John Dirks Jr

I love it when I describe a water intrusion concern including the signs of damage. The crafty agents say, "so we need some caulk, right?" But the article has some valid points. I've sat at chapter meetings and heard some pretty silly things from the mouths of "licensed inspectors". I can imagine agents getting pissed off with hearing BS.

Too much litigation with asbestos these days. Punt....

I'm with you Kurt on the wonder factor. Maybe some day there will be proof one way or the other. I suggest all of us look forward to scientific proof. At the same time, we should always be skeptical about consensus. Consensus in fact, is not proof of anything. Consensus is more of a political activist type of word. Meanwhile, the clients I work for get the inspection addendum part of their real estate contract stuffed into their face. In that process, the concern of radon is presented to them. If they ask me to test for it, I can do it to the EPA protocol. To make sure I'm up to date on the subject, I maintain a NEHA NRPP cert. I never push radon testing. I wait for clients to ask for it.

You said medical professionals that you know are not concerned about radon. I'm saying that they diagnose cancer but can't tell for sure what caused it. In that case, why would you place trust in their opinion on radon?

If that cable came out of the ground at the edge of the wall, it would be required to be in conduit. But coming out of the wall above grade and going back into the wall above grade, nope.

The neutrals (white) should terminate individually, one under a single screw. This way they can be individually isolated if needed while circuits are being serviced in the house. By stripping the insulation and allowing them to mingle with other neutrals or grounds, you cause complications in being able to isolate them. The following document explains further. Neutral Isolation

What would medical professionals know about radon? Sure, they know lung cancer when they see it. But the reality is, they do not know for sure what caused it. Non-smokers get lung cancer too. How does that happen? If a non-smoker can get lung cancer, then it would be reasonable to expect a smoker can get cancer from things other then smoking. They may know that a person was a smoker and also lived in a house with high radon. If that person gets lung cancer, they have absolutely no way of knowing what really caused it.

During the test, was the CRM positioned at least 20" off of the floor?

I'll go ahead and mention the event in the report and suggest they have an electrician check it. If they want to bill me for it, that's fine.

I had a spare. Just ordered more. Do you think I damaged the receptacle contacts such that it should be replaced?

Have you ever had a three prong tester fail? I did today for the first time. When I pushed the GFI test button, I got a little fireworks show and not only did the GFI trip, but so did the breaker back at the panel board. The three prong tester still works for wiring tests but the GFI trip button no longer works. What happened here?

Be careful about telling someone to secure cables with staples. They might actually do it! Click to Enlarge 38.49 KB

You are addressing realtors on your website. I would take that down. Focus on buyers heavily. Make your message encourage them to pick up the phone. BTW, if you copied any text from other places on the web, that will really hurt your SEO. Rewrite in your own words any text that you copied.

Website SEO. If you search "ohio home inspectors", does your site come up on the first page? If not, do SEO until it does.

Rural mail delivery sans rain gear ("We don't get out of the vehicle!"): I hope that lazy ahole got fired!

Today I used my clipboard to keep my camera dry. But you know, a nice big golf umbrella would have been really nice. Thanks for that idea Scott. So, I'm moving up to an umbrella and moderately priced rain pant/coat set. I'd like to find something with decent pockets for flaps on top to keep stuff dry.

You're a mailman for God's sake. Don't you have a line on rain gear? Rural Mail Carrier and all curbside delivery from within the vehicle. I still get wet when the rain comes in the door horizontally. It's like, everything is fine but when you turn the corner, you get nailed. I do run parcels to the door but I run in between the rain drops.

What do you use to stay dry when you have no other choice but to work in the rain? El cheapo plastic ponchos are not cuttin' it anymore. I need to step up to some real rain gear. What do you recommend?

Pabco is another one. http://www.ho25settlement.com/faq.php3

I want PV and geothermal. If I ever build a house, I'll pick a site and orient the roof surfaces with applicable pitch to serve the design. Totally off the grid would be cool.

In a case where the entry point to the building is obstructed, I sometimes pull the meter cover to have a look. In the document I linked below you see a copper pipe coming of the fitting in the meter well. If it is copper at this point, would it normally be copper the rest of the way too? Download Attachment: supply line.pdf 345.95 KB

Hands down, communication and writing. If you get stumped on other things, usually you can research to find your answers. If you cannot communicate well, especially in writing, what good is anything you know?

That is usually what I do, especially in a case like this.

Is a wire brush ok? I mean....wooden handle right?

From today's inspection. When it comes to contaminated bus bars, this takes the cake. I pulled a couple of breakers and sure enough; Not only was the bus bars painted, the fools then installed breakers on them. No wonder my 3 prong tester was doing weird flickering. Click to Enlarge 71.12 KB Click to Enlarge 64.39 KB Click to Enlarge 34.6 KB Click to Enlarge 57.41 KB