Rob Amaral

Ditto on the earth anchor as well. Was the house built on a sloping lot? R

Looks like solid wood to me as well. (Not T-1-11)

Could it be frost-action (seasonally) on a foundation that has a footing not below the local frost line? Was that buiding unheated for a stretch? Unheated buildings with short-depth foundations can ride the frost-train and crack like that.

That is indeed going to happen here before you know it. A local company here (MA) is working with Honda on an interesting residential co-generation project involving Honda generators and residential heating systems. Here's the link:http://www.freewatt.com/ A lot of fuel cell research is being done in the Boston/Cambrige area and has been for many years. It's only a matter of time until it hits the streets here.

Ernie: I seem to recall someone mentioning that vapors from 'laundry use' (chemicals, etc) in a basement 'might' adversely affect this type of furnace (extra corrosion). That seemed to also be one of the reasons to get the comb.air from outside (besides other obvious reasons). I too have seen the mfgr specs OK-ing this. When in doubt, read the manual or go to the mfgr's website.

Differential shrinkage of the masonry over the sound foundation. Not only did you see it at a lot of locations, you are going to run into that a lot. Expansion/contraction differentials. You will also someday see similar buildings that have the corners of the foundation 'broken off' because of the same thing. ...Broken-off by the expansion of the brick veneer over the foundation (which doesn't expand).

..what...? The bass player refuses to play that thing with his teeth?

If the equipment ground was 'touching' the hot bus somewhere, it would have tripped-off the breaker for the circuit that the equipment ground is connected to instantaneously (if the breaker was 'good' and all the proper connections for that circuit and the panel had been made). That is why equipment grounds are 'bonded' to the panel enclosure. You must really 'go to town' in panels that are really nasty!

What are you burning? Is is 'seasoned' or not?

It's "H.B." Smith (not JB). Hydrotherm/H.B.Smith are part of a group in Westfield, MA called "Mestek". On a side note, I saw a brand-new Weil-McLain oil-fired hydronic boiler with a cracked section the other day. Never assume anything (as usual). I always use an extension mirror and get on my knees to check the visible underside areas of cast iron sectional boilers for leaks. I'll try to post the photo of the cracked boiler section. Bad-casting..

A bunch of BULLSHIFT! "Wetware", "Cosmic Bluetooth".....

I'd go for late 1930's..

I see corroded panels often around Boston. Checking the meter base box interior upstream of such a panel is important as it can be as bad or worse. A local three family burned due to a short at a meter box because of water penetration over many years. The fire progressed up the siding, to the soffit, through it and into the attic and took the place out. Get your hands on a 'corroded-looking' breaker someday and take it apart. That will learn ya.. (The inside is usually much worse than it appears on the outside).

Check to see if they nails are galvanized steel or copper.. (use a magnet in the attic if you can't tell otherwise). Data point #098123098230981230983

I 'saw that' in a commercial inspection I did. (A burger-joint type structure that was a bagel bakery). The 'entire' attic was soot-covered, quasi-pyrolized. When I drove up, I looked at the roof and though "Wow...major mildew problem up there.." (dark stains at edges of hip roof shingles). It wasn't mildew. It was soot. Smoke was trying to get out of the attic. I came down from the attic and told the owner that if he didn't shut down his ovens now, the local FD would tell him because that was where I was headed after the inspection. (His baking oven was partially disconnected in the attic). He shut them down. I finished the inspection, went to local FD, they 'shut him down' for a day or so until he corrected the problem. Truss roof. FD's don't like to fight fires in truss-roof buildings. That's a nasty sitch you got there sir.

Ditto to the above responses. I usually see this coupled with a general lack of ventilation as well.

Kurt: Are you sure that the house was not relocated onto a newer foundation?

Mr Kibble is a man after my own heart. He gave a talk up here in RI this fall and had a photo of his 'gear'. I'm using the same darn set-up! Cam shots into heating appliance breeches through the barometric damper...Been there, done that, Bill. Chimney-voodoo is hugely appreciated by clients and saves time for them. Using the cam to document mortar loss in unlined flue passages, chimney tops, cracks, collapsed stuff.. My biggest 'tool' is a small circular mirror from CVS beauty dept.. Guys not using mirrors or strong flashlights are simply 'missing stuff' a lot. Oh yeah, use your knees...(Bend down, look...). Some guys out there can't bend anymore... ! Or use the mirror instead..!

Randy... You are kidding, right? You are getting water onto energized parts in that panel? Am I reading this right? Please take a picture and post it for the rest of us.

PS-I never bring it up... ever. If I'm asked, I tell them 'why' but.. NBD (no big deal).

The 'why' of the upside down receptacle is this: If the cover plate is metal and it loosened and slipped, it would hit the ground pin first and it would be 'safer' instead of hitting the hot/neutral blades of the plugged-in appliance cordset. All this stuff has a 'why' attached to it. That is the only reason. If the cover plate is plastic, it is a non-reason. It's for the metal cover plate. (Formerly, metal cover plates that slipped-down could land on the hot/neutral and bang...! ). Now you know the rest of the story as they say..

No idea. Holahan-it and let us know. Seems to me that it would cause some steam to prematurely condense due to the surface area being uninsulated. But why..?

Looks to me like it may be a 'multi-wire' branch circuit (red coming off the top of the left 110V lug, black off the right 110V lug?). The red (and black guy at right) have no 'dedicated overcurrent protection' and are only protected by the 60A disconnect 'upstream of here'. It is an improper 'tap' with no dedicated overcurrent protection. Of course, the 60A disconnect is 'too big' to protect that wire (or wires...). Photo is tough to discern exactly what is going on. Looks like no 'equipment ground conductor' in that feeder as well..

Bill: Kudos on a fine job the other day in Newport, RI at the ASHI New England Conference. PS-"Clinkers" is pronounced "Clinkizz" up here..!

Thread drift, but 'bricks' and 'service'-related. I've never seen a utility service drop connection 'in the brickwork' of a chimney. (Done because of the alignment of the overhead drop and so forth). Just didn't jive with me. Any comments? Long drop, too. Looked very-secure.