inspectorwill

Plumber and Gas Company so I'm wrong but I am standing ground. I am turning here for final clarification mostly for my ego but also for future reference. Came across a water heater with a direct type vent pipe manufactured by State Industries. Interestingly, the water heater had a draft hood which I had never seen on a direct vent type and did not think it was allowed. The pipe appeared many years old and the water heater was 1 year old. The vent pipe has a manufacturer's label stating it shall not be used with any other water heater other than a direct vent type manufactured by State Industries. The GE water heater (manufactured by Rheem) manual was on site and did not provide any installation guidelines for use as a direct vent system. I called it out and the realtor wars began. Finally, the plumber who installed the water heater and the gas company both came out to meet with buyer (my client) and told him it was a good installation. See photos of draft hood with vent pipe, vent pipe label and exterior vent termination. Thanks in advance for any input. Click to Enlarge 19.3 KB Click to Enlarge 52.72 KB Click to Enlarge 60.31 KB

Thanks for all the great info!

I have always understood that the temperature drop from return to supply during AC operation should be between 14-22 degrees. Any more could result in condensation problems or freezing. However, after reading the Charging&TD Chart I downloaded from this forum, I am confused. AC unit yesterday was 1-2 years old with new ducting and had temperature drops exceeding 30 degrees. Return air temp was 68 and supply temp (closest to coil) was 36 degrees. The filter was clean and the return air seemed correctly sized. Do different systems have different temperature drops? 32 degrees seems excessive. Thanks.

The english portion of the schematic had peeled off. A portion was legible but in spanish and I no habla. The large bare copper wire is the grounding electrode that goes to a ground rod. This was the main panel and the top part of the panel is the meter. The panel did look salvaged to me also because of the large knockouts at the bottom and the installation appears amateurish. Because there was no obvious bonding screw or bond connection between the ground bus and neutral bus, I am confident the bond doesn't exist. Thanks for all the input.

Newer Square D main panel installed on a 1925 home. A separate ground bus was installed (for some unknown reason) but no bond to the floating neutral terminals. I couldn't determine whether the neutral is bonded to the enclosure at the service. The panel label has faded and peeled. Is anyone familiar with this type of panel? My recollection is that this type of panel can be used as a main or sub and requires a bond from the enclosure to the neutral. I have included an overall pic and a close up of the neutral bar bond to the service neutral. Click to Enlarge 66.94 KB Click to Enlarge 53.02 KB

Appears to be tied into the drain correctly although there is a kink in the line right at the connection to the drain. However, the A/C is draining correctly through the same line. I could not discern which condensate line the heater was tapped into because the space was tight and there were obstructions.

Home is equipped with a vertically mounted York high efficiency furnace and A/C. The a-coil is above the furnace. Dual condensate lines are installed at the a-coil and a condensate line is also installed for the furnace. The primary condensate is plumbed to a bathroom sink drain. The secondary discharges at the eaves onto the driveway. When the furnace is operated, condensate drains from the secondary line installed at the eave of the home. When the a/c is operated, I can hear condensate draining through the bathroom sink drain. There is a slight kink in the primary condensate line where it attaches to the sink drain. I would think that if the kink doesn't obstruct flow for the A/C it shouldn't obstruct flow for the heater. Unless, more condensate is created by the heater which the kinked line can't accommodate or the heater condensate was plumbed to drain outside. Just puzzled and any thoughts are appreciated.

It was a gas water heater and I am not sure what caused it to release. I shut off the gas and water and did not investigate it further.

Just wanted to post a reminder about the importance of TPR extensions and HI safety during inspections. Two days ago I was setting up my laptop on the kitchen counter preparing for an inspection. The purchaser, my client, was excitedly walking around taking a closer look at her future home. She opened a closet door in a laundry room adjacent to the kitchen and said, "Gee, that's a funny noise." I heard a rumbling and slight hissing coming from her direction. I looked around the corner and saw her standing in front of the water heater with the extensionless TPR about 3' from her face. I ran over, slammed the closet door and nearly dragged her to the next room. The TPR discharged with a loud hiss and rumbling. Steam and water were pouring out from the under the door closet door. The 2 month old water heater was purchased from and installed by one the large home improvement chains. Be careful out there.

On conductor terminals? What terminology is used to identify whether the terminal is rated for one or two conductors? Terminal stamp reads: - 600KCMIL - - 2/250 KCMIL 1/0 - See photos for detail. Click to Enlarge 43.33 KB Click to Enlarge 39.9 KB Click to Enlarge 45.78 KB

Anyone know if flexible gas connectors are required on tankless units. The Rinnai manual does not specify. Simply states 3/4" gas pipe required. Unit is currently piped with rigid 3/4" supply. Thanks

Thanks

There are two heaters installed in the home. One on the 1st floor and one in the 2nd floor attic. The 1st floor vent extends up through the attic where the 2nd floor vent connects and then extends through the roof. The 1st floor unit has been replaced with a high efficiency unit and now vents through PVC elsewhere. The original vent was cut off just below where the attic unit vent is joined. Looking for any opinions as to the potential for venting problems. Many thanks. Photos attached for detail. Click to Enlarge 52.97 KB Click to Enlarge 54.07 KB

Came across a 1960s home that was replumbed and had peculiar drain material beneath the sinks. The traps consisted of white plastic that appeared to be PVC which was glued to ABS. Upon closer look, the white pipe material was embossed with the manufacturer name "Phoenix" and below the name "ABS Pipe." I am curious as to whether the pipe falls within the class action suit and whether these glued connections are acceptable. The connections would obviously be defective if it were PVC and ABS but the ABS labeling on the white pipe Click to Enlarge 38.1 KBthrows me. Photos attached.

The fact that it's clean tells me nothing because the current and original owner only used it a few times with a gas log set. My client intends to use the fireplace for burning wood. My opinion was that the rough transitions with the corbelled brick and the suspect cross sectional area of the opening created by this installation is cause for concern. There is potential for build up in the unparged smoke chamber and also a potential for drafting problems with the rough and short transition. Considering this fireplace has not been used (regularly or with wood), there will be no evidence of potential drafting problems. The answer may be resolved in time with operation. Nevertheless, I cannot predict the functionality so I referred them to a CSIA inspector as I felt it was the prudent thing to do. There was also a second fireplace in the home that was obviously in need of inspection / servicing.

Came across this configuration yesterday and can't find any building standard that speaks directly to it. The fireplace is set in a corner of two interior walls, however, the chimney is square to the roof framing. The 45 degree turn was accomplished in the smoke chamber. Hope I am making sense. Basically, looking up through the damper you can see the unparged bricks of the smoke chamber turn 45 degrees in relation to the throat (as seen in the photos). Seems to me this may cause a drafting issue. Click to Enlarge 52.5 KB Click to Enlarge 50.03 KB

Peter, Thanks for the heads up on both posts regarding terminology, it's critical point you bring up. I will be sure not to confuse the terminologies in the future. Will

Thanks for all the input especially the link to the Heritage Preservation Brief. That site has very useful information. And regarding the "drive by" pics, I drive really slow.

Anyone with experience in adobe construction? We don't have adobe construction in Southern California except for this one house:) which I have been selected to inspect. I did a drive by and took a couple photos of the exterior and will return this week for the inspection. I have been doing web research but if anyone can direct me to a good source it would be much appreciated. The home was constructed in 1952 and it appears to have been coated with a plaster type material at one time. It is now just exposed adobe brick with straw embedded. Some of the bricks along the bottom are pitted and moist, probably due to saturation and wicking from a recent rain. The brick is run down into the soil and no stem wall is visible. Is a plaster siding material recommended on this type of brick to preserve it and should the pitting be tended to? Click to Enlarge 79.04 KB Click to Enlarge 64.73 KB Click to Enlarge 78.94 KB

The bolt in the picture fastens the two sections of the home together (marriage bolt). The home is a 1973 and it is located in Southern California which is riddled with faults. The San Andreas is not nearby but I'm sure there are plenty more faults that could be equally destructive.

I came across a manufactured home yesterday with a foundation system I am not familiar with. I have inspected many manufactured homes and they all have the same type of foundation but this one is different. The steel I-beams are set directly on poured concrete foundation walls and piers. I cannot see any means of fastening between the I-beam and the concrete walls. I am curious if there is a typical fastening method that would not be visible from the crawlspace. At the concrete piers, I can see a 360 degree view and do not see any fasteners. Additionally, the walls on the exterior are not square relative to the foundation. Unknown if this was poor original construction or indicative of movement. There are no cracks at the exterior walls. I will ultimately refer this out based on the observations but would like to know for future reference as to the methods typically used to fasten steel beams to concrete foundation walls. Thanks. Couple pics of the exterior walls and foundation attached. Click to Enlarge 63.9 KB Click to Enlarge 65.6 KB Click to Enlarge 54.81 KB Click to Enlarge 51.45 KB

The chimneys are connected to wood burning fireplaces with gas log lighters. My initial feeling was what Brandon mentioned regarding rain washing the soot back onto the cap from the spark arrestors. We had rain last week. Thanks for input.

What would cause this soot covered cap? Click to Enlarge 67.36 KB

The pictured installation is typical for my area. This is a traditional stucco home with wood trim installed around vinyl clad windows. The window / trim joints are commonly caulked. However, the caulking typically deteriorates within a couple years. Recaulking on a regular basis, especially at 2nd floor windows, does not seem practical. In the close up pic, you can see the lathe in the gap between the window frame and wood trim. I have two questions. 1- Is the caulking really necessary? 2 - Is there a better installation method with this type of siding and trim? Gaps will inevitably occur between the window frame and wood trim and continual caulking is not practical. Click to Enlarge 52.93 KB Click to Enlarge 41.49 KB Click to Enlarge 21.68 KB

Inspected a home with detached, all steel (frame and siding) constructed shop about 75' from main house and main panel. All outlets are equipped with two conductor wiring (hot and neutral) and run through metal conduit back to the subpanel. The subpanel is connected via metal conduit (as far as I can tell because it is buried) back to the main panel. The neutral terminal in the subpanel is isolated from the panel and there is a bare, stranded copper wire connected to the neutral terminal and run to a ground rod at the exterior of the shop. The grounding conductor is doubled up with the neutral under a single lug. Seems to me the bare copper grounding conductor connected to the neutral creates a potential path for stray current since it is not isolated from the conduit through which it runs. Not really sure why or if the separate ground rod is necessary. See photos attached. Thanks for any feedback. Click to Enlarge 61.1 KB Click to Enlarge 62.53 KB Click to Enlarge 54.77 KB