hausdok

The 2003 and 2006 codes both refer to the outlet side of the TPR; not the inlet side. They mean that you can't reduce the pipe once it leaves the outlet. The code doesn't say anything about a 3/4" inlet or outlet requirement. That doesn't look like a reducer to me. Walter's right, it's according to the manufacturer's instructions and, absent the instructions, I don't see how you can call this without knowing what they say. If someone has an actual credible reference that says that the outlet side of the valve must be the same size as the inlet side I'd appreciate the citation so I can save it in my file; otherwise, we'll be perpetuating another unsubstantiated myth here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Not really, the deeply inset windows and doors and the soldier rows of bricks at the window sills and doorthreshold gave it away right away. Besides, you can see the mirror image of the sill on the house on the right. There's a town here called Mountlake Terrace that was built after WWII to house returning GI's who're going to work for Boeing and other big manufactucturers here. Most of the original homes are CMU and a whole lot of them are covered up with all manners of siding. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Its a tile vent. The inventor refers to it as a "cloaked" vent. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Did a google search for "adjustable temperature and pressure relief valves" and found a lot of examples. Here's one: http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PM ... 4&PMT4NO=0 I've been trying to remember where I saw one of those - I think it might have been on an irrigation system someplace. That doesn't make sense, though, because of the temperature variable. Holy crap! a float plane just flew over my place way below the normal approach pattern! Hope he made it to the lake! OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, I think it's a calibrated TPR valve. It's set for 125 psi at its lowest setting and you can increase the relief pressure up to 200psi; however regardless of pressure, it'll vent at 210°F. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Looks like there might be just a wee bit of adverse possession going on there. Bet if the neighbor has a survey done the line will carve a bit off that driveway. So, veneer brick house with a layer of clapboard siding applied over the veneer? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Rich, Well, since none of the $700B allocated for this fiasco is going to go to any small companies like you and I, I think the message has to be to Obama 'cuz that's what he promised, not Bush. They gave billions to banks that got into trouble for allowing their high-priced managers to run amok. As they've gotten the money, some of those banks have continued to run amok while the fallout from their lousy business decisions continues to cause corporations to fold and put people out of work. Now the friggin auto industry wants a handout. Jeez. Watch, if they do that, the Japanese auto manufacturers with plants in this country will have their hands out too. When 9-11 hit, thousands of businesses cashed in on the post 9-11 relief because their bottom line was supposedly affected - how many small businesses on our scale were helped by that? Probably not many; now we've got this mess. The mortgage bubble bursting had a direct impact on the bottom line of every real estate person, appraiser, and home inspector in the country but I doubt that anyone on our level will see any government relief; that's for the fat cats and for the homeowners who blame the fat cats for their woes - small business, real small business, will be left out in the cold as usual. About all that most of us can be thankful for is that if Obama keeps his pledge we won't see our taxes increased. Fat lot of good that'll do all of the H.I.'s that'll be pitching tents under overpasses by then. This morning's news had a story about how some community college presidents across the country are paid around $800K a year; what kind of malfeasance allows a state-owned school to pay that kind of salary to a school administrator and why is it necessary for any school administrator, let alone some corporate CEO, to be paid that kind of money? Think about when the world was in the post WWII boom; corporate heads were making maybe 20 to 25 times what their average employees made and were all lining their nests just fine - none of them were being paid 200 to 300 times what their average employee was being paid. The only millionaires back then were the folks from old money, the really talented entrepreneurs and the crooks. Nowadays it seems like there's this air of entitlement in the corporate world that says that even if you're mediocre at best you have to be paid many millions of dollars if you're at the top of the company pyramid and if they fire you they have to pay you a huge chunk of money for having done a really bad job. I don't get it; the guy that headed AIG probably has the same degree that some schmo running a little machine shop somewhere has - where's all this friggin insanity come from? Though it would be nice; I don't see us little guys getting much help through this mess. FWIW, as I've been typing this, the TV is on in the corner of my office and I just saw on CNN that the muckety-muck in charge of the bailout has said that $350B of the bailout money - exactly half - is going to be held in reserve until Obama takes over so that the republicans won't take the heat if it's all spent unwisely. Not a bad idea, let's see if he follows up on any of that sunshine he was pumping up our butts on the runup to the election. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

By Stacy Cowley What could jump-start the economy? Affordable loans for small business.id="size4"> With bank lending almost frozen and consumer spending down sharply, entrepreneurs foresee a Main Street wipeout if Washington doesn't take action soon to shore up the nation's small businesses. "It's killing us right now. We can't expand, we can't buy inventory; we've had to do everything on credit cards because the banks won't even look at us," said Amy Rhodes, owner of A-2-Z Scuba in Puyallup, Wash. To read the entire article at CNNMoney.com, click here.

Hi All, In these tough times, I think it's necessary for inspectors to begin looking for ways to diversify their business operations. Regardless of the downturn in the economy, builders are going to need to either learn the new "green" technologies or hire specialists in green technology as consultants. I think that inspectors could find a comfortable niche as Green Building Consultants for large developers and contractors. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

By SARI KRIEGER As environmentally friendly construction takes off, a question looms: Who's going to do all the work?id="size4"> Demand is booming for environmentally friendly construction. But it's booming so fast that there aren't enough skilled professionals to do the work. Green building demands a range of specialized knowledge that most builders don't have -- everything from where to obtain recycled materials to how to orient a building to maximize natural heating and cooling. To read the rest of this Wall Street Journal article, click here.

The modular market has been growing for years but this economy is probably going to prompt many builders who've been spurning the modular concept to take a harder look at this alternative to conventional construction. Hanley-Wood's BuilderTV has produced a video to explain some of the realities of the modular home market. To see the video, click here.

The first time was so good, we knew we had to do it again. SmartPower is proud to officially launch our $10,000 Energy Smart Ad Challenge, through YouTube and SmartPower.org. Just like in 2007, when we asked America to make great ads that promoted clean energy, we are now asking the creative video artists and message makers around the country to craft the best 30-second piece promoting energy efficiency and conservation to young Americans. “Messaging to young people is a huge part of what it’s going to take to get our country Energy Smart,â€

President Bush has signed into law new consumer tax credits for energy efficiency home improvements, as well as purchases of plug-in hybrid vehicles. These provisions were included in H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which the president signed on October 3, 2008. The homeowner tax credits are largely the same – but not identical – to those that expired at the end of 2007, and begin again on January 1, 2009. Taxpayers who claimed some but not all of the $500 federal income tax credit for energy efficiency home improvements that was in effect in tax years 2006 and 2007 may utilize the unused portion in 2009, the IRS has informed the Alliance to Save Energy. To read more click here.

Hi, It's called a grape vine joint. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

No, those are panelized homes; another form of factory-built housing. Understanding what a modular home is; is easy - it's built up from modules - building blocks if you will, that have six sides on them and don't have an integral chassis and wheels under them. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I think short circuiting is a term that came from this profession. If you go to the building science site and study the technical documents contained there you'll find what you're looking for. I've linked one of those above. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Everyone's skills and experiences notwithstanding, I think he's in the wrong place. That question is more appropriate for a professional electricians' forum like mikeholt.com. OT - OF!!! M.

I don't agree with the assumptions he makes about power ventilators, most of his ventilation basics stuff or his claim that gable end vents don't short circuit a ridge vent. I'll believe Joe Lstiburek, Yost, and others who can prove their theories with solid research. OT - OF!!! M.

You lucky Dog! If I tried that, the wife would cut me from stem to stern. OT - OF!!! M.

So, Let's just suppose that your landlord weren't a whack job and they did emit noxious gas; shouldn't we still then consider him a whack job anyway, because he's renting out a place with devices that emit noxious gases? That begs the question; why would you rent a place with heaters that the landlord says will emit noxious gases? I'm curious; how did you determine that they didn't emit noxious gas - put a canary in a cage in the room, turn on the heat and close the door? Invite your mother-in-law over for a sleepover and give her that room to sleep in? What? Oil is a great medium for distributing heat evenly; stick an electric heating element into the stuff and it gets warm and radiates a nice heat. Pretty simple stuff really; unless it's a type of oil that really does produce poisonous gas when heated, I wouldn't be concerned about them. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Duh, yeah! Jeez, Walter, why do you think we post stuff here? We're hoping that home inspectors will read this stuff and at least comment on it and help to straighten people out. Of course, by doing that, we run the risk that home inspectors that respond will drone on about how they personally do great inspections, never whitewash a house, etc., etc. and get off point. Also, if the home inspectors writing and spelling skills leave a lot to be desired, they probably shouldn't respond 'cuz then their comments are liable to backfire.). [:-dopey] Damned if we do and damned if we don't; aren't we? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes - ZDNet Prices of PC components are falling weekly, and $350 will buy you a lot more horsepower today that it would a few months ago. Let’s look at what sort of all-purpose barebones PC system you can put together for around $350 - we want a system that’ll be tough enough to handle Windows Vista and Windows 7 yet not cost the earth. To read more, click here. Mike's Note: Now, if your a complete compu-moron like me and $350 is too rich for your blood, and you only want to dink around a little and see if you're capable of doing this, he's written a previous article on how to build a basic Vista-capable P.C. for about $150 in materials (Probably even less by now.).

The bonding screw goes in the top of that neutral bus on the left side and it's been left out. Notice how all of the EGC's are on the ground bus and all grounded conductors are on the neutral bus? I think this guy has a problem understanding the difference between main and sub-panel. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I'd say that blaming OSB for poor construction technique is like blaming the taillights of your car when you have a head-on collision. OSB is used everywhere here and has been for about 3 decades. If it were such a horrible product how come the majority of homes built here in the nice "dry" northwestern corridor aren't falling down and full of bugs? Stop blaming products and start focusing on the horses asses with teeth that don't install flashings correctly, ignore instructions on products, use caulk as a substitute for good workmanship and never learned the job right in the first place. Ditto what Richard said about the crawlspace. This idea that some folks have that the floor of the crawlspace can't be lower than the exterior grade or the crawlspace will fill up with water is asinine; it's people talking out of their asses without having the faintest idea of what they're talking about. Why? Because if drainage around a home and on a lot is properly planned for and configured, there won't be any water under the home - even if the house is on the "sucker" lot. That's a fact, not theory and we here in the northwest where crawlspaces rule can attest to that fact 'cuz we're in those things every day. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I just googled it and I saw on another site that Westinghouse only manufactured furnaces from about 1974 until 1981 when they sold out to York. So, based on that, your furnace is somewhere between 27 and 34 years old. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike