Mark P

So who recommends to customers they test the TPRV once a year?

Again thanks to all. I fully realize that by posting these types of questions I am opening myself up to blunt criticism, which is pretty much the point. This is a very effective tool in improving. By swallowing my ego and presenting my weaknesses here on TIJ I become a better inspector. But at the same time I risk being considered a complete idiot. But don’t fret I’m completely secure. I have a great deal of respect for many of the frequent TIJ contributors, and sure I would like there approval, but if I only present my best side and hide my weaknesses I gain nothing. Bottom line in this case is I did not know what was going on with the ceilings. The attic and roof coverings offered no clues; I was unsure how to best write it up. Now I have some great advice, and am better prepared for tomorrow. P.S. Just in case your wondering the picture is not me. Mark

Thanks to Kurt, Chad, Chris, and Richard for the constructive and useful feedback.

My customers are out of state and did not attend the inspection. It looks like someone took a spray can and painted a section of the ceiling in the master bedroom and patched a damaged area in another bedroom. There is no other indication of any problem and I found nothing of concern in the accessible attic areas or roof. What is your opinion on including the below comment? "Ceiling in master bedroom appears to have been touched up with a spray on paint; I could not access the attic directly above this area due to the vaulted ceiling. There has been a patch to the ceiling in the back center bedroom. I found no evidence to indicate an existing problem.â€

Reminds me of some coffee pots I've seen around Military Bases.

Check out this battle ship! Serial # 50 55725. So I’m guessing 1955. The date plate says tank capacity 18, but it sure looks bigger. Anyone ever fined one older? Absolutely amazing to find this as the only heater in the home and still hooked up. Download Attachment: 1.jpg 32.23 KB Download Attachment: 2.jpg 54.1 KB Download Attachment: 3.jpg 68.26 KB

Is that why you kept hugging me?

When I see them on galvanized pipe I let customers know the hole will seal shut with rust, if it has not already.

Thanks guys. I tell you if someone would come up with a comprehensive siding identification book, I’d pay good $ for it. I just ordered the one from www.sidingsolutions.com/pages/order.htm but someone has since commented they found it useless.

Does anyone recgonize this siding? Image Insert: 47.25 KB

I know this has been posted here before, but for those who have not seen it or could not find the link here it is. Field manual for Identification of Composite Siding and damage. http://www.sidingsolutions.com/pages/order.htm

I have only ever run into one leaking dishwasher and it is one I did not operate. I typically start a cycle at the beginning of the inspections, and ask the buyer or agent to help me keep an eye on it for leaks. This one time it was one of those portable dishwashers that you roll over to the sink; for whatever reason I just ignored the thing. The buyer was a young lady with a new baby. A few months later I ran into her mother and asked how things were. She mentioned that the dishwasher leaked, and her daughter was really upset, because she really wanted a dishwasher in her house, it was a big deal to her. Since I’m the nicest guy in the world, the house was only a few miles away and the buyer is a real hotty, I arranged to go over and check it out. Sure enough the pump was leaking all over. The hotty just sat there with her little baby both being as sweet as could be, the sink filled with dirty dishes. Even though my PIA would have covered me, I wrote her a check for $200.

There is not a lot of EIFS in my area; I’ve only ever inspected 1 EIFS house, and am fortunate enough to have read enough on it to know I could not inspect it properly and so excluded it from the inspection. I’m curious how many inspectors: 1. Do nothing different with an EIFS house and just look at it like any other sort of covering. 2. Disclaim EIFS and only do a cursory scan. 3. Have EIFS training / certification and do a full inspection as part of or in addition to the home inspection. 4. If you have special training how/where did you get it? The course Steven T linked to looks good, but does cost $795.

It's physically impossible for you to lick your elbow A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why. Say "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" 3 times fast, or even once slow for that matter. Now how many of you tried to lick your elbow? If so we know what you do when biz is slow!

I don’t think I’ll be getting trained anytime soon, on occasion I find myself in East St. Louis, but not too often, and those houses have more immediate concerns then drug residue. If one is inclined to offer add on services (mold, radon, etc) this might be as good (or bad) as any. On another note, this past Saturday, I found a baggie with several hundred pills in the attic of an unoccupied home that was just renovated; the bag had been there for a lot of years. I figured it was irresponsible to leave it for the naive or stupid to find someday so I stuck it in my pocket and flushed it without telling anyone – till now.

Thank you Richard and Mike, this was a good academic discussion for me, which is what TIJ is all about. Now I’ve got to hit the deck, with my vodka/tonic and listen to Nothing but the Blues as the sun sets.

This is a single family home with no garage or other detached building. The service is overhead and there is no disconnect upstream of the outside disconnect. The schematic picture is from the outside box. I see now that the jumper cable in the outside box is just that and not a form of bonding. So the system is not bonded at all and needs to be. Now my question is should the bonding screw be installed in the inside box or outside box? If one considers the inside distribution panel as truly a sub-panel then the grounds and neutral are not properly isolated and in order to isolate them (according to Richard) another grounding bar would need to be installed and the bonding screw would be installed outside. If one does not consider the inside distribution panel as a sub, but as the main with an additional disconnect outside, then all that needs to be done is install the bonding screw, somewhere. One thing is for sure, I have no fricking idea. Since there was a faulty breaker (would not stay in on position) I called for a sparky to fix that and while he is at it determine if bonding screw needs to be installed or not. This was brand new service in a remodeled home. Image Insert: 82.22 KB Image Insert: 62.95 KB

Main disconnect in the system is outside by the meter, since it is the 1st over-current protection in the system it is the main. The distribution panel is inside the house where there is also a 100 amp disconnect. 1st question: Is the inside distribution panel considered a sub-panel? The longer I analyze it the more I keep flip-flopping, but at this moment I’m thinking it is, because the main is outside. 2nd question: If the outside box is the main and the inside a sub, then is the bare copper wire at the bottom of the outside box the bond? If this is the bond then the bonding screw should not be installed in the distribution box (which it is not), and the two circuit grounds (white wires) connected to the left side neutral busbar should be isolated on the other (right side) neutral busbar with all the other grounds. Correct? 3rd: Now if I’m wrong and the inside box is not a sub-panel, then the bonding screw does need to be installed? So all this started with the question: Install the bonding screw or not. Image Insert: 33.48 KB Image Insert: 38.14 KB Image Insert: 36.26 KB Image Insert: 45.86 KB Image Insert: 44.65 KB

Good point, Gary. Sometimes I miss the forest for the trees.

Thanks Mike!

Is fiberglass insulation combustible? Should it be pulled away from this fireplace flue? It has been like this since 1983, but since I’m not sure, I think I’ll recommend it be pulled away. I have seen in newer construction a warning label on metal furnace flues indicating insulation should not touch. What say you? Image Insert: 51.46 KB

I'll see you all there next week. 1st round is on me! Mark

A few weeks ago I filled a jetted tub, in a new construction, ran it, and drained it. When I went down into unfinished basement there was 20+ gal of water on the floor. The plumber forgot to glue a section of the pvc drain. "Sluice" I lways just called it the overflow hole thingy.

Thanks Guys, I showed the buyer the safety markings on the glass doors in the other bathroom, and explained the problem with the doors with no markings. I thought I had heard frosted glass was safety glass, but was not sure. I also wanted to pick the brains of of the TIJ folks. I'll add safety glass to my list of things I need to learn more about.

Home built in 1967, frosted sliding glass shower doors have no visible markings indicating if they are safety glass or not. There was a lot of gunk built up on the doors, so the marking could be hidden, but I made every effort and could see nothing. I also have no way of knowing if they are original, but my guess is they are. The seller is a reputable HI in the area, so I’m keen to not make a bad call on this. My questions are: Is frosted glass typically safety glass? Was safety glass common in 1967? Other than the normal marking in the corner what other clues are there in determining if glass is safety or not? Thanks Mark