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Yeah, That's why I didn't respond. I was thinking of the exact rule that Bill mentions. I figured I'd sit back and see if anyone had an actual length chart somewhere that I'd never seen before. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Reversed polarity means that power is flowing through the item being powered before it reaches the on-off switch. So, when you turn the switch off and think the unit isn't charged, it is. An over-simplified scenario - The lights over the mirror in your bathroom aren't bright enough and you decide to change the bulbs. You turn the light off at the switch and are standing there on the wet bathroom floor removing the bulbs one-by-one and installing new ones, when suddenly you happen to touch the outer bulb socket rim and are electrocuted and left there dead on the floor. Why? Because the lights over the mirror were wired with the polarity reversed. As soon as you touched the socket rim, which you thought was de-energized because you'd turned off power to the lights at the switch, your finger touching that energized socket ring and your bare feet on the damp floor provided a ground path and electricity took a short cut through your body back to earth. You're dead - all because someone carelessly reversed two wires. Kewl, huh? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Stairway To Heaven Click to Enlarge Contributed by Eric Holm (User name Holmer) Holm Inspections LLC Machias,ME

On October 19th, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and International Comfort Products LLC jointly announded a voluntary recall to repair 28,700 packaged gas furnaces and AC units sold by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning dealers and contractors nationwide between October 2000 and September 2005. According to the manufacturer, the unit's control board can ignite and, in certain units, can result in the ignition of flammable material adjacent to the unit. So far, the firm has received three reports of minor property damage. There are no reports of injuries. The recall involves certain packaged gas furnace and air conditioning units sold under the brand names Airquest, Arcoaire, Comfortmaker, Heil, Keeprite, Kenmore, ICP Commercial, and Tempstar. It includes configurations of "A" chassis units with 3-ton or 5-ton cooling capacity, manufactured between the 41st week of 2000 and the 26th week of 2003. The model and serial numbers are printed on the unit's rating plate. The rating plate is on the exterior of the unit, on the right side (as viewed when facing an installed unit). Home inspectors should be on the lookout for these units and advise the owners to stop using the products immediately. Contact the firm to check if the model and serial number of the unit inspected is included in the recall. Consumers with recalled units will receive a free replacement control board and capacitor installed. For more information, contact ICP at (800) 649-4706 anytime, or visit the ICP Web site at www.icpusa.com To see a picture of the recalled product on CPSC's web site, click here Release #06-011 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 Firm's Recall Hotline: (800) 649-4706 CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Hi All, 2005 has been a busy year for disaster relief agencies. Hurricane Katrina and Wilma have garnered most of the attention, but there were literally dozens of events this year where properly trained inspectors were needed after the dust settled. Parsons-Brinkerhoff, one of the major contractors that provides inspectors for post-disaster inspections has temporarily suspended regional field training but their E-learning Courses are still available and open 24/7. If you want to help victims of some of these disasters, this is one way to do it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Chapter Presidents Take Heed!!! Need some decent training for your next monthly meeting - something besides the same old stuff that won't put inspectors to sleep? Something that they can actually apply to what they do on a regular basis? Well, click on over to the USP Structural Connectors Continuing Education page and fill out a request for training. USP will arrange to provide a trainer at your facility on the desired date of training - all for a measly $0. Yeah, that's right, zero dollars. Instead of blowing your chapter's beverage/pizza kitty on some high-priced lecturer, you'll get to order the double deluxe stuffed crust this month. What better way to start off a monthly meeting? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

It was originally designed to educate those in the construction industry in the State of Michigan on building product information, installation details and performance standards needed to meet revised codes. However, the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes and Fire Safety online code training series can just as easily bring home inspectors up to speed on what they need to know to do thorough inspections of new homes in Michigan and elsewhere. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Check out this offering. Butte College's Building Inspection Technology Course. This school is one of a handful of courses in the country which offers students the opportunity to combine general education requirements with completion of a certificate-earning trades course in order to earn an associates degree. The course is heavy on code related topics and subjects which a municipal inspector needs. Given that private inspectors may someday be performing code inspections in lieu of municipal inspectors, a course like this has the potential to really round out an inspector's repertoire. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Thought you'd like to get trained and certified as a bona fide E.I.F.S. inspector but don't have the time not the inclination to fly thousands of miles and then sit in a classroom day after day listening to lectures and at night eating bad restaurant food and sleeping in a hotel? Okay, so maybe E.D.I.'s online E.I.F.S. certification course is something you'd be interested in. Well, what are you waiting for? Click on the darned link and begin working on your future! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Want to pick up an engineering degree through distance learning from a real university and not a diploma mill? Well, it might take you more than a few years, but Auburn University's Samuel Ginn College of Engineering might be exactly what you've been looking for. Click on the link, go on in and look around! What have you got to lose? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

You might think that drywall is drywall and that you know everything there is to know about it. National Gypsum's free online wallboard coarses will show you how much you really don't know and for the price you can't beat 'em with a stick. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Need CEU's or MRC's? Want to garner them on the internet but don't want to have to go to battle with the folks at your association's headquarters, in order to get the credit for a course taken? Well, then avoid the hassle, take courses that are already pre-approved, such as those on the Certainteed site. There, you'll find instructional material related to roofs, insulation, siding, windows, decks, and foundations. Best of all, it's already approved for credits by all of the major home inspection organizations. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Need some CEU's? Want to spend your money for CEU's this year on something besides the usual recycled home inspection fare? Ever thought you'd like to know more about indoor air quality, HVAC systems and building science topics? If so, check out Home Energy Online's Guide To Training Programs For Home Performance Professionals. This is basically a continually-update listing of home energy and indoor air quality training courses from around the continent and definitely worth a visit. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Being in the Puget Sound area where cedar shake roofs and cedar shingled walls are as common as grains of sand on a beach, I'm continually frustrated with the misinformation I see disseminated to new inspectors, on the various online home inspection forums, and even here at TIJ. I'm always amazed when an inspector who admits to seeing less than a dozen shake roofs a year, or who's never in his/her life shingled a wall, holds forth as an expert on this topic while basing his/her information on knowledge gained from one of the popular home inspection texts - most of which are written by folks who've hardly ever seen more than a few of these roofs themselves. There are a lot of totally inaccurate ideas and myths being spread about this venerated roofing method amongst home inspectors, and I think it fair to say that there is no roofing material that is less understood than Cedar. With that in mind, I thought it appropriate to direct everyone's attention to the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau's website for some "from the horse's mouth" information. I've dealt with these guys for years and have always gotten excellent support from their technical staff. What I've found interesting is that all of their technical personnel are trained equally well, regardless of what region of the country they're in. I live in Washington State, not even 100 miles from their headquarters. Yet, when I call their tech support line I'm just as liable to reach a tech rep in Texas or New York than I am one from the Pacific Northwest. Regardless of where they are, these guys are always helful and have the right answers. Check it out. When you do, you might gain a new appreciation for cedar roofs and wall shingle applications. If not, at least re-write some of the inaccurate boilerplate commentary you're writing your reports with. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, When's the last time you refreshed your memory on various roofing techniques? Do you know what the latest roofing industry thinking is on life expectancies for various roofing materials or how to maintain some of the new high-tech roofing materials? If you can't categorically ask yourself those questions and answer yourself with an emphatic "Yes!" then maybe it's time to visit the G.A.F. Corporation roof installer's video library where you'll be able to watch videos on everything from flashing techniques to how to install flat roof single-ply membranes. If readers have previously used this resource, please post your impressions here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Have you ever looked back and wished that you could have attended one of the premier schools in the country on a 100% scholarship when you were younger? Maybe you'd wanted to earn an engineering degree as a young'un but it just wasn't in the cards? Well, what would you say if you could have access to much of the coursework for a host of subjects from a major institution of higher learning, and get those resources free? Well, read on frustrated engineers or whatever, because there might be some hope for you yet, because one of the worlds most respected technical universities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, yeah, you read that right - M.I.T. - is placing course materials for literally thousands of its courses on the internet. It's known as MIT OpenCourseWare and the aim is to share lessen plans and content from M.I.T. courses with other schools and self-learners from around the globe. With this new resource, teachers from colleges around the world can use M.I.T.'s new gift to everyone to develop their own curricula. Better yet, self-learners who know how to motivate themselves will be able to work their way through Opencourseware on their own. Theoretically, a self-learner who really applies himself, could derive enough knowledge from this source to be able to challenge end-of-course exams at local colleges, and thus, by only paying a small exam fee, eliminate thousands of hours of sitting in classrooms listening to lectures, spending a small fortune on tuition costs and room and board and eliminate the constant transportation and scheduling hassles associated with attending schools nights and weekends while making a living. This is a brave experiment for a major university. One might be tempted to scorn the idea, except for one fact - this is M.I.T. fer cryin' out loud! If anyone knows how to put together top shelf learning materials and help one take advantages of what the internet has to offer those who want to study at home, M.I.T. does. Will folks who take advantage of this resource obtain a degree from M.I.T.? No, for that they'd have to attend the real McCoy, but folks completing some of these courses might might just find themselves able to obtain some type of degree from a local education of higher learning with a fraction of the cost normally involved and that's nothing to scoff at. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike O'Handley Editor - TIJ

Hi All, Have you ever looked back and wished that you could have attended one of the premier schools in the country on a 100% scholarship when you were younger? Maybe you'd wanted to earn an engineering degree as a young'un but it just wasn't in the cards? Well, what would you say if you could have access to much of the coursework for a host of subjects from a major institution of higher learning, and get those resources free? Well, read on frustrated engineers or whatever, because there might be some hope for you yet, because one of the worlds most respected technical universities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, yeah, you read that right - M.I.T. - is placing course materials for literally thousands of its courses on the internet. It's known as OpenCourseWare and the aim is to share lessen plans and content from M.I.T. courses with other schools and self-learners from around the globe. With this new resource, teachers from colleges around the world can use M.I.T.'s new gift to everyone to develop their own curricula. Better yet, self-learners who know how to motivate themselves will be able to work their way through Opencourseware on their own. Theoretically, a self-learner who really applies himself, could derive enough knowledge from this source to be able to challenge end-of-course exams at local colleges, and thus, by only paying a small exam fee, eliminate thousands of hours of sitting in classrooms listening to lectures, spending a small fortune on tuition costs and room and board and eliminate the constant transportation and scheduling hassles associated with attending schools nights and weekends while making a living. This is a brave experiment for a major university. One might be tempted to scorn the idea, except for one fact - this is M.I.T. fer cryin' out loud! If anyone knows how to put together top shelf learning materials and help one take advantages of what the internet has to offer those who want to study at home, M.I.T. does. Will folks who take advantage of this resource obtain a degree from M.I.T.? No, for that they'd have to attend the real McCoy, but folks completing some of these courses might might just find themselves able to obtain some type of degree from a local education of higher learning with a fraction of the cost normally involved and that's nothing to scoff at. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike O'Handley Editor - TIJ

Hi All, As more and more states adopt the ASHRAE residential and commercial design standards, some inspectors are adding energy audits and energy code compliance inspections to their repertoir. The U.S. Dept of Energy offers a number of free online tools aimed at educating inspectors about these requirements. The link below will take you to USDOE's Education site where one can view videos that explain the new standards as well as view powerpoint presentations and download workbooks designed to educate inspectors about the process. If anyone has completed any of this training, please post your impressions here. Here's the link: http://www.energycodes.gov/training/ ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Seeing a lot of new cedar siding and decks in your area? Want to make sure you know all of the best practices recommended for the installation of cedar products, so you can best serve your clientelle? Need CEU's or MRC's for your organization? Then check out the Online Cedar School at the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association's website. According to WRCLA's site, taking these courses will provide one with the following benefits: Increased knowledge of wood products in general and particularly Western Red Cedar Provide your clients with the best advice on incorporating this unique and remarkable species in their projects 7 hours of AIA/CES Learning Unit Hours for AIA member architects According to WRCLS, you'll be gaining knowledge in seven important areas: Forestry 101 Training Wood Properties Wood Manufacturing Wood Products & Grading Cedar Marketing & Promotion Installation of Cedar Siding, Decking, etc. Wood Finishing, Staining & Maintenance There's something in this course for everyone. I grew up in the construction business and thought I knew everything there was to know about properly installing and maintaining cedar and other types of wood siding. Well, I was wrong. Even I was able to come away from this course with some very useful tidbits that I've since put to use doing inspections on new homes under construction where the siding installers obviously weren't well trained. It's hard for a builder to argue that his employees are doing a great job when the country's resident authority on cedar siding affirms one's inspection findings to the contrary. Check it out! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, The Engineered Wood Association (Formerly known as the APA) is offering a couple of free continuing education classes via the internet at their online Wood University. If you are a member of one of the professional HI organizations, you might be able to use these as MRC's or CEU's for your organization's continuing education requirement, or you could simply make yourself a little smarter about aspects of these structures that we inspect. The courses presently offered are: Engineered Wood Basics Design of Wood Connections If anyone has already taken these courses, please post your impressions here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

This link is to a distance learning course offered by Washington State University and taught by David Pollock, PhD, P.E.. CE436: An Introduction to the Behavior and Design of Timber Structures Web-based learning modules with animations developed to aid in the understanding of wood as an engineering material and with the structural design processes used in timber design. Topic modules include: Moisture Effects Wind Loads Lumber Production Load Duration Factors Adjustment Factor Chart Adjustment Factor Quiz Adjustment Factor Scenarios Beam Design Connections Dowel Bearing Strength Shear Walls Diaphragms Seismic Loads If anyone has taken this course, please post your impressions here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

This link is to the American Wood Council's on-line E-course site. This site currently has a total of 31 free e-courses and lists two more in the works. Seems like an inspecting boy or girl could garner some very good CEU/MRC's here. If anyone has taken any of these courses, how about posting your impressions here. Here's the link: http://www.awc.org/HelpOutreach/eCourses/index.html ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, My vocabulary is rusty, but if memory serves in Germany studs are typically referred to as bretter. You have Wandbretter (wall studs), Fussbodenbretter (floor joists) and Dachbretter (ceiling joists). Size is normally expressed in millimeters, not centimeters. I remember that the singular was Brett and I believe that the plural was Bretter but it might be Bretten instead. It's been about 15 years since I've cracked a Duden open or carried on more than 10 minutes conversation in German. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Les, Yeah, I've had those roofs. The upper layers slipping so badly that I'm not even sure it's safe to walk across the roof for fear the whole thing will pull away from the layer below and begin an avalanche. Usually find 1 inch nails being held in place by asphalt only. Then there's the listing agent (and sometimes the buyer's agent) - "What?! That roof was just replaced. What do you mean it's no good??? My inspector would never make such a ridiculous call!" ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, I'd always heard reglet in relation to chimney flashings too, but in those cases it was applied to the turned back lip of the flashings which is driven into the slot or kerf and holds the flashings in place - a practice almost non-existent around here anymore, by the way. So, apparently I picked up on a misnomer. Anyway, I just looked it up in theIllustrated Dictionary of Building Materials & Techniques where a reglet is defined as: A long, narrow slot or groove formed in a wall, designed to receive a flashing or to serve as an anchorage. He lists kerf as the groove or space created by the cutting action of a saw blade, which we all knew and agree with. Technically, on the old chimneys where new flashings are installed it could be called either, since some of these guys use a saw to cut 'kerfs' or 'reglets' to push the new flashings into. Do any of you folks see mason's turning back the lip on flashings so they'll be a good tight press-fit when they insert them or are they just straight? Learned something new today. Kewl. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike