Jaykline

Richard and Mike - thanks. I appreciate the education and I will pass your wisdom along to my client/friend.

I did an inspection for a friend this past weekend and included the following comment in my report: "The 240 volt circuit breaker labeled 'Oven' in the service panel is a 15-amp circuit breaker that controls the circuit fed by what appears to be #6AWG conductors. The oven is a JennAir (Maytag) Model # JJW953ODDP, Serial # 21335016JG with the following rating: 120/240 volt = 3.6 KW 120/208 volt = 2.7 KW The manufacturer's recomended overcurrent protection for this oven is: 0-4.8 KW = 20-amp" Other than the fact that the circuit was not installed according to the manufacturer's recommendation, how significant is/are the problem(s)related to the undersized breaker? Does the use of #6 conductors mitigate any potential problems - or does it compound them? Since the condition was not done to manufacturer's specs, I wrote it up, but I'd like to understand the "why" a little better, so I can put it into perspective for the client (and myself). Any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks.

The Rheem website has some good basic information on water heater safety and maintenance that might be interesting to some of you. It also explains how to determine the date of manufacture from the serial number: First two digits are the month of manufacture. Digits three and four are the year of manufacture. 1296D01234 would have been manufactured in December of 1996. http://www.rheem.com/consumer/consumer_faq.asp

Good Advice all the way around. Thanks Scott and Mike.

So . . . I went straight to GE. Nice folks at the customer Service Center - (telephone # 800-626-2000). Turns out the unit was manufactured in 1973! GE sold their HVAC manufacturing business to Trane over 20 years ago. Unit appeared to "function as intended" during the inspection, but yikes - it's 30+ years old.

I'm trying to date a General Electric HVAC unit. Model number BGLA085C1K00 Serial # 603436307 85,000 BTU/H Doesn't show up in my copy of Preston's Guide. House was built in 1975. This unit appears to be pretty old - possibly even original equipment. (outside coil is newer - Westinghouse, manufactured in 1998). I'd appreciate any help - I'm trying to wrap up a report, and the age of the unit is a topic of concern for the client. Thanks!

I thought I'd read somewhere that three-prong receptacles used on a two wire circuit should be labeled somehow ("No ground"?). Is that correct or am I imagining things?

I'm wondering how many of you wear rubber insulating gloves when opening up an electrical panel? Maybe a better way to pose the question would be: What kinds of personal protection equipment do you use when inspecting electrical panels? (gloves?, rubber mat? arc flash face shield, insulated screwdrivers? nothing?)

Good question and great answers ! Thanks.

Lots of stuff wrong with this panel, but the really interesting thing is that these are pictures of both ends of the same 1/2" EMT conduit. Begins at the junction box attached to the main panel and ends as a stub-out in the attic with no cable clamp or anything. The stub-out ended up directly under a damaged gable vent. It had rained earlier that morning.[:-idea] I had already made up my mind that the panel alone was sufficient justification to recommend detailed investigation by a qualified, licensed electrician, etc., but I was curious ([:-wiltel] I know . . . curiosity killed the cat!) and had to open up the junction box. As soon as I turned the screw, water began pouring out. I re-tightened the screw [:-dunce] and traced the EMT to the attic and noticed a lot of wet insulation all around it. Apparently the rain blew in through the damaged vent and filled the open EMT conduit. Water filled it down to the junction box. Download Attachment: leaking JB.JPG 187.15 KB Download Attachment: EMT conduit end 2.JPG 73.11 KB

I found this surprise during an inspection yesterday. Top portion of a propane fueled water heater. Bottom portion looked ok. House had just been re-roofed - new flashing for everything including this. I guess the roofers didn't have the time or the desire to point it out. House is 30+ years old. WH is 12. Download Attachment: WH vent 2.JPG 127.93 KB Download Attachment: WH Vent 3.JPG 158.59 KB

I made the trip to "big d" [:-cowboy] - and bought a suretest. Hopefully, I will learn to use it wisely. This discussion has helped me a lot. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge, experience, and philosophy. I appreciate it.

Thanks Crusty. That is what I was looking for. OK if I steal from your boilerplate if the opportunity comes up?

I'll be making a trip to the big city (north dallas) tomorrow to buy my first Suretest Circuit Analyzer (61-155 version). I've read through several posts on this and other forums that discuss the notion of HI's pushing the limits of a "limited visual inspection" and the part that Suretests in the hands of a generalist play in that. My question is kind of a subset of that larger philosophical thread: How many of you measure and comment on Voltage Drop? And what's the bad news related to voltage drop anyway? Seems to me, the real issue is that a high voltage drop could be an indication of a condition that should be pointed out because it could lead to other problems. Trouble is: If I measure it and mention it, I'd like to be able to tell my clients WHY voltage drop is an issue they need to be concerned about. And why they should be willing to pay to consult with a licensed electrician about finding a remedy.

Thanks once again guys. I really appreciate the good feedback on this question and others I've asked on this forum. Wonder why Prestons lists only the outside unit with electrically powered systems? I guess that's a question for them.

The house I inspected yesterday has a heat pump system (not uncommon here in Texas). The outside coil is a Lennox Model # HP22-511-1P. Serial number 5193B26215. According to Prestons: Manufactured in 1993; 47,000 BTU/h Capacity; EER/SEER 12.1. The horizontal unit in the attic is also a Lennox (electric). Model number CH19-51-2. Serial # 5193J63621. I could not find this half of the heat pump team in Preston's. I'm fairly certain it is of the same vintage (particularly given the serial #), but I'm bothered because I could not find the model number in the guide. Don't think I wrote it down incorrectly. But I have done stupider things. Don't have my copy of Prestons with me now, but this will gnaw at me until I figure it out. Am I overlooking something obvious? Any sage wisdom out there to point me in the right direction? Thanks.

Thanks Gerry. A great link! That's exactly what I was looking for. I'm a little surprised by the results. I expected "electrical distribution" to be higher on the list. My interest in the answer is related to what I'm finding during my inspections. A lot of homes built in the early 70's - lots of Federal Pacific panels - Lots of homeowner fixes - and no code enforcement. Jim - I did check with our local volunteer Fire Department, and they told me the same thing. Default is electrical. Thanks again for the information.

I'm trying to find out what percentage of residential fires are related to electrical system problems. Does anyone have suggestions about where to look? Thanks.

The following is lifted from an email update from CPSC. I thought some of you guys might be interested since the recalled product(s) is(are?) test leads from Fluke. "WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announces the following recall in voluntary cooperation with the firm below. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Name of product: Modular Test Leads used for Electrical Testing Multimeters Units: About 110,000 Manufacturer: Fluke Corporation, of Everett, Wash. Hazard: The leads, which are used to connect probes to handheld digital multimeters when testing for the presence and amount of voltage present in electrical circuitry, can result in incorrect multimeter readings. This poses a serious shock or electrocution hazard if the consumer touches live wires that the meter has read as having no electrical current. Fluke has received 29 reports of the leads for Fluke multimeters operating improperly, though no injuries have been reported" You can check it out at the following web site: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04131.html

Found this at an inspection last week. I guess the rocket scientist who did it was concerned about the possibility of getting the floor wet?[:-bigeyes] Download Attachment: wH plug.JPG 723.02 KB

Thanks guys. I appreciate the feedback. I'll check with TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) and the locals.

I am a rookie inspector. In the process of inspecting the home of a friend yesterday, I noticed sudsy water bubbling up in the backyard. Turns out the clothes washer is connected to a drain line that empties directly into the backyard about 50 feet from the house. My friend tells me the clothes washer is the only fixture on this drain. The rest of the house is on the municipal sewer system.I have not inspected the inside of the house yet. I will do that next weekend, so I have not yet looked at the installation in the laundry room. The house is a two-story lakefront house, built in the early 70's. The back of the house faces the lake which is about 100 feet away. The place has a few other problems, but I am interested in your thoughts on this. My instinct tells me this is not a good thing, and I have looked through the ICC 2003 International Residential Code for some inspiration, but the only thing I can find that seems to apply is the following: "P3001.3 Flood-resistant installation. In areas prone to flooding as established by Table R301.2(1), drainage, waste and vent systems shall be located and installed to prevent infiltration of floodwaters into the systems and discharges from the systems into floodwaters." I will appreciate any comments. Thanks.