hausdok

Oy! I think my head's gonna [:-timebm]

Not me! I only feel like a wuss after I see a rat, scream - hitting a high note like Bette Midler - and run away faster than Carl Lewis can run the 100. I know it's illogical, because I don't feel the least bit of fear from snakes, scorpians, spiders and such, but there it is, and I usually feel pretty wussy afterward. Besides, when someone calls me "little" - particularly a woman - I can point that out to my wife and say, "See, I told you I don't need to lose any weight." OT - OF!!! M.

Yep, if they were to do it right, they'd add a little sub-panel for those additional circuits, but most of the time they just add them in the original box. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi 'Walter, Had you cleared your cookies or temporary internet files? When you log on, the software looks at a cookie on your computer that tells it when you visited last. If it didn't see a cookie that tells it when you were there last, it won't display new posts and then you'll be left to weed through everything displayed. (I think) Just click on "What's New" and then use the drop-down box to ask the computer what's been posted during the time frame since you last were on - whether it's 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, yesterday, last week, etc., and it will display only those threads where posts have been made during that specific time period. Now that I've said all of this, expect Mike B. to come on here and tell you why I've got it all wrong and tell you what the real problem is; the guy just loves to point out that, when it comes to talking about this software, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. [:-gnasher ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Jodi, I don't think you can necessarily use #3 as the main because it's labeled "main" unless you know that the pull fuse block in the fuse block that's labeled main is not. Obviously, the fuse box is the original but they may have modified the system and relegated it to sub-panel status (In which case it's wrong because of the EGC connected to the neutral bus, among other things. Where was the weatherhead and strike and where do the service entrance cables enter the home? What's behind the narrow metal shield covering that gutter at that large pull-fuse block on the left side of that fuse box? See the middle pull-block that's labeled "main" in the fuse box? The feeders to that block come from that gutter. I'd expect that large pull fuse block in the gutter to be the main disconnect and the SEC's to enter that gutter behind that shield; unless they've reconfigured the service entrance point, that is. Have you ordered Douglas Hansen's book yet? If not, times-a-wastin' that book will save you a whole lot of needless mental strain over the coming years. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Wrong! Jodi, there is a banter surcharge and it's only $289 a year. You just got in too late for the banter-surcharge-free membership. Richard and all of these others - I gave them all free surcharge-free memberships years ago, in order to pump up TIJ's numbers. Coincidentally, I'd just begun collecting surcharges on February 4, the day before you signed up. I collect the banter surcharge 5 years in advance, so just send your $1445 to Mike O'Handley, P.O Box 12345, Kenmore, WA 98028 OT - OF!!! M. Banter surcharge! Brilliant! Don't know why I never thought of this before; I'm going to make a bucketload of bucks. Bwahahahahahaha! [:-eyebrow

Ugh, You just reminded me of a barracks search warrant I executed back in 1982 at Ft. Devens. The dude had been dealing dope at the NCO club. I went in there and I scored a couple of joints in order to get the warrant. We went down there with the drug dogs and tore that room apart and found his stash. The room had a suspended ceiling. I looked up, went aha!, climbed up on a desk, pushed up the tiles over the desk, and about a dozen used condoms fell right on top of my head. Gross! The thing was, this was a men's floor in the barracks and there were only two guys in the room. That was in the days before don't ask don't tell. In the end, one got busted for dealing, they both confessed to sodomy - if you know what I mean - and were put out of the Army. My partner and that dog handler must have laughed for 10 minutes. The worst part was, I did double duty as the Evidence Custodian and I had to keep the "evidence" in the evidence room for about 4 months while things played out. Bleah! Maybe 5 years ago, I discovered a cigar box of baseball cards in an attic. I told the realtor about them. Turned out the seller had forgotten about hiding them there. When I found out how much some baseball cards are worth, I had the same feeling I had after I turned down a $50,000 bribe from a Korean blackmarketeer; kind of a helpless sick to your stomach sensation while telling yourself, "Steady, you did the right thing." OT - OF!!! M.

3.5 years in a Honda? Give me a break! I haven't toasted a battery in less than 6 years in 2-1/2 decades. Do Hondas still have Nippondenso alternators? If so, he's fishing for a sale; those are very reliable and so aren't the Japanese batteries. If you'd been driving, he wouldn't have said a thing. Make sure your electrolyte levels are up to par, clean your battery posts, ensure your belt is tight and you'll be fine. OT - OF!!! M.

Nope, can't say. Not allowed to. [:-taped] OT - OF!!! M.

You'll all love this tidbit from JLC Update. A remodeling contractor finds a bunch of cash hidden in a wall and agrees to split it with the owner. Months later, he's going to court to get his share after the owner turned out to be a welcher. To read more click here.

James P. Simmons (User name Mr. Electric) just sent me the attached pics and thought the brethren would enjoy them. The pictures depict a home where the homeowner cut through the interior wall of the house, through the weatherhead mast conduit, and then tapped into the service ahead of his electrical meter in order to power all of the sunlamps for the pot farm he had inside his home. Pretty slick, huh? Well, not so slick - his taps caught on fire and almost burned the house down! Enjoy! OT - OF!!! M. Image Insert: 47.51 KB Image Insert: 37.21 KB Image Insert: 39.4 KB Image Insert: 41.54 KB Image Insert: 64.33 KB Image Insert: 51.24 KB Image Insert: 53.71 KB Image Insert: 36.03 KB Image Insert: 41.06 KB

Hi Scott, Randy doesn't know that Walter probably stays busy with his Indigators board. OT - OF!!! M.

Buyer Bewitched is the title of Walter Jowers' Helter Shelter column in this week's Nashville Scene. This week, Walter takes a shot at states where legislators have initiated impedimenta that prevent a home inspector from doing a good job. To read more click here.

If anyone is interested. in FWW logoed gear. Click Here!". OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Well, congratulations! My wife and I celebrated 30 years since the day I met her no the 23rd of February and now I'm facing that 30th wedding anniversary in May of 2010. I'm not sure, though - I could swear that guy on the bass fiddle is...well....?....doing something obscene to that fiddle. I don't think I've ever seen that kind of crotch action on an inanimate object unless it was on an X-rated video (Not that I actually,...you know,...watch those things. [:I] OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Carl, Is there any way for that exhaust to be leaking just inside the housing so that acid is able to condense inside the housing and drain down the sides causing that rust? OT - OF!!! M.

I doubt if he'll be back to explain it today. He usually pops in about once a day. Tune in tomorrow to see what the explanation is. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Gary, Are they framing those ceilings with engineered I-joists or conventional lumber? OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, My company is called Your Inspector and, like Scott, I don't actually have a logo but use the name. However, it's a name that consumers seem to key to because it's meant to be aimed specifically at them, as if to say, "I'm your inspector and I work for you. Plenty of folks have told me that's exactly what they were thinking when they read it and that's how they remembered it. So, even though I'm practically dead last in all of the phone books and I only have a simple bolded line, folks seem to remember my company because they're looking for someone to work for them. That's why I trademarked the name back in 2001 when I sold my franchise. Before I had this company, I had a franchise that had a very easily remembered name. You could easily remember the full name of the company and the initials were unique in that the abbreviation was also unique and memorable. Unfortunately, I can't demonstate that here for you because of the terms of the company sale. Believe me when I tell you, it was very simple to remember. You need to find something that speaks to your audience and something that they're going to remember easily. "In spec," although it means to be within specs, is one of dozens of home inspection companies with variations of the one word "inspect" in them. They're all cute but not particularly memorable and I think it's going to be easy for consumers to lose that name in the clutter of other companies with names like, Inspex, or Inspect, or Inspecs. My opinion FWIW. OT - OF!!! M.

Steven and Gary, That's interesting. My father built houses in Dutchess County, NY for more than 50 years. Though I watched him hand-cut and frame dozens of roofs over the years, the majority of homes he built after about 1965 utilized manufactured trusses custom made at an out-of-state factory. I see trusses with metal press-plate gussets going back to the early 60's here in the Seattle area and wood-gusseted trusses go farther back to the mid 1940's around here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I dunno, I keep trying, but so far I haven't been able to screw myself up enough to make it worthwhile for me to hire a lawyer and sue anyone so that I can ensure I'll have enough to live on through retirement. Time's getting short; I have to do something within the next 10 or 15 years. Has anyone got any suggestions? [] Seriously though, I've been writing up missing anti-tip brackets since the first month I got into this business nearly 12 years ago and discovered that they existed. For me, it it's part of the equipment and obviously should have been installed, I write it up and I really don't care if it's a $2 item or a $2000 item. FWIW, a couple of eye bolts - one on the back of a stove and the other screwed into a stud through the drywall - with a piece of steel sash chain between them makes an excellent anti-tip device for stoves prior to 1992-94 when these things first began showing up in installation kits. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi All, Caoimhín has responded, but I think he clicked the "new topic" button instead of the "reply to topic" button because his response showed up as a new thread. I've pasted it below. Mike ---------------------------------------------------- Good morning, Gents! How does a vapor barrier improve the beauty of one's home? The winner is…….. Two Casablanca ceiling fans. One upstairs, one down. (Or just two in a 1,500 ft2 ranch). Cheers! Caoimhín P. Connell Forensic Industrial Hygienist www.forensic-applications.com

Hi All, I've checked the link and my anti-virus software didn't find any malware or viruses so if the brethren want to check it out, it should be alright. There's one of those annoying little "click here for a free laptop" pop-ups, but I ignored it and it went away on it's own. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Randy, I see that stuff occasionally. I think it's marking dye used to place the markings on the lumber. I've always assumed that every once in a while they get a leak or some kind of failure that spatters that stuff all over. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi All, Update: SB 6606 was passed from Rules to the Floor and is now in line for a vote on the house floor. OT - OF!!! M.