DonTx

Now that's what I'm talking about. We should all be as lucky to have a helper like that!

I know the IRC and many manufacturers require them. Here is the gas code from the IRC. G2418.4 (408.4) Sediment trap. Where a sediment trap is not incorporated as a part of the gas utilization equipment, a sediment trap shall be installed as close to the inlet of the equipment as practical. The sediment trap shall be either a tee fittingw ith a capped nipple in the bottom opening of the run of the tee or other device approved as an effective sediment trap. Illuminating appliances, ranges, clothes dryers, and outdoor grills need not be so equipped. I know that's not the UPC, but it may help others. When all else fails, read the installation instructions!! []

Funny you should mention that Konrad. I took an HVAC CE Class this weekend and the instructor drew a gas line/furnace set up and had the sediment trap upstream of the valve. I said "Hey, isn't your drip leg in the wrong spot?" He said "No, I've always put them there" "How do you clean the thing out then?" "Turn the gas off at the meter" he said. I said it looked like it would be a whole lot easier to just turn the valve off at the appliance. I believe if the truth was know, he never went back and cleaned them when he serviced the unit. When I see one done this way, I simply tell the Client that Codes can not legislate common sense.

Paul is part correct. Let's just deal with Google since they are the largest. Google takes a look at how many other sites are linked to yours. Basically, they want to know how popular you are. However, they will dock you if you have a lot of low quality sites linked to you. They figure you must be a low quality site also. Guilt by association so to speak. Just any ole link won't work. Google makes sure the links to your site and those from your site to other sites are related. Having a bunch of links to affiliate marketing and go-go girls websites won't help your rankings with google at all and more than likely will hurt you. I try and have only real estate related websites linked on my site. Now if you have quite a few quality sites linked to you (quality as determined by your PageRank "PR"), then google will bless you with a higher rating. They don't like to see a bunch of links just show up on your site either, plus if you have hundreds or thousands of links, they're gonna consider you a link farm. The (Search Engine Optimization (SEO) guys say it's best to keep the number to a hundred or so. That's the simplified version. There are other critera that Google ranks on, but PR is one of the highest. It has been their goal over the last year or so to delist spammers and scammer websites. Links help as long as they are a click or so away from your home page. Don't use a script or a service. You want your link page to be a static web page so google will treat it as just another page of your site. Using a service that redirects you to their webpage or using a script to generate a links page will get you delisted. By the way, I trade links with quality home inspectors and other real estate companies. My site has a PR5 rating as of now. (TIJ has a PR5 rating and ASHIh as a PR6 rating) If you're interested, drop me an email.

Have you ever had a forebodig feeling about something and it just drove you nuts thinking about it? For the last month or so I've had this feeling that I'd leave the water running in a sink or tub. I can't seem to shake this silly feeling. It was so bad the other day I checked the same dang bathroom 4 times to make sure I had turned the water off! Last week I was inspecting the upstairs bathroom and couldn't remember if I'd turned the downstairs tub off. I shot downstairs to find that I had turned it off and that it had already drained. The last time I left one running was around the first of the year. I'd turned on the Utility Room sink and forgot about it as my helper had called me to come look at a water stain at a window. About 10 minutes later I hear him holler "Oh s**t there's water all over the Utility Room floor" (the home was vacant and the Buyer was not present thank goodness) It cleaned up pretty easy. However this is one of my worst fears when inspecting. The thought has crossed my mind that it might be my time to forget and leave another sink running again. Just curious if anyone has these feelings when inspecting.

This must be celebrity month or something. Last week I had a 6600 sf home in a gated - gated subdivision in Houston. The seller is a NBA player who had been traded from the Rockets quite a while back (the one who refused to play for the Hornets) I was told this was his third or fourth home he owned and didn't visit much anymore so it was on the selling block. The home was about 4 years old and the Buyers had been leasing it for about 6 months. The inspection was rather easy. 4 HUGE bedrooms took up a lot of the sf. I actually find big homes a drain on the cranium juice. I'd rather do two smaller homes than one larger one. The crazy options people put in these homes, built in's such as wine coolers, humidors, hidden safe rooms, etc. just drive me nuts! It's also my belief that the code goes right out the window when these huge homes are being built. Although a structurally sound home, the above home had a lot of code issues that were left out during construction. Seems everyone thinks that big ole mansions just couldn't have anything wrong with them. Scott, glad to hear that you finished with the mansion! I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the agent see's your report. Heck, I'd pay money for that!

One has to wonder why you were digging in a junk pile for signs......[:-dev3]

Mike, you're paying to much for you 3 light testers! I just picked up a bunch at Lowes for $9 a piece. (I give them to some customers if they have concerns about whether or not a builder "fixed" an outlet) Anyway, back to Waynes question. Wayne, you can pick up all those tools you mentioned and more on Ebay and save yourself a whole lot of $$$ doing so. Just be patient. Since you're saving so much $$$, get both a protimeter and Tramex (the newer ones). The Tramex will go deeper than the Protimeter, however the PM gets into some tight areas and is better on some dense materials such as some types of tile. I've used both the TIFF and Bacharach gas detectors and I favor the Bacharach. It does not give me as many false positives as the TIFF and has a longer reach. The only way I'd use a CO detector anymore is if I had a certification and then I'd charge extra to do it. You can also browse the HI forums, however it's been my experience that HI's selling their tools want as much as new. Guess they're trying to recoup some of their initial cost. Good Luck

Thanks Jim, That's close enough. I routinely see DW and Disposals on 15 amp breakers when they're on separate circuits. When sharing a circuit I see them on a 20 amp breaker. I was pretty sure the disposal didn't need a 20 amp breaker, but wasn't sure about the DW.

Are dishwashers and disposals required to be on 20 amp breakers? If yes, can you show me where to find the reference in the IRC or NEC? Thanks Ya'll

Franchises can be good for people who have little or no experience in the HI profession and/or no business experience and skills. They can also be good for those wanting quicker name recognition. You'll probably find RE agents and brokers more receptive to your marketing because of this name recognition. I use to think that there were no benefit for buying a franchise in this line of work. After seeing a couple people fail miserably at this business, I've changed my outlook. I'm sure good support from a franchise could have helped two of them be successful. They simply had no idea how to operate their business's. A franchise should offer you training in the field and in the office (biz end), start up marketing materials, support, insurance, office supplies, etc. Plus it wouldn't hurt if they held your hand for a few weeks either. Some will, some wont so be sure to check around. A franchise will not guarantee you success. It's no quick fix either. You'll have to pay up front and then a % of your gross income. There's alway a trade off no matter which road you go down. You have to decide what the trade offs are. Be sure to research any franchise you decide to go with. Check with you state's AG office to see if they have had any complaints. Personally, if I were going the franchise track, I'd choose one of the larger companies with a good track record. Stay away from those you've never heard of or those who offer little in the way of support or materials. Their priority should be your success. Good Luck

I've said it before and I'll say it here again, the 'Best' inspection vehicle is one that fits you and one you like to drive. Doesn't really matter what it is as long as it is clean and can safely hold all your tools. Since I'm a XXL sized HI, I drive a 2000 Chevy Silverado 4 door with 160k miles. It gets 17 mpg on the hiways around here and with the V8 I have all the power I need to do battle with the Houston traffic. I can put everything I need behind the seat, including my LG Ladder. There are times when I may need my 28 ft ladder, for those rare times I just tie it in back and go on. I'd love to have something a little smaller and more manuverable, but I wouldn't be as comfortable with all the windshield time I put in. As for dress, I started out with a nice button up shirt and Dockers. After ruining a few pair of Dockers and realizing that people care more about the work you do rather than how you look, I switched to ASHI Polo's and tan Wrangler Rugged Wear Pants and Shorts. Since I'm in and out of a lot of new homes, I wear slip on shoes. This is what I wear whether I'm doing a 60k starter home or a 2.5 mil POS. I've never had anyone complain. In fact, if someone did complain about my dress or drive, it would indicate that I need a new Client.

Yes, from what I see there is a high failure rate among new HI's. The reasons vary, but I believe a lot of it has to do with the HI school ads that tell everyone how easy it is to be an HI and how much money they will make. Other reasons I see HI's fail is they have no clue as to the amount of money that will be required for marketing, tools, insurance, everyday expenses, etc. and to survive on the first year. Most also do not have a clue as to how much time and energy it takes to run a successful company or how to go about it. For many, being an HI is their first attempt at self employment. Is this a risky business? You betcha! You're gonna need a very supportive wife, hopefully one that makes good money. You'll also need either about 10 to 15k in starting expenses or work on building your company part time while you work part/full time. Both would be good. Should you be concerned? Yes, very concerned! Good Luck,

I bought a Fujitsu P1100 when they came out. Great little laptop, a little slow with it's 800 mhz Crusoe chip. I loved using the pen at first, then found I used it less and less. I have big hands....and you know what they say about guys with big hands....if not, here goes "Guys with big hands have a helluva time typing on small keyboards." As much as I loved the unit, I sold it after a few months because it slowed me down typing. It actually took me longer to do the reports. The other downside was that it didn't come with a CD player. I had to buy an external CD player so I could download software onto the laptop. I highly recommend the largest battery. I bought the upgraded battery and mine seemed to run forever on a single charge. (it would last for two inspections and still have enough power to proof and polish the reports back at the office that night)

I run across 2 or 3 a year plus the assorted dumb waiters. I disclaim them and refer them to an elevator company. Part of my disclaimer suggest they have it inspected yearly and obtain any warranty, past repairs or maintenance records the Sellers might have.

Just when you get comfortable in your daily inspection routine, something comes along to turn it upside down... Showed up at today's inspection, met the Client out front and went up to the door. Rang the door bell several times and finally let myself in with the Supra Key. I shouted "Hello, Home Inspector" like I always do when entering an occupied home. I heard this gruff voice say "Hello" back, which kinda startled me because there wasn't suppose to be anyone home. It was the Sellers son and he told us to come on in. My Client told me that she couldn't stay for the entire inspection but that her husband would show up near the end. I told her that would be a problem. Anyway, she followed me around like a puppy dog while I did the inspection. She was taking measurements and asking all the same ole questions. She even came up and stood on the attic ladder while I inspected the attic. She then told me she had to get ready to go to work. She changed in the Master Bath while I finished up the attic. As I came down, she told me that the Sellers son had left a few minutes earlier and that a cab had picked him up. She started to take off about 12:30. I heard her say "Oh my God, I can't find my wallet or camera!" We turned the house upside down looking for them. I figured she'd left them out in the car. She went back out and looked in the car and her bags again. No wallet - No Camera. The only place they'd been was on the Kitchen Island. She never took any pics of the home so she wasn't carrying the camera around the home. Well, it didn't take long before we were thinking the Son had taken the things. She called her husband who was on his way and their realtor. Those two showed up about the same time. After talking about it, they called the listing agent who in turned called the Seller. Seller said she didn't think her son would do something like that and was on her way home to talk to the Buyer. Meanwhile, they call the Sheriffs Dept. and have a Deputy to come out. While he's on his way out, we start brainstorming and looked at the caller ID on the phone to find the number of the Cab. Co. We found that and gave it to the Deputy when he arrived. He also called the Seller and told her to get ahold of her son ASAP and return the items if he took them. Seller said the Son didn't have a cell phone (wrong, the Buyer and I both saw him using one shortly after we arrived), then she said he got ahold of his girlfriend and that he was on his way home and that he said he didn't know anything about the camera and wallet. The Deputy called the Cab Co. It didn't take long to find out that he paid the Cabby with a CC, when they ran the numbers, guess who's CC it was? Then the Cab Co. said that he'd tried to sell the driver a camera! The Mother kept saying that "He'll be here any minute" The Deputy finally had to tell her "Ma'am, he's not coming back home, the girlfriend had dropped him off at a Metro Bus station" (so she said) Anyway, what should have been a three hour inspection turned into a 6 hour inspection as I had to wait around until everything was cleared up and while the Deputy searched my truck.(before we learned about the CC from the Cab Co.) Pretty wild day. Amazing how a 23 year old boy thinks he can swipe a $700 camera and a womans wallet and everything will be fine. Now he's facing time in the big house. (when they catch him) What kind of mindset does one have to have to figure they can pull this off and not get caught?

Thanks Mike, Terry, I don't know of a software that will fax to email and forward your calls, but I use the WinFax software and it turns the faxes into a Tiff pic and I turn around and make it into a PDF and put it in the correct folder. Much better than having hard copies around. Just be sure to back up.

Don't want to hijack you're thread Terry, but I need to know something from Mike. How does VOIP work with local numbers? For example; we live just outside of the Houston area and even though we have the same area code, it's long distance for most of the Houston area to call us. That's why we have an 888 number. It's also long distance for us to call into most areas of Houston. Is it the same for VOIP? I just looked at their site and it said I could pick the area code I wanted, but I'm wondering if people will still have to dial long distance? Thanks,

On today's inspection, the subject was an older home built in 1972. My guess it originally had galvanized supply lines and at some point someone switched them out with PVC. All the supply lines I could see were white Schedule 40 PVC and Grey (not PB) PVC. I'm assuming the grey PVC was schedule 80. Question 1: Is it kosher to mix schedule 40 and 80 fittings and supply lines? I've always been told not to mix the two. I've never seen any standard that said you could or couldn't though. Question 2: The only times I've ever see entire homes plumbed with PVC is on the DIY weekend cabins and mobile homes. What are the pros and cons (if any) of plumbing entire homes with PVC?

I'm baaaack! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers! They were appreciated. My wife made the executive family decision to make our get-a-way on wed. As it turned out, that was a good call because we made it out ahead of the stampede. We drove to Dallas Wed. night and got up the next morning and made it to Tulsa where my folks with and holed up there. We watched the problems with the traffic jams on TV. Many of our friends decided to ride it out rather than sit in traffic. I must say though, to get that many people out of Houston (2.4 million last I heard) in less than 36 hours is remarkable. It did take us a while to get back in. Once I got within about a 100 miles of the house I started taking back roads. Even some of them were backed up. From the looks of our place, we got some rain and a lot of wind. It looked like someone had been stacking brush in our yard. No damage to the home that I could tell, however our power was out. They're saying it will be Oct. 7th at the earliest before we get our power back. We're staying with my mother-in-law [:-sick] on Lake Conroe. Even here, we're getting rolling blackouts. Some last for an hour while at other times they will last 3 or 4 hours. An extended stay motel is looking rather nice about right now. I have been able to do some business with my cell phone and lap top. Luckily we forwarded our biz phone to my wifes cell before leaving. They'd clocked 117mph winds on the Livingston. Due to the high winds and the waves crashing into the dam, they had to open the flood gates to relieve some of the pressure. Last night, they were interviewing a resident on Lake Livingston who had just closed on his home a week before Rita hit. I did a double take when I saw the guy and his name. I'd inspected his home! He was telling the news anchor about his boat house breaking away and floating off during the storm. What a small world. If you know anyone in the Beaumont to Lake Charles area, pray for them. They were hit really hard and took the brunt of the storm. Besides the power outages, we faired really well. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go looking for an extended stay motel so I can get out of my Mother-In-Law's house before going nuts! [:-crazy]

Come to think about it, it happened after I configured the Window Fax program the first time.

Man I just knew there had to be some add on services I wasn't thinking about! Mow their lawn while you're shaking them down for late payment....gotta love it. I can see it now...."Hey, Hey, Hey...you want this flower bed weeded on the next trip you'd better be for paying your HUD note!" Or go the refreshing route of mowing the lawn after crawling out of a 150 degree attic! [:-jump]

I also doubt that the windows were installed properly. If you ever get to see behind the Brick Veneer, look up the AAMA 2400.02 standards for installing windows and/or the manufacturers installation instructions (if you know the manufacturer).

My inspector has kinda left me high and dry to head down there for PaRR. They've promised him the moon so far. They're claiming a guaranteed minimum of $450 per day plus $100 per day living expenses. This is about all they've told him and they wouldn't tell him anything more. I think he'll find out that it's not quite the cash cow he's thinking it will be.

Heck, I like ole W too but that picture crosses the line!!! Ain't no self respectin' Striper gonna be caught in nasty ole flood water! Now a Carp on the other hand.....[:-goldfis []