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...anyone have an opinion on this? Not sure where to look in the NEC. Thanks for your help. Download Attachment: Photo 029.jpg 159.4 KB

Searched but did not find anything. Can CSST pass through walls as in this installation? I seem to recall the need for a protective plate? Thanks in advance! Download Attachment: Photo 017.jpg 66.05 KB

Found a mismatched compressor/breaker today. I have a feeling the electrician is going to say it fine, just like the HVAC guys who tell me a 1 ton mismatch on a coil/compressor is ok (always call that one anyway). Do you guys call this out? Download Attachment: MaxBreaker.JPG 651.44 KB Download Attachment: Panel.JPG 660.63 KB

Speaking of vapor barriers, I came across this material last week...don't think I could cut it with a knife! Download Attachment: DSCN1331 copy.jpg 68.09 KB

Was it as boring as this?

I should show this to electricians in my area who insist on putting transformers "in" the panel. Well done!!!

You don't know Dan? Dan is a former home inspector and prolific writer from upstate New York. Among his other contributions to the business, Dan basically wrote the book an training material for Carson Dunlop & ASHI. An interesting guy with the knowledge we should all strive for. You can find him at the link below. http://www.inspectapedia.com/

Wow, didn't know there was a test, excuse the lingo, just trying to mock the system. ...what do you call it... BTW, if I knew what I was talking about I wouldn't be a home inspector, I'd work for ASHI, condense everything Daniel J. Friedman ever said and sell it as my own. ...water closet lid...just not funny.

Funny thing about all of this is when I attended 300 hours of mandatory "Home Inspection School", as required by the great State of NJ, we were told by our "Professors" not to remove drop ceilings because they may be hard to replace and site the old "unseen disclosure" disclaimer. Also, never remove a toilet tank cover because they tend to break. If your from NJ you know who I'm talking about. Occupy Main St., who's with me?

Thanks Brandon, the clearances are what I'm looking for in this case. Yes Allseason, asbestos siding which I consider a excellent material.Just don't beat it with a hammer. Chimney is below the soffit. Many other problems with this house. I think in my subtle way I convinced my client to walk away. Don't think I'll ever her from her agent again (times are very tough for the 4700 agents in my county)!

Forgot to mention that the chimney can't be extended as it's below the soffit.

Need some help on a single family short-sale built in 1886. Clients first home with very little money for repairs. Whats the cheapest way to fix Photo 1 (chimney venting gas fired appliances below bedroom window). Is this even a problem at this distance? I see a lot of high-efficiency furnaces and direct vented water heaters below or near windows. Photos 2&3 show a drop ceiling tile removed. All original plaster ceiling has been removed an the attic space is directly exposed (same way on the first floor). This is not the first time I've seen this. Besides others things, I called this as a fire safety issue. Anyone ever witness this before and if so what did you say? Thanks for your help... Download Attachment: IJ1.jpg 91.04?KB Download Attachment: IJ2.jpg 84.22?KB Download Attachment: IJ3.jpg 122.91?KB

I always get a photo of the coil & condenser data plate and try to match them later in my office with a Preston's Guide. Sometimes the numbers don't add up and I state in the report that I could not determine if properly matched. So yes, I do check because it's easy and because I also include model and serials numbers in all reports. But as many have said, there's no clear guidelines as to how much mismatch is allowed (I typically mention if off by more than 6000 BTU's). BTW, the NJ standards specifically state that we do not determine sizing of HVAC systems. Good Luck...

Good eye Jim. I used the quotes as shorthand referring to the detailed definitions defined in the N.J Standards of Practice and my pre-inspection agreement. This had me thinking. Technically some of the internal baseboard components are visible (I sure a attorney would say), but is any inspector really going to inspect every inch of baseboard in an entire house? Depends. If the units were damaged to the point where they didn't work and you didn't test them, then I'd think you had performed a substandard inspection. Unless the heaters were buried in mounds of stuff, you can always turn them on for a few seconds, reach a hand out and feel whether or not they're warming up. In my playbook, it's not enough to use a short phrase like "not accessible" when disclaiming operation of an important system. That calls for a sentence or two explaining why and advising further action. If, on the other hand, they're complaining about rust or some other cosmetic damage that you couldn't see because it was covered by a piece of furniture, then tell them to sit & spin. Also, the word, in this context, is "cited," not "sited."

Yes, everything working as intended. I always make certain I have several photos of the units (example from todays inspection included below). I think I learned to take these photos from a post on this forum several years ago and consider them priceless when someone calls six months after their inspection and says the heat isn't working. I always include one for the heating and one for AC in all reports. Download Attachment: JouHeat.jpg 58.63 KB

I had a client recently inform me that during renovations he had found that cat urine had rusted out some of the electric baseboard heating units in a couple of small localized areas. Of course, they expect me to pick-up the cost. I sited "not visible" and "not readily accessible", which I feel is true (fully furnished home). Anyone handled one like this before.

Found this many times. Check out the link below from Bradford White. http://www.bradfordwhite.com/supportser ... lity.asp#1

Anyone have any knowledge of the Interruptor/Terminal Principal? Found this on a panel serving 150 amp SE cable. Download Attachment: Injou.jpg 119.12 KB

Great comments thanks for your time. For some reason, I generally avoid telling people to "monitor" things, especially when its been in service for as long as this. However, I agree it may be appropriate in this case.

How would you report this? Single family home built in 1937. Free standing single flue chimney venting gas fired appliances only. Fiber cement shingles (date ?), installed as far behind stack as I could see. Obviously, this has been like this for along time. House in costal NJ town and built on sandy soil (very little settling in block foundation BTW). Second photo is noting the vines but shows the stack well. Download Attachment: Photo 03.jpg 96.95 KB Download Attachment: Photo 3.jpg 95.35 KB

Can anyone explain this? Download Attachment: InJour.jpg 117 KB

...wrong quote, sorry... Course'. So, what font do you use? My spouse says the size depends on the type font, ie 12 appropriate for Ariel but Verdanna works ok with a 10. Marc ...

Dosen't matter, type is a vector and totally scalable. Open a .PDF with words and pictures side-by-side, blow it up 1000% and the type will look great...not the photo.

Great question! I happen to love Times-New-Roman 11 or 12, a "Serif" font and cross browser/platform compliant. It comes standard with all computers (Adobe came to be Adobe by "digitizing" typeface's in their proprietary program Illustrator BTW). We sit here and talk about houses, but a much larger subject is the written word and how it looks! Go here if interested: http://www.typography.com/ I wish I could say I speak French but I don't. My logo to the left is a "San Serif" font (without Serif's, the little tails on a capital "I" for example). A lot of people (without knowing why), consider Serif-fonts to be easier to read, including me. Did you know Adobe Acrobat packages fonts in the file?...but will only render that font if the local machine has it. If not, it will render in the closes match (Times-New-Roman, next Serif-font, non-Serif font....Chinese...) font. Happy Inspecting, no matter how you read it!

...Thanks for the help!