John Dirks Jr

Hmm, just found this so I guess inline splicing is possible but I'm still not sure about the tape. I know there should never be tape on wire nuts but not sure about these other connectors. http://www.idealindustries.com/prodDeta ... l1=push-in

I've not seen this done before. Why would a roofer add this extra layer of shingle detail at the rood to sidewall junction? Click to Enlarge 62.66 KB

On todays inspection I found taped splices in the panel. I don't remember seeing this and want to make sure its incorrect before I call it. Is it possible there is a correct splice under the tape? I know that wire nuts are usually the method but I was wondering if there is another accepted method. Could the splices in the picture be ok or are they wrong? Click to Enlarge 57.84 KB Click to Enlarge 49.51 KB Click to Enlarge 43.91 KB

One time I did an inspection and everything seemed fine. Then I turned the hvac on and wow!! The worst wet dog smell imaginable came through the registers. I didn't need to explain it. It was quite obvious.

Nice! How far into the panel did that SEC jacket come? I've seen that error on branch circuits before but not on an SEC.

This particular place had Pergo flooring as hard as rock. The new el-cheapo fridge was empty and light as a feather. When the little old lady started to slide roll it out, I jumped in and took over. A heavy old clunker on real wood floor? You better believe I'd have evaluated the situation before making a decision..

The rolled out very easy but you're right about the water line. I hand't thought of that. Luckily in this case the line was not connected.

Has a nasty crawl myself today. Click to Enlarge 76.16 KB Click to Enlarge 58.11 KB Click to Enlarge 63.2 KB Click to Enlarge 64.22 KB Click to Enlarge 59.32 KB Click to Enlarge 51.75 KB

Slight panel obstruction. Click to Enlarge 23.52 KB

My dragon 10 works on Windows 7. It takes a while to get the hang of thinking out the sentence structure an instant before you actually speak it. Its serving me well and I rely on it heavily when report writing.

Cargo pants with velcro pocket flaps on legs and rump. Standard pockets in front. Leather belt with small pouch tools and clip on tape measure.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Decisions decisions. And now my 26 yr old stepson is moving back in due to hard times. That changes the horizon with regard to financial decisions and spending.

Call a few local electricians with specifics so you can compare apples to apples. You should be able to get a few ballpark estimates and go from there. $1800 with a permit, new mast, SEC and 200 A box sounds like a steal. Beware. I don't need a mast. It attaches to the front peak at the rake edge and travels down along the rake, wraps under the eave, down the wall and into the meter. I've given this guy some work through referral. He has a reason to give me a good deal. Maybe I'll ask if he'll toss in the AFCI's and book the job. I had another question earlier but the phone rang and I forgot what I wanted to ask. Oh well, I'm sure it will pop back up. Oh, I remember. I'm not worried about my current panel or service capacity really. I've got everything balanced across each phase pretty good and nothing is over fused. Occasionally the wife will blow 1/2 the main by trying to run every single appliance in the house at the same time with all the lights cranked too. The main concern I have is the SEC. Right where it goes into the the weather head there's a crack in the insulation of one conductor. Inside the crack I can see what appears to be some significant whitish oxidation of the conductor. I'm thinking its only a matter of time for and open circuit there. In that event a panic replacement of the SEC would probably run 1/2 the cost of the entire upgrade. That's why I'm considering the entire upgrade at the price of $1800 to avoid that potential panic repair of a failed SEC.

Would the new NEC require AFCI's with a panel only upgrade or would that only apply if new branch circuits were added?

Am I the only one who gets excited about an electrical panel upgrade? I suppose its normal for someone like me. I was contemplating doing whatever parts I could do myself but then I got what I think is a decent quote from a semi acquainted qualified electrician. There will be no branch circuit work done beyond the panel. He will switch out my 60 amp Fed Pac fuse panel with SQ D QO 200amp service including about 20' of SEC since I have overhead drop. He will include all necessary bonding and grounding including GEC and driven rods. He'll do all the permit work too. $1800 Does that sound decent?

There should be something that qualifies as a secondary moisture barrier under the vinyl siding. There are various qualifying materials. Some are applied individually and some are built into whatever type of exterior sheathing is there. There should not be bare plywood or bare OSB sheathing under the siding.

Messing with old water heaters by turning the breaker on and off can make it start leaking from the expansion and contraction of heating up and cooling down. You know the what they'll say, "you touched it so you caused it"

Low airflow or low refrigerant usually causes it but I too would like to hear what damage can be caused by icing.

I second the toilet paper. Many times there's a working toilet but no TP.

Landfill needs a tad of organic material too.

Mine came with the mail yesterday and went with the trash today.

tape measure This is a good size with a belt clip on the back of it. Bigger tapes are too bulky to carry around in my opinion. http://www.walmart.com/ip/16630695?adid ... la&veh=sem

Got a picture of the house? A picture can tell a thousand words.

gargoyle is my vote Click to Enlarge 89.94 KB

So the heat eventually caused the SEC to melt and detach. Was it a loose connection that caused the overheating in the first place?