Mark P

Since I don't know what it is I did not know what forum to use.... Anyway not a big deal, but am just wondering if anyone can tell me what this is. It was on the front, next to garage, of a solid brick home built in 1958. The on/off toggle was stuck, I tried to remove the 4 screws to have a peak inside, but the screws did not cooperate. Download Attachment: 1.jpg 66.02 KB

Today was the first time I did one on location; after a lot of begging by the realtor because the home buyers wife had a baby yesterday, living in a hotel, needed super fast closing, etc... So I did it on location and while I'm not having to spend the usualy 1-2 hours at home on the report. I truely do not feel it was the best quality product. I'll continue to write my reports at home and e-mail it out as a PDF, location reports will be few and far between.

Interesting, I never new what the little circle do-dad was "ground lift adapter".

Is it true that the drywall joints (seperating garage and living area) must be taped and mudded to keep vapors from going from garage to living and it also aids in slowing down the rate the fire spreads? Twice this week I have inspected garages that have firerated drywall hung, but the joints are unfinished. I've recommend taping/muding the walls, but don't have a reference to fall back on. Thoughts anyone...

The panel was in the attached garage, (along with electric furnace, and water heater) the drip loop to the service mast on the roof was okay. There was no other sign of damage, corrision, or rust anywhere else. The customer was mighty pretty and single, so maybe I'll call in a month or so to see what the electrician had to say. Thanks all for the input.

Here is another pic showing the label, if you zoom in you can read it and it shows "CU/AL". I stated the wire was not visable due to the corrision, and of course to have it cleaned and evaluated by a qualified electrician. What exactly does the "CU/AL" stand for. I thought aluminum. On a side note the realtor kept repeating that it had already passed city inspection. Download Attachment: corrision 2.jpg 63.12 KB

I was wondering if anyone has a theory on what would cause this type of corrosion. The rest of the panel and wires looked fine. Almost seems like dissimelar metals? All the branch wire are copper, not sure what the main wire is. Download Attachment: corrison.jpg 46.72 KB

There are no other buildings. It had an electric furnace and a wood burning stove next to the furnace that used the same duct work as the a/c and furnace. Mike educated me on SIPS construction yesterday (and I did additional research http://www.sips.org/) and I beleive this is a SIPS house, (thanks HAUSADOK). The realtor claimed total heating cost is less than $100 per month during winter, so maybe the builder put the donut on to monitor heating cost.

Jim, The 100 amp breaker is probably for the electric furnace. What is the donut for?

Thanks, for the advice.

Hum, That give me some food for thought. I guess it is a possibility, but without removing a section of OSB I can't tell. Are SIPS houses not vented? The house was built in 1984, if that offers any clues? It has no roof/ridge/gabel/ vents at all since all the ceilings are cathedral.

First let me say how much I appreciate and enjoy this site. Since I started inspecting last year I visit the site almost daily and have asked quite a number of questions and always get good/educational responses sometimes flavored with a bit of sarcasm for good measure. Well here is another area I need some education on and I thank you in advance. There are two 200 amp panels side by side (200 amp breakers w/ copper 3/0 AWG), there are 2 meters outside. I believe the panel on the right is the main and the one of the left is a sub, but I’m really not sure. Do they jointly provide 400 amp service to the house? Thanks again. Download Attachment: Both.JPG 68.43 KB Download Attachment: left.JPG 67.02 KB Download Attachment: right.JPG 88.81 KB

This house has cathedral ceilings throughout, except for this small attic area above the master bedroom. As you can see it has OSB attached to the rafters and laid out as flooring. It is around 3’ high in the center, so it won’t ever be more than a storage area. There is no insulation under the flooring and I could not see between the rafters. There is no ventilation to the outside; there is one vent between the attic and the living room. I have not come across this before and would appreciate your thoughts... Thank you, Mark Download Attachment: Attic.jpg 63.73 KB

This gas water heater is sitting on the garage floor, which means there is an open flame less than 18" off the floor. The box has apparently been placed around it to keep combustible fumes away? Has anyone seen this before, is it allowed in place of the 18" rule? Thanks in advance. Mark Download Attachment: Water Heater.JPG 46.44 KB

Yes, your right the return air duct (in the crawl space) is not insulated the supply duct is insulated flex. The condensation is only on the return air (sheet metal) directly below the inside unit, so I don't believe it is the outside humidity. I was thinking an undersized coil. At any rate I told them I did not know the cause of the condensation, it is time to have the 23 year old unit undergo routine servicing by a HVAC specialist and to bring the condensation question to his/her attention when that is done.

Yes to all 3 of your questions: ducts are insulated, drain is clear, and vapor barrier is in place. Thanks for the response.

There is a good amount of condensation dripping from the bottom of the cold air return in the crawl space directly below the furnace/a-coil. The outside temp was around 90 and the a/c had been running all day. Is this a condition frequently found? What is the cause/fix? Thanks Download Attachment: drip.JPG 106.66 KB

Thanks Jim, your always appreciated.

Okay I'll play the sap, because I'm sure there is someone else out there who wants to ask too... Can you elaborate on what is improper? Thanks

A 13 years old house has a ridge vent installed however the gap(from inside the attic) under the vent is less then 1/4 - 1/2" wide. There are also soffit vents, but nothing else. There was no damage or signs of moisture in the 1200sf attic. My concern is that the ridge vent gap was not cut large enough, I usually see 1.5 inch+ gaps. What size gaps do you usually see under ridge vents? I think I'm going to recommend adding some roof vents. Thoughts?

If you do a search of this site "ladder" or "Little Giant" it has been well covered in the past.

The dryer vents into a small plastic bucket with a plastic bag inside. I have not come accross this before and believe it to be a fire hazard. How do I write this up? Thanks Mark Download Attachment: Dryer vent.JPG 55.63 KB

I came accross this PDF slide show on stair construction. I thought it might be usefully to someone. http://www.slcc.edu/tech/techsp/arch/co ... d%20be%3F' Mark

What is "Dried in"

Is not the extension supposed to go straight down without all the 90 degree turns? Download Attachment: prv.JPG 62.92 KB