brick Institute even furnished detail of where the flashing and weeps had to be installed. The brick job I referred to will probably have problems with efflorescence from now on it is not flashed correctly. When I gave my client this info he smiled like a possum eating briars [^]. Thanks again for your quick response, Paul Burrell

Jim, I have also encountered strange things in crawl spaces. This is why I always tell the people present at the inspection that if I don't come out of the crawl space in 30 minutes to come get me or call the fire dept rescue squad[:-slaphap. I have heard of Comer, Ga. where is it in relation to Metro Atlanta. I also know a lot of Bairds around my area. Paul Burrell Lawrenceville, Ga.

Ok now youse guys have got my head spinning and staying up at night with this appraisal thing. One more time: # 1- Appraisers do not set home prices the MARKET DOES. # 2- Income, price of home and current interest rate dictates price range a home buyer can afford. Realtors pre qualify buyers this way so as to know what price home a prospective client can afford. I they can only afford a $200,000 home they do not show them $300,000 homes. It would be a waste of rubber and gas. # 3- Interest rates are factored into what a builders selling price is of new home. Higher interest on construction loan = higher price for home. Lower interest rate on construction loan = lower price for home. Cost for construction money is factored in same as cost for a pile of 2x4s. # 4 - Of course I could be wrong on all of this so don't take it serious just take it for what it is worth. Ok I am going back to bed now. Paul Burrell

I have a client bought a new home and the brick is discolored (white) from what I call efforscence. It looks awful. Does anyone know technically what causes this or is there a website that may be helpful. It happened about six months after the owners moved in. Is there any way to chemically treat this. The builder Told them it will go away after a couple of years. Naturally his warranty is for one year. Thanks Paul Burrell