Terence McCann

Having not seen soldier course brickwork under a window before I'm wondering about water flow. Thoughts? Click to Enlarge 57.42 KB

It never fails to amaze me on how things are so different in a stones toss.

There's no shut off inside the home Marc? Is there a water meter in the home or is it in a curb box? Every home here has a shutoff inside the home and 99% have a shutoff after the water meter too (which is also inside the home).

It doesn't need to shut off power to the AC to stop it from working. It only needs to shut off power to the low voltage transformer which supplies the 24 VAC needed to actuate the relays and the contactor that actually switch on the compressor, condenser fan, heating elements and blower when the thermostat commands it. What the OP needs to understand is that it is possible to have separate control circuits, and transformers, for the heat and the a/c. Shutting down the furnace doesn't always shut down the a/c (although it should). He didn't understand why the a/c shut down when shutting down the furnace. The bigger problem is understanding why the a/c should shut down if no indoor blower is present. I'm not telling you anything new. Although it was a little on the harsh side (much like me) the advice given about getting a good grip on things is spot on. The folks that are paying you trust that you know what your doing. I fully agree with ditching the IR camera until you have a grasp on the basics. I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination, a group, huggy feely, type of chap but I like ASHI - a lot. ASHI has a ride along program where a seasoned inspector agrees to allow a newbie the opportunity to ride along and observe. Join ASHI, find a mentor (that is not paranoid) and learn. Do not expect to be paid however "out of pocket expenses" should be expected. The next best thing is to read. There is a wealth of information on this web site. You could get lost for weeks just following threads and their offshoots. When I get stuck the first thing I do is a search here and if I hit a dead end I leave a help message. Best....

Because you don't want the condensing unit running without the indoor blower running = liquid slugging. There was most likely a blower interlock as it should be. Could also be that if they were using one transformer for control power then turning off the breaker dropped out the control circuit.

I'd recommend turning the sink 90° CCW. The sink and disposal will work much better this way (those wacky plumbers).

I don't think that the state does much of anything with a P&L in mind Mike however it does need fuel. We have to be licensed for Radon testing here. I have raised some issues about companies in our area with false advertising and have been met with a, shall we say, less than an enthusiastic greeting. I send in my dues every year but have never heard word one from the state (unless I'm late). The state creates an agency, in which they fill a few slots with folks that have helped out along the way, and I send in my money. They setup a few rules for the licensees to follow and to show the good folks of our grand state that they are watching out for them. Truth is they have neither the staff, time nor desire to pursue any real issue. Our Radon department has maybe 3-4 people? No, Kurt has a pretty good bead on things me thinks. It's all good though, I send in my money and they leave me alone.

Thank you Bill. Beat this summer's brutal heat and fireproof your home by building it out of Natco Hollow Tile! These terra cotta bricks are specially designed using the best clay and firing techniques, which ensures that your structure is fireproof. In addition, the large amount of air kept within the hollow tile insulates the building and means more savings in heating and cooling costs. In this 1910 National Fire Proofing Company catalog from the National Museum of American History Library's trade literature collection, dozens of photos show the wide application of Natco Hollow Tile to buildings ranging from bungalows to mansions to bottling plants. In addition, illustrations of various construction details also appear, which would appeal to any do-it-yourself enthusiast. However, the Natco Hollow Tile are only used to create walls and require additional materials such as bricks or stucco to create a pleasant facade. One description reads, "The walls are waterproofed both inside and out, and are finished with cream white asbestos stucco." We suggest that you stick with a safer stucco type for your future house built with Natco Hollow Tile. It's a natural a/c and fireproof material. Where on earth do you find this stuff - beside the Smithsonian Library I mean []

State's do not attempt to manage business through licensing; they attempt to derive revenue stream while masquerading as consumer activists. That sir, is one of the most intelligent statements I've ever read on this board (I'd lay claim but I can't manage to find a post where I've said it before). Well said that Kurt.

On that web site you have a pic with the heading "Fastening Furring, Grounds and Nailing Block to Hollow Tile". I'd like a copy of it if you don't mind as I can't make out any of the print on your web site (that and I collect "stuff").

A home here in Chagrin Falls. Stone and Terra Cotta foundation. More layers of waterproof paint that you can shake a stick at. Moisture problems are rampant in the basement. Front wall has a horizontal crack that was braced at some point in time. Maintence wasn't the best of terms. More like the care and feeding of. Don't paint, try to mount a big screen TV etc. I know there was some discussion on why not to use waterproof paint, especially with terra cotta, but I'm hitting dead ends. Was looking for authoritative source. First stop was the basement because I needed to retrieve my Radon detector. From there it was downhill. The inspection was halted while finding problems with the roof. Click to Enlarge 23.72 KB Click to Enlarge 36.4 KB Click to Enlarge 30.96 KB

This is interesting, Jim. Has anybody else ever done this? The folks at the Freakonomics blog talk about "pay what you want" pricing models on occasion, and it usually seems to work out pretty well. And I remember the guy who wrote "What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School" (can't remember his name -- sports agent guy, died a few years ago) wrote that in his early years he did the same thing and only once did somebody not pay him the original quote. It's an interesting concept but I've yet to see a Doctor, Attorney, Gas Station, Grocery Store, Auto Mechanic, Snow Plower, Pizza Shop, Flower Shop, Yoga Master or Shoe Shine Boy do this. The problem is that anyone outside of our industry (except a few) has any clue what our worth is. If we all charged 2,000.00 per inspection then that would be the norm. The problem is that some of us fall into the used car sales mentality. How often do any of us go to the docs and haggle with them over price. Well Doc - I just came from Affordable Surgery's and they can fix my collapsed lung for half your price. Or Mrs. Goodfellow - "Well, I called Affordable Inspections (I kid you not, a real HI company in Cleveland) and they said they could do it for X". Like it or not this is where selling (or you can call it educating if you like) always comes into play. Anyone can drop their price, it's easy and the path of least resistance - but every time we do this we help turn the HI industry into a horse trading mentality. We shall meet the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us.

Bill K. - I thought you had a write up on structural terra cotta basements and the do's and dont's on Old House Web. I inspected a home today that had all the wrong maintenance over the years. I've searched the Old House site but didn't turn anything up. Got link? (I remember a discussion about painting the terra cotta with waterproof paint but I can't place it - here or on your site?).

I d/l the app and have played around with it for a bit. Looks like, as you say, it only does recent recalls. You can do a search for "washing machine" which will pull in a few but then the app has a link to the recall.gov site to do a more through search. Not sure if you know this or not Marc, I pretty much stumbled on it, but if you go into the app screen look for a app called Market (which looks like a shopping bag) - this is where you can search for all Android apps.

Nothing pointed at you Marc, I just quoted your post since you had a link to Cleveland. Do a search of how many homes that have been destroyed by natural gas explosions in Cleveland. Hell, even East Ohio Gas Company had an explosion that killed 131 people - EOG Explosion I agree with Tom on the alarm though - it can only help (especially since we had a detailed discussion regarding caulking around a toilet).

Was the home new(er) Kevin? The mortar looks like it was applied by a 2 year old.

Which phone did you get Marc?

I don't discount. Even giving 50.00 back starts the ball rolling as the House of the Rising Sun. We're not in the business of selling used cars or pencils.

The reason for the 220V is for the two rooftop a/cs. I would imagine that there are parks with 220 but I've never seen one. I always felt lucky if it were 30 amp 120. [:-party]

I've owned 4 RVs and all have been 120V 30amp units. All the parks we've been to have been 120V 30amp outlets (or 120V 15amp outlets). After doing some searching on the net there are 50amp 220V units out there. My bad. Is yours a class A? Running 2 air conditioners by chance? Is there anything in your rig that uses 220V?

All RVs use and RV parks supply 120V. How do you plan on powering a 220V device? You can swap out the rooftop a/c for a a/c-heat pump which would work.

Me too.

No, no smell at all, just really hot. Thanks for the link Marc - that will go into the live well. Actually I had forgotten about that.

Trap primer?

Any further recommendations to the client Nolan?