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Bill, I know Pete Wilden would call your split-bus out as a Safety Issue! Door bell transformers in electrical panels, I'm starting to think they're built in as I see them almost everyday...welcome to the New Jersey shore. Wildwood NJ, only place I know where the plumbing inspector signs off on electrical inspections.

Thanks Richard, No, all off of one service drop (photo included) supplying seven one bedroom condos. The breaker you mentioned is not abandoned. It supplies one of two GE Zonelite through-the-wall heat pumps. I mentioned the six throws, but also said the panel may be a split-bus-verify. I told her to verify because several other electrical issues were noted. All the pictures are below. Again, thanks for the information. Download Attachment: Photo 3.jpg 49.92 KB Download Attachment: Photo 4.jpg 83.35 KB Download Attachment: Service_Drop.jpg 61.87 KB

Mike, I did, but to be totally honest I'm not sure what to look for on the schematic. For some reason, I tend to think double poled breakers on split-bus panels would be installed at the top of the bus bars. Is that bad information on my part? I have not seen many of these panels. Any information you have is appreciated.

Anyone have a way to positively identify a split-bus panel? I found this GE panel in a condo today and could not determine for sure it it's a split-bus. Condo built in 1980, which leads me to believe it probably is seeing they were not used in residential construction after 1984. Also, if it's a split-bus panel, why the punch-out for a main? Thanks for your help! Download Attachment: Box2.jpg 61.24 KB Download Attachment: Box1.jpg 63.08 KB

Good point Marc, I may have misspoke. Perhaps I met combustion air/dilution air. No air was "scavenged" from the utility room. I personally love this type of venting, no conditioned air involved at all. I'll look for some pictures...

I had an issue a couple of years ago where a bedroom closet contained a gas fired water heater. I called it out in the report, later got a call from my client who was told by the local code official (Wildwood NJ) that the water heater can be in the bedroom closet if it has a fan assisted direct vent out the side of the house. The water heater had a double walled "concentric" type vent that pulled combustion air from the exterior. Funny thing is they also said the closet door had to be louvered? Why, if combustion air is supplied from the exterior? Nobody seemed to care however that the windows didn't meet egress requirements…go figure?

NJ SOP: #1 Enter any area or perform any procedure which is, in the opinion of the home inspector or associate home inspector, unsafe and likely to be dangerous to the inspector or other persons; I include a "Super Boilerplate" on FCP's, a whole page telling people how I feel about this equipment. I really want them to have an electrician evaluate the panel.

That why I don't remove them. What happens when the deal falls through and the homeowner is left with a panel with dangling breakers and no dead-front….they call me to fix it at my expense. I don't own the house, my clients aren't buying it and I took it apart.

As far as I'm aware, gas water heaters in garages need to be raised 18" above the floor. I don't think there's any mention how they need to be supported. Is this the plumbing inspectors area of expertise...I don't know? ...would you call out the TPR extension as not terminating 6" from the floor on this installation?

Darren, I see them (FPE) all the time down here in south jersey. I think they say not to remove the cover because you usually can't without tripping all the breakers, the twist-outs are too small to fit over the breakers in the "on" position. Also, I've had several breakers fall off the busbars as well. I don't remove them anymore.

Can't be "in" a kitchen cabinet however.

Some good info from the ASHI Reporter on this subject: http://www.ashireporter.org/articles/ar ... px?id=2047

I took a IRC One and Two family Dwellings class a couple of years ago at my local CC. 140 hours of how to navigate the book! I recommend it highly!

I called this same issue out last week (main disconnect in panel). I agree, 6'7" is what I told the client. But not sure if that applies to AC shut-offs or not?

Yes, what Bruce said. An mold issues. Also, it's a summer home with three small children and lots of laundry, the AC will be running constantly.

Dryer (Electric) venting to the interior, I have a serious problem with this for several reasons and told my client today to vent it to the exterior. Problem is, after a Goole search it seems this may be legal in some areas. Any thoughts on this? Older condo, however I remember seeing in the 2006 IRC that a exterior vent is required. Download Attachment: D_Vent.jpg 34.36 KB

...In-Depht, thats just the summery, read the whole thing...in-detail, and call me on Tuesday. I love this report! Wish I had the time to say this for every one-two bedroom home I do. Like I said, it's very detailed, and to the point...

"If anyone here has one thats compatible with AHIT Inspectit" I think your software is MS Word based (was the last time I used it), copy and paste anything you find. Can't help with the septic, try to not get involved with things I can't see.

...apparently they got out REALLY FAST! Heres a sample exterior inspection report... I don't like to bust balls, but the internet is a public forum and if you post something, defend yourself! As I mentioned in a previous post, if there's no garage, don't include a garage section in the report, and if there's no exterior...don't go outside Download Attachment: Tiger_Report.pdf 25 KB

Thanks Jim, what I don't understand is the extension on the left? It provides no access to the drain. It obviously leaked at one time. Why not replace the elbow instead of soldering on the "extension"? ...could it be the handy homeowner noticed the leak and made repairs? No, that never happens. The photos a little deceiving, the plumbing supply did not need to be lowered to clear the support beam.

I meant "partial narrative", not check-list...sorry. Wow, the link above to the sample report...11.33MB, must be all the colors? I found this report a few years ago, saved it because I liked the formatting, partial narrative style. This is a very interesting report to say the least. Read it, it's very thorough... Download Attachment: 300 problems.pdf 448.27 KB

Can someone identify this upside-down hammer arrestor looking plumbing fixture. Never saw this before, and was no reason to change the elevation of the plumbing. Also, same fixture at the far right? Home built 1955. Thanks for your help. Download Attachment: TJI_plumbing.jpg 81.18 KB

I agree with Kurt about boilerplates. I use some and write narrative style reports. I use to think this was the only way to go, but after reading David Friedman's opinion (Inspectopedia.com), I'm not so sure. I'm starting to think he's right, a combination check-list/narrative may be better. My narrative "descriptions" can easily take-up 3/4 of a page. Software makes it so easy to add meaningless BS.

Found this while surfing the web. How is a narrative type report less descriptive? Anyone spending a week writing one? Frequently Asked Questions How is a Home Inspection Performed? While touring and inspecting the prospective property, your Tiger Home Inspector completes an itemized list, which contains a rating system and written comment section that is unique to the property being purchased. At the conclusion of the inspection, you receive a copy of the inspection report on site (as opposed to a less descriptive narrative completed offsite). What is the difference between a narrative and an itemized list with a written commentary? A narrative is a typical "boiler plate" with a written explanation completed after the home inspection has been performed. It is usually a group of paragraphs, "plugged in" and written offsite. Frequently, it takes between 3-10 days to receive in the mail. An itemized list is the inspector's actual rating of each area in detail, completed on-site, during an inspection. The report also includes specific written comments by the Inspector about the property. At the completion of the home inspection, you receive the inspection report prior to leaving the property.

Yea, I typically call out any double taps especially on SE lugs. As for antioxidant, I point it out almost everyday. Most of homes I service are in coastal areas and salt air really seems to effect aluminum. Guess it depends on location.