hausdok

Hi, Can't say that I blame them; the cultured stone industry published guidelines for how to properly install their product more than a year ago but I've yet to see a single installation where those guidelines have been followed to the letter. It's a similar situation, although not as severe, with HardiPlank; about half of the installations I see have gross violations of the manufacturer's installation instructions. When I write this stuff up on new homes, the clients are coming back to me telling me that builders are pretty much declaring that the inspector guy must be smoking crack or something, because in their X number of years building homes and applying the product they've never had a complaint and they don't intend to stop using their subs and don't plan to tell the their subs how to install the product. Are you still trying to tie your PL policy to the E & O? I've never done that. I pay $336 a year for PL from Safeco and I've been pretty happy with them. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I see an awful lot of Hardie fiber-cement products and have yet to see that kind of paint failure; even when the stuff wasn't installed correctly. OT - OF!!! M.

What amazes me is that there is some horse's ass with teeth down there who keeps selling houses and how Phillip is always finding his flips. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, A couple of days ago, I had a pretty weird inspection experience; I went downtown to do a 2-bedroom condo inspection on the 30th floor of a highrise and when I got there I found that the power was completely turned off and the HVAC unit - a 4-ton Trane water source heat pump was gone with the wires hanging out of the disconnect on the wall and the steel chassis it sits on just sitting there going, "Yeah, what?" At first, I thought that the heat pump might have been stolen or had a defect and was in the process of being replaced or repaired. I did my deal and then left. When I got home, I shot the client an email (He was travelling in Canada.) and told him about the missing heat pump. That's when he informed me that he'd known it was missing, but that he'd expected the power to be on because they'd told him that they'd leave it in inspectable condition - only without the pump. I asked him if it was being repaired - "Nope, the homeowner decided that he liked it so much he took it with him." I was stunned, "Why in the world would anyone want a heat pump that's designed for a vertical application in a high rise?" "I don't know," came the reply, "He was sort of an odd bird. So, what Tonnage replacement pump do I need?" I can just see the guy now trying to make that thing work in a private residence by connecting the city water up to it. What a maroon! So, what kind of really weird seller quirks has everyone run into? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Info Ad Living green can mean an efficient heating system. The Japanese have used ductless heat pumps in their homes for the past 25 years. They are becoming popular; especially since most PUDs are providing incentives and financing to purchase them. What makes these systems so good? Using electricity as its energy source, heat pumps are used for either the heating or cooling of your home by transferring heat between two reservoirs. In the warmer months, the heat pump acts like an air conditioner, removing heat from the air inside your home and transferring it outside. During colder months, heat from outdoor air is extracted and transferred to the interior of your home. Believe it or not, even a 32º Fahrenheit day produces enough heat to warm a home via a heat pump. Year-round, energy-efficient indoor comfort for moderate climates (like Seattle) - A ductless heat pump helps maintain comfortable temperatures inside a specific area or zone of your home by providing both heating and cooling all year-round. The inside unit to the system goes high on the wall or above the ceiling and provides comfort in the area that you spend the most of your time. Not the whole house. Cleaner air - As your ductless heat pump system draws air out of a specific area in the house through an air handler on the wall, the air is pulled through an air filter, which removes airborne particles such as dust and lint. Sophisticated plasma filters may remove odors and animal dander, as well. The filtered air is then routed to the zone being conditioned. Whenever the heat pump/air conditioner is running, this cycle repeats continually, constantly filtering and cleaning the air in a specific area of your home. Quieter operation - Because the compressor bearing unit of the ductless heat pump system is located outside the home, the indoor noise level from its operation is much lower than that of a free-standing or window mounted air conditioning unit. Most ductless heat pumps such as Fujitsu are considered to be whisper quiet. Need more of reason to get a ductless heat pump? The Federal Tax Credit is $1500 when you purchase a system costing around $5000 including labor and permits. This credit ends at the end of 2010. This information was provided to TIJ by Thomas Ebert, Snohomish Energy Services LLC., Ph: 360-563-9199

"Coat" what, exactly? Have you any experience using the stuff yourself? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The article was written by Mr. Gromicko and someone names Kate Tarasenko. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Yeah, that looks like the main connection between that breaker and one of the two power buses. Having a loose nut there would be like having a loose breaker-to-bar connection in a Zinsco panel - it would arc every time there was enough vibration/movement to create a tiny air gap and over time everyting around that nut, plus the nut and the bolt it's threaded to, will become all pitted and covered with crud and the connection will get worse and worse until one day it'll really get going and the heat will melt down everything in that panel into one big sticky mess. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

May 1973 OT - OF!!! M.

Realtor didn't think so. She called and asked me to re-word it. I refused. She groused a little bit. I told her that I'd re-word it if she could show me where it was an untrue statement. She hung up pissed off. The clients were referred by friends; THEY got the message loud and clear. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Last one I had like that I wrote something l like, "The roof cover looks like it was installed by a 6th grader after his first time watching them install shingles on an episode of This Old House." ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Nuts! Seattle has a rule against roofovers in some circumustances that you might have been able to apply. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Maybe it's just sucking in what's in the plenum, reheating it and shoving it out into the plenum again and the warm air is pushed out of the registers into the home. Either that, or you're blind and missed something. D'oh, did I say that? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

What municipality? OT - OF!!! M.

Yep, It's been an allowed alternative for years. I think it used to be a fine print note but it's since graduated to alternative fix status. Could be wrong - often am when it comes to 'lectricity. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Wait a minute; it's on a slab but has a crawlspace? No ductwork except at the bottom? What's that mean - does that mean that there were ducts in the crawlspace or in a slab or what? I must be missing something there. OT - OF!!! M.

If anyone is interested, the author of this article is asking folks to proof-read it and wants feedback. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Easyboard? http://www.custombuildingproducts.com/d ... rc〈=en http://www.ctioa.org/reports/ctc_grad/ctc1.html http://www.corkin.com/listings/viewlist ... ngid=45207 http://www.tclear.com/brochures/EZBacker.pdf OT - OF!!! M.

I've seen that before, in fact in my own back yards when I had room for workshops. We call that wire "triplex" up here, maybe your way as well. Corrosion at the connections is a problem, sometimes.The idea is that the subpanel in the shed has a grounding cable to a ground rod out there. My understanding of your code is that this was permitted, certainly in the era when that house in your pic was built. But the ground wire must be there. I think there may be a problem with the connections to the breaker in the panel, though, so you are ok to call that out for a repair. I'll bet that mini-breaker is not rated for that size wire, but I'm no electrician, and my monitor is the size of a postage stamp. What's that funny thing on the breaker there? If they rearranged those breakers, there would have been room for a full-sized breaker in there. But the panel is garbage anyway. [] If they put in a new panel, does farmer Dan have to upgrade the feeder to the shed? I think not, but I guess it's up to the authority. That's how Zinsco breakers are made. They are color coded for easy ampacity recognition. For a Zinsco panel, that install actually looks pretty clean compared to most. It's still gotta go, though. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Mike

Clients have brought me back for the full inspection when they've made an offer and had it accepted. I don't do a lot of these, but I've had situations where I've done two or three of these for a client before he's found one he wants to make an offer on and calls me back once MA is reached. Clients want to know pre-offer whether it's even worth their time making an offer or whether they should turn tail and run. When they don't turn tail and have made an offer and had it accepted, it makes sense to get the full monty so they can get a written report, because without a written report they are pretty much screwed when it comes to any kind of renegotiations. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Somewhere around 1983 to 1986. I only say that because when I blew that photo up to about 400% of it's original size I could make out a 3 as the last digit of the year of tha ANSI standard and the next to last digit, although very hard to make out, has to be either a 6 or an 8. I don't think a water heater from 1963 would still be around in your part of the world and one from 1983 probably should have been replaced a decade ago. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Safety drift. During an OSHA 10 course I attended last winter, the subject of respirators and paper masks was discussed at length. According to them, paper masks do absolutely nothing to stop the particulates that cause harm. According to them, these masks only stop what your body's natural defense system already does on it's own. The crap you cough up. I know you didn't mention what type of face mask you went back for. Just thought I'd pass this along in case folks weren't aware. It was quite a surprise to everyone there. Haven't worn anything with less than a P100 filter for years and I'm constantly telling my clients to stay out of the attic and crawlspaces until they have a face-nose respirator with a P100 filter. We've got Hanta Virus and lots of deer mice around here not to mention the damned vermiculite. I'm not worried too much about someone coming after me 'cuz they got sick from vermiculite - the fibers from that stuff take about a quarter of a century to cause an issue - it's the damned hanta virus. If you come down with that stuff on Monday your family can be planting you and calling the lawyer on Saturday. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors (EBPHI) seeks three home inspectors to serve the profession as members of the Board of Directors for a two-year term beginning January 24, 2011. The deadline for applications is May 15, 2010. The application form is available at www.homeinspectionexam.org or by email request to info@homeinspectionexam.org. The Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors� (EBPHI) is an independent not-for-profit organization whose mission is to establish the standard of competence for home inspectors and to enhance consumer confidence in home inspection professionals. EBPHI, founded in 1999, maintains and administers the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE), a content-valid examination for use by regulatory bodies in assessing competency for regulatory purposes. Requirements EBPHI is governed by a board of directors whose members represent home inspectors and the home buying public. Directors are expected to: At all times advocate and promote use of the National Home Inspector Examination in regulatory processes in their own states, in other states and in federal regulation as needed. Promptly and thoughtfully respond to issues and concerns brought before the Board at any time. Diligently strive to educate themselves on the science of psychometrics (test development), to ensure that the National Home Inspector Examination remains credible, valid, reliable and defensible. Participate in two in-person meetings each year and in conference call meetings as needed. Be available to present information about EBPHI and the NHIE to legislators, regulators, home inspectors and others to enhance acceptance of the examination. Eligibility criteriaIn accordance with EBPHI's Bylaws and policies, home inspectors who wish to serve on the EBPHI Board must: 1. Have passed the National Home Inspector Examination. 2. Currently be an active, fee-paid home inspector and have been so for the past five years. 3. Not engage in home inspector training, education or publication of training materials during their tenure, nor for a period of six months after leaving the Board. Exceptions may be granted by the Board of Directors. 4. Demonstrate leadership qualities and experience within the home inspection profession. 5. May not participate on any governing body of a national home inspector association while a member of the Board of Directors. 6. Maintain absolute confidentiality in all matters pertaining to EBPHI. 7. Be available and commit to participate in at least three-fourths of duly called board meetings. 8. Possess education and/or training relevant to the home inspection profession and/or examination development. 9. Be willing to submit to a background check of factual information presented in the Application. 10. Submit a complete Board of Directors Application. Application available All interested home inspectors who meet the above criteria are urged to apply. The application form is available for download at www.homeinspectionexam.org ; by email to info@homeinspectionexam.org ; or by calling 847-298-7750.

One of these weekends, I'm going to drive up there to meet this guy, thank him for all that he's done on behalf of kids and shake his hand. The Harmonica Man ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

This one is cute; some of you guys will get a chuckle - for others it might wake up a memory and they'll say to themselves, "Oh shit, so that's what that was!" [utube] " type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344"> ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike