Mark P

I'm rushing to get this report out and am looking in the IRC, but want to ask here also. Brand new construction with an unfinished basement. There are lights wired in the basement, but no outlets. The panel is full with no room to expand. Does not the NEC say there should be x% or # of circuits availabe for future expansion... panel is not labeled.

I agree that was very enjoyable to read.

I would close off the gable vents (because they should not be used with a ridge vent), remove the power vent and install a ridge vent. Make sure the soffit vents are clear of insulation.

Folklore or Fact An a/c works more efficiently when placed in the shade. I have always heard this, but I have doubts that it is true. One web site stated placing the a/c in the shade will save 10% in electric bills. Next week I’m having a new heat pump installed. My current unit sits in a nice shady corner that gets almost no sun, but is directly in front of the cloths dryer vent. I’m considering moving the new unit (because of the dryer vent) to the east side of the house that will get full AM sun, but no dryer lint. Since it is a heat pump I’m thinking the sun will help it during the winter months. Are there any facts that support where or where not to locate an a/c / heat pump?

To be honest I don’t think my customer was concerned with it or really saw it as a problem. The house is a foreclosure in a bad neighborhood. The a/c has been stolen, the neighbor has a pile of trash in the back yard the size of a car & there were bigger fish (problems) to fry then these vents. I’ll just make a statement to have the things properly installed. I don’t think they’ll buy the house anyway.

Were there any copper water lines near by? May the plumber got careless with his torch.

Both vents of this roof were done the same way. There are plastic bags stuffed in under the blanket. From inside the attic there is no sign of leaks. Image Insert: 66.9 KB

Hey, Mike went to the trouble of pointing out the difference between the noun "aggregate" (as in little rocks) and the verb "aggravate," (as in annoy). And he didn't even mention the change of verb tense in sentence 2, along with turning a statement into a question. Alas, the invention of quill and ink created a world in which even the punctuation marks matter. Grammar lessons and nagging aside, I wonder if taking out the fiberglass might turn out to be a semi-big deal. It's like asbestos, in that disturbing it can make things worse... WJ Hi Walter, I appreciate Mike's editing and input - that was just my attempt at humor. Regarding removing the insulation - it is brand new construction and no one is living there. I think removing it would do nothing more then was done when it was put in a few months ago.

Uh, yea I meant to type it that way... God! You guys are like worse then my wife - nag nag nag. "Yes, Dear I'll fix it"

Thanks all. I could find nothing in the IRC or anyplace else, so I made the following comment in my report. "The return air chase from the 2nd floor hallway down to the basement has fiberglass insulation on one side. This is not a typical building practice and I don’t know why it was done, unless it is for noise dampening? This is an interior wall so insulation is not necessary. My concern is that the air moving through the chase will pull fiberglass particles into the house, which could aggregate nasal passages, cause itchy eyes, etc. Since the insulation is not needed have it removed. This is strictly my opinion and I cannot provide any supporting sources."

This is the view of a return air duct in new construction. There are 2x4 on two sides, drywall on one side and fiberglass batt insulation on another. This is an interior wall so I’m not sure why it is insulated. The chase runs from the 2nd floor down to the basement. My gut feeling is I don’t like it because of the fiberglass, but the more I think about it, considering there is a filter that would catch any fiberglass fibers; I can’t say it is wrong. I thought is should be lined… My question is what are the industry standards for return air? What is your opinion on this? Would you write it up? Image Insert: 39.25 KB

Check with your state to see if they sponsor any type of Energy Star Home Performance HPwES training. In Missouri the state provides grants to train contractors in conducting Home Energy Audits. It cost the contractor $1000 for the training, once they are certified the state puts them on a referral list. They must “test inâ€

With the exception of May (which sucked) I've had a good year. The past 2 weeks have been extremly slow so if things don't pick up soon October will be a bad month too. Talking with others in the area everyone associated with real esate has been slow this month. In this sort of biz one has to expect slow times and use the extra time to work on marketing, education, etc. Good luck

I don't see any problem with the valley. I would note that there is no attic access and the inspection was limited by this fact.....

I've been a member of ASHI for about 3 years and I get around 6 jobs a year as a result of being listed on their website.

Thanks Jim, but I understand it is not allowed. I posted the second pic because I find it interesting and just wanted to share it. Also interesting is that both setups were in the same town and both passed city inspection because the city guys never remove the covers. They just walk around with a 3 prong tester and test for GFCI and peeling paint then hand you a bill for $100. Then the realtors use it as a selling point "Passed City Inspection".

I know this is an old post, but I found another one. This time it is two #3 hooked to a 200amp main disconnect. The house already passed city inspection, which really annoyed me and my client especially since he works for the city, but not as an inspector. Image Insert: 72.59 KB

A follow up question for those that do test for pressure – what do you consider low, normal, high pressure? Hey Kurt whaz up with the new avatar? Planning on smoking some goat this fall?

Lots of different opinions on this – good discussion – thanks for the tips everyone. I've never owned one because I never thought I'd need one, until this month when I wanted one twice. One house with all copper lines had very poor functional flow and a pressure gauge would have been useful in figuring out – or eliminating – what the cause of the problem was. In another home, that neither I nor my customer had any concerns with the water flow/pressure, the lender called me (and wanted a letter) because the appraiser wrote up that the house had a low pressure problem. Again the gauge would have come in handy in qualifying my opinion that the pressure was fine. Now that I’m going to have one in my tool box, it may be another 3 years before I have a need for it. That is usually the way it works anyway.

Time for me to buy a new gadget, so I wanted to ask if any one has an opinion of water pressure gauges. I’ve been look at a few on the net and in the tool magazines and there are a variety designs. Anyone have advice on buying one over another?

That shower head is designed for showers that have low water pressure - and they really work great - in my opinion. Neal has is right about the water saving feature. I learned about these after I re-plumbed the bathroom of one of my rental properties. When I was all done and turned on the shower and no water came out – I could not figure out for the life of me what I had done wrong. I kept going over everything in my head and looking at what I had done and could not figure out why the shower would not work – it just did not make sense. I finally figured it out and for this reason when I see them during an inspection I explain them to my clients.

This is a sign of a problem with the furnace exhaust system because the combustion gases are not making it outside before they cool, so they condense and run back down the exhaust pipe, leaving the white residue when it dries. The condensate is corrosive and will damage the equipment.

Sorry for the confusion. I guess I should never have doubted my first opinion. Sorry for the confusion Mike. It is 0340 in the morning and I'm trying to get the family up and in the car, so I can't draw anything now, but you've got it right. "I'm going down to Fl and I'm going to bowl a perfect game." So "over-fusing" is the correct term in this case? See Ya'll in about 16 hours.

Yes that is right The service conducter is live until the meter is pulled, so it does not matter what the breaker size is. I think where I was confused is that if it were a circuit with a 30amp breaker and 14 AWG, then the wire would not be protected in the event of an overload.

Well maybe I'm really haveing a brain melt down today but here is my thinking... #3 AWG is rated at 110 amps so since it is connected to a 200amp breaker the #3 is not protcted and the wire could melt.... Oh - I think I just saw the light. The 200 amp breaker is not protecting the #3. All this means is the home has 110amps of power not 200. But there is no safety concern. I leave for Florida in the morning for a week at the beach. Guess I'm peroccupied.