SWagar

I noticed the meters inside this building, was there another meter in the Garage? The solder on the pipes looks to be all about the same vintage. That valve is turned off, any idea where the pipe went?

John, This link will go directly to the Best Practice guide: http://www.culturedstone.com/technical/flashing.asp The page has bubbles with numbers on it, each number is a different situation e.g. 1.13 is vertical wood trim. Just click the number you want to know about and a diagram will appear to show you their Best Practice. Happy reading. From what I can tell there are no direct building codes or even ASTM standards that directly apply to this material. So sometimes it is a bit o a p!$$ing match when it comes to giving code references for mis-installed product. Especially when another brand like Rogue River is used.

I guess I just don't get the point of doing this fuse thing?! The only reason that it makes sense to me, is that they are trying to limit the current to the device to a level less than the over current device's level at the panel. Arbitrary example: the pump is on a 20 amp circuit and they waned a 15 amp fuse to protect the pump. If the fuse at the pump and in the panel were the same, isn't this pointless. Or am I just missing something here?

In my area I see a lot of Owens Corning Cultured Stone. They publish a best practices for flashing guide that can be found at: http://www.culturedstone.com/technical/flashing.asp More often than not these stone products are installed no where close to this guide. One of the major offenders I see is improper flashing where the stone meets vertical and horizontal wood trim at windows and walls. Owens Corning calls out J mold, backer rod and sealant. What I see is mortar, which by the time I see it has cracked and or separated away from the wood trim. This joint is no longer water proof. I refer all of my clients to this web page if they have any doubt about proper instalation. I've been in a couple of heated discussions with builders over this topic. I've had one builder tell me his installers were "trained" and "certified" by Owens Corning and yet they still did not follow the OC best practice guide. I agree with the prediction that these fake stone products will be the next EIFS. At a recent association meeting a building defect lawyer told us that he is already seeing claims against this stuff. Keep your eyes on the prize! Image Insert: 97.3 KB

I don't believe that you would end up with 240 volts on all circuits. The earth ground is in place to provide a return path to the transformer. It would be at a much higher impedance however, you would still have 120 volts. The higher impedance will cause problems with some appliance. The grounded conductor looks to be undersized and poorly connected to the service conductor. Even if there was no earth ground / return path, I'm still not sure you would get all 240 volt circuits. I would think you would have functional 240 volt circuits and non-functional (open) 120 volt circuits.

From your picture the spots appear evenly spaced. Are they? Could the spots be directly under joists, strapping or something in the attic that may cause a cold/hot spot where condensation could occur? Is the house generally clean inside? I have seen instances where cold transmission from rafter contact/ lack of insulation can cause condensation inside. In a bedroom there can be moisture buildup since people spend considerable time there giving off water vapor. House dust can collect on condensation and could look like mold growth.

I haven't gone exploring in my house yet, but I know (in this area) that many turn of the century (early 1900's that is) had siding nailed directly to the studs. No sheathing was installed. These houses breathed very well, that's pretty obvious. We are in a very moist environment. Since these homes breath well, generally we do not see as many mold/condensation issues as in our newer tightly sealed homes. This is in part due to the constant air flow through their stud walls coupled with much larger overhang at the roof line. I think that if I do not have exterior sheathing, blown-in cellulose would not be such a great idea due to the wetting potential. But if I find sheathing I sure would like the extra warmth.

Currently the house is woefully bereft of insulation in the walls and only minor amounts of cellulose in the attic. I will be adding more cellulose to the attic after the remodel is finished. What thoughts do you have about blowing in cellulose insulation into the wall cavities? Is there some sort of vapor retarder that comes in a roll e.g. Tyvek that I could use under the sheetrock on top of the wood boards? I do not want to use plastic as I’ve heard too many bad things about complete vapor barriers in older homes. Should I be concerned about condensation in the wall cavity and in the new insulation with or without a vapor retarder? Would I be better off without wall insulation? My other thought is, if there is no exterior sheathing the insulation may get wet from driving rain, I don't think that could be a good situation. I’d like to hear your comments/suggestions.

The wood boards are not all that pleasant to look at. They are uneven, stained and face nailed. The picture is a bit misleading. So I need to cover them with something, looks like sheetrock and extra mud are the answer.

Jim and Tom The house is located in the Old Town section of Forest Grove, she is not much to look at now. But give us a 4 months or so and she will be back in shape. I'm not sure whether there is any exterior wall sheathing behind the lap siding (I think no). Which by the way is 13/16 - 7/8 CGF Clear Grain Fir, the back is rough sawn, don't see too much of that. So I did not know if the interior wood is structural. My guess was that is was not directly structural but that it adds stiffness to the structure much like the plaster and lath below. I thought about taking off the wood for about 5 seconds and decided no way! There is a lot of wood it looks like two sheds and a dog house. But mainly because I would now have to cut the window and door jams down which is harder for me than firing them out. Also the paneling was nailed to the walls with hundreds and hundreds of little nails. My wife and father-in-law spent countless hours pulling out each and every little nail. I don't have the heart to tell them that all that work was for nothing. I'll chaulk up my extra few hours of trim work to family relations, some types of mental anguish are better than others!

Thanks Jim ! All very good points. Loosing trim depth was one of my concerns, which is why I thought maybe 1/4 inch sheetrock would look OK. But I don't want this house to look like a hack so I'll just bite the bullet and do it right. As far as the wiring goes, suprizingly all of the BX and Knob and Tube has all been replaced with NM along with a new panel and service. I think the ugrade was done 1985 or so. I don't realy like all of the quality of the wiring so I'll be replacing much of if. I'm a little picky about wiring. I will have quite alot to add as well. Sooo... need some practice with your wiring skills???

Along with some family members I've just purchased a 1929 two story cottage style home. It has been pretty much neglected over the years and we are in the process of doing a major interior remodel. The remodel will include enlarging the existing dormer and adding a bathroom, remodeling the first floor bathroom and of course the kitchen. I guess I'll be busy for awhile. The first level walls are all plaster and wood lath, which is what I expected. But the entire second floor was a bit of a surprise to me. The interior of the studs are all "sheathed" with what appear to be 1x6 rough sawn lumber, no plaster, no lath, no nothin', just wood. On top of the boards was a muslin type fabric then 3+ layers of wall paper and topped with paneling (bee you tee full). We spent many hours tearing the coverings down. Now here is my question (there had to be one sometime). Has anyone had any luck with applying 1/4 inch sheet rock on top of the boards. Seems to me it would not make a very smooth finished surface since the boards under it are not even. I don't want to add too thick of a wall covering since I do not want to re-trim the windows. If I took off all of the window trim then added 1/2 sheet rock I'd need to make the jambs deeper. What other type of wall covering have you seen/used that may work in this situation? How about diferent methods. The window trim is applied on top of the wallboards. I'm not really being lazy just looking to save some time, money and aggravation. Image Insert: 62.28 KB

I'm not sure, but I think the plumber forgot something! Scott Wagar Inspections Hillsboro, OR

Image Insert: 150.7 KB Here is what can happen when the "fart fan" is not directed to the exterior. This growth on the roof sheathing was directly under the exhaust fan duct. You cannot see the duct in the photo but it was below this area by about 12 inches.

I'm not so sure that the NEC has any requirements for the location of outlets outside of the shower/bathtub (as of 2005 anyway). I don't have a copy of the latest code. There cannot be an outlet or switch inside of the shower or bathtub surround. GFCI protection is very imnportant for that type of installation, but that should be there already.

Well as you know, Oregon has an exception to the NEC requirement for GFCI for ceiling garage door openers. We also have an exception for single dedicated outlets for not readily movable equipment (in garages) e.g. Fridges and Vacs in both the 2005and 2008 Oregon Specialty Electric Code. What I have a problem with is indicating to our clients that this is an item that would require repair by the seller. When, it was never part of our code nor will it be for the next three years. I would hope that inspectors would refer to this as a safety upgrade. There has never been a code that requires homes be updated when the codes are revised. You and I know how those repairs we suggest in our reports get done, the cheapest and quickest way possible and not always by a licensed professional. So what would a seller have done, stick in a GFCI outlet at the door opener receptacle of course! The intent of the ceiling outlet is to service the garage door opener, a motorized unit. Which we all know may cause nuisance trips. Yes I have seen an occasional cord plugged into these outlets, but I have seen a lot of cords plugged into a lot of outlets run to all sorts of things inside and out. Doesn’t mean I suggest GFCI protection at those outlets. Furthermore, when the seller leaves so might the errant extension cord. Further, I would educate the client on the proper use of that outlet. Picture this, your 80 year old single female comes home late from work, opens her garage door and the GFCI trips because of the motor surge, I’m not so sure she will a) know what to do or have the ability to fix it and B) may not be all that safe that night and C) be ticked off. I believe that some exceptions have merit. That’s two posts now that say just pull the release cord on the door. Have you ever pulled the release cord on a half open door that the springs are not adequate, LOOK OUT!, dead man (no longer) walking. And again, your standard home owner may not know what that red cord hanging from the door is for, other than a parking guide. Oregon also has exceptions to the 2008 NEC AFCI protection requirement as well. We still only need AFCI in bedrooms. Other states may as well check with your local AHJ. AS far as the nuisance trips go at my friend’s condo, I did note in a following post that the entire complex is having the same problem, that being the GFCI trips when the washing machine runs. The trip happens often but not always. I can’t believe that many new washing machines in the complex (not the same as they were not supplied by the builder) all have ground fault issues. Points back to motors and GFCIs don’t mix. I have read that motor surge does not cause tripping, but anecdotal evidence seems to say the opposite. One Man's opinion..

An aside on the washing machine, the electrician told me that the entire complex is having problems, not just my friend. The County will noy budge on the code to have GFCI in all bathrom outlets even for washing machines located in bath closet. So it sounds like it is motor surge causing the problem aka nuisance trip.

What i meant to say was that the door's operation would be stopped (shut down). Bad wording on my part.

As you know the new Electrical codes are here! The new NEC code removes all previous exceptions to Garage GFCI outlets. In other words, all outlets in garages need GFCI protection. Even garage door openers located on the ceiling and dedicated single appliance outlets. Oregon, has some exceptions to this part of the code (if I interpret them correctly). My question is, what are inspectors saying in their reports about these outlets, especially door opener receptacles on the ceiling often 9 feet or more above the floor? I have heard that some inspectors are recommending that these circuits be updated to have GFCI protection, in older homes. From a practicality standpoint isn't this a little over the top? I would, always recommend upgrading all other required outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, outdoors, sinks etc. where people actually use them. But to recommend that door opener outlet be modified, I don’t know. I can't imagine what happens when the GFCI trips halfway through the lifting/closing cycle and shuts off the door. Now your client can't get in or out of his garage without resetting the GFCI outlet up on the ceiling. It may not always be possible in some homes to put the controlling GFCI outlet in a more accessible location. The NEC seems to think that nuisance trips are low these days, but my experience tells me that is not always the case. I have a friend whose new condo’s washing machine is in a bathroom closet. It requires GFCI by code. This GFCI trips constantly and has been replaced no less that 3 times by the builder. So nuisance trips do happen. What do you think?