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Hi, You're forgetting regional differences, Jim. It's true that the service entrance conductors begin at the weatherhead and go to the meter, but the service disconnect isn't always at the meter. It's not uncommon, around here anyway, to find a meter on one side of a building and the panel and main disconnect inside the building on another side. In those case, since the panelboard contains the service disconnect it is not a sub-panel and is configured as a main panel. The service grounding electrode connects in those panels and the EGC's and grounded conductors share the same bar and bonding is present. From that point onward, other panels are sub-panels. Sometimes those panelboards will be fed with a conduit that passes through the wall, goes through the attic and then drops down into the house; sometimes they pass around the outside of the house under the eaves - either in a conduit or outside of conduit and attached at proper (or not) intervals to the house. Not too long ago, a fellow posted a query here wherein he had found this strange panel configuration with the main disconnect inside the panel and the panel inside the home instead of on the outside of the home. I had to chuckle 'cuz I think I've seen about half a dozen exterior service entrance setups here in the 12 years I've been doing this and only about the same number where the main disconnect was a throw separate from the main service panel. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Again, Here's Hansen on the subject: ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Chad, I guess that will depend on what it's delivering at the other end. It has to deliver between 108 and 132 volts. If it's too long, I suppose it could drop below that minimum, although I think a house would have to be gargantuan to cause that much drop from the meter to the panel. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

OPED Hello Inspectors! This past week I ran an article in TIJ about how Jim Bushart, a member of the ethics committee of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors had tried to discredit the National Home Inspector's Exam (NHIE). That article has resulted in some folks focusing on the ease with which one can obtain enough information from other inspectors to easily pass the NHIE, instead of on what the article was about; questionable ethics. Some inspectors did not miss the point though, and their responses aimed at Bushart were not very complimentary. Obviously the mere mention of Jim Bushart brings out some pretty strong feelings in inspectors; but I think it's important to remember that he's only part of a larger problem; that of a large group of inspectors who are clients of an entity that competes with EBPHI using any an all means to discredit EBPHI to the benefit of the fellow that they've thrown their business to. It seems that these folks will stoop to any level achieve their goal of getting every state to throw out the NHIE and accept un-proctored tests that haven't been scientifically or systematically compiled as proof of an inspector's competency. It's important when discussing the NHIE to keep in mind that it is a test of essential knowledge for home inspectors but it isn't, by any means, meant to be the most difficult test in the business. Every "profession" has to have a minimum standard of competency and that's how all "professionals" are tested. As an example, a doctor gets his M.D. after he passes his medical school finals, but he still has to go through several years of internship before he can take the medical board exams that determine whether he's been absorbing what he's been learning as an intern. Only after he passes the boards is he truly considered a "Doctor" even though he's had his MD for years. Look at engineering, architecture; even electricians - there are basic levels and then there are more advanced levels. The NHIE is the equivalent of the basic level; it's designed to ensure that inspectors at least know what to look for in each system of a home when evaluating it and the questions and answers are periodically changed when they are re-written by a panel of inspectors brought in from around the country. Experienced inspectors who are critics of the NHIE have said that the NHIE is full of code questions and that it's too easy. Sure it's easy; it's meant to determine whether an inspector has the basic knowledge needed to enter the profession - it's not designed to determine whether he is the most knowledgeable inspector in the business. Bring 10 experienced home inspectors into a room and ask them to list the 100 most critical things to inspect, the 100 most common deficiencies, and the 100 most common solutions to those deficiencies, and you are bound to find that a large percentage of what they put to paper will be almost identical to those of every other inspector whose ever done the same and many of that will be what's on the current NHIE and has been on previous versions; that's inevitable. Do I think it's possible for anyone who really really knows this business to sit down and come up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of questions and answers that one will find on the NHIE, without resorting to picking the brains of those who've taken it or trying to steal the test questions and answers? Hell yes it's possible, but the fact that one can do that doesn't devalue the NHIE any more than a book purchased at a book store on how to study for the civil service exam, that's full of possible questions and answers to that exam, devalues the civil service exam; or any other book devalues any other exam, for that matter. This isn't about the NHIE, this was about ethics or lack thereof. Jim Bushart is a fellow that sits on an ethics committee, who is responsible for judging others' ethics. By trying to harm a perfectly valid and honest business model using unethical means, he's shown that his own ethics are questionable. The fact that EBPHI's subsequent investigation has determined that the questions and answers that Bushart was offering to distribute weren't actually from the NHIE doesn't mitigate the damage that was done to EBPHI by his initial post or the subsequent flurry of moronic posts that followed it. There will now always be some inspectors who've read that thread that will now think that Bushart and the other sycophants at the soap opera have it right. Those inspectors will continue to spread the lie that the NHIE is compromised and that the actual test questions and answers are for sale on the internet; and they'll actually believe that they'll be telling the truth - thanks to Bushart and a few other idiots. The fact that the questions and answers aren't actually from the NHIE shouldn't let this weasel off the hook; he intentionally left out critical elements of fact when he made his initial post - fact that would have made it clear that he did not have the actual questions and answers to the NHIE. Later in that thread, Bushart fessed up and acted as if what he'd done was no big deal. Well, it's no secret that spreading disinformation is a very useful tactic to defeat one's enemies; it's used in warfare all the time. However, war is one thing; outside of war, there are defamation laws to prevent one from slandering or libeling another. Maybe others can accept his explanation but I don't; I didn't just fall off a turnip truck. Bottom line, intentionally spreading misinformation about another company, in order to try and destroy their business model, is just plain wrong. I know it and with his background Bushart certainly knows it. The thing that our business model lives and dies by is credibility. The question here is that if an inspector can't be honest with other inspectors, how can those who hire him know that he's being honest with them? If an inspector will twist facts and try to harm someone's business because he doesn't like that business owner, what guaranty does a customer have that he won't twist the facts on a home, in order to ensure the deal goes through, the realtor gets his/her commission, and the referrals just keep on coming? The answer; none. Anyone that would resort to such tactics doesn't belong in this business. People have been sued into bankruptcy for doing less than this cretin has done; let's hope he gets his just desserts. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, welcome to the board. They aren't going to get it right as long as Missouri inspectors continue to post near-libelous allegations in the Missouri papers criticizing the state representative that keeps trying to push through legislation there. Home inspectors are piss ants compared to legislators; when a legislator gets it into his or her head that there's going to be legislation - there will, in all likelihood, be legislation sooner or later. Inspectors need to recognize that reality and then band together across organizational and independent lines and come up with something that they can meet the legislator halfway with. Only then will the legislator be willing to sit down and actually consider what they're saying. James Bushart has been openly criticizing the Missouri legislator who's been trying to push through regulation of HI's. There's nothing wrong with criticizing a legislator; hell, we all do it, but that guy is an ex-cop and Bushart's criticisms of the guy has made it sound like he's a corrupt politician that's entered into a conspiracy with real estate folks to try and get inspectors under their thumb. If there's one thing that you don't want to do with an ex-cop is imply that he's a crook; that's a sure recipe for trouble. Apparently, Bushart, the little ex-Jag-clerk with an enlarged ego, refuses to recognize that reality. Even if Bushart is right and what he's been implying is true, and I've never read anything Bushart has posted that proves that there actually is such a conspiracy, the method he's using to fight legislation there is scorching the earth for future inspectors. What's going to happen is, as time goes by that legislator will gradually get more and more legislators on his side and will eventually have enough in his corner that he won't even have to consider the concerns of a bunch of irate home inspectors who don't care to learn how the politics game is played. Then where will Missouri inspectors be? I'll tell you - laboring under stupid rules written by non-inspectors with a ton of onerous extra requirements heaped on their profession that aren't heaped on any others. You guys should be working on forming a coalition of clear thinkers that can see beyond their own prejudices and are willing to work together with independents and inspectors from all of the associations without bringing in the agendas of organizations. If you do that, and learn to work around your differences for the good of your Missouri brothers, you'll eventually get something that, though it won't be perfect and won't be what everyone in your coalition would like to be, at least will be endurable for all. However, mark my words, if inspectors keep f***king with that legislator's head, eventually it's going to come back around and bite every Missouri inspector right square in the ass. If you want to know how to get it done, read Sandy Hartman's article here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, If you want to reply with quote you must type in your response either above or below the text that appears in the composition box with the word quote or /quote in brackets and then click the button that says "submit reply". OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, That's a triplex cable; state of the art for overhead service drops. How did you determine that the meter can is only rated for 125 to 150 amps? OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Yeah, well sure, the construction field, like everything else, suffers from regional differences in terminology. For instance, if I were to start talking about how the window splines had been installed incorrectly around a window, a builder in upstate New York or New England might know exactly what I'm talking about but out here in the West coast they just look like a deer caught in the headlights and go, "Huh?" Then when you explain it to them they go, "Oh, you mean flashings! Hell, why didn't you just say so?" ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Check the file name and make sure there aren't any special symbols or spaces in it. OT - OF!!! M.

Dining room bumpouts on bungalows, zero-clearance fireplace bumpouts on new homes, etc. Want to see a real outrageous one? Check out the photo below; the one on the left is for the direct-vent fireplace and then you have the mongo one over the entry. Image Insert: 23.32 KB OT - OF!!! M.

If that kid can damage that wall with a basketball he needs to be talking to a major league baseball scout about a pitching career. Does he need an agent? I'm available. OT - OF!!! M.

On May 6th, HB 257, a bill to require the licensure of home inspectors and creation of the Ohio Home Inspector Board to regulate the licensure and performance of home inspectors, passed the Ohio house of representatives. HB 257 had been introduced in the house on June 5, 2007 by Rep. Schneider and been sent to the house committee on Commerce and Labor where it had languished for nearly a year. On April 9th, Schneider introduced a substitute bill which was subsequently amended and passed the house on May 6th and moved on to the Senate. To read the bill as passed by the house click here

HeraldNet, the online version of the Everett, Washington Daily Herald newspaper, has an interesting article about a VA appraiser who was sued by a buyer when a roof went bad on a home he'd appraised. In this case, the court held that the appraiser had a 'duty of care' to the client but did not hold the appraiser liable, because the buyer had already known about the bad roof. To read the article, click here.

Jim has a point. Plenty of builders around here use plywood at the 2ft. projection at the eaves and deck the rest of the roof in OSB. Perhaps this is the reason; to tell you the truth, I've never thought to ask any of them about it. There's at least one local inspector who believes that exposed OSB at the eaves is "against code" because the OSB isn't supposed to remain exposed to the weather. I don't completely share his viewpoint, but it's not entirely without merit. - Jim Katen, Oregon I often find it used to sheath the underside of bumpouts - frequently very close to the soil and unprimed and unpainted. Most of the time it's fine - even after many years - but sometimes it's rotting and needs to be replaced. The stuff that's unpainted is usually turning gray after years of exposure without being painted but unless it's actually rotting seems to be fine. However, I invariably tell them to clean, prime and paint the stuff. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Well, I don't think 1985 is early generation. I seem to recall reading a comparison between plywood and OSB about 8-9 years ago that said that it had been in use (at that time) about three decades. Jim has a point. Plenty of builders around here use plywood at the 2ft. projection at the eaves and deck the rest of the roof in OSB. Perhaps this is the reason; to tell you the truth, I've never thought to ask any of them about it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Well, it's an interesting conundrum. They're installed in front of large sliding exterior doors around here all the time. They're also almost always installed exactly where lots of homeowners want to plunk down a piece of furniture or place the head of the bed. I can't remember anyone every complaining about them. It's a weird location. My guess is that the house has had an addition and that's where the system ended before the addition went on and they were too lazy to add a few more feet of ducting and move it. As long as there's a way to get to the underside of that floor to move it, it's not going to be hard to do, but it's really not anything that everyone has to take sides over. If he wants to write it up it's his prerogative. I probably would have commented on how it was inevitable that it will eventually be bent by someone walking on it and become inoperative and it would be prudent to move it, because I think that's more likely than the stiletto theory, but I wouldn't have called it based on safety. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, If it was manufactured between about 1994 and 1999 it could very well have a polypropylene diptube that's fallen off. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Sure, it's rotting. Betcha there wasn't any drip edge at the perimeter of the roof either, just like 99.9% of the other roofs around here. I find about 1 out of every homes without drip edging at the eaves has some rot around the perimeter of the roof. Call it. They'll have to strip it back to the wall line, replace the rotting decking, this time using drip edging, and reshingle the roof. Then they'll have an ugly light-colored band at the perimeter of the roof. 1985 home though. Is it the original cover? If so, strip the whole thing. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, The smaller cap at the left in the picture is a vent the right is the filler. No offense meant, but I'm concerned; you say you're helping your father to get this home but you aren't hiring a home inspector, you have focused on the oil tank, but you don't have the feintest idea of what to look for. What about the rest of the home? While I agree that a leaking tank is a bad thing, there are many, many other things that could be going on in that house that will escape the attention of an inexperienced person. You could solve this tank mystery, your dad buys the home while thinking that the rest of it's in acceptable condition, and then he could end up discovering many thousands of dollars worth of needed repairs the hard way. If your reluctance to hire an inspector is due to cost, keep in mind that an inspector could find just one electrical issue that needs correction that you wouldn't be experienced enough to spot and it would more than justify the inspector's fee. You do not want to see your father saddled with a mortgage on a home that will suck him dry due to a bunch of seemingly small but expensive issues that you and he wouldn't have known to look for. Spend whatever it will cost in your area to get the most experienced inspector around to give that house the once over. If you don't; mark my words, you're liable to be very sorry. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

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Hi Scott, If that's the case, they better get on the stick and put a boot up someone's butt in Atlanta because I checked their site yesterday and it was still listed as pending. Thanks for that information, though. Which Maryland bill was pending - had I reported that here? That's the trouble with having 50 states and not having someone dedicated to chasing down and reporting all HI issues in every state. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

They are already here. Right now, their capabilities are limited by the available flash drive sizes but as flash drive technology gets better they'll become more practical. Still, the AsusTek EeePC is ideal for a kid to learn on. If my fingers weren't so damned pudgy I probably would have bought one. I think they'd be the perfect birthday gift for a kid who's just getting old enough to become interested in using computers. They're pre-loaded with a bunch of stuff that makes them attractive to a kid or even a compu-moron like myself. The danged things have easily 10 times the harddrive capacity and 100 times the amount of Ram that I had on my first business computer. Here's a little automated slideshow demo. Turn off the volume - the music is on a loop, repeats about every 7 seconds and will drive you nuts. Their bare-bones PC selection that uses conventional harddrive components is here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The National Association of Realtors® and Harris Interactive recently surveyed over 1,400 recent and future home buyers in order to gage consumer preferences when it comes to real estate services. The survey, conducted in January, confirmed the top five most-recommended services associated with one-stop shopping are home warranty, inspection, closing and title, mortgage, and homeowner’s insurance. Of those services, home inspection was the service that consumers recommended the most at 59%, followed by closing and title (49%), mortgage (31%), home warranty (23%) and homeowner’s insurance (20%). To read the entire article click here.

Hi, One of the things I make very clear to my clients during the pre-inspection phase is that I don't have x-ray vision and that I can't see into walls and beneath carpets and slabs. Unless he was physically able to see something that would indicate to a reasonable person that there's a reason to have the carpeting pulled up to look at the slab beneath it, I doubt any experienced and competent inspector would have called it. Keep that in mind as you move forward. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

That's the title of this FineHomebuilding.com article that can help those who are building science challenged better understand vapor diffision and other principles of good ventilation. To read the entire article, click here.