inspector57

Weird things happen when the system is not full of water. I would be suspecting air in the lines until proven otherwise.

That looks like the green pipe used for gas distribution lines outside underground, not sure if it is PVC.

How the heck and why would you test for that? If this is the service equipment it should be bonded, and if not, then it is bonded at the service equipment. How would a tester know the location of a proper bonding connection?

Chrysler Air Temp Capacity: Rating in tons found in the fourth and fifth digits of the model number 0 = 1 ?1.5 ton 2 = 2 ton 3 = 2.5 ton 4 = 3 ton 5 = 4 ton 6 = 5 ton Example: xx06xxxx = 5 ton Googled Chrysler Air Temp model numbers and found this. Accordingly it appears to be a 7.5 ton.... but I doubt that unless you are looking at a commercial system.

Here is a brief, unbiased answer to some of the questions: http://www.epa.gov/iedmold1/moldguide.html

I give, what is "bus duct"?

You are correct in your thinking, the neutral will only "see" the amount of the combined amperage, in this case the limiting factor is the one 15 amp breaker. If it were on different breakers on the same phase then you could see 30 amps on the neutral.

That reminds me of an irrigation valve that you stick a hose or spray head into and twist to lock in place. I vote - part of the irrigation system. I never see underground tanks here though.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... 4661,d.aWM this link should take you to a engineers report that give some in depth information on the subject.

Any hard numbers on that? I only ask because the last time I tried to pin down actual statistics, I could only find two houses that had burned down as a result of this. No numbers, just bits a pieces of information gleaned over the last few years.

I'll agree that the legislation does not make sense but if you are in a lightening prone area, it is an important consideration. I have been calling it out for years following the class action lawsuit and settlement to pay for bonding. I don't know how much safer the bonding makes it but the fire marshal that first brought this out appears to believe it is safer with bonding. It used to be outlawed in Frisco but now is allowed as long as it is bonded or has a special high flow valve (which I have never seen) installed. They also require bonding of all metal vents, etc. in the attic. Kind of like creating a lightening rod system. If you have CSST in a basement or just using it for a branch to extend service it is likely no big deal. If however you build like they do around here with all the furnaces, water heaters, and gas lines stuck two or three stories in the air in the middle of the prairie where we get almost as much lightening as Florida, it can be a big concern. We have had many of the McMansions burn to the ground from a lightening strike that the fire marshal later found the blow torch effect from the ruptured CSST.

Just tighten it securely but are you sure you are reading your torque specs and wrench correctly. Inch/pounds vs typical mechanics Foot/pounds?

Yep, I do them. Extra charge. If they don't want me to inspect it, I still mention safety items like lack of fences, electrical issues, etc. I just add a little blurb to the effect of "the pool was not inspected but I did notice x,y, and z during the course of the home inspection. Then I mark the state mandated check box as "not inspected" Pretty simple in my opinion with nary an issue yet. Just explain what you did or didn't do and why.

My recommendation comment: The house has PB (Polybutylene) water piping. Replace it. (attach link here) I try whenever possible to remove all doubt as to what needs to be done. Simple. They can read up by following a link or two imbedded in the report. I think telling someone to "monitor" something that will cause thousands of dollars worth of damage the second it fails is not doing my client a favor. If it was my house, I would be replacing it, that's what I tell my clients.

I would use distribution box. Those are ready made so you might find an HVAC supplier with on line catalog for something more impressive.

Yep, looks to correspond to different shingle batches. It may also be age related with the deteriorated shingles older than the rest. The ones under the tree also look better, maybe the shading of the tree reduced the UV effect. I typically see more wind damage in the upper third or so of roofs. We get lots of wind from thunderstorms, micro bursts, straight line winds, etc. that gets lots of shingle damage. Insurance companies don't pay well for spot damage and I could easily believe the newer shingles were all they would pay for to repair the wind damage.

On a related note, painting the plastic flashing around the PVC or metal pipe WILL help protect it from UV rays and rapid deterioration. I roughly estimate a doubling of the life when painted. Here in the sunny southwest the plastic flashing begins to fail in as little as 7 years but I rarely see painted ones that have failed. I tell my clients painting them is like sunscreen and the little light comes on.

I never take anything that the realtor tells me at face value other than the address... and sometimes that is wrong. I always look everything up myself on zillow or whatever other site I available. Even this is not always reliable but it gets much closer to reality than the hype in marketing brochures.

Unless you are running your a/c unit non-stop, (doubtful this time of year) then it is the TPR drain line. You need to call a plumber to replace the TPR valve and check the water heater for proper operation.

Lots of different products out there and it depends on the frequency that is the biggest concern. There used to be a product called "Deciban (sp?)" that is a plywood type product that could be layered. Resilient channels that create a thin air space between layers of drywall are another option. Don't forget the acoustic electrical box wrap.

One other venting issue I see that causes condensation is on retrofit of higher efficiency furnaces and using the old vent pipe that is woefully oversized. When the 3 or 4 inch vent gets transitioned to a larger size, I see dripping of condensation at the joints. There is just not enough heat left in the exhaust stream to keep the larger size vents warm enough to prevent condensation from forming inside the pipe. I have never seen it this bad at the furnace but most of this in my area occurs on horizontal units in the attic so there is an elbow or other joint before it gets all the way back to the furnace.

I have not seen that particular setup but it reminds me of a tempering valve on one of the high capacity units that is designed to replace a larger or dual tank with one smaller tank. The water is heated and held at a much higher temperature and is mixed with cold water at the tank outlet to provide a safer temperature.

I'm not an appliance guy but it sounds like a voltage issue. It think you may only be getting one leg of the 240 volts. Try resetting the breaker and if necessary, check voltage at the unit.

Insert "unbiased" in place of "fair" and I could agree with most of the comments but I am not hired to be "fair to the house", fair to the seller or any other platitude proposed to by the agent friendly inspector. I am there to provide an unvarnished, unbiased opinion of the house. Think of how you will answer the call when an upset client calls telling you that they have a problem that you should have told them about... are you going to tell them that what they are concerned about is not that big of a deal and after all, you were just being fair to the seller? Can an inspector be too picky? Maybe, I've been told that many times by agents and sellers... but never by my clients. My clients hire me to find the truth about the house, warts and all.

Looks awfully neat. I'm guessing they were going to replace the defective coil.