Garet

I'd find the siding guy, give him a buck and ask him to buy me a lottery ticket.

I've run across about a dozen cases over the years whre a GFCI showed proper wiring at first w/ 3-light tester, tripped normally, but showed hot/ground reversal after resetting. Bizarre. I can't fathom how this could happen. In every case it tripped again and reset properly the second time. I'd love for someone to explain to my how this could happen.

My current laptop power supply has 3 prongs, but all of my previous ones have had only 2.

A simple, cost effective solution is to put 2-prong receptacles back onto the 2-wire circuits. Having a grounded circuit does nothing to protect your fancy gizmos. The house will be just as safe as the day it was built. However... If you have anything with a 3-prong cord (like a surge arrester - hint, hint) then it needs a GROUNDED 3-prong receptacle. It may be easy or difficult to upgrade an individual receptacle, depending on many things. Get an estimate from an electrician.

Why is this myth perpetuated? I've never seen anyone produce a case where an inspector was sued for missing one code issue because they chose to reference the building code as the source for their opinion on a different code issue. If it's happened I'd love to hear about it.

I'd be looking for dust clogged on the heat exchanger coil. That might take some amount of disassembly.

Examples: 1) exterior air intake into return HVAC ducts (we're seeing a lot of these in new construction and tight houses), 2) air-air heat recovery ventilator, 3) make-up air inlet for large kitchen exhaust.

Thanks for clarifying. I sometimes forget that one. What I meant was the "No switches or receptacles within 36" of a shower" rule is a Canadian thing. Just send us your beer & hockey. Keep your electrical rules. Next thing you know we're going to start seeing panels mounted on their sides.

OK, so the guy meant 36", not 36'. Even so, there's no 36" rule in the NEC. It's a Canadian rule that continually crosses south of the border. Another example of continuing folklore in our industry.

Hint: for many (most?) models you'll find a "0" before the numbers that indicate tonnage.

bhapgood, Congratulations, you've already figured out what lots of builders refuse to believe: 1) water can enter masonry construction and 2) freezing water causes damage. I'd be happy to help, but with a 3 hour drive each way that would be an all-day job for me. For that much money you could probably just have a competent roofer install coping over the top of the walls to keep water out.

It's not a house, it's a warehouse. I have a hunch that the building shell wasn't constructed with the intent to keep it as warm as Shayna 23 is attempting. If you "can see the outside light coming in through the mortar of the brick" then you're loosing heated air to the outside. First step is to stop the hemorrhaging. Unfortunately, your landlord has little motivation to address the issue since they're not paying the utility bill. If you really want to get a handle on things you need to have a knowledgeable pro look the place over. That's usually called an energy audit. That process might pay for itself rather quickly, depending on how long you plan to continue renting.

Hardiplank doesn't have a structural rating; it shouldn't be part of the structure. When I see decks done wrong that "don't look all that bad" I try to keep in mind the housewarming party with all of their guests standing on it - a load the deck might have never been subject to yet.

In other words, the equation doesn't add up. It's time to ask yourself why. Either the equation is wrong, or one of your data is wrong. Did you own the building prior to this year? Do you have a basis of comparison from before the changes? Did efficiency improve or did it always behave this way? Have you 'clocked' the gas meter? IOW, watch the dials turn as the unit runs? Is the meter reading realistic?

I could easily see an uninsulated framing cavity where an interior wall meets the exterior wall as a place where more air leaks out of the house, making its way up into the attic.