hoosier inspector

I inspected what was the largest flue lining I've encountered. Santa could actually come down this one. I didn't measure but I can estimate 18-20" square opening.Does anyone have info on flue sizes and their affect on drafting for wood burning fireplaces? Click to Enlarge 61.3 KB Click to Enlarge 75.78 KB

Recent inspection had what I can only guess is filled holes from termite treatment in the CMU foundation. I've never seen drilling in between the blocks, only in the hollow cores. Could this be anything else? Click to Enlarge 58.04 KB Click to Enlarge 51.08 KB Click to Enlarge 70.84 KB

Isn't that a stage in American Ninja?

I vote for freeze-thaw cycles of a salt solution. It looks like the runoff would direct it to that area. Is there anyway you could go back again and hook up a water hose for an experiment:)

Never fails; Click to Enlarge 5.49 KB

I remember a wacked out blue and pink one a couple years ago. This one is from last year. Click to Enlarge 42.12 KB

I'm glad he's neutral and tells inspectors to point out the important things like the location of the shut off and electrical panel. I might be too busy allaying fears;)

Just heard a lot of stories, haven't seen any yet.

Bedbugs are a problem in many areas. Have any of you heard of an inspector taking home hitch hikers? Has anyone come across evidence of infestation, and how did you proceed?

Teaching is the best way to describe what I do. Investigation, analysis, and prescription are all important and necessary, but useless if not communicated effectively. Communication is so much blather if not anchored in an understanding of the subject. I inspect structures, but report to my customers on their potential home. A good teacher uses his or her skill set to assemble a course that reaches each student on a personal level. It seems to me that the trade is slowly spiraling down a path that is taking the customer out of the equation to produce a product instead of a service, much like our educational system. I try not to "teach to the test" and hope my customers come away better suited for home ownership than when we met. I vote for Other.

I've used IE, IF, and HG. One complaint I have is that I can't insert a page break. I prefer a cleaner look by using page breaks to eliminate headings being separated from paragraphs, and paragraphs being split. I emailed all the respective companies with no reply other than their robo-responses. I think that some of the editing features are not available because of their licensing deals with MS and Adobe. I also do comments in the order of the picture file like Erby, but find it faster to type each one than to scan libraries. I learned to type on a Selectric in HS. Was one of only 2 guys in the class and got a lot of ribbing, but looking back it was one of the best investments of my time.

It wouldn't surprise me if the occupant had a 60" plasma w/ Dolby surround, and $2000.00 worth of shoes. I see this sense of priority often.

From what I have heard the FAA does not allow their use for commercial purposes. But if you are not advertising the service, probably not likely that they would go after you. Funny you should say that... Those pesky Canadians don't worry aboot the FAA

With high definition you should be able to zoom in pretty well after retrieval. How does it handle wind ?

Today would have been perfect to check if the wind was affecting it's operation. This was one of the rare occasions I refused to get on a roof or a ladder.

Yump'in Yimminy!

Code or not, if there is a potential for back drafting I would report on it.

It may be the angle of the pic, but is that dryer duct being used for a connector?

What specifically did the inspector that failed the system say was the problem? Did he observe effluent flow into and out of the tank, any run back, etc? I've opened systems that had not been disturbed in over 10 years with no observable issues. I've also failed systems only 5 years old. System maintenance is only one variable, besides design, usage patterns, weather, and critically what is being flushed. Be aware, I've seen inspections consist of a guy poking the scum with a shovel and passing the system (REA darling). If the tank was empty from pumping before the inspection, the inspector must fill the tank to test it for leakage, and run water through the field. Any inspection should minimally consist of a checklist of components and their operation, and a sketch of the tank and field relative to major structures and any wells.

Hooray! Patent Infringement Reform Passage - Vote Passed (325-91, 15 Not Voting) In the last vote of the week, the House passed legislation on Friday that would change how patent infringement lawsuits are conducted in an attempt to reduce the actions of "patent trolls," individuals or companies who acquire patents primarily to sue others for infringement. The bill would require plaintiffs to provide detailed information when filing lawsuits including how the accused is violating the patent. The bill passed with bipartisan support. 195 Republicans and 130 Democrats voted in favor of the legislation. The Senate Judiciary Committee has already scheduled a hearing on a similar version on December 17.

Does it go near the evaporator? If it does, is there a trap?

That's what I'm trying to grasp. I can read the formula, but have no intuitive sense of what it means. Moving heat around as steam.....what's it mean? Thermodynamics is not my strong suit. Hot water boilers work on the principle of moving sensible heat. 1. Heat a material. 2. Move the material to the space calling for heat. 3. Let the material radiate the heat into the space. 4. Return the material and repeat. Steam boilers work on the principle of moving latent heat. 1. Add enough heat to water to change it's state into vapor. 2. Allow the vapor to condense onto a surface which releases all the latent heat of evaporation. 3. Return the water back to re-heat. Click to Enlarge 6.26 KB If you notice the 2 horizontal sections in the chart, these are the phase changes that suck up heat without raising the temperature. It takes 180 btu to raise 1# of water (about 1 pint) from 32degF to 212degF (freezing to boiling) but 970 btu (over 5 times as much) to change 1# of water to 1# of steam. Note the steam is still at 212 degrees, just in another state. All this heat is latent heat. It's the heat you get out of condensing steam, the heat recovered from flue gas in a high efficiency furnace, the heat removed from a condensing coil in an A/C unit. This is only a way to move heat around.This has nothing to do with efficiency of producing heat from fuel, and containing it in a structure.

The condensation of steam to water on the inside surface of the radiator moves massive amounts of heat, much more than conduction. If you size the vent properly it will utilize all the radiator surface with no waste. The same principle applies to loading an evaporator coil only in reverse. If you look up the heating degree days (HDD) and the therms of gas used during the same period,you can figure an approximation of what to expect. An average Chicago heating season will require about 6000-6400 HDD. Here is a linkto the Peoples Gas rate page to calculate your cost. Boiler room is beautiful, looks cleaner than my kitchen!

"Elevator guys" have actually added language to the HUD UPCS protocol. Inspectors are not allowed in equipment rooms. D. Elevators 1. Elevator Inspection Policy: This requirement is to be determined during initial interview process at the beginning of the inspection. a. Inspectors are not to enter an elevator machinery room when the POA states that there is no nonelevator equipment in the room. If a door to the room is not secured, record this condition under Common Area, Health and Safety, Hazards, Other as ?Door to the elevator room was not locked,? but do not enter the room. Other observed deficiencies with the door are to be recorded under Closet/Utility/Mechanical. b. When the elevator machinery room contains non-elevator equipment, or is the only route to another area requiring inspection, the room is to be inspected. The property must provide ONE of the following conditions: i. Elevator equipment must be: 1. Located on a suitable balcony, gallery, or platform that excludes unqualified persons or is least 8 feet above the floor. 2. Protected by permanent, substantial partitions or fencing or screens such that access limited to qualified personnel only. ii. The property must provide a qualified person to grant access to the room. iii. The property must provide a written waiver/variance from the governing authority that permits access without a qualified person. c. A qualified person means someone who has the skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of electrical equipment and installation and has received safety training in the hazards involved. It is under the guidance and supervision of the qualified person that the UPCS inspector will enter the room and conduct the inspection or pass through the elevator equipment room. d. The property is to confirm the qualifications of the escort. e. Governing authority is that which controls the inspection/certification of elevators for that location. f. After arrival on-site for the inspection, if these rooms cannot be accessed as specified, the inspector is to immediately notify REAC TAC that the inspection is unsuccessful because property did not meet required conditions, obtain a REAC TAC number, end the inspection, and report the inspection as unsuccessful (RUU) in Scheduler. g. All other aspects of operation, certificates, and Health and Safety deficiencies relevant to the elevators are to be reviewed or inspected per UPCS protocol.

Does your Uncle have the original bill of sale?