Chris Bernhardt

Neither. Just looks like rust by your foto. When I have seen this it's because the top of the cover slopes to that corner. Chris, Oregon

Yes, usually in basements. Chris, Oregon

For the sake of not boring the client is it OK to leave the source of your opinion out of the report and is it good enough to be sure to be able to provide it if called upon? For example in this case Jim K. stripped out the 50/1000 rule out of my original narrative. What has been the experience of you EW's regarding this? Chris, Oregon

Actually the house was 1973 ranch. There was only one line. Typically here one line for an above ground tank and two for a buired tank. I could find no second line. Also the line was clean with no oil residue or odor. Chris, Oregon

I often find around here brand new row house construction with single car garages having a gas water heater and furnace in the garage with no combustion air source to the exterior. The builder or his agent have come back on occasion and said " but if we put a hole thru the side of the garage to the exterior that will make the garage cold in the winter and besides the building inspector has already finaled the house." Also I find heating contractors often install new furnaces in old garages that are too small. Why is this? Is the 50cuft/1000Btu rule over kill? Is it just given that there's always enough infiltration into garages that this rule doesn't have to be followed. Chris, Oregon

I found this copper tubing in a garage protruding from the slab adjacent to the water heater. There is a floor drain a few feet away. No fuel oil residue or odor at the line. I think it's to prime the trap. How do you write this up? Have a plumber reconnect the garage floor drain trap primer piping? Image Insert: 51.9 KB Chris, Oregon

Katenize me. Chris, Oregon

I would go find the best inspectors in my area and beg or bribe them to let me tag along. Chris, Oregon

No, so far usually only where I see an imbalance or fluctuation in functional flow at the fixtures in a house. Chris, Oregon

According to William B. Rose "Water in Buildings - An Architect's Guide To Moisture and Mold", the 1/300 rule is a wild ass guess with no basis in fact. It first showed up in the 1942 in FHA's Property Standards and Minimum Construction Requirements for Dwellings. All of the subsequents tests to confirm the 1/300 rule have been inconclusive. So far as I can tell there is no one method guaranteed to solve ventilation issues in all vented attics. Chris, Oregon

Is there a proper way to measure water pressure? I find that the static pressure will sometimes be way high near a 100 pounds but the operating pressure when a fixture is opened in the house drops down to the 40 - 50 range. What I have been doing is installing the pressure gauge on the exterior faucet nearest the main water supply pipe, reading the static pressure there with no flow in the house and then going to the kitchen faucet and opening that and then measuring the pressure again. Chris, Oregon

There are lies, there are damm lies, then there are statistics. - paraphrased quote from Mark Twain. Chris, Oregon

Well, every new house I inspect has several lockoff devices in the panel. Of course older homes typically don't have any. I was wondering how many inspectors write up the absence of lockoffs etc. on older homes for example as a safety improvement. Chris, Oregon

Yes, I had seen the article and I just re-read it and the JLC article but I didn't see, maybe because I'm blind, any discussion on criteria of what constitutes failure to comply with the code requirement of 200#. My question is more concerned with how much deflection is acceptable? And what if any sources can I cite? The code is not clear. It justs says resist. But what does that mean? Something deflecting is resisting. It fails to resist when it falls over. Chris, Oregon

According to the electrical inspection of existing dwellings, "appliances larger the 1/8 horsepower require a disconnecting means so the appliance can be safely worked on with the power off." When you find hardwired in appliances larger the 1/8th horsepower with no disconnecting means in sight nor some breaker lock off device at the panel do you write it up? Chris, Oregon

Is it deflection or collapse that measures failure in a guardrail when someone applies a 200# load to it? Chris, Oregon

How about this. What number of conductors are needed to feed the following subswitches having overcurrent protection for: Case 1: An old ungrounded water heater Case 2: Newer grounded water heater My guess for case 1 is just the two phases and for case 2 the two phases and an EGC. I am thinking now that the only time an extra conductor is needed in the feed is when both a grounded conductor and an EGC is needed on the supply side of the subswitch. Is that correct? Chris, Oregon

So only subswitches having grounded conductors would need a four conductor feed or only those that also have EGCs? Chris, Oregon

Do subswitch boxes and subswitches with overcurrent protection downline of the main panel have to have four conductor feeders and isolated ground and neutral busses? For example those 220V subswitch boxes containing breakers or fuses that are usually added clustered around old panels to feed water heaters and clothes dryers etc. Chris, Oregon

Can you install new (where no others were before) and longer counters in a kitchen or bathroom remodel without installing additional receptacles under the IRC? Chris, Oregon

Do you as a matter of practice recommend that all cracks be sealed to prevent moisture and insect intrusion or do you reserve that recommendation for ones that you observe leaking etc. In most cases with crawlspace foundations that I see, I don't see how sealing the crack could be justified. Usually the homeowner just squirts some caulk in to the crack above grade. Even if you did a full blown crack repair the majority of the water penetrates at the bottom of the footing so repairing the crack doesn't usually make any significant difference in reducing moisture intrusion. All I think it does is make buyers feel better. Chris, Oregon

Thanks, John Thats what I am looking for. Online examples of systems. I am having trouble finding a satisfactory source that describes bubbler systems. Does anyone have one? Chris, Oregon

In my report it's in the electrical section because that is where it is in our Oregon SOP. It doesn't have to be there you can put it in some other place that makes sense. Chris, Oregon

Is there an online source that describes different storm drainage system options at downspouts for homeowners from simple splash blocks to bubbler systems, retention ponds and buried soaker pits etc.? Chris, Oregon

I think John in the end you will find that breaking out safety items or any other topic out for re-presentation will just bogg you down and doing so just won't make sense on every house. Do what Jim K. said and just write what you see and leave it at that. Don't try and re-present what you find. I guarantee you it will lead to confusion and you will get calls why you said one thing about something in one part of the report and something a little different somewhere else. If you want to be different do what Walter said so the client goes away really liking you and let your experience with your clients guide your report design. Do what Jim K said and find a preprinted report system or buy one of the software programs that best appeals to you til you have more experience. Back to what Walter said about the Charlie Wood factor, One of the praises I often get from the realtors is the patience that I have with the clients. John there are many inspectors out there that are assholes and have no patience or skill at explaining findings verbally on site to their very own clients. These guys will often answer a clients question by telling them "it will be in the report" Chris, Oregon