Greg Booth

.........carefully proof your product - there's more than one misspelled word and like a CV or resume, your website needs to be letter perfect.........Greg

..........I like it! It's a great design approach for new-build in-fills on narrow urban lots..........Greg

...........maybe it's a regional thing - I've bought a half dozen submersibles(new) over the years and never have seen one with more than a couple of feet of pigtail wire......Greg

..........the constant voltage delivery of 3-phase (no drop-out during cycle) allows greater radiation production and better penetration. This is what I recall from back-in-the-day (early 70's) install of dental offices in one of our commercial office buildings. Probably does not have merit with today's generation of equipment - we even had one suite that powered all the dental equipment on DC current......Greg

.........could it originally have been considered for a dental office? Any sign of additional plumbing infrastructure?......Greg

..........I believe it's a transfer switch. That receptacle to the left of the switch is where a portable generator would be plugged in.....Greg

............ To fix the shimming issue - that 8" block is nominal height, the actual height is 7-1/2". So too, 4" solid blocks are 3-1/2 inch in height. Remove the top block and replace with two 4" blocks and you will have picked up a 1/2" space. Then install a pair of 4" wide hardwood shims, tapped snug to the beam. Use a good grade of construction adhesive instead of mortar to affix the new blocks, and you will pick up another 1/2" of space......Greg

Did someone steal your password and post this? Look. You get who they give you for instructors at licensing school. I blame them. ...........I'm pressing my "like button" again [:-graduat..........Greg

They often loosen but I don't think it's entirely a result of amp draw. I worked as plant electrician in a forge plant for a few years, long ago and I had the habit of returning to an install a few days later to check connection torques. Connections involving small screws almost always loosen a little after a while and some had not even been energized. Old Sailer, you don't have to prove yourself here. I'm already sure you've plenty to offer. I generally look down on guys that post questions here when they already have answers. I am not your student. Marc ..........I'm pressing my LIKE BUTTON now......Greg

............my first home, in the early 1970's had a party line with 2 short rings. Our line was "deluxe" and shared with only one other party - our 87 year old neighbor a mile down the road. More than once, while working in Nigeria, to call home I would wait for 3 or 4 hours to access the only public phone in Lagos and then have the old gal answer my ring (as she frequently did) - she never did know who I was[:-weepn]. Ahhhhh, the good old days........Greg

..........exactly so. I installed one of those caps about 25 years ago on my chimney serving a wood stove that I used full-time. Think it was called Vacustak or some such name. My problem was down-drafting whenever we had wind out of the northeast (rare) - it did the job and solved the problem..........Greg

.........what you are referring to are all manufactured homes. Industry terminology, "HUD Code Homes", will have two carrier beams for each section. That is to say, a single-section will have 2 beams, double-section 4 beams. Sticking out from each beam, towards the exterior wall, will be steel outriggers - atop this steel subassembly sits the permanently attached wood floor framing system. There are hybrids that have perimeter steel box frames, which the manufacturers call easy-set basement models. They end up working like a mod with the home's weight bearing on the perimeter foundation wall and lally columns supporting the center marriage wall. The underside is covered with a membrane material which protects the in-floor utility systems and insulation. The other type of manufactured home is a modular (mod) which is similar to stick-built in that the would floor structure contains no permanently affixed steel substructure. It's delivered to the site on a trailer that is returned to the factory. Unless it has been ordered as a crawl-space model, the furnace and plumbing systems will be completed on-site. Very, very few HUD Codes or Mods are not built with 2X6 walls so that is not a reliable clue. If it's a HUD Code, there should be a manufacturers tag (metal) affixed to the exterior of each half near the rear of the home. Sounds like you could have a mod - if you would post a couple of pictures of the underside, we could answer you query definitively.......Greg

........you're right. And what makes it even more worrisome, is the fact that it appears to be done with acetal plastic fittings - and in my experience the vast majority of leaks stem from the fittings as they age and become brittle as opposed to the pipe itself.........Greg

..........I'd point out that during a power failure, it wouldn't take much time to overwhelm the holding capacity of the tank. But on second thought, without any tank seal, the excess would just slop out into the basement[:-yuck]........Greg

...........that is pretty common in older installs, as there has always been an industry lag in field installation efforts. That said, this particular tie-down serves the purpose in name only - the owner can say "yes" to his insurance carrier when asked if the unit is tied down. The reality is that it's completely ineffective and should be called-out as such. The home could be retrofitted with real tie-downs in several ways - but probably never will be [:-paperba.......Greg

.........I know some folks will question the validity of any endorsement coming from the manufactured home segment of the market [^], but pex is pretty much used exclusively in mods and HUD codes......Greg

...........depending upon the vendor providing inspections for that insurance company, the inspector was most likely paid less than $20 for that service - and you know, you get what you pay for! There's quite a bit of activity from a small group of insurance inspectors over on IN - it makes for interesting reading......Greg

..........yes, the tools are adjustable. There is a "go, no-go" template piece that is supposed to be used on every fitting crimp to check tolerance. How often do you suppose that's done?[:-paperba. I've adjusted my 3/4" crimper once in the past 20 years........Greg I think the "go no-go" calibration tool is supposed to be used by the installer the first fitting every day, not necessarily on every crimp. Also, each manufacturer will have their own tool and test method, not interchangeable. ........you're right about the tools not necessarily being interchangeable - but in practice (on the job site) materials are frequently a mixed bag - so unless you are talking about radically different styles of crimp, such as s/s cinch rings or expanding pex rings, one tool will be used on various mfg. rings. As far as how often to check tolerance, I've yet to see frequency spelled out by any manufacturer. Daily may be just right for a 50 crimp-day, not so much for a 500-crimp day[].....Greg

..........yes, the tools are adjustable. There is a "go, no-go" template piece that is supposed to be used on every fitting crimp to check tolerance. How often do you suppose that's done?[:-paperba. I've adjusted my 3/4" crimper once in the past 20 years........Greg

.........there are a number of manufacturers producing similar, if not identical products. There is a Mennonite group here in the Finger Lakes area rolling their own (roofing, that is). A primary difference is the weight/gauge of the steel and also the type of finish. Fabral is a well-known fabricator of this type of panel.......Greg

............my wife has tried (twice) to start one of these plants at the end wall of her garden shed. Too bad that neither one survived - I can't imagine why both succumbed []. Well, I gotta get to work - I've got weed-wacking to do.......Greg

.........I would just mention to check your incoming water temperature. I recall an installation where water was supplied by a well with an incoming water temp. in the low 40 degree(f) range. Had trouble achieving a satisfactory rise in temp. The solution in that instance was to install a large "tempering" tank in the basement..........Greg

Jim You're partially right but technically they didn't become "manufactured homes" until 1980 when they amended the MHCSS and changed the wording throughout. http://uscode.regstoday.com/42USC_CHAPT ... #42USC5401 TITLE 42-THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE, CHAPTER 70-MANUFACTURED HOME CONSTRUCTION AND SAFETY STANDARDS, Sec. 5402. Definitions AMENDMENTS 1980 - Pars. (1), (2), (3). Pub. L. 96-399, Sec. 308©(4), substituted "manufactured home" for "mobile home" wherever appearing. Par. (6). Pub. L. 96-399, Sec. 308©(4), (d), substituted "manufactured home" for "mobile home", substituted "in the traveling mode, is eight body feet or more in width or forty body feet or more in length, or, when erected on site, is three hundred twenty or more square feet" for "is eight body feet or more in width and is thirty-two body feet or more in length", and inserted exception relating to inclusion of any structure meeting all requirements of this paragraph except size and with respect to which a certification is voluntarily filed and standards complied with. Pars. (7), (, (10). Pub. L. 96-399, Sec. 308©(4), substituted "manufactured home" for "mobile home" wherever appearing. .........the universal HUD standard/code and its attendant language was established/adopted in 1976 and the industry recognizes that date as the "official" conversion to the term manufactured home.The Title 42 amendments you quote are housekeeping efforts to "clean-up" code language....Greg

........sorry Marc, but like anything, longevity has much to do with care and maintenance. I know of many 40-50 year old units still serving there intended purpose. I won't get into a pi$$ing contest with you about manufactured housing, 'cause I know of your pre-disposed dislike of the product. That said, manufactured homes have earned a respectful place in the residential market and have put home ownership within reach for many folks. As far as hitch placement goes, under the home is the correct place, as unlike axles, most are fitted to the specific frame and will not easily interchange........Greg

..........I agree with everyone's sentiments expressed above. Mates to all those tools reside in my shop drawers and see routine use[]