StevenT

I always see rusty lintels, thelast house I built, I used concrete lintells to avoid the problem. Bridges??? It seems like as soon as they get done painting them, it's time to start all over again.

I would use a transit.

Good eyes! Since the wires would impede across the neutral bar, what are the chance that the diagram is wrong?

Try it with Dewers, it won't matter how long it takes.

I once dated a Sears furnace, boy was she hot! A=January and so on, skip I

There is a sheeting that my company uses for waterproofing. It resembles the sheeting that is used for shower bases, a bit heavier, a lot wider. I'll check it out tomorrow. Until then try http://protectowrap.com They probably have something that will self stick together and to the walls. For some reason, this hyperlink isn't working for me. If you have a problem with it, just type it in your browser window.

There's a well like that at the local Marine Post. Folks fill bottles all day. I was told that water originated in Canada. Used to fill the coolers for my worksites there. Anyway, To me it looks like a diffuser, not a turn handle. I suspect that the plugged end at some point was (or could be) the feed to that tank. Or is there another feed somewhere that can't be seen in the pic?

When you look at the beauty of it, consider this: Did it function as intended? Did the owner get their money's worth?

I agree with Les... more than anything it fell out of style and it is butt ugly. But, it sure seems to last a long time and I'll bet that the majority that was removed or covered was because of it's appearance.

The handle ties are designed to insure that if one side of the circuit trips, the other will also. Improper, damaged or non manufacturer handle ties are taboo.

I guessed some type of pressure relief valve, by the difusser bell at the end. But what is the plugged inlet for? Additional sources, or, installing in alternate position?

Some basic things that I find useful are; Strap on headlamp - keeps my hands free Cheap plastic compass that is pinned to my shirt - enables me to locate and document where I am in the building. Lighted magnifying glass - to read difficult print Lighted headset magnifying visor - even more hands free examinations. Inspection mirror + lit magnifying glass = reading (or viewing) difficult things around corners. These items are all cheapies, but I can't tell you how happy I am to have them when the need arises. Which is quite often. By the way, I have given up trying to wrestle with shoe covers, but from working in hospitals, I discovered that the hair covers that are used easily slip on and off my shoes. They are made out of the same material as the shoe covers

Having looked at the second picture fisrt, I initially thought bird droppings, but couldn't figure out what position the bird was sitting in to get them there. [:-eyebrow

OK, what you say makes sense. Enough sense that I will either begin checking every floor drain I come across or make sure that I specifically include a disclaimer regarding them in my contract... or both. In my opinion, the only way that I would put my name on claiming that a floor drain is functioning properly is to run water into it and then check the house trap. And of course all points in between. This could be a bit inconvienient at times. Thank you for the enlightmentment. This now causes me to look at alot of other items in a whole new light too.

As one of the new guys on the block, my opinion may not be realistic, but here it is. If I looked at at floor drain and the grid did not appear clogged, I don't think I would take it any further. If if saw signs of flooding/clogging or if the grid appeared impacted, I may poke a screwdriver into it to confirm. I don't think it is my RESPONSIBILITY to do an exhaustive test as much as it is my RESPONSIBILITY to reccommend repair. OK, dumping a gallon is a nice gesture, but it reallly doesn't tell you much and having dumped a gallon, aren't you then liable for testing it and not determining a problem? What if it needed two gallons or six? Or running a hose for ten minutes? When you test something I think it should be a reliable test or don't test it at all. How many of us run the water and then inspect the house trap to see how it is flowing? Would we know if all was running through or if some water was leaking underground? Likewise, when walking a roof, if the gutters appear clean I am not going to attach a hose and drag it up to the roof to check for clogs either. Nor am I going to run the water on the roof to check for leaks. And if I see a common crack in a foundation wall and there are no signs of a leak, I am not going to flood the yard to see if it is leaking. I believe that the basic home inspection is a game of visual clues and simple non exhaustive tests. The better you are at recongnizing these clues... the better you are at being an HI. If I am wrong, and in a very humble fashion, I concede that there are inspectors on this site, that if they tell me "Steve, you are wrong, you should always test floor drains by running x amount of water through them" I will shut up and consider it something new that I learned here today. Now there is no test or no limit that I am not capable of doing or arrange to have done... for a fee.

Great story, I'm going to have to try it, but I guess I have to UN-ground the fridge first. If I do it while I'm "kissing" my girlfriend will she feel the effects too? She used to tell me she tingled whenever we "kissed". I could use the help. Do I thank Jim for sharing it or the dog for coming up with the idea?

Sounds like my kinda house. I love buying the cheapest or worst house on the block and turning it into the best.

I seem to recall from a number of sources that it is quite common to get false ground readings when testing near a main panel. As I live in NYC, which is pretty much a world of BX and EMT, false grounds are not a common problem. Although a loose bx connector, separated EMT or something improperly wired is possible (ungrounded). When I get that reading, I usually do a visual.

Yeah, Jim said it all.

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In addition to the possibility of the chimney needing a liner, and the two flues being connected offset. What about the compatability of the size/volumn of the chimney being compatable to what it is venting. Too small OR too big is not good.

Yeah, but what's he gonna use for stuff that's far away?

I am installing two wooden floors right now, one is 3/4" x 5" Brazilian Cherry, nailed onto 3/4" plywood on 4x4"s. The other is a 3x8" "Pergo" type, "floating" floor. The reason I questioned about expansion in the gluing technique is because I imagine that the concrete expands differenty than the wood and I wondered if that would cause a problem.

Try a shop vac with extra extensions. Just make sure you tape them or put a small screw to hold them together or your next post will be... "How do I remove a vacuum tube from a vent pipe".

I don't know about morphic or amorphorus, but I used to be in the glass business and have cut lots of glass. When you score glass and don't break it immediatly, it is as if it was never scored. That is a fact. (immediatly may be a minute or so) Sometimes, when removing a very old storefront, I've noticed that the old lites were thicker at the bottom, it was explained to me that the glass had settled, or sagged or whatever you want to call it. I have never seen the glass to be thicker anywhere but the bottom. I have always considered glass as a liquid... or almost a liquid.