Rob Amaral
-
Posts
1,233 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Articles
News for Home Inspectors
Blogs
Gallery
Store
Downloads
Everything posted by Rob Amaral
-
Click to Enlarge 45.07 KB One of our inspectors in RI sent me this with a whatsit question.. Thing on R looks like a thermostatic damper control system (coal), thing on left (forward/reverse) is something I've never seen, but I surmised it might be a 'motorized coal rake system' control for the former coal-fired central heat plant.. Bill K?
-
yeah.. but an inspector should know 'why' this is the recommendation or rule.... If you know 'why', people salute... including electricians and code officials...
-
I use the "Model-Year/Make" (Car) concept.. If you were a design enthusiast as a kid, you saw the cars change.. Having been born in 1953, I recall the old late 40's cars that were around in those days.. the 'clunkers'.. and then you watched the changes each manufacturer would go through with body design.. That helps me more than anything.. Industrial design... kitchen table-top appliances, electric guitars, amps, the whole nine yards.. I was thinking the other day that I remember seeing the Lockheed Constellation powering in to Logan over my house...that was an interesting design
-
Amen.. if 5 ft tall skinny old granny was in the back yard, she could have been killed.. it was that much heavy, wet snow.. Eave was two stories up..I walked on the pile after it fell.. it was amazingly compacted solid from the inertia of the fall..
-
I'd go with early 1980's... the color.. the condition (from this photo..)
-
File under "PV Panels/Deep Snow"/Sliding Off Roof" We got hit with about 20 " of snow here.. Uber-energy efficient house ('hot roof', the whole 9 yards) had PV panels and about 15' of snow on it.. Sun came out...today... air temp rose.. CARRUUUUUUUUUUmpF.. Hell of a pile of heavy wet snow landed in the back yard..
-
I think it's a grey area.. if they put screens in, bees and 'junk' (including ice) might accumulate... then 'no heat'.. To put this into perspective, I was at a place recently that had boxes of small LI batteries... the printing on the boxes said "DO NOT DELIVER VIA AIRPLANE" (due to the hazard.....fire..).. Yet.. Boeing has LI batteries in the now-grounded Dreamliner...because of the batteries..! it's a constant 'yah-but' in this business of home inspection, technology, safety, and 'ya-...but if.. "
-
Fluff Pictures for Bathrooms
Rob Amaral replied to Mike Lamb's topic in Report Writing and the Written Word
A good photo filled with meaning of a 'sample bathroom' is a good idea.. especially if the client is not present... -
When people beat you up about high fees, tell them to Google "Fung Wah Bus Line".. This Boston-NYC low-fare bus line was notorious for crappy drivers, bad buses, breakdowns, accidents and what-not.. I learned to steer clear of these clowns on the MA Pike.. the DPU and the Feds 'pulled' their certification, but they insisted on running one day longer.. You get what you pay for... in this country (sometimes..) On the other hand.. on the subject of my 'taxes' (which I pay for), I am NOT getting what I paid for.. funny.. ain't it?
-
Rant received, duly noted and 'you are not alone'..
-
Anti-scald valves in houses that are vacant for long periods can go south... They sometimes will not deliver any hot water or make slammin' noises..
-
Mike's onto it.. Or, it may have been in a a previous panel at this location that got damaged from water and they saved this one... One of those two probably...
-
Saw it once out here in New England...tight as a drum..
-
What's in my attic?
Rob Amaral replied to Uncle Dave's topic in Indoor Air Quality (I.A.Q.) and Mold Forum
Bad resolution photos ... take many more... Can't tell.. -
Nice ... I did see a huge curved one a couple of years ago in a turreted area of a house... Never seen that 'tray warmer'.. I've seen radiators in ducts .. .radiators on ceilings in basements, garages and the like..
-
The 'pane of glass' in the sliding-door unit has failed... It's a pane of glass... to the glass folks.. and a pain in the _ss to the owner..
-
The AHJ probably will not allow this, because it's for a 'dry-trap' situation.. you have a 'no trap' situation... right? Cure: "Re-configure the drainage system of that shower"... This looks like a decent product for a dry-trap situation..as long as the area is 'clean'. The floor drains I see (I just saw some in a luxury condo on Boston's waterfront) are grimy, dirty dusty places... the flap would likely get stuck open in a 'real' environment.. and not work..
-
Moisture in the bitumen.. a 'real pain in the ass'.. Hey man, you have moisture in your bitumen.. haven't you seen a doctor..?
-
That looks like trapped moisture to me..
-
Download Attachment: ODD STEAM BOILER.JPG 85.8 KB You can see that those take-off tubes are supposedly always below the water-line at the steam dome area... that must be a 'water' take-off for some other process.. red-line being the 'low-water' point, space between green and red the 'normal' area of water level operation... The try-cock at top-l is at the 'top' of the OK zone of steam-water... Probably some industrial custom process or something..
-
wow.. never seen that.. .. I see those 2 try-cocks... maybe this was a special 'process' unit that was running water for another process through that area?.. secondary steam.. ? Maybe the boiler was intended for another building and then was brought there.. ?
-
No Scott, in Boston that's 'yahd aht'.. let's make that clear..
-
Download Attachment: nuclear-explosion.jpg 100.54 KB Perhaps this is the only way to 'neutralize' the site..
-
I've seen a lot of dumb stuff (like all of us)... but this is the first time I saw this .. 3 yr old house... .. gas furnace in attic.. almost 18 yrs in the biz.. Click to Enlarge 18.76 KB
-
There are still some good guys around... but they are getting less..