hausdok

Hi, You're probably thinking of Poria Incrassata (brown rot) and what you have there looks very much like Poria as opposed to "mold". OT - OF!!! M.

Oh, I dunno, $10K ought to do it. Just send a cashier's check to TIJ. I'll make sure he gets it.[:-sly] Make it payable to Michael Brown. That's M-I-C-H-A-E-L-O-'-H-A-N-D-L-E-Y. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!![:-eyebrow Mike

Hi Chris, I dunno, it looks like it meets the 1ft height rule and I touch them all the time and I rarely find 'em hot enough to burn my hand. Still, it is puzzling. Wonder if one could legally fabricate a box out of wire mesh and put it around that thing to keep curious little hands and fingers off? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Well, it took me a few minutes to figure out but I think I've got it. Believe it or not, it was a CPSC recall that helped me do it. There is a recall notice for controls on GSW (John Woods) water heaters that involve those sold from February 2002 to April 2003 and it involves GSW water heaters with serial numbers from 0202694162 to 0304507825 (underlining is mine). Based on that, I've surmised that they use a two digit year followed by a two digit month so the 0202 in that first serial number equals Feb 2002 and the 0304 in that second number equals Apr 2003, which is exactly what the recall says. That should do it for you. Looks like maybe I have to start compiling a list of Canadian brands as well. Hey you Canadian folks, send me some Canadian brand names and examples of their serial numbers so I can begin compiling a chart for Canada too. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, If you normally write your reports in French don't be too concerned about the spelling on this board. We'll understand. The iespell checker will definitely help you though and the more you practice the better you'll get. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, For anyone who's shaky on electrical, I've uploaded some U.S. Army Correspondence Sub-Courses on Electical Systems into the downloads section. These are very basic military electricians training courses for those who are unfamiliar with electrical systems. They are more about installing systems than inspecting them. However, understanding how a system is supposed to be installed is half the battle when it comes to inspecting it, so these may be beneficial for some of you. These have some basic knowledge quizzes but are minus the examinations because the exams are turned in when you complete the course and aren't returned. However, everything that's in the quizzes is always in the final exam anyway, so use the quizzes to find your weaknesses and then bone up on those areas. To access these, go to "Resources" on the menu above, click on "Downloads" and then scroll down to the bottom of the menu, where you will find: Subcourse 5141 - Installing Service Entrance Systems Subcourse 5142 - Installing Electrical Boxes Subcourse 5143 - Installing Conduit Systems Subcourse 5144 - Installing System, Equipment and Component Grounds Subcourse 5145 - Installing Convenience Devices I'm having a little trouble uploading the last one in the series - Subcourse 5146 Install Circuit Protective Devices - so if anyone wants that one they need to e-mail me directly at hausdok@msn.com and I'll E-mail them a copy of it. Enjoy ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, How old was the home and did you check with the local officials to see what is required in your area? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I think a little clarification is in order. This thread was initiated in August of 2004 and was an experiment by Jerry to gauge a test which was under development then. Paul, I could be wrong but I thought that Gerry had stopped giving people access to that exam quite some time ago, because it is going to be reserved for those in NACHI going for a higher designation that they've been working on - Certified Master Inspector I believe they are calling it. Garcha, in case you missed it, that exam and the free online NACHI entrance exam are two different things. About organizations. I'm not certain what you are implying when you say "ASHI and their best friend the NAR". I spent about 4 years in that organization and never saw or heard anyone try to influence inspectors to do anything other than be professional and do the best damn inspection that he or she possibly could. Their private message board often has new inspectors asking how to deal with manipulative, dishonest or pissed-off realtors and members are always supportive of those folks, all have been there and kow-towing to realtors is never recommended. In fact, anyone who ever offers advice on that board advising others to be realtor toadies usually becomes the recipient of a whole lot of derision and finds himself figuratively run out of town on a rail and can never post after that without drawing a whole lot of fire. In other words, kiss-ups are pretty much ostracized by the others. I wouldn't exactly call that realtor friendly. When I first got into this business I bought a franchise. They recommended that I join one particular organization and I did so. For the first four years in the business that I was affiliated with that organization, I heard lots of negative stuff about the one other (at that time) major competing organization. Then in 1999 I attended an ITA conference and met many of the "enemy" and discovered that they were just home inspectors exactly like me who had the same wants and desires and believe exactly the same silly stuff about the organization that I'd belonged to that I has about them. So, puzzled, I joined the other organization to see if what I'd been hearing for years actually was true and for about a year or so I was a member of both. Know what I found out? That they are very similar in almost every respect - including the attitude that only they were the most honest and professional group of folks on the planet when it came to inspecting homes. I've been affiliated with two and though I made many great pals in each I really didn't see very much difference between them. One thing is for certain, there will always be members of any organization who will constantly make false and ill-informed remarks about competing organizations that they've never belonged to, and those who've left one and joined another over some usually trivial thing will usually dis their old organization to no end and become the greatest cheerleaders for their new organization. Even within them there always seems to be never-ending controversy with this sense of "us versus them" between general membership and whoever is steering the boat within the organization. It's all very boring and infinitely tiresome to hear. If I'd gotten straight advice when I first got into this business I would have put all of the names in a hat and pulled one. I would have joined that one and then, the first time I had the extra change to join another, I'd have joined another, and another, and so on, until I knew the straight skinny about all of them. Then I would have settled down permanently with the one I felt the most comfortable with. I guess what I'm saying in my own droning way is that, if you want to join an organization by all means pick one and do it, but don't expect to get objective advice about any of them on this or any other discussion forum. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Terry, Is this a spot quiz or did you really not read this article that I posted yesterday? Rheem/Ruud uses a two digit month followed by a two digit year, so it's manufactured in April of 1985. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

This free pdf publication from the Engineered Wood Association is a basic bracing how-to guide. It explains why bracing is important and discusses the code requirements related to bracing. A good addition to the library of any inspector who does new construction draw inspections. To download the guide, click here. Any organization looking for training topics relevant to structural issues or new construction for its chapter meetings should look into APA's IRC wall bracing seminar. Click here to review the seminar outline. Interested parties can obtain more information or request a seminar for their organization by contacting the APA Help Desk via e-mail or calling them directly at (253) 620-7400.

Though water heaters are relatively inexpensive compared to the price of a house, repairs for the damage caused when one suddenly has a catastrophic failure is likely to be expensive. This is the reason many inspectors want to at least be able to give their client some idea of how old the device is and when it would be a good idea to start considering replacement. So, what exactly is the absolute maximum service life to expect? It varies from place to place and is affected by the quality of the product, minerals/chemicals in water, the amount of maintenance the water heater receives and usage. In other words, there is no set in concrete maximum expected service life. In fact, two neighbors with exactly the same brand of water heater installed on exactly the same day on the same street in identical houses can have completely different experiences. In some parts of the country it is normal to expect between 10 and 15 years, while in others a homeowner is lucky if the water heater lasts 10 years. The manufacturing date is coded into the serial number of water heaters and, since there are more than 100 different brands of water heaer in this country, the thought of trying to memorize every single serial number code at first seems impossible. Impossible that is, until one realizes that only six manufacturers produce those 100+ brands and some share the same basic method for coding, making the task of memorizing the coding methods far less formidable. In this article I'll explain the coding method used by each of the six major manufacturers. At the end of the article, there's a link to a handy decoding chart in TIJ's downloads library. American Water Heater Company American Water Heater Company, manufacturer of 52 separate brands of water heaters, uses a 10-digit serial number with a year/week code in the first four digits of the serial number. The year of is the first two digits followed by the two digit week of the year. For example,the serial number 0602****** indicates that the water heater was manufactured the second week of 2006. A complete list of brands manufactured by American is contained in the decoder chart linked to this article. A.O. Smith Corporation Prior to 2008, A.O. Smith Corporation, manufactured three brands of water heaters - A.O. Smith, Glascote and Perma-Glas - and used a 10-digit serial number with a letter-month/year code in the second third and fourth digits of the serial number. With this system, the letters A to M, excluding the letter I, are used to designate the months 1 to 12 followed by the two digit week. For example,*H06****** would indicate that the water heater was manufactured in February 2006. In 2008, A.O. Smith acquired State Industries and since then has used the State Industries sequencing (see below). Bradford-White Corporation Bradford-White manufactures two brands of water heater - Bradford-White and Jetglas - and uses a 9-digit letter/number code with two letters signifying the year and month of manufacturer. The letters I, O, Q, R, U, and V are skipped to produce 20-year cycles. These cycles began in 1964 with the letter A, therefore the letter A in the first position of a B-W serial number can represent the years 1964, 1984 or 2004. B-W's second letter corresponds to the month of the year as with the A.O. Smith example above. Prior to 1973, the month letter was placed at the end of the 9-digit serial number but from 1973 on it has been in the second position. For example, the serial number B********D indicates the water heater was manufactured in April of 1965 but the serial number BD******* can indicate that it was manufactured in April of 1985 or 2005. The trick is being able to distinguish the age of water heaters with the same date codes manufactured after 1973. Fortunately, most home inspectors can do this easily simply by checking the large yellow energy usage tag on the unit to see which ANSI date is posted there. There is one exception to B-W's serial number code that was caused by a computer glitch when some units were manufactured with a serial number beginning with OA - O being one of the numbers that is not used. Any found with a serial number beginning with OA will have been manufactured in January of 1997. Lochinvar Corporation Lochinvar Corporation only manufactures four brands of water heater - Lochinvar, Energy Saver, Golden Knight and Knight - and uses the identical dating code system used by Bradford-White Corporation. Rheem Corporation Rheem Corporation manufactures 20 different brands of water heater and uses two different serial number series - one that is all numbers and the other which is both letters and numbers. However, the date code is based on the first 4 digits of the serial number, which signify the month followed by the year, the letter, which is in the 5th position, doesn't need to be considered. For example, any Rheem manufactured product bearing the serial number 0794****** or 0794F***** will have been manufactured in July of 1994. State Industries State Industries was acquired by A.O. Smith in 2008. Prior to becoming part of A.O. Smith, State manufactured 23 separate brands of water heater, including the Kenmore(Sears) brand, and used a letter-month/year serial number code similar to the A.O.Smith model with the letter signifying the month, followed by a number for the year. The difference is that with these the code is in the first three positions of the serial number, not the second, third and fourth as A.O. Smith does it, therefore a serial number C05******* indicates that the water heater was manufactured in March of 2005. After the 2008 acquisition, State began coding the date into the first four digits of the serial number - the two digit year followed by the two digit week; therefore 0912 is the 12th week of 2009. There are other brands of water heaters being sold in this country that are not made by one of these 6 manufacturers. However, these 100+ brands are supposed to comprise the overwhelming majority of residential water heaters sold in this country today. Once one understands how these serial numbers work and learns to recognize each of the six manufacturer's individual patterns, it's much easier to feel confident that he or she is providing the customer the correct information about the age of the appliance. To download the newly revised decoder chart, click here for a pdf version and here for a MS word version.

CAUTION: Flushing your water heater may put you at risk of being scalded by hot water. Please be careful when working on your water heater. Sediment gathering inside the water heater can cause a number of problems. Once the sediment settles to the bottom of the tank, it can harden. In gas water heaters, this will create a buffer between the bottom of the tank that is heated by the gas burner and the water itself. The heater will not operate at its design efficiency and you may notice some rumbling noises. If enough sediment accumulates, it will eventually clog the drain valve. In electric water heaters, the same accumulation occurs. This sediment will stick to the heating elements and form a whitish scale. The scale on the heating elements acts as the same buffer in the gas water heaters. Theheat transfer from the elements to the water become less efficient as the scale build up becomes thicker. Like the gas water heater, if enough sediment accumulates at the bottom of the tank, the drain valve will become clogged. Accumulation of sediment in the bottom of your water heater can be controlled with periodic flushing. Flushing will not remove all traces of sediment; however a routine flushing regime will prevent excessive sediment build up inside your water heater. CAUTION: THE WATER WILL BE HOT...........BE SURE NO ONE IS NEAR THE DRAIN HOSE OR THEY COULD GET SCALDED. 1. Turn OFF power to the water heater at the circuit breaker (electric heater) or main gas line (gas heater). 2. Fasten a length of garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the heater. Put the other end of the garden hose in the nearest floor drain or snake it outside the home. 3. Close the shut off valve at the cold water inlet line. 4. Open the temperature and pressure relief valve at the top of the heater. Now open the drain valve and allow the water to drain. You will probably notice some small white particles (called scale or sediment) during the early stages of the flow. 5. When the water stops, close the drain valve and remove the hose. Also close the temperature and pressure relief valve at the top of the heater. 6. Open a hot water faucet somewhere in the home. Open the shut off valve at the cold water inlet line. You will hear the heater start to fill. 7. When you have a steady stream of water from the open faucet, turn the faucet off. 8. Turn ON power to the water heater at the circuit breaker (electric heater) or main gas line (gas heater). Allow the water heater to recover. Check the drain valve one more time to make sure it is tight. id="left">Homeowners should flush their heaters at least every six months. Some areas of the country with hard water may need to be flushed more often. After flushing your heater a few times you will discover the schedule that is right for you. Some areas may require MONTHLY flushing due to the water conditions, thermostat setting and amount of hot water usage by the consumer. It is impossible to make a ‘one size fits all’ maintenance recommendation for every heater. Each water heater has its unique applications once it becomes installed in your home. Flushing your water heater of sediment should be a scheduled maintenance event. This Rheem technical service bulletin is provided through special arrangement between Rheem Manufacturing Company and The Inspector's Journal. To obtain a printer-friendly version of this article for your customers, click on this link. You can find additional plumbing-related topics at TIJ's Plumbing Forum or discussions about other inspection-related topics on TIJ's Other Forums.

And they said it couldn’t be done. Tim Vining, MAI becomes the first appraiser in the U.S. to successfully sue and win for copyright infringement of his intellectual property – his appraisal. The culprit is a real estate broker who lifted Vining’s work for use in a sales brochure. According to Vining, who specializes in the appraisal of agricultural properties in Washington State, this was not the first time he found his work in reports that he did not author and for which he was not paid. This time he decided to do something about it. Now What? The case resolves the debate whether appraisal reports are copyrightable. Clearly they are. But now what? What does this mean for the average appraiser, which in many ways Tim Vining is not. And can copyright protection help in the struggle with AVMs, which appraisers have long suspected are fueled by data lifted from their reports without their permission. Vining’s presentation at the a la mode Winter Convention in Las Vegas this month makes clear that while the results of his case are encouraging, the circumstances are unique: the property in question is a large-scale diversified agricultural enterprise of several thousand acres. Work from his 250-page report is unique and easily recognizable. Also unique are the potential damages; reports such as these take months to complete and command fees upwards of $20,000. Controlling the Data While it would be much more difficult for a residential form filler to identify his or her work in another appraisal report and to prove infringement, many appraisers at the show agreed that it is not impossible. In any case, the point of copyrighting appraisals is not to seek a large windfall but to take control of your product, according to Matt Barr, Communications Director at a la mode. "Copyright isn't a get rich quick scheme for appraisers. It’s a tool that appraisers can use to either prohibit the unauthorized use of their work or to get paid if they do decide to license it,â€

On January 11th 2006, CPSC, along with Generac Power Systems Inc. of Waukesha, WI, recalled about 20,000 12" Braided flexible fuel hoses sold with certain air-cooled generators for a defect that constitutes a fuel leak/fire-explosion hazard. According to the manufacturer, consumers should stop using the generator if the fuel hose is bent or if the ferrules (connectors) are cracked, split or damaged in any way. Consumers with a bent hose or damaged connector should contact Generac Power Systems or a Generac authorized service dealer, to arrange for a free inspection and replacement of the flex fuel hose. The recalled 12 inch braided flex fuel hoses are used with Guardian® Home Standby Air-Cooled Generators with serial numbers 3789827 and below. The generators are about 4 feet by 2 feet by 2½ feet, tan in color, and have identification decal tags displaying the serial number. The decal tag is affixed to the black divider plate that separates the engine from the control panel and can be found by lifting the top/lid of the metal enclosure. The fuel hose came supplied with the generator kits and connects the fuel supply to the generator. The hose is 12 inches long and covered with braided steel. For more information, contact Generac Power Systems at (866) 949-7440 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the Generac website. To view the original CPSC recall, including photos of the units involved, visit the CPSC website.

Simpson Strong Tie corporation is offering a series of free connector training CD-ROMs or Videos to anyone that requests them. These materials are the first developed under the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Housing Quality (NHQ) Certified Training Materials Program guidelines. The NHQ program is designed to foster consistency and quality in building practices and Simpson is the first building products manufacturer to become an official sponsor of the NHQ program. There are three training kits available. The first - Basic Fastener Installation - covers basic connector installation and fundamentals, including proper fastener selection and use. The second kit - Introduction to Joist and Beam Hangers - identifies the differences between typical face mount and top flange hanger installations, and teaches participants how to correctly install joist and beam hangers. The third - Introduction to Mudsill Anchors - identifies proper mudsill anchor installation methods, discusses framing considerations and applications related to mudsill anchors, and educates the installer about common misinstallations. The CD-Roms and Videos can be ordered online at the Simpson Strong-Tie website or contact Simpson directly by telephone at at (800) 999-5099 (toll free).

Have you ever “lustedâ€

This free 28 page pdf download is a complete design and installation manual for Flowguardgold CPVC pipe. For more information click here.

This free 22 page pdf download is an installation manual for Plumbbetter® PEX tubing and fittings. For more information click here. NOTE: This site requires a short/simple registration.

Five years ago, an attempt to introduce a bill to license home inspectors in Ohio never made it out of committee. Nonetheless, home inspectors in Ohio were so divided over the issue that the Ohio ASHI chapter split into two different chapters. Now things are heating up again in Ohio with two competing versions of a licensing law introduced within 4 weeks of each other in both the house and the senate. For more information, click here.

According to a January 17th article in The Insurance Journal a New Jersey court has ruled that a claims-made E & O insurance policy without retroactive (tail) coverage does not violate public policy and is enforceable. The precedent setting case involved a home inspector who'd declined retroactive coverage when he'd purchased his insurance policy. Later, when the inspector's company was sued for negligence arising from a home inspection performed in 1999, the inspector sought coverage under the inspection company's liability policy, but was denied coverage. The inspector later sued the insurance company, claiming that a liability policy without retroactive coverage was illegal and violated New Jersey public policy. The Superior Court of New Jersey for Essex County ruled that the policy did not violate New Jersey public policy. For more details about this case, click here.

Hi Brian, Yeah, that happened on a Navy base about 6 years ago. If you search the archives on the ASHI board, you may find a few posts I wrote about this issue if they've saved the archives. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, There's a ton of information at this link: http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/in ... lation.php ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Roy is right. Zinsco never did lose their U.L. status and Thomas & Betts bought the tooling and the rights to the Zinsco name about five years ago and began manufacturing breakers for these. I find some of them that are pristine and look great but most are a mess - particularly the older MagnaTrip panels. The electrical contractor who's office is about 50 meters from where I'm sitting told me last year that they'd replaced every Zinsco panel in a large condominimum complex last year and had found 'significant' problems with the majority of them. That's enough for me to red-flag them. Hell, if it had only been 5% - 1 out of every 20 - I would have still done it, but the majority? Uh, uh, I've got nothing good to say about 'em. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike P.S. Gee Roy, I was just asking someone yesterday if you were still around. What's it been? 3-4 years?

Hi, In some places it's customary to cast a brick edge in the thickened footing edge along the bottom of the slab and then grout the cavity between the brick and footing until one course below the surface of the slab and bottom of the sills, where the row of bricks with weep holes are laid over through-wall flashings. Check out item #8 at this link to the Masonry Advisory Council Also check out this technical note at the BIA. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Well, ultimately it is going to boil down to what the municipality, or county if the county has jurisdiction, requires because they might have adopted only portions of the model code may have extra requirements unique only to that jurisdiction. According to my CodeCheck Electrical: Receptacles 6ft. cord can be plugged in anywhere along wall (210-52a) Any wall >2ft. wide requires a receptacle (210.52a) Hallway >10ft. requires a receptacle. (210.52h)[*] A wall space is a wall unbroken along the floor line by doors, fireplaces and similar openings A wall space can include 2 or more walls and can be measured around corners The requirements for receptacles in wall space do not apply to bathrooms, laundry or garages There's nothing in there about it not applying to a foyer. Don't quote these code cites exactly because they may have changed since my version of CodeCheck Electrical was published. You need to contact the City or County Inspectors office and pose the question to them and ask them to cite you the source and direct you to it so you can read it yourself and be certain the code bubba isn't talking through his hat. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike