Jesse

You are right about the application of the materials - you have to use pipe, not flexible tubing, in these areas. The rules are in place to back it up. Sorry, I'm far from my reference books now. I'm sure somebody else will chime in with the appropriate verbiage and references.

An electrician has nothing to do with the service drop. That's the domain of the power company. They dictate their own rules.

disorientated

Thanks, Mike. I guess it's no different from talking about ladders or moisture meters. First Alert CO detectors are a waste of money. NightHawk makes very dependable detectors. Recently Kidde bought NightHawk. So Kidde now puts the good technology in their own packaging.

Like Brian said, don't buy the first CO detector you find. Also, don't price-shop! Some units are much more likely to give false alarms than others, and have shorter lifespans. I don't know if I'm allowed to shoot down, or plug, specific brands here, so... There's one brand that every big box store has tons of. It rhymes with "Worst Alert." It's very inexpensive - often less than $20. Not as dependable as one might like. The CO detectors in my house usually sell for $40 - $50. Worth every penny. False alarms on that brand are very, very rare. Rhymes with "RightHawk" or "Pidde." Replace your batteries twice a year. Replace your detectors every five years. Like Paul said, if this post saves one person from mistakes that I've seen, I'll be a very happy man.

I don't think "perfect writing" exists. Writing, like public speaking, depends on the audience. Every report I write is for a different audience, so how can I ever be perfect? Walter said it well: simple, clear writing can be understood, and can't be misunderstood. John, you may spend 15 minutes on you computer composing a beautiful, elegant sentence. If that sentence goes right over your client's head, you've wasted his money and your time.

Like Kurt said, a roughed-in bath. Steven, there's a separate pit because your waste water (bath ejector pit) should have a different destination from your ground water (French drain).

Joe I don't why my actions are detrimental. I can't see all of the heat exchanger in a furnace. Does that mean I shouldn't look at the furnace at all? No. I should inspect as much as I can.

This brings a whole new set of questions to mind... number of heads:size of main. I can't see how an average main can supply adequate water necessary. No residential sprinkler system is designed to have all heads activated. The idea of a sprinkler system is that it puts out a small fire, or keeps it small until the fire department can arrive and finish the job. 90% of fires in fully-sprinklered buildings are contained or extinguished with one head.

No, I do not usually recommend an expert for a sprinkler system. I'll try to find the shutoffs, and make sure the water is on to the system. I'll check to see if there are heads on a wet system in an area that might freeze(that's bad). In commercial, industrial, and large multi-family buildings, they'll be required to actively test the system regularly. That assumes, of course, that the AHJ is paying attention. Single family, and small multi-family, systems that run on basic residential water service, are generally not policed. That's the stuff you see tapped off the regular water service entrance.

Jerry's on the right track.

Most residential sprinkler heads I see, except in common areas of multi-family buildings, are concealed. You do not want to routinely pull those covers just to try to discover a manufacturer. Sooner or later(probably sooner), you'll pop a head. The water damage from one head will probably exceed the cost of replacing every head in an average house. Remember, the water in the pipe behind that sprinkler head has been sitting there since the pipe was first installed. Really nasty stuff. I'll report that there is a fire sprinkler system in place, and the extent of it's distribution - total coverage, halls and stairs only, common areas only, etc. That's it.

An ungrounded GFCI receptacle that trips by the test button on the receptacle is fine. Your tester will not trip it, but it still provides adequate protection for a user.

Spoken like a true poet

Wouldn't you need an expansion tank on the cold side if there's a backflow prevention device upstream?

Walter, I'm glad you brought this question. I've had to write this quite a bit recently, and I've been struggling trying to improve it. I'm in the neighborhood of what Jim's saying. But Kurt makes a good point. If I keep writing more and more, just to make myself feel important, that doesn't help anybody, cuz no one will read it. Clarity and brevity.

The efficacy and quality of writing has been a common topic lately. Kurt, I'm suprised at both the style and length of your description, since you are such an advocate of get-to-the-point reports.

Back to the topic: I do test water pressure. I guess I'm not really sure why! It's just part of my little system, I guess. More important, I operate multiple fixtures together to look for an annoying loss of flow. There's a lot of old galvanized pipe in my area - so it's good to show people the flow restriction.

The hydrant coloring system is particular to your area. There is a nationally recognized system, but it's not all that common. If it's used, hydrants will be painted not to what static pressure they offer, but to what flow they can deliver. It sounds like Mike's area uses the recommended system: Blue - best - 1500+ gal/min Green - good - 1000-1499 gal/min Orange - ok - 500-999 gal/min Red - rotten - less than 500 gal/min Some areas that paint their hydrants all the same are starting to use colored reflective tape, painted caps(like Mike said), etc. More common, though, is some nitwit village president that decides should be a certain color, because it's his favorite. Or someone thinks hydrants are ugly and shouldn't be seen, so they paint them dark green.

The most valuable education is going on inspections with some one who knows what he/she is doing. If just two months ago you weren't ready to pass a written exam, you've got a while to go. Keep your eyes open, and have fun.

Bob - Can you explain how the earth generates electricity? Further, why will that process never end?

Thanks for the thorough response, Jim. Thanks to you too, Brian, though I don't think lightning is the culprit. Hope you all still have all your fingers after a great Independence Day.

If it deforms to the point of permanent deformity, I'd call that a failure. If it bends a bit, bounces back, and you'd think it'd keep you from falling, it's good.

The white insulation on all of the neutrals in the subpanel has discoloration - brown - near the contact point at the neutral bar. Looks like overheating. Weird to see on every neutral, though. Other than one breaker double-tapped, no other issues. All suspect wires are same color and size - likely same spool of product. Any ideas?

I'd like to see that article, Mike.