
DonTx
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Everything posted by DonTx
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82% Dixie! Imagine that! It was a hard test, I found it more difficult than the online NACHO test. [:-banghead] Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some fried catfish and cornbread with crawdads on the side fixed for lunch! [:-goldfish] Donald
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I live in a flex world! I was specifically speaking about new homes, but even in 20 year old homes here, we have flex the majority of the time (it's that high quality grey flex usually) Flex is ran from the plenum to the supply registers here. Sometimes in a high end townhome with open ceilings we'll see sheet metal or foam board. That's about it. I really hate calling out the flex running through a fire blocked floor/ceiling, but I have no clue as to what should be there.
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I know the IRC says that flex duct should not run between floors. However, this is the only way I've ever seen it ran. What would the correct way be? Is there some type of collar or juction box used? Donald
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Kurt, I looked at your website last week when you mentioned it in another post. I had to guess at the website address then (not to hard). It's 10:15 central time now and I can't pull the site up. I hope your doing maintenance on it. I thought the fee schedule page was a little confusing and redundant. Personally, I would lose it. Overall though, a nice, clean professional site. Like Chris, I've had countless emails telling me my site sucks. However, I've received far more compliments from clients who liked if for some reason. I'm more than willing to shell out the 3 to 5 g's (for the amount of content I have) for a new one, but my wife has vetoed my actions every time. She says that as long as we're getting the business we are from it, there's no reason to change. BTW, I have some snapshots of the Houston skyline if you'd like to use them[}] Of course, I'd never know it was Detroit if George hadn't told us...
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Chad, How about posting some pics of your home? It sounds interesting. Mike, Did you happen to get any pics of the home you wrote about in the "Crimes" article? I'm in the same ball park as Brian. I love older homes but my experience working on them is limited. In the downtown district of Houston, the popular thing is to doze the older ranch style homes built in the 30's, 40's and 50's and put up behemouth 4k to 7k square footers. I usually end up telling the clients that the little ranch home that was dozed was built better than the new one. For some reason, a few of the builders have taken offense at this statement. Donald
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Hey Scott, I'll look at Granger, but I think Ideal has stopped making the ST-1D. I bought mine 2 years ago from Inspector Tools. It's now has most of the writing wore off of it, the ground prong on the extension is loose and useless, I've dropped it into a whirlpool tub once and dropped it countless times (usually on a tile floor). I wanted a replacement, but I can not find the ST-1D any longer. Only thing I can find are the new digital models which I do not like as well. Of course they have the $550 dollar model that looks like mine, only with more bells and whistles. Donald
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Since you're into licking lizards, I'd guess I'll be the one to warn you about Gila Monster spit. I heard a news story a few months back that the spit from a Gila Monster is suppose to have hallucinogenic qualities. [:-spin] How you go about getting the spit, is beyond me [:-?help] I swear, there must be some guy walking around the desert eating, licking and smoking every plant and animal out there to see if he can get a buzz from it. Donald
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We've had quite a bit of rain lately, however I hardly ever see efflorescence like I found on these two homes. The last picture is from a slab that the builder added a layer of skim coat on to hide the honeycombing. Could this be caused by a lack of a moisture barrier? Donald Download Attachment: IMG_0151.JPG 74.73 KB Download Attachment: IMG_0169.JPG 54.34 KB
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Scott, I think it's painfully obvious what the problem is. As I understand it, Mr. Prickett is a transplant to the desert South West. Apparently no one warned him not to eat, smoke or otherwise digest the peyote buttons![:-bigeyes2] [:-drool] [:-drunk] Just wait until he shows up at an inspection thinking he's a big chicken.[:-jump2] [:-shake] Donald Peyote, it's not just for breakfast anymore...
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Chad, forget about trying to have your site rank high in national search phrases such as "home inspectors". Your meta tags should reflect your specific area. Try meta tags such as "Rochester Home Inspector", "Rochester NY Home Inspector", "Rochester NY Home Inspections", etc, you get the drift. If you do any specialized inspections such as radon, swimming pools etc, I'd include those also. Whoever designs your site should know all about meta tags and keyword phrases. Good Luck, Donald
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Census statistics have shown that the purchase of a computer and related equipment is far down the list of necessities of those people who live in low income communities such as Podunk Al or Mudflap TX. [:-cowboy] As I recall, at the top of the list was shotguns/rifles followed by ammo. Then it was two refrigerators (one for the front porch and one for the back porch) purchased at the local Western Auto store (along with enough Old Milwaukee to fill both), third was the purchase of AKC hounds, fourth was the 200 lbs of dry dogfood for the 27 1/2 hunting dogs already owned [:-bunny]. Fifth was new (read used)tires and a case of Fix-A-Flat for the 4x4. Sixth was gas and oil for the Johnson outboard. Finally seventh was several reels of Stren Magnaflex for the Zebco 888 fishing reels. With family expenses such as those, it doesn't leave much for luxury items such as internet dial up and DOS computers. I think an enterprising HI would do much better with his advertising budget in such areas by sponsoring the local Turkey Shoot every Saturday. [:-wiltel] Donald
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Meta tags do matter! Ainspect probably didn't want to do any custom work on your site. It doesn't matter if you have the best website in the world, if your customers can't find it, it will not work for you. Terence, I don't know where you located, but if you're anywhere outside of Podunk Alabama, a website should increase the inspections you do. My website accounts for 40 to 50% of my inspections. I'd stay away from the website mills. There are so many other "canned" websites out there that a lot of them look the same. You need to stand out from the hord! Donald
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Can some give me a code quote about the grading of the soil away from the foundation from the UBC? I gathering information about a litigation case where the landscaper installed a paver patio in the Clients back yard in 2001 and sloped it all toward the home. Texas adopted the IRC in 2001 so I'll give her both the IRC (which I have) and the UBC (which I think is what Houston was using prior). Also, if anyone has some good information about what damages can occur by water ponding next to a slab, I'd appreciate it. I already have some general articles from various places, but I like to provide as much information as I can. Thanks Donald
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Does Ideal still make the ST-1D? The only models I can find now are that $500 job and the new digital models. Donald
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10 and 3 here. Houston is sprawled over such a wide area that my drive time can be as much as an hour or more between inspections. I need the a.m. time to proof the previous days reports. (my wife types them from my notes, I proof them and email them in the a.m.) Donald
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NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS PER WEEK
DonTx replied to Anthony DiPonio's topic in Open Discussion Forum (Chit-Chat)
Many inspectors in the Houston area advertise that they've done thousands of inspections in their short careers. Like Scott said, 1 HI is 3 or 4 inspections for them, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, structural. I trained a guy this past summer who retired from an oil company as an electrical engineer (designing switch and guage systems). Now his ads say "30 years experience in the engineering and construction field". Interesting. Donald -
Can someone help me determine what may be causing this 3 year old stucco to be cracking? I've pretty much ruled out settlement as the cause of all the cracking that was going on. Besides, there was plenty of expansion joints that should take care of any settlement. This home was a tad over 6k feet and had about 20 stucco cracks around it. Around some of the cracks there appears to be efflorescence. My best guess is that the mixture was off during application. What do you think? Sorry about the pics, I thought the cracks showed up better than what they did. Download Attachment: crack2.JPG 37.13 KB Download Attachment: cracks.JPG 42.58 KB
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Richard, It sounds like you've been listening to Art Bell too long....[:-sick]
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I've dropped my Sure Test into a whirlpool tub once, dried it off and it has worked good since. I've dropped it a few times also. The two problems I've had is that I've worn off the writing on the back that tells me which defect the light sequences indicate. Sometimes I have to go get my three light tester to determine what I'm looking at. The ground prong on the extension came loose and I wrote up half the outlets in a home before I realized what was going on. This happened about 6 months after I bought it. BTW, I bought mine from Inspector Tools.com (by far the cheapest at the time I bought it) It came with a nylon case and instructions. My inspector has one of the new SureTest models with the AFCI button on it. I do not like this model because he's had several problems with it already. Sometimes the thing will not tell him nothing. We've found it does this most often on receptacles with reverse polarity. I also do not like the recessed plug it has. He can not test 2 prong outlets with the model. Donald
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The reason I first asked about the paste is because my inspector said he saw it in his Code Check but couldn't find it in the NEC. I've always been told that you used paste on exposed AL wire so assumed it was code. Thanks for all the information guys, it's appreciated. Donald
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Do You Charge Extra To Use Your Specialized Tools?
DonTx replied to hausdok's topic in Tools & Equipment
I don't charge extra for my SureTest...I haven't figured out all the features yet. For my digital camera, zip-level, sprinkler and water well knowledge, I charge more. Donald -
My first bulb barely made it through the first inspection before blowing out. I found a local electrical supply with cheap bulbs, if you can call 5 bucks per bulb free, and they told me not to touch the bulb while putting it in and wiping it down just to make sure no oil from my fingers made contact. It's been over a year since I put that new bulb in and it's still going strong. BTW, I have the little 45,000 Ultra Mag XT/HP. It beats any mag light I've ever had. The only thing I hate about it is the button is on the tail cap. Donald
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Thanks Mike, I thought it was a requirment. Since it's not a requirement, what section of the NEC does it state that it must be applied neatly? Thanks Donald
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Can someone give me the NEC code that requires aluminum wire to have anti-oxidant paste? Thanks Donald
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As I read it, NEC 210.52 (B) says that Kitchen, dining rooms are required to be on 2 20 amp circuits. Correct? Also, if the disposal and dishwasher are served by the same outlet, doesn't the top and bottom receptacle have to be on separate breakers trip tied together or can one breaker serve the entire outlet? The new home I did this morning has me really scratching my head over this and other things I saw. Thanks, Donald