Tom Raymond

Home sales are plummeting here. Springville, the largest of the small communities around my home, has a population of just over 8000 and the home sales from January through April were 16, 12, 5, 2. Every small town for 30 miles in any direction has a similar pattern. Only the nicer zip codes in the Buffalo metro area are holding ground. It's gonna get slower close to home. Tom

Cory, you have that backwards. A 20 amp circuit requires 12AWG (if it's copper) but there is nothing wrong with protecting a 12AWG circuit with a 15 amp breaker. The only down side is that it it will cost more than it needs to. When I designed the circuits in my house I ran 12AWG for the bathrooms and the dining room with 15 amp breakers. When we entertain there is usually a crock pot or electric roaster running in the dining room but when the wife decided to run both 15 amps wasn't enough, and with 24 people over and dinner half done it was very easy to upgrade the circuit and get the party going again. The little electric heater that the wife runs to take the chill off the bathroom at the begining an end of the heating season and her hair drier also overloaded the 15 amp circuit there. Anticipating potential loads like these is a good reason to run 12AWG for circuits that would normally be 14AWG 15 amps. A 14AWG circuit on a 20 amp breaker is wrong because the wire isn't rated to handle 20 amps. Tom

That looks like a metal duct to me. The insulation around it could be an ACM, but it isn't transite. Transite is a silly putty colored concrete like material with visible reinforcement fibers in it that is fashioned into ducts and vent pipes. Generally a metal 'pipe' would transition into transite to pass through a combustable plane of the building and not be completely encased in it. Tom

Thought some of you might get a kick out of this central A/C added to a house with hydronic baseboard. Click to Enlarge 53.1 KB Click to Enlarge 50.21 KB It was Hubby's toy and he's been gone 6 years or so, the Missus has run it maybe twice since then. Tom

Good Gawd Phillip! You not only look at that crap, but actually report each and every defect? You should be considered for beatification. Tom The Phillip Cup indeed.

I'll bet they don't. Here's a little experiment; go to the sink drain that emits the strongest odor and cut off (and cap) that vent mess and install an AAV. If the stink goes away you know the problem is with the vents. If it were mine I'd then put AAVs at all the offending drains. It'd be wrong, but less wrong than what you've got and a hell of alot cheaper and easier than the alternative of opening up all of those walls to run proper vent stacks. Tom

Another option would be to roll your own. I didn't like any of the checklists I looked at, so I decided to write narrative. After looking at lots of sample reports from other inspectors and from the software company websites I settled on what I wanted my report to look like and formatted a document to use as a template. The SOP stuff is fill in the blanks (I use that as my onsite checklist to prompt me through the house) followed by empty space to type my narrative and insert pictures. I use an open source photo editor called PhotoScape to add arrows and captions, and do all of my writing in Word. Once my report is complete I use PDFCreator (more open source) to generate the client copy that is sent as an email attachment. The DIY method isn't for everyone and there are costs to it in terms of time and effort, but if you can write well it might be worth a try. It works for me. No matter what approach you take, if you are writing a report copyright your work. Tom

Ha, I knew this thread had great potential to deteriorate...but I never expected the dollar menu[:-dev3] Tom

John, PhD or no, your client is a loon. If she is aware of the correlation and concerned about genetic predisposition, why in the hell would she even look at a house near transmission lines let alone put an offer on one? That would be a warning to me to not go into EMF with her. Tom The world is full of educated idiots.

Richard, I totally get it with the cat, but I never would have guessed you to be the tin foil hat kind [:-dev3] Tom We really need a foil hat smiley

Uhm, no. There is still plenty of good reason for bonding. Bonding and grounding are different. Tom

Terry I like that idea, but the pile in the first pic would take an awful lot of ants. I'd think you'd find a few dead soldiers in there. Tom

The EPA link has been removed as the Action is now available on the edocket: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-10100.pdf See page 2. This is the definition of the NAICS code referenced;NAICS 541350: Building Inspection Services . This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing building inspection services. These establishments typically evaluate all aspects of the building structure and component systems and prepare a report on the physical condition of the property, generally for buyers or others involved in real estate transactions. Building inspection bureaus and establishments providing home inspection services are included in this industry. I clipped it from: http://www.census.gov/epcd/ec97/industry/E541350.HTM It is clear that at some point the EPA intends to include us in this Action. I'm glad the toxin is just lead, 72 hours and no response yet from the Toxic Substances Control Act Hotline. If it was something really dangerous I could be dead by now. Tom

So it does cost about as much as a full basement.

I don't have them here, I'll have to fix them tomorrow.

That is exactly what I was thinking.

I'm not sure I'd call that a chimney.

So that's the new IRC sprinkler requirement[] Tom

I just fired off an email to the EPA TSCA Hotline for their position on how this Action affects inspectors. I'll post their reply here. Tom

In another thread I was questioning whether we as inspectors were subject to the EPA LRRP rule. Further research has uncovered that we are in fact specifically mentioned, albeit backhandedly, in the adopted document. I thought it important enough to warrant a new thread so that it wouldn't be missed. The NAICS definition of Building Inspection Services: http://www.naics.com/censusfil...#N541350 The EPA Rule: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/L...4-22.pdf See page 4 for the specific reference to Home Inspectors (Building Insepction Services). I have no idea what that means as far as compliance with the rule since we don't actually disturb any painted surfaces, but at a minimum I would think we could be required to comply with the distribution and documentation of the Renovate Right propaganda literature. Tom

I just googled the NAICS number referenced in the EPA rule and #4 in my OP. Home Inspectors are indeed affected by this rule. The NAICS listing: http://www.naics.com/censusfiles/ND541350.HTM#N541350 The EPA Rule: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/LRRP%20Opt ... -04-22.pdf See page 4 for the specific reference to Home Inspectors. Tom

Yes he wants to contract me to: perform the verification testing, be the certified renovator/supervisor (BTW, not required to be onsite for the whole job), provide the noncertified worker training, verify clean up, and manage the documentation. That's the easy part. My concerns are regarding the liability imposed on every trade as a result of this rule; the protocols suck and will not result in a clean job site while the reporting and documentation requirements forever tie your name to all the lead in the building. I like your idea better, but unless there is municipal funding involved there will be no abatement work around here. Tom

Is that the small coloumn between the doors? It looks like the brick are breaking from overloading rather than spalling. Tom

I am lead hazard certified for my day job. Today I had one of my regular contractor customers in the store. Most of the time he builds new homes, but between houses he fills his schedule with small remodel projects. He has asked if I, either through my company or my employer, would be interested in performing the testing and documantation required under the LRRP rule as a consultant/contractor. My questions are: 1. Is anyone else doing lead consulting, and if so is it lucrative enough to justify the additional liability exposure? 2. Should I get the dust sampling certificate before I proceed to offer such a service? 3. Would providing testing materials and on site training to noncertified workers constitute "working on" the building, or create any other potential conflicts with the HI licensing law? 4. Within the LRRP ruling, under 'potentially affected categories and entities', Building Inspection Services are listed (NAICS code 541350). Is anyone familiar enough with the North American Industrial Classification System codes to know if that means us? Should all HI's be lead hazard certified? One would think that the EPA would be the best source of information regarding this rule, but I can tell you from experience that they have no idea what any of the language in this rule actually means. Anyone at the EPA with a pay grade low enough to have to answer the phone isn't qualified to answer your questions. Tom

That type of corrugated steel is becoming the norm around here. As I look out my office window I can see seven homes, five of them covered in steel. If I walk across the building and look out any of the other sides the numbers are similar, in fact they are installing one now on the building across the street. I drive past a house every day on my way to work that just recently was completely clad in the stuff, replacing the rusted out seamless steel siding from the 50's. I will be putting steel on my own house this year, but not that stuff. I wouldn't put corrugated on if it were free. Tom