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Of course, it's a great place to blow fuses. Irregardless.

It shows up under Google, but the site has been shut down. It was part of a school and the URL used to be www.do-dilligent.com. Honestly, it doesn't seem to exist anymore.

True, the GC/inspector tale is tangled. Went to the Ridgid site - that See Snake looks pretty cool 160X234 isn't bad resolution in a 2.5" display. If the 2 LED's light things up enough, then that's a cool tool. Certainly cheaper than IR!!!

Well, yeah the sales pitch is cheap and annoying, but that doesn't mean he isn't qualified. I don't see anything on the site that indicates incompetence.id="maroon"> Yep! The article is a datapoint for incompetence, but not the website. And I'm with you on the code stuff. Anyone who doesn't at least study the code books is just lazy. There is much to learn from those pages. I just sold an entire ICC "Inspectors set" for half-price to a lucky inspector. As a winter project, ICC certification is his goal. That is, IMO, the best certification out there.id="maroon">

Ok, what am I missing? No alarms go off when I look at the website. Seems solid.

Not just several individuals, but several of THE BEST individuals in this field. I suspect that many of the best inspectors already network with one-another, so the real battle is to get them together outside of, and independent of any association. Some of the best inspectors have such allegiance to an association that they fail to see beyond the association. They will bitch-slap their friends in defense of their 'club'. Still, they are the best and if they are not too old, could at least figure out a way to put a gold star by the names of the next generation's elite. (N.B., Egos and testosterone can cripple any meaningful effort.)id="green"> I suspect Mike has the personality. He certainly has a great independent arena in TIJ.id="green"> Yes, there are fifty dissimilar political systems. In NY, I could not inspect the large condo units Kurt inspects in Chicago. Nor can I legally inspect new construction.id="green"> Great! That's one.id="green"> I think it would be a hit. Some of the best are already conducting classes/seminars, but they are not in concert with a larger plan.id="green">

Oh yeah, clearly a dream. But it would be a step toward raising the public image of home inspectors. That image must be slipping given the current lot. The difference between an average home inspector and the likes of Katen/Kurt/Chad/Jimmy/Les/Walter... should not be so great. Can't you guys get together and create a curriculum, teach the courses and certify the handful who meet your collective standards? C'mon, how hard can it be? Man, it is nice to daydream!

Hi Mike, You have done your homework. I believe your idea of an ITT Tech sort of curriculum is certainly better than the current HI school offerings. IMO, a prerequisite for admission to such a program should include HS diploma or GED and an entrance exam that includes a writing sample. The writing sample is important. Sentence structure and grammar are not the primary reasons for such a requirement. Rather, the sample reveals a student's ability to logically structure relevant thoughts into paragraphs. It is as important to filter fluff students as it is to filter fluff coursework. In my ideal-world model, the current leaders of this industry would teach the courses, demand excellence, and create a marketable credential that rightfully shames CMI-type certificates. There would be an apprenticeship that requires face time with the instructors - so this could not be done entirely online. And the instructors would not allow their egos to lessen the learning experience. It's nice to daydream...

It's all good, Les. My new job is just my old job - but now I only do it when I feel like it. Lately, I've been spending a lot of time on the golf course. I shot an 86 today - that's good for me. I walk the 18 holes, so I'm getting a decent workout too. But this is Buffalo, so I'm considering indoor tennis for the winter months. I am very fortunate to be retired, but I have to keep challenging myself. I might start flight instructing again if my wife and I move to NC (where my son lives).

Yes, much of 'the industry' listens and learns now from the best (Katen, Kurt, Walter, Chad and others). If you learned how to learn, sure. (And you did, Les!) True, but I really like Kurt's optimism. BTW, I deleted my earlier post - which was tongue-in-cheek statement that I left the industry because of the riff-raff. The riff-raff didn't have any influence on me. I enjoyed doing inspections, and I miss the cool dialogs here. I just didn't like being part of something so potentially litigious (I'm retired, and I don't want to lose my savings!!!). As someone who graduated first in his class with a BS in building science, I want to add that a building science degree is very helpful, but it is not a perfect match for home inspecting. It does not matter, from an HI perspective, that I can provide an accurate estimate of a construction project, do cut/fill calculations, generate PERT or CPM charts for a project, draw shear & moment diagrams and design trusses by sections or solve a diff eq. It does matter that I did not learn the specifics of electrical panels, bonding and grounding. I did not learn in detail how a GFCI works. Those specifics are not important to a GC, which is what a building science degree is designed around. I learned many specifics of home inspecting by reading books that target the trades - and by hanging out here. It seems to me that the future of home inspecting will depend to a large extent on the state in which you live. In NY, PE's are very influential on our laws. In NY, GC's are not licensed. As Walter points out, there is also the Realtor crap. My hope is that the HI biz does get the respect it deserves. Although the average PE or building science graduate is a much better inspector than most current inspectors, he is not as good at inspecting a building as, say, Kurt, Chad, or Katen.

Quite common. A representative of the manufacturer normally comes out to repair the cracks. It's just not practical to tear out walls as required to haul in a new one-piece f.g. shower. A good technician can repair the cracks to 'like new' condition. I normally find a texture difference at the repair site. I can feel that with my hand.

Hi John, Grammar, idioms, and spelling are obviously critical to the task of writing well. We are fortunate to have a few people on this forum who are expert writers - and one who will patiently teach anyone wanting to learn. Logic is an equally critical tool for an expert writer. If the link Walter provided previously seems complex, then time should be spent reading it until it feels boring. I am sincere, and not trying to be condescending. Writing is an art form with a very strong bond to that branch of mathematics called logic. If sentences and paragraphs do not flow logically, then the reader stops reading. Musicians and other artists often take naturally to logic/philosophy/mathematics because abstract thought is processed by the same region of the brain. There is a classic book, "Godel, Escher and Bach, An Eternal Golden Braid," that reveals the similar thought patterns of the mathematician, artist, and musician respectively. Look at the best writers on this forum. You will find that they are mathematicians, guitar masters, philosophers, puppeteers and other creative types.

Robert, As I was typing in my response, I saw Kurt's reply. Since my post was then a simple repeat of his wisdom, I thought I'd add: Yes, worry about something else, but also don't worry about a possible rise in Rn levels if it means the elimination of poop smell - that's a real hazard!

Ain't that the truth. $3.80??? Les, you must be having a great year.

Thanks, I needed that![] You're correct, Kurt. People like you keep the glass half full. That's what the world needs. Rough week; sorry.

Yes, I'm negative. Anybody can be a home inspector. Anybody can pass our tests. Good luck EBPHI can write well-formed questions and statistically test their tests, but what are they testing specifically? We can say we are generalists, but if we don't consistently show our clients that we understand the many details that can cost them a fortune to fix, or cause them physical harm, what good are we? Our tests should demand much greater depth of knowledge. I recently completed the EBPHI survey. One of my recommendations requires that a writing sample be provided. A test can at least weed out the illiterates. Well, it wouldn't take much to add an inspection emphasis to existing building science or architecture curricula. In NY, there are many who believe you should have to be a PE - which, IMO, is ridiculous since many PEs have no practical experience relevant to home inspection. That's a circular argument. If a satisfactory test is developed, then it will be a reasonably adequate means of determing competency.

I could smell this coming back at my OMG post. Companies that make tests often make psychometric tests. The NHIE is a test that has been carefully developed and delivered, but it is not psychometric - nor should it be. There are two types of psychometric tests. One is meant to measure personality and psychology for employers that need honesty, integrity and certain character. The other type measures general aptitude - spatial, quantifiable, verbal, etc. Pschometric tests are used as a means to select - from a group of people - those who should have the character and/or aptitude needed for entry into a school or profession. The NHIE doesn't need to measure either of those things. After passing the NHIE, you aren't an apprentice - you do actual home inspections. You are supposed to have a certain base level of actual knowledge. But what base level can someone really have? There is no formal curriculum or apprenticeship on which to base a test. What we have instead is actually worse than nothing. The tests used to measure home inspectors today are all pathetic. Until we have some formal training path or curriculum, pathetic is all we will ever have.

OMG!

No, there isn't, but it is easy to be fooled by observations like the one you describe. Since this is not a physics forum, here is a link with a simple explanation of what you are really seeing - shielding. http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae512.cfm Chicago, there are no morons here. And I agree this subject is supremely interesting, but I don't see how we can explore it without going outside TIJ scope.

No problem. So where does the thread go from here? Energy flows from 'high concentration' to 'low concentration.' It won't go the other way. The examples demonstrated energy as electric potential and as heat. No, heat won't go through a plate that is hotter than the two rods. But it won't go through the metal wire either if the wire is hotter than the rods. (Omission of that fact made me think of this as a sort of obfuscated Rube Goldberg.) Next?

There is nothing interesting here. Transparent obfuscation of simple theory. (And potential pruning.)[:-weepn]

I recently returned from Charlotte, NC - my son's current home. Every garage and home in his new development has these anchors. Mike & Jim, I'll be sure to tell him to keep his condom on. Thanks. P.S. Nice search engine, Mike. Simply searched for 'anchor' and my questions were answered.

Sure, the earth is a really big magnet. And no, I can't name one material that blocks magnetism. (Reroute, yes. Block, no.) But what's this got to do with a battery? A battery's anode and cathode are insulated from each other. I was just letting MSJ know that this fact keeps anode/cathode from shorting.

I never said the earth would run out of electricity. Why do you believe I thought that?

Sure, but the splice should be made in the line, rather than connecting two wires to one terminal of the receptacle.