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John Dirks Jr

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  1. John Dirks Jr
    Why's that? I find that it gets in the way. I can put mittens on the tips and "bounce" them up to the extension I want. Just general preference I suppose. I'm trying to visualize but coming up blank. How exactly do to fully extend and retract a 32" ladder without a rope/pulley?
  2. John Dirks Jr
    Found the same thing happening at an inspection. Although the neutrals were tight at the panel terminations, two of them were stuffed too far in and the wire insulation was crimped under the terminal screws.
  3. John Dirks Jr
    The cheapo nylon rope that came with my Werner extension ladder is crapping out. I need a new rope. What is a good kind of rope to get and would I be able to find something good at the big box stores? Also, would a larger diameter pulley make things easier? Ever seen anyone change to a larger pulley?
  4. John Dirks Jr
    I was doing an inspection for a seller one time and they aborted the inspection early. I found so much wrong with the site and exterior they didn't want to continue. They claimed their obligation to disclose was something they'd rather not have. I reduced the fee to a partial inspection and reported to the limit which I had inspected. I didn't mind the break. I took the cash they paid me and took my wife out to dinner.
  5. John Dirks Jr
    I have one of those tools but usually it's not needed. The siding these days is so thin it's flexible enough to pull the bottom lip down with your fingers and zip it back up. If the weather is really really cold the siding can get brittle and crack. In those cases I usually don't muck with it.
  6. John Dirks Jr
    And it winds down to the fact that no particular tradesman is responsible for giving it a finished look when the house is completed. This builder needs a good punch-out guy. They need to teach the crew the proper way to nail vinyl siding too. At best, only one out of four pieces of siding would move. The ones that would move took way too much effort to make them float back and forth. The majority of the wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pulled on them. I lifted a few pieces to look underneath and sure enough, nailed up tight.
  7. John Dirks Jr
    Slam dunk! [:-thumbu]
  8. John Dirks Jr
    My brother in law's brother is an inspector for the county in question and he is familiar with the particular construction site. According to him the builder does not always know exactly where the finished grade will be. They will often install the piping for a window well system just in case they need it. When the finished grade is low enough below the sill of the basement window, they don't install the well but the pipe stays in place.
  9. John Dirks Jr
    Watch it wind up being a case where it's mandated by the AHJ.
  10. John Dirks Jr
    Like I said, it looks like they go towards the foundation drain tile. So, from there I suppose the plan is to the sump pit. From there it's ejected by the pump out the side of the wall on the low grade end of the site. The sump pit was on one side and its discharge pipe ran clear across the basement to the other side of the house. If that is the plan, I would question a pumps ability evacuate adequate volume to prevent the basement from flooding.
  11. John Dirks Jr
    The pipe you see flush with grade is directly under the right side basement window. No need for a downspout extension there. I ruled that out on site. The pipe travels straight down the foundation wall as if on its way directly to the drain tile. Flood water intrusion prevention is my guess. I dont think its part of a window well drain system.
  12. John Dirks Jr
    The yard was not sloped towards the house. I would have included that info in my initial post if it were. I'm going to find the answer sooner or later. For now, my guess is they are designed to prevent flood water from getting over the sill of the window. I mean in a case where the back yard were to become completely flooded. I'll check for sure but I think that general area is lower elevation and could be prone to flooding. I'll post back if I find more conclusive info.
  13. John Dirks Jr
    The thing is, there are no window wells. Not on any of the houses of this design. This is why I wasn't sure if the piping was intended to gather ground water and direct it to the drain tile. So if its purely meant to gather surface water I totally understand the non-perf piping. So, the lack of window wells is the part I'm not used to seeing. So, flood prevention drain under windows without window wells. Is that legit?
  14. John Dirks Jr
    I was beginning to figure that. So, at least the protruding part needs to be cut flush with the grade, correct?
  15. John Dirks Jr
    This is a new construction. The pipe is installed under each basement window. If this is an exterior foundation drain, shouldn't the piping be perforated? The stuff in the picture is solid and un-perforated. Is there a good explanation for using solid pipe here? Click to Enlarge 60.28 KB Click to Enlarge 92.61 KB Click to Enlarge 80.61 KB
  16. John Dirks Jr
    Wouldn't that be a hoot. I'd be laughing anyway. The buyer tried to push it back in. I told them to just let it hang. The rest is history as far as I'm concerned.
  17. John Dirks Jr
    If a humidifier is set just right, it can supplement a heat pump system well in raising the comfort level at lower temperatures and thereby saving s fair amount of energy during the heating season.
  18. John Dirks Jr
    I don't like them either but I'm not sure your statement is true in all cases. When I recently had a new HVAC system installed in my house, I told the contractor to eliminate the humidifier (same type as pictured in this thread). His partner was more than happy to take it for installation in his own house. A love hate thing? I don't know.
  19. John Dirks Jr
    No way to get to the evaporator element for cleaning or replacement. Brilliant!
  20. John Dirks Jr
    Three prong receptacles installed throughout the 1944 row home with original un-grounded cables, then this; Drywall screws into drywall to install receptacles over excessively recessed boxes. I pull my tester out and the receptacle comes with it. Click to Enlarge 27.23 KB
  21. John Dirks Jr
    I've been offered to to see previous inspection reports. I refuse every time. What another person did has nothing to do with what I'm going to do. A previous inspection and report has no relevance to me.
  22. John Dirks Jr
    Sparky dug it out of the bottom of his tool box and stuck it in there. Maybe a salvaged piece from another job?
  23. John Dirks Jr
    Ditto..if properly installed or not omitted, the ovens have the damper built in to them.
  24. John Dirks Jr
    I'll write up flat window sills, especially if their design is depending on caulk to keep water out. If they have a nice slope towards the outside, the caulk is far less important in my opinion.
  25. John Dirks Jr
    My vote is no on appliances being part of SOP. Again, the SOP does not prevent anyone from inspecting them if they so choose.
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