mridgeelk

Does anyone know the brand name of this post and its rating. It is carrying about 8650# of load per post. There was no ID of any kind on the posts. I did note the flaky installation. And, just for the fun of it a new, at least to me, use for vinyl siding scrap. Image Insert: 122.82 KB Image Insert: 135.09 KB

Hydrogen sulfide is called "stinkdamp" in the mining industry, much more of a problem in hard rock mines than coal mines. It is one of the reasons parakeets used to be carried by miners. A small correction is needed to fine-tune that statement. Sulfides will turn copper black. Sulfates will turn it blue-green. Both are sulfur compounds. The odor threshold is extremely low, 0.0047 ppm.Eye irritation begins at about 10 ppm. Most people can tolerate 50-100 ppm for several hours, but after about an hour the eye irritation becomes more pronounced and you'll start to get respiratory tract irritation and minor coughing. At concentrations below about 100 ppm, the smell and the eye irritation should alert you to move away to safety. The problem is that you usually walk into an area and the concentration is whatever it is, and doesn't build gradually over time. If it's over about 200 ppm -- it paralyzes the olfactory nerve after a couple of sniffs, and with your loss of smell you lose your awareness of the danger. The lethal concentration at which 50% of humans would die (LC50) after 5 minutes of exposure is 800 ppm. At concentrations over 1000 ppm, one sniff can cause collapse, loss of breathing, and death. Fortunately for us as home inspectors, it is rare for us to encounter lethal levels of hydrogen sulfide. If you can smell the rotten eggs you are probably ok as long as you can smell it -- but if you smell it and then the smell goes away, don't assume the gas has gone away. The greater danger to HIs comes from the environment that produces it, and the fact that it is heavier than air. It is produced in a low oxygen environment. Being heavier than air, it displaces the oxygen and pools in low places like basements, crawlspaces, manholes, sumps, empty used septic tanks, and pump station wet wells. You are more likely to die from lack of oxygen than from the hydrogen sulfide itself. The same conditions that generate the hydrogen sulfide also tend to generate methane (natural gas). Hydrogen sulfide and methane are both highly flammable, and if the concentration of either one is within their respective lower and upper explosive limits, you have the added threat of explosion and fire. Erby - re: what to do with your panel. This is a case where I think handing the ball off to a qualified electrician for a thorough inspection makes a lot of sense. Let him make the call if the corrosion warrants repair or replacement.

Monday I was inspecting a home for my clients with the owner present. I had turned the furnace on and was checking temperature and flow/volume, as I entered a bedroom with one client, the owner and the other of my clients left I noticed a low oscillating rumble in the room. At this point I thought I was hearing the "oil can" effect. As I leaned over to remove the register which was closed, I braced myself on the nearby bed, I was quite relieved to realize that it was a vibrating bed. The owner had turned it on to show my other client how it operated and left the room.

Thanks for all the info, I had not seen the previous discussion. About a month ago I found a similar installation only this was on triple wall pipe from a wood stove. I wrote this as incorrect. Image Insert: 129.05 KB

Thanks for the tip, Mike. I did note the prolapsed flashing on the plumbing. Ed

I don't believe that this roof jack flashing installed on the B-vent is correct. Is it correct and and if it isn't where is the regulation stating so? Thanks, Ed Image Insert: 151.85 KB

I also count 37 when the 220 breakers are counted as one circuit each. I stand corrected. However it is not uncommon to have ceiling radiant heat as a retrofit in this area. Ed

The subpanel is an definitely an option but abandoning the ceiling heat, which is likely, would create several openings, possibly returning it to its original format. I just checked the panel in my home, which I built in 1994, and it is a 200 amp with 41 circuits. At the time I asked the electrician about the double breaker that was installed, he said that up to 10% of breakers in the panel could be doubled

There are six double breakers in this 40 space panel, there are several issues with this panel but my question is did this amount of double breakers ever conform to the NEC? It was built 1972+/-. It has radiant ceiling heat which was supplied by some of the 220 breakers near the bottom. Some of them are no longer connected as the system has been not used by the current owner. No one knows if the ceiling heat was installed at the time of original construction. Image Insert: 921.01 KB

It is a completed metal roof. The formed metal ridge is misaligned in some locations and needs to be properly sealed. the building is less than one year old. The current owner said he had the builder back for repairs on the roof. I called out that the sealants were applied inconsistently as gaps in the ridge were not all sealed. It is an AC/furnace unit the first I have seen. I recommended that a qualified contractor review the system. And I recommended to me that I get much more familiar with this type system

Is this drain line proper as installed? I don't see the need for a trap effect here. Ed Image Insert: 106.9 KB

I should have placed the above in the HVAC forum. Ed

Is streen ® thermoset wire rated for exposure to sun and weather. Thanks, Ed

During a pre-listing inspection today I found this asbestos siding used as shingles. It is slightly more than half-lapped, cedar shingles used as a starter strip and has been in place for over thirtyfive years. A small amount of leaking is happening and some damage as is seen in the picture. Where could I find installation instructions detailing what can be done with this siding? Anyway they seem to have endured the test of time. This place was built by a guy who was the local remodeler at the time. It has, salvaged from some of his remodels, an elevator, a dumbwaiter, numerous features from old mobile homes and musical note on the sheetrock (which isn't near the doorbell). Image Insert: 109.25 KB Image Insert: 134.65 KB

Today I found PB 2110 stapled to the subfloor in a hydronic system. It had copper main feeds to the loops with copper connectors and brass reducers where the lines changed size. I have never seen PB 2110 used in this manner. Is this alright?

Sort of a technicality but a 12/12 (rise/run) roof is a half pitch roof, a 6/12 would be a quarter pitch roof. Pitch=the rise/twice the run.

I found this today in an attic. It was active. The owner said the cellulose has been there over 25 years without any problem. I explained to my client the safety hazards of this situation, how some insurance companies view this setup and to have it reviewed and evaluated by a licensed electrician. The owner said that the house was inspected by his insurance company about three years ago and did not mention anything about the wiring. Image Insert: 130.99 KB

He said that the grout was of the non-sanded type which should not be used in spaces larger than 1/8". He said that it was likely the worst setting job he ever saw and should be completely redone.

My client backed out of the deal today after a a very experienced tilesetter evaluated the home. He said that even the type of grout was wrong.

Those little studs were 1x3 tacked together to support the surface around the tub only, not wall studs. It is most definitely a modular.

The grout job speaks for itself. (the electric range is grouted in place) Should this tile have had underlayment other than the particle board subfloor visible under the leaky tub? Image Insert: 118.78 KB Image Insert: 104.13 KB Image Insert: 99.4 KB

Under magnification the pieces of trim above the lower windows appear to be beveled to allow for drainage.The uppers are more difficult to see but the builder may have considered the overhang adequate protection.

Since this post I found out that the system for animal identification uses U for 2008. I had not used this system before but due to it being my eleventh year in the elk business I had to come up with a different numerical ID code since we can have no duplication of tattoo numbers. Thanks for the tip about the library. Ed

This may not be the correct forum for this question, but here it is anyway . The letter for 2001 was L, 2002 was M, what is this year's letter ? The issue being whether O or Q are used in the sequence.

Thanks for the advice, but you are assuming some of the builders would understand "that's how smart folks do it"