Jesse

Mine was a joke, Mike.

I'd be more concerned about getting one on my ass.

That's in the kitchen?

I stand corrected. Thanks, Jim.

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

There are a lot of books and classes you can take. They will, for the most part, help you learn. The most vital part of this learning process is joining a good inspector on actual inspections. All the guys, myself included, on this board are fan's of Hansen's electrical book. So read it over and over. You still won't be able to inspect a panel. So find an ethical, motivated, successful inspector that will welcome you on some of his inspections. And I don't mean five inspections. Personally, I think 100 is a step in the right direction. Realize that you are not working for him; he's allowing you to tag along. That means you are not getting paid. You commented on some of the non-Einstein inspectors that you see doing a good job, not getting complaints. If that's who you want to be, good luck. If you're very lucky, you'll have a fruitful career during which no one will sue you for your business and your house, and you'll put forth very little effort towards anything. For the most part, the folks on this board try to be a bit more than that. These guys go out every day to do the very best they can. Many of us spend hours a day on forums like this, researching new building materials and old practices, to be better inspectors than we were yesterday. And many have been doing that for years. I'm not trying to discourage you. Guys and gals on this forum do not sweat competition. The title of your initial post asked for advice. Here's mine: Do you want to take a shot at being a home inspector? Sure, a 100hr internet course is all you need. Buy a $400 tool kit from a catalog, maybe some business cards, and you're good to go. Do you want to create something? A business by which you can help your clients understand a lot of things they've never heard of? Be able to look yourself in the mirror at night knowing you aren't cheating anybody? Be a respected member of a business community? Learn something new every day? Work your tail off? No, the internet course will not do. There's a lot more to it than you can absorb in any circumstance that is measured in hours, especially considering you have no experience in a related field. Group hug! Good luck with the move, JR. I wish I spent more time in the mountains. Not much of that around here.

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.

Different strokes. The travel agent has spent a week out of every month in Hawaii for years. She can tell you which hike guide is a jackass, and which snorkeling trip is worth the money. I know the travel sites have ratings for all kinds of stuff, and maybe that works for you. Like I said before, we usually don't use travel agents - this time it worked out great.

My wife and I went to Hawaii for a honeymoon a few years ago, and used a travel agent for the first time. This gal knows her business, and built a great trip for us on our budget. Several times on our trip we were treated very well strictly because we were clients of her company. celebrate-travel.com annerose@celebrate-travel.com Have a great time.

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.

Les, I don't know when the last time you were in Austin was, but it's not what it was. Though there are some hold-out blocks, much of the beautiful old neighborhood has been abused beyond recognition. It's easily among the most dangerous areas of the city. I occasionally have a job in Austin. I love the architecture and history, but I keep a close eye on my car if my tools are in it. Oak Park, where I get most of my work, is generally very well-kept. Tons of diversity. A big variety of people, rich and poor, black and white, snobs and good easy-going folks. To return from my tangent, though... No, people don't wash and polish the homes anymore. Either hire out to paint it, or hire out to power wash it.

I cringed a bit when I read this. The high score in the home inspector class is great - for a start. It doesn't mean you know inspections; it doesn't mean you can consistently provide quality service. It is really important to follow another inspector on a bunch of jobs. Then start inspecting your house, your friends' houses, etc. You'll find your own answers for the tool question. You'll also walk away from each job with a list of topics you need you research and learn more about. Keep reading here. I owe a lot to a couple seasoned guys in my area and the gentlemen I've never met here on this forum. Good luck with the new business and new baby. Mine are fairly new as well.

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?