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Update: Since that review, which was done a couple of years ago and I used as filler here until I do another, I've had to change ladders, 'cuz last July some A-hole walked off with the one I did the review on. Wouldn't you know it - the one time I forgot to put the cable on it and it disappeared. (The danged extension ladder and step ladders weren't locked up for nearly 6 years and neither of those ever disappeared!) Anyway, I replaced it with two Gorilla ladders like Chad purchased from Home Depot - one 13ft. and the other 21ft. These are lighter and heavier respectively, but that is to be expected given the fact that they are shorter and longer and rated for 300lbs as opposed to the 225lbs. of the other. A few user comments: You have to keep the hinge releases more lubricated than with the Cosco ladder or they are pretty difficult to release. The spring clips holding the release knobs on rust real easy and should have been stainless. They don't extend and retract as easily as the Cosco because the diagonal bracing welded onto the bottom will catch the end of the upper sections. The locking lugs need to be periodically cleaned and lubed or they get real hard to pull out. Other than those few things I'm still pretty happy with them. I purchased the two together for about the cost of a 17ft. L.G. and they are still a whole lot easier to use than swapping between the 22ft. extension ladder I had and the step ladder all the time. Best of all, when I know I won't need to climb more than 13ft. I leave the longer one and my tailgate extension cage at home and close the tailgate of my Baha. When I bring them both, I can stack them one on top of the other and they're still below the top of the bed and I can park that little truck just about anywhere you can put a VW Beetle. (Especially good for those in city condo jobs with low entrances into parking garages.) ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, They're connected with NM, MC and cord and plug here all the time. New homes are all cord with plug. I usually call NM because it is, as Douglas pointed out, typically not secured within one foot of the connection. Most of the time, it also doesn't have proper strain relief and on more than one occasion I've found the wiring taped up and arc/char marks on the disposal housing where the constant back and forth movement caused by shoving a trash can into the cabinet beneath the sink had caused the unrestrained cable to chafe through and short out. MC'S the same - no strain relief in about 90% of the cases. Another common thing here is to find the romex either connected to a plug and plugged into a receptacle beneath the sink or wired to a switch in an ungrounded metal box mounted just inside the cabinet door without a switch cover on it. Then there are the disposers wired with lamp cord without an equipment grounding conductor directly to a switch in an ungrounded metal box without the cover........ ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Brian, While we're waiting for Douglas to answer - Aluminum has been used in that application here in the Puget Sound region since the late 60's early 70's without significant issues. It is typical to inspect a home here and find that the S.E.C. and all 240 circuits (dryer/water heater/stove-oven/spas/furnaces) are wired with stranded aluminum while everything else is copper. Most of the time it is coated with anti-oxidation paste, but in those instances where it is not I have never found an issue. Incidentally, the other day I did a home built in 1972 that was completely wired with aluminum without a gram of anti-oxidation paste anywhere. The house had never been pigtailed and had the original switches and outlets in it. No oxidation anywhere in the house and no corrosion at any outlets or switches. Wrote it up anyway and explained to the client that an insurance company will most-probably see the aluminum wiring as a potential hazard, regardless of its condition, and she can probably expect to pay higher premiums, if she can get insurance at all. I also provided her with some information about pigtailing and warned her about having it done with the suspect Ideal connectors. Since that was part of a development of cookie-cutter homes, I'm betting that all of them have aluminum branch circuitry. Douglas, I heard someplace, I don't remember where, that another company has produced a similar pigtailing method to Amp's copalum method and that any electrician is permitted to do it. Have you seen, heard or read anything along those lines? I remember kicking myself in the butt afterward for not asking for more details, but I can't remember who the conversation was with. Such is the onset of alzheimers, I suppose. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Phew! I'm going to look a lot more critically at ITE and Siemens breakers after this. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Hardiplank and Hardiboard siding is used a lot here in the Northwest. It holds up very well to the weather, holds paint well and looks great. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, that's been out for a long time. Fox meter and Ideal make better ones. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Mine is about 2-1/2 years old. I originally purchased it in 1999 and had to send it back for repairs a couple of years later. They sent me a new one instead. It does the same thing. I don't know why. I do know how to prevent it. Just press the GFCI button a couple of times before testing each outlet. Don't ask me why this corrects the anomalies, 'cuz I have no idea, but it does. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Well, Since you can still find the panels if you look hard enough, as well as new breakers, avoid any Sylvania panels and any Federal Pacifi Electric panels. What brand panel is that? The pictures are kind of dark and make it hard to see the breaker configuration. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Heck Terry, You know where to go. You must have forgotten. Follow the link below to the den of the Electerminator's repository of knowledge pertaining to all things electric. The Electerminator even has a paper by Carson and Dunlop linked there that speaks to the insurance issue. CodeCheck Electrical Resources Page Quick, go now before the pass is snowed in and the yak can no longer get through! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Robert, I had one about three years ago in a Seattle home. I don't remember whether it was the same brand, but the concept was the same - the chimney was the furnace and the rest of the controls were fitted to the chimney like they'd been on a furnace. The one I saw had been taken out of service and the house converted to electric heat. As I recall, the chimney had been built with an inner and outer jacket so that air could circulate around the outside of the firebox and rise and fall up through octopus-style ducts and grates throughout the house. I hope you were wearing a good respirator poking around that vermiculite insulation. We don't want you to come down sick 25 to 30 years from now with mesothelioma. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Okay, That aside, you guys can click on DougT's hyperlink and it is safe to use. Interesting photo's. Must have made a lot of smoke. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Guys, I've got virus programs up the ying-yang on my box, so I checked out the link. Verified that it was safe, and then grabbed the link from the Word Doc and turned it into a hyperlink on DougT's original post, so it no longer goes through a word doc. When you click on the hyperlink, it will take you to DougT's photo album on another site where it will take a minute to load a shockwave-type slide show with 46 photos of the remains of one very crispy exterior meter socket and panel. The contrast is a little high on the photos, but if you want to get a better look at one or more, just grab them individually and reopen them in MS photodraw and you can lighten them up when necessary. Pretty scary sight! Looks like the bus is completely melted away. Must have been aluminum!? I'd be interested to know what Douglas thinks about it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Okay Guys, Let's not turn Jim's question into another realtor sniping session. That kind of stuff has no place on the Electrical forum. And, if you expect Douglas, as moderator of this forum to answer this, you need to understand that he hasn't got a whole lot of patience with folks carping about stuff, instead of presenting solutions. When you interject that kind of stuff into a thread, he tends to not answer. When it becomes indemic, he has a habit of going away and not coming back for a loooonnnnng time. I think that would be a disservice to everyone here. That's a hint. Jim, according to Douglas' book, "(snip)The UL Standard today says that a Class A GFCI must trip when an imbalance of 6 milliamps exists, and the GFCI must allow an imbalance of 3 milliamps without tripping.(Snip)Class A GFCI's are designed to protect people from shock hazards. Class B GFCI's, with a higher trip threshold, are for swimming poollights that predate the grounding requirements of the 1965 NEC®." ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Chris, I see a lot of woodstoves here. Some have dampers but most do not anymore. Like Chad says, combustion now is usually controlled by regulating air intake. There is no discussion of dampers in my HVAC Code Check, although it has pretty extensive specs for wood-burning devices under ICBO, UBC and NFPA requirements. All it says for all is that the device must be installed in accordance with its labeling and listing, that the vent can't be any smaller than the collar and that (NFPA) the flue can't be any larger than 3 times the diameter of the vent collar. If they've disclosed that, my guess is that they'll have the installation manual lying around nearby to 'take the wind out of the inspectors sails' should he comment about the lack of a damper. Whenever I'm in doubt about one of these, I'll inspect it as I see it, state that I'm unsure about such-and-such requirement and tell them I'll check it out and call them with an answer. If it is something that I know I won't be able to do right away, I'll take down whatever data I can find off of the appliance, give it to the client and recommend the client obtain the instruction manual from the owner, to double-check it, or contact the manufacturer and request they e-mail or fax specs for the appliance to them. It seems to work fine. I've only had to ever go back once - when a client's insurance company insisted that a special form be filled out by and inspector to document everything about the stove. I was on-site 15 minutes and got paid $75. to fill in some blanks with data from the stove and sign my name to the document. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Paul, Yeah, they are still only 'recommended' by APA's offspring. Chris, I feel your pain. OSB is used in about 99.9% of new construction here anymore. I think the only new homes I've seen plywood used on over the past almost-8 years have been custom builts. It holds up reasonably well here for both roof and sidewall applications. How well, really depends on whether the roofer, window installer and siding contractor have done their jobs right or had their heads up their butts. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Steve, Don't want to shock you, but H-clips are very rarely used out here in the land of eternal rains. Every once in a while it is nice to see them, but I gave up expecting to find them long ago. [:-magnify] ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, I've been looking through all of the articles that Norm wants to contribute to the cause. This guy has a lot of energy! I'm thinking of giving him his own column on the front page where we can put all of this stuff. I'm struggling with the name though. After reading through this stuff, I'm not sure whether it should be called: Norm Says [:-boring] Norm's Rant [:-grumpy] The Beef [:-headache] Listen Up Maggots! [:-gnasher] Don't Ask Norm...Just Listen [:-irked] The Curmudgeon's Corner [:-mean] Norman's Stormin' [:-skull] The Sage Speaks [:-graduate] Sage Advice [}] Shut-Up And Listen [:-yuck] Normfucious Says [:-hypnotized] None of them really 'sing' to me. Waddayu guys think? [] OT - OF!!! M.

COMMENTARY: by Scott Patterson Over the past year I have noticed a marked change in the attitudes, perceptions and the general demeanor of home inspectors across the country. The prevailing theme behind most of the grumbling has to do with regulation of the industry and the additional steps, and in some cases obstacles that must be surmounted by home inspectors, to obtain their required licenses or registration. I spoke of obstacles; for some reason the authors of legislation to regulate home inspectors have included steps in the regulations that make it extremely difficult for a new person to enter into this profession. The largest obstacle as I see it is the number of required inspections that an inspector must do before he or she can become licensed in any particular state. The next obstacle would be the enormous amount of pre-license education hours that are required by a couple of states and the limited number of selected providers. Fortunately this is only in a couple of states and, with any luck over the next few years, changes may occur. However, it will take many voices in unison to do it. Threats, misinformation and pointing the finger will not do it. Today I found a post on one of the forums from a person who had written a letter to a state legislator. This letter sounded real good and had some very strong points, but it was very inaccurate and slanted toward the author's agenda. It would not take much research to reveal this and make the author of this letter look like a fool. Much ado has been made of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) as being the leading force behind the push for the regulation of our profession. I don’t think that this can be credited to ASHI, at least not on a national level. I think that this might however hold some credibility on the local front. With ASHI having over 6500 members across the U.S. and Canada, and with a good majority of those belonging to various chapters across the country, it is only logical that those home inspectors who are in states that have licensing, or are in the process of being licensed, are going to belong to ASHI. I think that we have some very strong chapters that have been active in many states. For the most part, I have found, legislators listen to their local constituents over outsiders. ASHI did, and still does, offer a model of home inspector legislation for anyone to use. And, as far as I know they were the first home inspectors organization to do this and are still the only one that has developed model legislation for this profession. Unfortunately, some local inspector groups/chapters have modified the model legislation, or have crafted self serving legislation that gives the outward appearance of trying to limit competition and restrict entry into this profession. It is unfortunate, but this has happened. As I see it, one of the reasons for having poor legislation become law is the lack of input in the beginning from inspectors. I have seen it happen in my state firsthand. Other inspectors took the back seat while a few inspectors pushed or spearheaded legislation. If you're not going to be involved than you will need to accept what has been put on your plate, regardless of whether you like it or not. If you scan the various internet forums that cater to the home inspection profession, it does not take long to see the various levels of strife that many inspectors are facing in the way of competition. New inspectors can have a difficult time breaking into the market - especially when a strong home inspectors group of chapter has done a good job of marketing their members to the real estate profession and the general public. So what can you do? The easiest thing would be to try and become part of that group. If joining the dominant group/chapter of home inspectors is not possible, you will need to set yourself apart from your competition by offering specialized services or products. However, one primary rule to remember is that you should never talk bad about your competition, or whine and complain about your competition to the person you're trying to get referrals from. It really looks bad and is not professional. Would you do business with a person who is complaining about their competition? I doubt that you would. The best advice I can give is based only upon my own personal observations and experiences. If you chose this profession because you were under the impression that you could make a lot of money with very little outlay of cash, while only working a few days a week, than you have chosen the wrong profession. Over the past few years, I have spoken with many former home inspectors, all of whom had similar stories. They'd felt like this was an easy profession to break into, with little effort and only a few hours of work a day, and they believed they could start up on a shoestring budget. Another common misconception was that they believed they could join an association and have instant credibility among their peers and the public. From what I can tell, much of this misinformation is being introduced by some of our home inspector trainers and schools. They make this profession sound like it is the best thing since sliced bread, simply to ensure a constant supply of new students. This is not a difficult profession but it is demanding and requires a certain amount of personal ethics and the ability to adapt and learn. All you can do is to do your job to the best of you ability and provide service to your clients as if they were part of your family. If you do this as a home inspector and you are consistent, level headed and honest, you stand a very good chance of making it in this profession. Survive for two years, and you stand a 50% chance of making it to your third year. Survive your third year, and you stand a 75% chance of making it to your fourth year. Survive the fourth year, and you have a 90% chance of making it to your fifth year. Survive your fifth year and you can say that you have made it! Scott Patterson is Principal of Trace Home Inspections, Ridgeland, MS (http://www.traceinspections.com) and is a charter member of the Mississippi ASHI chapter and the Mississippi Association of Home Inspectors (MAHI). Scott inspects primarily in the Jacson area and has been in the home inspection business since 1995. Scott can be reached via E-mail or by phone at 601-898-4504. Comments on this article should be posted to the 'Feedback' forums on TIJ. Check out ourother news items or visit our forums.

On February 25th the newly formed New Jersey chapter of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) will hold its first formal meeting at the Ramada Inn, 399 Monmouth Street, East Windsor. According to chapter organizer Phillip R. Hinman of Clemonton, because the focus of the first meeting is primarily to discuss changes to the New Jersey home inspector licensing law, the meeting is open to all New Jersey home inspectors regardless of affiliation. Hinman says the agenda includes: 1. Introduction of the new NACHI chapter. 2. Discussion of changes to the existing New Jersey home inspector licensing law that NACHI is preparing to propose. 3. Solicitation of support(financial or otherwise) for NACHI's newly-hired New Jersey lobbyist in getting NACHI's proposals enacted. 4. Discussion of strategy for the future as home inspectors in New Jersey. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:00PM and will begin with a dinner. Hinman emphasized that there is no cost to join the chapter or to attend the meeting. However, for those who wish to dine, dinner will cost $20. NACHI intends to award 1 continuing education unit (CEU) for attendance. Those wishing to attend should E-mail and RSVP to NACHI's Executive Director, Nick Gromicko, at nickgromicko@NACHI.org or go to the NACHI website for additional details. Check out ourother news items or visit our forums.

Hi Dan, I moved your post to the Feedback forum. Please try to remember that responses to those articles displayed on the front page must be in Feedback. OT - OF!!! Mike

Hi Ellen, This is what you need to know to add a hyperlink to your messages: FAQ: Can I add a hyperlink to my messages? Following these instructions will get you this: Flowguard Gold Installation ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, It is a listing and labeling thing. Some manufacturer's don't want their product within 6 inches of the draft hood on top of a gas water heater. Since many plumbers use the top nipple for the T & P instead of the side nipple, that puts the CPVC within 6 inches of the draft hood. It's probably not even a founded worry. If you check out the Plastic Pipe Institute website, you'll see that burst pressure for CPVC pipe at boiling temperature is over 2000 psi. However, rules is rules. With PEX it is definitely a concern. Most PEX manufacturer's don't want it within 18 inches of the water heater. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Terry, The strikethrough is in the boxes above the composition box when you are putting together a post. Highlight the area you want struck through and then click on the S with the line through it above, like this, and you'll have it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Anthony, No, you're not asking too many questions. You're just asking the same questions that all of these guys have asked others at some time or other - only their questions were probably spread out over a longer period of time. Don't let Dan throw you. Based on reading his stuff for the past four or five years, I know he's a little bit of a curmudgeon - as are most of us in this business - but he's good people. Curmudgeons tend to be a little testy every once in a while. Don't worry about it. Just keep on asking questions, but make sure that you are listening closely to the answers. He and the others are right though. You have to take that plunge sooner or later. Once you do, a lot of the questions will answer themselves. Once you do, you'll realize why so many guys come into this business, stay only a little while and leave, 'cuz it doesn't matter how much you know, you'll never know enough.[:-banghead] ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I normally see a high-temperature butyl or silicone (grey or red) used for that application around here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! M.