peterk2

I was at the wine store ( cheap wine by the way )and a fellow came up to me and said, I see you're a home inspector. I'm thinking of doing it part time for some spending money. I work as a FD inspector in the neighboring state and figure I know all about this stuff. Well, I tried to tell him about insurance, E&O insurance, licenses, continuing ed, operating expenses and many other items no one thinks about. He said " I know all about that stuff and I'm don't need it for part time. Even if I do, it's a cost of business. I wished him good luck and happy new year. It will be a happy new year if he stays away from this but I don't think he will. Oh Well. Peter K Argyle Home Inspections

As I sometimes tend to do, I get into situations that I should have run from. This is one of them. New construction, no roof framing plans. Just a set of elevations and floorplans with notes. General notes for roof uses the term "hogs" as in use two 2x6 hogs with two 2x4 braces. As I said, there are no framing plans and I can't seem to find any reference to "hogs" ( Harley or otherwise) in my builders books. Can anyone enlighten me? Maybe its a regional term. Thanks. Peter K Argyle Home Inspections

Thanks Jim. I got your reply on the ASHI forum. Kudos to Allan for digging out Dougs statement from the chit chat posts. We've had a very rainy spring here. Has the country flip flopped? Great for checking roofs and basements. Peter K

I think the bending radius on the cables from the main to the branch circuits is too sharp and I am calling it out. But after thinking about it, why did the panel manufacturer set it up to have these bends? Or, is this a slapped together set up that needs replacing. This is an older house with lots of "handyman" repairs. Panel is a GE 100 amp panel with a 100 amp main. Entrance cable is copper. Peter K Argyle Home Inspections Download Attachment: IM000312.JPG 484.69 KB

Thanks for the help.

I inspected house a house a while back that had the fireplaces converted to natural gas. On one fireplace the supply line ( CSST ) was routed from the basement to the fireplace through the old ash dump. I didn't see anything wrong with this since the ash dump is basically a chase from the basement to the firebox. My client calls me to say that a plumber said it was not safe and he could fix it for $ 800.00. The client is not blaming me for anything, just wants some good advice. I think the plumber sees an $800 opportunity. Piping was properly installed in the firebox with a shut off, etc. Peter K Argyle Home Inspections

I agree with you guys. I know that the cutoff will shut the unit down. It's just that I'm a bit tired of finding shoddy work and assumptions by contractors that everything will work fine. I believe in redundancy. Most of the buyers I deal with have no building knowledge.If they don't see it, they forget about it. Then filters don't get changed, condensers don't get serviced etc. Just my two cents. Thanks for the chance to vent. PeterK Argyle Home Inspections

During this past weekend, I have had the "pleasure" of inspecting 2 new construction jobs. Both of them had air handlers in the attic with drip pans installed. Both had no secondary drain line but had cutoff/float switches installed. I found out through Code Check that a secondary drain is not required if a float / cutoff switch is installed. I accepted that and went on my way. Then my brain kicked in. What happens to the water in the drip pan? Does it sit there? Does it slowly evaporate or worse remain at a low enough level to not trip the switch but keep a pool of festering water in there. Who the heck thought this one up? I just can't see a tech or homeowner going up to the attic with a sponge and bucket to soak up the water in the pan. I definitely don't see them changing the filter. I mentioned all of this to my clients and hoped that they saw the light. Peter K Argyle Home Inspections.

Thanks all for your help and insights. I hope that I can return the favor in the future.

New construction has the air handler set on styrofoam blocks in a drain pan that sits on plywood that is set on the bottom chord of the truss. No attachment to anything. I can move the handler if I push enough. No walkway or platform. Unit has a drain pan and a water level switch. Builder is telling me all is OK. Installer says all is OK. What gives? PeterK Argyle Home Inspections Download Attachment: IM000134.JPG 539.37 KB