hausdok

Ugh, my hair hurts, but I think that I'm starting to get it. [:-headach Thanks, Kyle.

From Celtic Radio: Read more in the October 2007 Edition of the Celtic Radio Newsletter: http://www.celticradio.net/news/newslet ... r-2007.htm ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Well, I did read something the other day about how scientists have found that humans and the extinct Neanderthal did share some of the same DNA. Maybe they aren't extinct and some of them did manage to evolve but they're in isolated pockets of Texas. [] (My apologies to the non-Neanderthal's living in Texas that see this. I can hear the sponsors now; "Shut up O'Handley! All of the Texas members have just left the building because you couldn't resist one of your wise cracks!") OT - OF!!! M.

Ok, that's enough of that, Mike. Keep it up, and I'm gonna have to call for a cruise missile strike on Victoria Island. Danged, long-haired, sandal-wearin', peace-nik hippy. [:-gnasher

I'm just getting dizzy. Jeez, I always feel like a noob whenever anyone starts really getting technical about electricity. [:-shake] I gotta stop reading this thread or my wife's liable to come home and find me huddling under a blanket in the closet sucking my thumb. [:-scared] OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Ross, I've removed the articles and have changed the text and simply added a link to your site. Thank you for bringing this my attention. First, I need to address the way the photos were displayed on TIJ with a copyright crediting them to Leon. For the record, Leon didn't add the copyright text to the photos - I did. I received an unsigned email from Leon containing the photos with the text shown from your first link. I thought folks would like to see the photos, but I wanted to give credit where I thought credit was due, while at the same time protecting the person that I mistakenly believed was the photographer; so I added the copyright text on behalf of Leon. As it turns out, after seeing your post, I went to my deleted email files to look again at the original email from Leon. Only then did I realize that he hadn't been the source of the email, he'd simply forwarded it to me without comment. So, it isn't Leon who should be blamed for this faux pas - unless you count his forwarding the photos without an adequate explanation - it's me. If anyone should be embarrased, it should be me, and, believe me, I am. I should have looked more carefully at that email before I posted it's content to TIJ. My sincere apologies to you and to TIJ's members for the screw up. By the way, those are some truly nice shots. I wish I had that kind of talent. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Man, these Texans sure know how to have fun. Nothing like mixing a little bit of alcohol with firearms use. Guess they figure it gives the deer a fighting chance if the guy with weapon can't aim it very well.

Walter is a pompous ass. I hate that I agree with more than half of what he says. I deny being pompous. I freely admit to being an ass, in the stubborn sense. WJid="blue"> You two crack me up. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi All, Well, maybe there's hope for the N.C. HI's yet. Here's an opinion piece from today's Charlotte Observer.

Home inspectors in Washington State have known for a couple of weeks that the state Department of Licensing sunrise review report on proposed home inspector licensing is out, but many of them aren't going to be happy to learn that the public is getting a preview of the results, thanks to a reporter from the The Olympian Online. To read the whole article click here.

While we slog through our current slump, maybe some adventurous souls would like to try inspections on the other side of the pond until the slumb ist vorbei. To check out the announcement check here.

Gosh, and here I was, thinking that inspectors who spook people about the mold bogeyman were an unpleasant fad from the past. To read more click here.

Here's an interesting Resmedia article from one of the real estate pundits that actually leads one to think that maybe, just maybe, if people in the real estate business begin listening to him, and folks in this business start listening to those of us who advocate weaning this profession off the real estate trough, that we can one day rid this profession of most of the ethically challenged. To read the entire article click here. OT - OF!!! M.

Bob, You didn't miss the shootout, it's linked in the first sentence of the above article. OT - OF!!! M.

By Rick Bunzel, CRI (Original published in the NAHI Forum December 2006 and used by permission of the author) In last week's flashlight shootout we were disappointed with the LED flashlights that we tried. Granted, some of those lights were from Wal-Mart and Ebay, but the performance of those lights wasn’t even close to what a home inspector would need. Recently I have found products from Maglite and TerraLux that are worth considering. Both companies are taking advantage of the huge installed base of Maglite’s and are now making LED modules that replace the existing bulbs. Flashlight LED replacement bulbs are solid state "Light Emitting Diodes" that replace the old filament bulb in flashlights. The LED is ideal because it draws less current, is energy efficient, saves on batteries, is more rugged, produces whiter light, is very reliable, and, in most flashlight applications, never needs to be replaced. Older LED technology did not produce much light and manufacturers would cluster multiple LEDs to create a brighter light. Today’s LEDs are extremely bright by comparison. Rob Rich from MEI Research (meiresearch.com) was kind enough to send us a 3 cell MagLite with the 3 watt Mag-LED upgrade module. The Mag-LED modules are drop-in replacements that serve as Maglite's entry into the LED market. They are available in 2, 3, or 4 cell (C or D) configurations. The conversion was as simple as replacing the bulb. Initially the biggest difference that you notice is the color of the light. Normal lights produce a yellowish hue, while the LED produces a distinct white-blue light. To test this light, I parked my Ultra-Stinger and used the Mag-LED for my inspections. It does take a little getting used to the difference in the color of the light. The reach and focus were not in the same league as the Ultra-Stinger but were still acceptable. One of the nice features is battery life; I have used this light daily for over a month and there was no difference in the quality of the light output. TerraLUX is another supplier of high-end LED upgrades. They are from Boulder, Co. (my old neighborhood) and use the leading edge LED components to produce superior performing products. They sent us upgrade products for a 3 cell Maglite as well as a Mini-Maglite. The MaxStar5 is a 5 watt Luxeon LED bulb replacement for the 3 cell MagLite. Installation was as easy as the MagLite LED. The MaxStar5 produces approximately 100-135 Lumens. You can focus the beam, but not as tightly as the standard bulb. The output was slightly brighter than the MagLite LED. For Mini Maglite owners the TerraLUX TLE-5 1watt LED Replacement is a must have. This bulb replacement produces 50 Lumens and is a disk with a circuit board and a side-emitting Luxeon Star LED perched on top. Underneath are two pins for installation in the MiniMag bulb socket. This converted my MiniMag into a light comparable to a Streamlight Luxeon Jr. As with the other LED replacement products; it doubles battery runtime to 7 to 9 hours. I was impressed with these products and, given the benefits of the LED, I think that the days of the incandescent bulb are numbered. LEDs use less energy, are shock resistant and have much longer bulb life. The 3 cell MagLite with MaxStar5 will be staying in my truck as my backup light, as it still is not in the same class as my UltraStinger. For the beginning budget- conscious inspector, this MagLite with the LED is a good choice, as it can purchased from MEI Research’s website for around $30.00. The MiniMag LED upgrade from TerraLux is another great product. The MinMag light is a good product with bright light and the TerraLux upgrade just makes it better. #### Sources: MEI Research 1-800-819-8245 TerraLux 866-498-1564 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rick Bunzel, Pacific Crest Inspections, Anacortes, Wa is a NAHI CRI member, Chairman of the NAHI Public Relations Committee and member of the NAHI Web committee.

I'd call it dumb, jackleg work. OT - OF!!! M.

Oh, Well, I thought he was referring only to stuff that needs to be punted to a skillset outside of what we're allowed to figure out. For what we are allowed to figure out on our own, the way that Chad and Kurt have answered, is what I usually do. However, how I answer in regard to other disciplines varies, but, regardless of the trade involved, it's always similar. I'll usually describe the issue, why I think it's a concern and then I close the comment with something like: These are issues that I'm not qualified to comment on because I'm not a ______________(professional engineer, licensed architect, proctologist, etc.) In order to fully understand how these affect the ________, you should hire a _____________ to investigate them, tell you what the consequences of not correcting them will be, and give you an idea of what needs to be done to correct them as well as how much it's going to cost. OT - OF!!! M.

Well, yeah, I think all of us have occasionally found stuff that homeowners have attempted to conceal, but I suppose, strictly speaking, that's not exactly the same thing. Picky, picky. Hey Randy, if you're not doing anything this morning, come over to the Denny's at N. 155th and Aurora at 9:00. The coalition is having it's monthly meeting there and the guy who did the HI licensing sunrise study for the state is supposed to show up to talk about his findings. OT - OF!!! M.

Well, In case anyone missed it, the new rules aren't actually in effect yet. This has generated some media interest in North Carolina though. I guess there have been about 5-6 articles in the past week or so by papers around the state, because somebody - I'm thinking some home inspectors - has been getting the media into the mix, and this is apparently got a few consumers wound up. For all I know, these folks could be friends and relatives of inspectors disgruntled with the process, but if that were the case I'd just have to say, "Keep it up," to the inspectors who are fighting this. The fact that the summary report is mandated by law for any inspection of more than 3 components of the home makes it clear that the reel-tours must have had a heavy hand in crafting their existing laws there. OT - OF!!! M.

Yeah, Or just go straight to http://www.recalls.gov Tempstar did have a couple of recalls. This one is for a gas pack furnace but it wasn't for a heat exchanger issue: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06011.html OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Kurt, That's actually a good suggestion. The law hasn't gone into effect yet. The article says that if 10 or more persons protest it that it could get postponed. Well, the law is only going to effect Summary reports. How about if all of the inspectors that are against it were to band together and refuse, for the foreseeable future, to provide any form of a summary report to anyone. The reel-tours would probably go right up the wall! When clients ask why they won't provide summary reports, they can say something like, "Because soon, under a new rule that the reel-tours favor, I won't be able to provide you information about necessary repairs in any summary reports. Since there's won't be any prohibition against my telling about necessary repairs in the full report body, I choose, for your benefit, not to produce a summary report." Word would be bound to leak out to the media. Before you know it, that 10 letters of objection that they need might amount to literally hundreds, maybe even thousands. Legislators don't like to be made to look like the villains and NC is a mostly rural state populated mostly by good hard working folk who won't appreciate their legislators taking the side of what amounts to crooked legislation. Isn't this an election year? I wonder if N.C. has provisions where any ordinary schmoe can start ballot measure initiatives. We've got a pain-in-the-a** here in Washington who's always walking around with a petition, getting enough signatures to get various initiatives on the ballot. Then he tries to push them through. That's the kind of thing that guy would probably do if it were happening here and he opposed it. Just some ideas if any of the North Carolina brethren reading this are looking for suggestions. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

He said that this is the supply to the heat pump (not the main). Those are not the main breakers, they are the disconnects for the equipment, it just happens that there are 3 breakers in the pic instead of 2. While this may be 3 phase, there is not enough info in the post to determine that. Three? I only see one 3-pole breaker. Check out his other post here and look at the second photo: https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... IC_ID=5866 You'll see that it's the same panel. Now can you tell whether it's 3-phase or not? [:-eyebrow ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Inspectors and homebuyers aren't very happy with the new rules in North Carolina which prohibit a home inspector from recommending how something should be repaired in their summary reports. The real estate folks like the change, though. Huh, imagine that? To read the entire article click here.

Yes, It's aluminum wiring. However, this is not the aluminum wiring you need to be concerned with. The aluminum wiring that you need to be on the lookout for are the single-strand aluminum conductors used on single-pole breakers for general lighting and kitchen appliance circuits. These are conductors on a large 240 volt appliance such as an electric furnace, stove/oven, hot-tub heater, etc. This is not the stuff that the insurance companies are concerned about. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, We had a little bit of a windstorm last Thursday. As it usually does, it knocked down a bunch of trees, totaled a few peoples' houses and autos and killed one guy. Ross Fotheringham, a photographer from Mill Creek, WA, went down to the Mukiliteo ferry dock during the storm and took some pictures of a ferry leaving Mukilteo enroute for Whidbey Island. Somehow, I think that when you see these pictures, you'll agree that there were some tight sphincter muscles among the riders on the ferry that day. Just click here to see some truly spectacular shots. To see some of Ross' other work, click here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike