inspector57

I just used shark bites in an underground main supply to replace a sweat fitting in a 1" copper line. Time will tell if it was worth it or not. I did not find any documentation on the burial of the product. It was kind of tough to manipulate the slip repair coupling while standing on my head in a narrow trench after fighting mud for 6 hours but it it held when I finally got it in place. I screwed up the first fitting though trying to force it over an out of round pipe. I finally cut back enough pipe to get to a clean section and it worked. I figure anything else short of silfoss would have failed in that situation so I'm feeling pretty good with Shark bite so far.

Todays photo. Whoops! Click to Enlarge 43.99 KB

But how do you know if it is unnecessary if no one looks?

Is dead wire an issue if left inside a wall or ceiling cavity a danger, no; but is it really dead? In my opinion, the only way to make sure it is totally dead is to remove it totally. Most of the time I see K&T it has been a piece meal deal where it has been tapped, spliced, modern wiring added along side, etc. Even when the house is advertised to be "totally" rewired, I regularly find live K&T. And remember with K&T the one "circuit" likely runs through the entire house. Check a few outlets below windows or other hard to access locations and you will likely find old wiring still in use.

We already see that as the rule. Of course they stick them in the attic since we don't have basements. Tough to get a 75 gallon through the access.

I'm not the author but I would guess the "required" diagonal bracing cannot be on the center post, not that you can't add bracing there but that it can't be counted as the required bracing.

Ask the fire department for the code section that you violated.

Thankfully brick veneer attachment is specifically addressed! It may have been there in past editions but this is plain and easily quoted.

If larger electric heaters are used in a basement (requiring a heat pump style heater), the resulting cold room created in basements may well become an issue, also closets or small rooms may prevent the use of heat pumps. My guess is the use of multiple smaller units (less than 55 gallons) may well be a workaround employed instead of a single larger unit.

Notice "Standards for gas water heaters were not analyzed in the report because, based on current information, condensing gas water heaters are not cost-effective for consumers." from the ASAP document. Even though they are not cost effective, they appear to be required...

While it may seem like the previous responders are heartless jerks, they really are not. Please realize there is no scientific consensus that radon levels are actually bad for you nor are there "safe" levels. I understand one study actually showed a little radon was actually safer! Much of what is out in the public domain is pure conjecture, not science. I'm not a scientist and don't pretend to understand the jargon but a little deeper study might be warranted and you will likely shrug and get on with life or adopt the "bubble" mentality previously mentioned. Me, I live in Texas where we don't have much of a radon issue. But I would seal the crack in the floor and walls below grade, ventilate a bit and move on with life.

Older condo systems in my area use a common chiller and boiler to either cool or heat (but not both at once) water which is then circulated throughout the entire building. Individual thermostats turn the residential unit air handlers on or off to provide conditioned air to the residents. The biggest thing to remember is the lack of ability to have heat when the system is cooling or vice versa. If it is an older two pipe system the entire system must be either cooling or heating. This is not a problem in summer or winter but the sudden heat wave or cold snap may leave residents unhappy! The heating or cooling typically won't be billed individually to residents but will be shared as a percentage of the total or included in the rent/fees as in "bills paid"

We inspectors can get excited by some odd things.[]

Still using a Pentax (now Ricoh) WG-10 for over two years now, a new record for me. I have had better cameras as far as photos and focus but it is very durable. I used to go through at least two Cannon Power Shot per year due to durability issues (dust and impact) In fact I have 4 on my desk that need repair. Target had this one on special for cheap and I will buy another this week just in case they quit making them. I doubt I will ever kill the thing but it might get stolen! Purchase extra batteries though, they are propriety rechargeable and I use at least two on every inspection (I take lots of photos.) Yes, it will focus and take photos in pitch black crawls.

I'm not familiar with that systems components, but in general a separate coil would not be needed. Simply running the a/c will remove humidity winter or summer. This could simply be a control issue to allow the humidistat to run the a/c during the heating mode.

Agreed

I did an inspection of a house that had this stuff and it was brittle and had begun to fall off of the roof. I was worse where exposed to direct sunlight. I recommended a complete replacement (high end house and they had the money!) This was a bank owned property and therefore no history, dates were available but I'm thinking it was less than 15 years old.

I have the same ladder and agree, it is a brute to raise when fully extended and impossible to extend the top section while standing. It does the job but I only bring it out when there is no other way! Once it is up it is stable but it is really a two person job to stand or lower.

Looks like it might have been pulled off and not replaced during installation of the horizontal exhaust pipe. Just sloppy work.

From what I have seen of statistic from fire reports, CSST is not singled out in the report so definitive real world statistics are not available except as part of the whole as you have noted. The big thing now is insurance subrogation with at least one of the Texas inspectors caught up in the fray. Seems a past client's house burned down due to lightening and the client's homeowners insurance company sued the inspector for failing to call out the presence of CSST and the lack of appropriate grounding. The inspectors E&O settled out of court costing the inspector only his deductible and the aggravation of obtaining reasonably priced E&O in the future. This is likely not a big issue in some other parts of the country but here, the high propensity of lightening strikes coupled with the gas piping system always being located in the attics (no basements or crawl spaces here) sets up a "perfect storm" of sorts. Several municipalities have banned the product and at least some have created a "super bonding" requirement of sorts to try and deal with lightening strikes. Then there is also the legal precedence that CSST is a defective product. So whether it is really the fault of the CSST or not, there is a reason for informing the client about the issue.

Caulk or foam can be used at the register to ceiling connection but most grills and boots come with a foam gasket that compresses to seal when installed properly. Cover the boot all the way to the ceiling with insulation and vapor barrier ( the foil-like outer jacket) to prevent condensation. A grill with curved vanes will move more air to the outside wall. It may not be enough and an additional vent may be needed. But, grill better suited to the room may make enough of a difference to give acceptable performance. You may have to get the right grill from an HVAC supply house rather than a big box store. Google "Curved vane vent" to see the myriad available vents.

If you have hot/cold spots on the outside wall, replace the straight throw grill with a ceiling grill that throws to the outside wall rather than straight down. Even better considering the low ceiling height is a ceiling grill with curved vanes to throw across the ceiling rather than onto the occupants. The idea is to throw the air across the ceiling towards the outside wall to fully envelope the room rather than blowing down your neck creating a drafty uncomfortable room. The gap around the boot and the wall should be air sealed, not just stuffed with insulation. Air flow around the boot is what causes excessive condensation. Air seal AND insulate the boot.

That is a tracer wire to help locate the buried plastic pipe, not a bonding wire.

I like it.

Any chance they failed to trap that sink drain? Might be a DIY connection so I would be double checking on that fixture