hausdok

Didn't you read that? It says "touch to silence". In condos and apartments when a fire alarm goes off there are emitters throghout the building that are meant to alert everyone that an alarm has gone off. Sometimes, when it happens too often and they get annoyed, people will try to silence them by placing tape over them. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

As opposed to an 8-inch, 12-inch, clay or brick-lined one? [] Badda - Boom! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The group that wrote that needs to be horse whipped. Why can't they just put it in simpler terms without all of the twenty five cent words and passive language so that even a plant can understand it? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yes, I understand why they are bonded there and why it's necessary to install the strap when the grounded and equipment-grounding conductors are both mounted on the grounded (neutral) bus at the main disconnect. My question is, and I'm hoping Douglas will answer it, must the bonding strap be installed if the grounded conductors are all isolated on the grounded bus and the equipment-grounding conductors are all on the grounding bus and they are not mixed? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, Jim's take is essentially what I tell folks. They're largely made with off-the-shelf components. As long as you can still get parts, or make newer parts perform the same function, they keep right on going. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Are you quite sure about that? I thought the code says that the grounded bus and the grounding bus may be bonded but not beyond the main disconnect. If the grounded conductors and grounded bus are isolated from the grounding bus and equipment grounding conductors why must they be bonded through the enclosure, if it's a situation where the code allows it under special conditions but doesn't require it? You say the neutral (bus?)(grounded bus) is bonded to the Myers hub but it looks more like the service grounding electrode conductor extends from the grounding bus through a hole at the lower right corner on the way to the service grounding electrode and passes through a bond clamp attached to the Myers hub. Have you got an establishing shot of that panel? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The AHJ's in my area would disagree. Exposed NM in living areas must be protected from damage. Ever seen a house with the NM installed on the exposed side of the wall finish? Marc No, I've never seen NM exposed (well at least when it's correctly installed) on the exposed side of the wall in living areas; however, that's a mechanical room - it is not living space. One can see that the walls outside of that room are covered with rock and taped. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

It seems to be in short supply. Chad, on a house without a basement, can the connection to the ufer ground be done hidden from view within a wall cavity? Marc I can answer that. It must be done in a way that you can view it. I remove covers to confirm ufers and bond connections all the time. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Much more easily said than done. You can spend much more than an hour on just the siding-assuming it's already installed when you first start working. Marc Um, Nope. I'm pretty sure that's what it would take me, including cutting away the siding, flashing the opening and installing a head flashing and exterior trim. I hate drywall work 'cuz I'm not good with mud work. It would take me a lot longer to patch the drywall and get a decently smooth surface than it would to cut and block a hole and install some flashings and trim. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Looks like it might be a pretty nice little unit for the primary heat source for a cabin or detached garage/shop, but if I were to buy one, instead of sticking it in a usable window I'd just get out a saw, cut a hole through the wall, install some jacks and a header, mount it in the wall, flash it and be done with it. It'd take less than an hour, not including patching and repainting, and it wouldn't look as goofy as I'm sure it does hanging in a window. That seems like a lot of money for that unit, though. Has Harbor Freight got it? It might be cheaper there. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Robert, Is it possible that a new ceiling was added below the original. I've looked at a lot of '20's and 30's homes where plastered ceilings were coming apart; so, instead of fixing them, the owners framed up a new ceiling lower than the original and hung a new drywall ceiling. It's wasn't until I went into the attic, rooted around in the insulation and found the plaster and lath that I realized what had been done. There were still a lot of houses being plastered in the '40's. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, Electrical Inspection Of Existing Dwellings - 2001 Edition by Douglas Hansen. You've heard us say it here before; now I'll say it again and all of you others that don't have it, GET IT!!! Don't spend a dime on any more kewl flashlights, IR thermometers, moisture meters, etc., until you've purchased a copy of that book. Once you've got it, read it cover to cover. Then read it cover to cover again. Then put it in the throne room and read something in it every time you have to, uh, er, ponder your place on this planet. There isn't another book about electrical that I've every read that broke it down and explained it better. If you don't get that book, you ain't serious about this biz. ONE TEAM-ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Marc, What exactly do you think is going to damage it; wire mites? There's conduit protecting the wires below the panelboards where they might get damaged by something placed against the wall but above a box like that there's not a whole lot is going to damage it unless someone goes in there with an ax and... ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Had this one recently. I don't normally photograph these unless there is something wrong; but this one was very clean and very neat. That's two 200 amp load centers side by side. Click to Enlarge 37.11 KB

Does that vent extend all the way to the top of that masonry flue or did they stop it inside the flue. If it doesn't extend all the way to the top and have a collar/cover you've got the potential for exhaust gas to condense on the inside of that large cold stack and cause damage to the flue liner as well as the potential for it to backdraft into the house every time a door or window is cracked or an exhaust fan is turned on. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, Fix the ventilation first, then deal with the fungi. One doesn't have to be a remediation firm or a rocket scientist or a "mold specialist" to apply BoraCare or Timbor; however, neither will make the stuff disappear. Even if it's dead and non-viable after treatment, the stuff will still be there when they go to sell the house later on. If the buyers hire an inspector who cringes and freaks at the sight of a little fungi, it could be an obstacle that will be expensive to overcome. You could kill it and cover it with something like Concrobium, but that's like putting out a big sign that says "MOLD!!!," and in my opinion is worse than just treating it, leaving it there and reporting it to the next buyer. Soda blasting also is not rocket science. It takes a rented pressure-type soda blaster, a rented air compressor and media purchased over the net to be able to thoroughly scour the underside of the floor. Your guy could pull the insulation down, nuke the stuff with Bora-Care to kill it (I like Bora Care because it's mixed with glycerin and diffuses into the wood up to about an inch and a half), wait a day or two for full penetration, soda-blast the underside of the floor so that they're pretty again, reapply a fresh spray of Bora Care to keep the surface Chernobyl-like for fungi, reinstall the insulation and clean the place up - all for a fraction of what it would cost to have one of the "mold specialists" do it. The only problem with this approach is if the guy does it wrong and the stuff comes back. Then all of the fingers are pointed at you and all you'll hear is, "But, but, Jerry said......!!" ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

All Users, A post above containing a link to a site called Inspection Reports Online has been deleted because the person that made the initial post - kprobertwhite - is at the very same IP address as the person that had answered and provided that link - ernestrjackson. Both user names have been locked. This was a case of a someone trying to generate traffic to a specific site by posing as someone needing help and then coming back under a different name and posting a seemingly helpful response. If they are going to resort to that kind of chicanery to lure you to their site, do you really want to go there? You decide. Hire an independent home inspector who knows his P's and Q's. You can find them right here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

With E.I.F.S. you must also take into account vapor diffusion from the interior. The warmer moisture-laden air in every home migrates uniformly outward through all exterior walls toward the cooler and drier exterior at night through a process called vapor diffision. When it enters the E.I.F.S. lamina it can cool to dewpoint and condense inside the lamina. Vapor diffusion has been known to generate enough moisture to totally destroy wall sheathing, so it's not a stretch to expect that if it becomes trapped behind an E.I.F.S. lamina that doesn't have any provisions for drainage that it could cause strange things to happen within that lamina. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

ALBANY, NY (10/05/2011)(readMedia) The New York Department of State will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, October 12, on the licensing of home inspectors. The meeting will take place at the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building in Albany and at 123 William Street in NYC. The Department's Division of Licensing Services issues licenses to people who conduct home inspections, and... To read more, click here.

Hi Phillip, Did you scan those walls for moisture? I'm in Kurt's school on this; where the hell is the drainage plane at the bottom of that wall and over those windows? How were the perimeters of those windows detailed? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Thanks Mike. You feeling any better? If you mean my hand, yeah, thanks for asking. It's been coming back on it's own very slowly. I've been to a neurologist, had some tests and an MRI and now I'm waiting for the neurologist to analyze the results and get back to me. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Richard, Saw that system about 8 weeks ago at a development of townhomes in Issaquah - D.R. Horton, I think. For some reason, that firm seems to favor these things. Sometimes they work, other times I've found lots of nasty stuff growing. On that last one, the bearings were worn out from running 24/7 and the fan was mounted directly to the floor joists without any kind of attentuation. It was annoying as hell. I recommended they replace the fan and mount it to the foundation wall instead of the floor joists. No damage or funk, just weird. ONE TEAM - ONE TEAM!!! Mike

1. Lift up the tabs on each side of and diretly above the damaged shingle. 2. Remove the four nails - two in the shingle that overlaps the damaged T-Lock, one on either side through the shingles that overlap onto the side tabs of the T-lock. 3. Reach down, grab the damaged shingle at the tab and slide it down and out. 4. After slipping in the new shingle and renailing it, relock the shingles into place. 5. Be very careful to bend the tab gently. If you bend the old shingles too much they may break. 6. With some types of T-locks you may have to tear off part of the ear portion of the shingle to get it back into position. 7. T-locks should be replaced only when the shingles are warm. Ref: Roofers Handbook by W.E. Johnson, Craftsman Books ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Or maybe being told that any inspection done by a HUD certified guy who isn't licensed is tantamount under state law to waiving the inspection contingency and folks will end up owning homes even when they didn't want them based on the illegal inspection results helped. Who cares, the good thing is that they are finally on the same sheet of music and understand that, though they are only required to produce that weak little checklist report for Uncle Sam, they still need to have a contract, perform the inspection to the state SOP and produce a report that fully complies with state law. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Steve, If/When you post something like that and it doesn't seem to take, give me a nudge via email and I'll see what I can do to get it done. It's hausdok@msn.com ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!!