Terence McCann

Your right about reversible drill motors Brian, my statement was dealing with condenser fan motor replacement (should have put in a qualifier). I've never seen a single phase condenser fan that had the option of reversing the rotation. When I was running service, and replacing single phase motors, you always had to state direction of rotation, frame size etc. We would rarely go back to the manufacture for direct replacement, they were way more expensive than Sam's motor shop.

The condenser fan on a residential unit is single phase. You can't reverse a single phase motor however, you can order a motor with a cc or ccw rotation looking from the shaft end. To reverse a three phase motor just reverse two of the leads. I would think that someone installed the wrong motor. I'd advise the client to have the unit looked at by an a/c company.

Bill, thank you very much. I'll try to make a special trip back to take more pics.

My thoughts too.

The tile in this basement was really no more than 4" deep. The basement has seen extreme moisture for years, the finished side of the tile is crumbling, and there are area's that have just fallen off. It is hard to imagine that this is the only foundation material.

What would the building material typically be on the outside wall, under grade, when the inside is Bell tile/Structral Teracotta?

Can't miss knob & tube when you see it. You can see the knobs and tubes in the attached picture.

Or whatever shocks your boat. Perhaps the dog was trying to catch a "buzz". Thanks Jim.

For discussion: An older home with K&T. A refrigerator has motor windings that are breaking down and leaking current to the case. You touch the case and then touch the sink and start getting zapped. On a grounded outlet, the ground will give the electrons a path back to ground and thus prevent this shock hazard from happening, no? Will a GFCI protect you in this example (I know we don't recommend GFCI on refers)?

It would appear to be a 1993 unit.

Thanks Kurt. Actually it's the entire west wall, every window, that is going to need a overhaul. If you look where the entrance door is you can see a horizontal crack and bowing in the wall. Too bad, the house has a lot of personality. What type of mortar would you use for a home that was built in 1929? I'm sure Cleveland and Chicago are quite the same when it comes to construction of older brick homes. The mortar looks very granulated, very small stones are noticeable. Download Attachment: 2.jpg 159.75 KB Download Attachment: 3.jpg 206.83 KB

What's involved in replacing a rusted out lintel as shown in picture? Typical cost? Download Attachment: 1.jpg 190.92 KB

For mild to sever cases of roof itch.

http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/fpepanel.htm

I take a very simplistic view when it comes to Radon, let me explain. I started smoking cigarettes when I was in the 5th grade which would have been 1965. At the height of my smoking career I was up to about 3 packs a day. I was at this level for a good 20 years or more. In 1991 I quit cold turkey. Now my father smoked up to the day he died, my mother did quit about 10 years before she passed away (smoked for a good 40 years) and my sister, who is 60, still smokes. My sister smokes around 2+ packs a day and has done so all of her adult life. No one in my family has passed away from any form of cancer. My grandfather was a big pipe and cigar smoker as well but died from heart failure. Now if I continued to smoke would I develop lung cancer? Who knows? If I could answer that I’d be playing the lottery. Will my sister develop lung cancer? Again, who knows? I’ve never personally taken a cigarette to a laboratory to have it analyzed to find out what is in cigarette smoke however; I do believe that it’s bad for your health. I also believe that it causes lung cancer and emphysema to name a few. Are there studies out there that show that smoking is ok? I wouldn’t doubt it but I never really looked though Should we banter around quantity? Surely smoking 1 pack a day can’t hurt can it? How about just 10 cigarettes a day? Ok, just 2 a day. The fact is it’s not good for you so why do it at all? In regards to Radon I believe that it is exactly what it is classified as: A colorless, odorless radioactive gas. I think we all know that being around a radioactive environment is not conducive to one’s longevity. Will I end up getting lung cancer from being in a Radon rich environment? I don’t know. Will my customers end up with lung cancer from being in a Radon rich environment? Again, who knows? The point is, like smoking, why subject yourself to it all? We have a fairly inexpensive means of ridding a home of Radon so why not advise your clients. If you want to banter around what amounts of Radon should trigger that decision, why bother? Smoking just a few cigarettes a day is OK right?

Sorry Mike, I'll keep it in check. Just reminds me of one inspection I did where my client asked his realtor what he thought of Radon. The realtor laughed and said "I don't know, Radon wasn't around when I was a kid.We wouldn't want to kill a deal ya know.

There is no such thing as Global Warming, Radon and Asbestos to name a few. This was brought to you by the Fox News Network. War is good for the economy. Brought to you by the Simpson's.

I never see sumps with out pumps here Les, that's what made this so odd. This house has been up since 1995 so if it was a big problem I'm sure it would have surfaced before my visit.

1st home I did in this development had a crock installed, pipes from foundation drainage system leading to it and an electrical outlet install right above the crock however, no pump. The lid was screwed on as well. I thought it might have been missed on original install but I did another home on the same street today with the same setup. Why go through all the work and then leave the sump pump out? Is there a system out there that is designed to work without a pump?

Geo-Thermal would be a good way to go as well for a heat pump.

Heating via a compressor is cheaper than strip heat so, if you have to heat electrically, it is cheaper with a heat pump.

Google my good man, Google.

Randy, One other thought on this, it might be a N coil. If so that should be OK. Did you see another tube sheet that wasn't visible in the picture? Something like this?

I use the HP Ipaq with 3D Inspection software. At first I didn't like it(using a PDA) but now I'd feel lost with out it.