JEuriech

I think it depends on if they are primary fasteners or secondary fasteners. I believe primary fasteners can be in the valleys. Here are some web sites that you can check: http://www.mtlsales.com/Technical/ http://www.metalroofing.org/ http://www.mcrma.co.uk/pdf/mcrma_t10.pdf Jeff Euriech Peoria Arizona

Bob I would not assume anything. If I could not verify where the main disconnect was or if this was the main panel, I would state it in my report and made sure the customer knew about it. I don't have a problem with the panel being upside down due to the breaker handles going horizontal. If the breaker handles were vertical, then we would need proper orientation. One AFC breaker can be used for two bedrooms. I don't see the branch ground wires in your picture. All I see are white wires. Where are the ground wires connected to the neutral? Jeff Euriech Peoria Arizona

Two Toilet Questions I inspected a one year old house last week and the owner was concerned about the toilet tank being directly up against the wall. He is a part time plumber and told me that the tank cannot be against the wall due to possible condensation/moisture issues. I know that normal building standards would indicate that you should not do this but is this considered a major defect? He also told me that when they install a toilet that touches the wall, the company he works for goes back and installs an offset toilet flange. I thought the inside diameter on a offset toilet flange was less then the 3" minimum allowed. Is this one of those situations where you can install it but it is not desirable? Jeff Euriech Peoria, Arizona

See Myth #4 about size: Myth #4: SEER 13 units are much bigger than SEER 10 or SEER 12 units, so major renovations will be required to fit them into existing homes. FACT: Some SEER 13 units are significantly bigger, but many are not. For example, Goodman Manufacturing makes SEER 13 units using non-proprietary technology that are only about three inches larger than their basic units. The size of the unit depends on the technologies that a manufacturer uses to improve efficiency; SEER 13 units of all sizes are made now and will be available in the future. http://www.eesi.org/publications/Fact%2 ... tsheet.htm Jeff Euriech Peoria Arizona

See the first paragraph from The Department of Energy web site: To increase the energy efficiency of residential air conditioners, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued new manufacturing standards that go into effect today, January 23, 2006, for products manufactured in, or imported into, the United States. Key word is imported. http://www.energy.gov/news/3097.htm Jeff Euriech Peoria Arizona

See "Below 65 degrees" thread from Aug 05. https://inspectorsjournal.com/forum/top ... IC_ID=2095 Jeff Euriech Peoria Arizona

See following Goodman Two-Stage Gas-Fired Warm Air Furnace PDF http://www.dnmech.com/lit/IO-243.pdf Page 12, 17, and 18. Horizontal runs of vent/flue piping must be supported every three feet and must maintain a 1/4 inch per foot downward slope, back towards the furnace, to properly return condensate to the furnace’s drain system. Allowances should be made for minor expansion and contraction due to temperature variations. For this reason, particular care must be taken to secure piping when a long run is followed by a short offset of less than 40 inches. Vent pipe terminates 12" min. above highest anticipated snow level. Jeff Euriech Peoria, Arizona

I have only seen fresh air come from the attic two times: The first attic had been treated with pesticide (light white powder) for scorpions. You could see where powder had gone into the fresh air supply pipe. This is not what I would call a healthy situation. The second time, loose fiberglass insulation had fallen inside the supply pipe blocking the small filter at the bottom. The homeowner was not aware of the filter or that it needed to be cleaned from time to time. I often see the fresh air supply coming from the roof. The only issue I have observed is when the main return air filter becomes dirty, more air is the pulled from the fresh air supply. I do not know if that makes much difference related to energy but I always highlight the importance of keeping the air filter clean. Jeff Euriech Peoria Arizona

Darren is correct. 2000 IMC 602.3 Stud cavity and joist space plenums. Stud wall cavities and the spaces between solid floor joists to be utilized as air plenums shall comply with the following conditions: 1. Such cavities or spaces shall not be utilized as a plenum for supply air. 602.2.1 Materials exposed within plenums. Except as required by sections 602.2.11 through 602.2.1.4, materials exposed within plenums shall be noncombustible or shall have a flame spread index of not more than 25 and a smoke developed index of not more than 50 when tested in accordance with ASTM E 84. Jeff Euriech Peoria Arizona

OUTSIDE UNIT On a pad and 3" above grade. Pad reasonably level. Unit not under an overhang. Oil stains in unit or on pad. Bent or damaged fins. Refrigerant tube (suction line) insulated. Dirt, debris in/on unit. Rusted components. Clearance from walls or vegetation. Location condensate line discharge. Check for disconnect and or overcurrent device. White colored conductor used for load carrying in disconnect and/or SE panel Over fusing Excess noise or vibration. Fan turning in proper direction and or proper air flow direction. Usually touch refrigeration lines checking for hot and cold. Look for any icing up. Check control wiring for damage. Check name plate for breaker size. Check name plate for age of the unit. INSIDE UNIT Run system for twenty minutes prior to any testing. Check filter. Check air flow at return and supply registers. Look at indoor coil. Dirty, clean, or icing up. Look for air leaks on air handler. Check register air temperatures. Check condensation lines. Check for running p-trap or regular trap. Check slope on condensation lines. Check for a secondary condensate drain line or float switch in the condensate pan. Check for disconnect. Check drip pans. Check air handler to see if properly secured. Check air handler to see if it is level or sloping toward condensation drain. Check for excess noise or vibration. Check ducts and duct insulation. Check refrigeration lines for insulation and properly secured. Check to insure unit is accessible and or cat walk. Check for matched units. Jeff Euriech Peoria, Arizona

Jim I agree with you on size and SEER rating. It is a 13 SEER, two ton unit. See Product Data/Model Number Nomenclature on page 2 Click here: http://www.xpedio.carrier.com/idc/group ... a3-1pd.pdf My first guess would be that the unit is too small for the application. We tend to use 1 ton of air conditioning for every 500 square feet of space out here. The only way to know for sure is to do a heat load calculation. A heat pump that is too small will be unable to remove all of the heat and humidity. A heat pump which is too large will "short cycle." It will not run long enough to adequately remove excess humidity. Heat pumps should be sized for the exact heat gain or slightly larger. Properly sized equipment runs at peak efficiency. My second guess would be high air flow or fan speed set too high. The slower the air speed the more condensation you will get. It could also be that the blower runs too long after the unit shuts down. Third guess would be low refrigerant charge or refrigerant flow-related problem. (restriction/bad metering device) I am assuming that all other obvious moisture generating items have been checked and are not an issue. Example: Dryer exhaust vents to the outside, exhaust fan over the range, exhaust fans in the bathrooms, etc. Jeff Euriech Peoria, Arizona

Is this irrigated property? If not, are there bubblers or sprinkler heads by the house? Does this house have copper pipes? I would guess a pinhole leak in the copper pipes or a broken sewer pipe. Yes, this would be a major concern especially if in an area with expansive soil. Jeff Euriech Peoria, Arizona

Western 1-Kote web site. See Modules. http://www.sacstucco.com/

Randy, I tend to shy away from re-inspections. I may do one in a hundred inspections. When I do a re-inspection, I add the following to my contract and in my report: A re-inspection is an inspection of only the items on the original summary report. The inspection can only tell if the items are now functional and sometimes if proper methods and materials were used. Most repairs are internal and cannot be viewed. The re-inspection is a limited visual inspection and latent or hidden defects may still be present. If the customer only wants one item re-inspected I will add an additional sentence to the above paragraph like: Per customer's request, re-inspection is for broken tiles in the right front of the house only. Jeff Euriech Peoria, Arizona PS. I got the above information from another inspector in town. I do not know where it originated from.

Page 14 of the Reliance Instruction Manual says: The discharge opening must not be blocked or reduced in size under any circumstances. Excessive length, over 30 feet (9.14 m), or use of more than four elbows can cause restriction and reduce the discharge capacity of the valve. This would lead you to believe that four elbows are the max that you should use. http://www.reliancewaterheaters.com/lit ... 53-002.pdf Jeff Euriech Peoria, Arizona

I guess I'm having difficulty trying to decide what should be called out as mismatched units or components on an air conditioning unit. As an example: The condenser and evaporator being two different sizes/ratings. For the most part, trying to figure out the size of the unit becomes a guessing game. Especially if you are trying to read the model number or serial number. I've been told that you take the first set of numbers that you can divide by 12 and that will tell you the tonnage. However I see numbers like 604842. Is that a 5 ton unit or a 4 ton unit? I'm under the impression that if you have a Carrier condenser and a York evaporator (different name brands) you now have a mismatched unit. It may not work efficiently. Do you call these out? Yesterday's inspection had a 8 year old condenser unit and a 21 year old evaporator. Is this a matched unit? As seer ratings change it's my understanding that coil size changes also. So this unit may not work very efficient. I have heard that you can go 1/2 size larger on an evaporator if it is an air conditioning unit. However, if it is a heat pump it must be the right size. Currently I would think that if you are going to call out mismatched units or components, you need to do everything and not only size. Jeff Euriech Peoria AZ

Kevin, Keep in mind that a lot of evaporator coils can be used for two different size air conditioning units. It all depends on how you read the name plate. Example: A Goodman CAPF4860C6A is rated for 4 to 5 ton use. 48 = 4 ton and 60 = 5 ton. Both numbers go together. This is a 4-5 ton unit. Look at some of the coils at http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewcatego ... products=0 and you will see what I'm talking about. Your 3 1/2 ton coil may also be rated for 4 ton depending on the manufacture. Jeff Euriech Peoria AZ

This is a form of pre-cooler for the condenser unit. In the Phoenix area we have seen a variety of devices over the years designed to help the outdoor coil stay cooler. Most did help the efficiency in the short term but had long term problems. Scaling was one issue and corrosion was the other issue. It is amazing how much damage can occur to the coil in just a couple of years of using a pre-cooler device. I would recommend that you stay away from them. If you do a search for condenser pre-cooler you should find out quite a bit of information on them. Jeff Euriech Peoria, AZ

Last week I inspected a 1984 townhouse with a different type of roof that I am not familiar with. From the ground it appeared to be maybe a 2" concrete tile roof. However, once I climbed up on the roof it turned out to be a foam roof with some sort of hard crusty surface. It looked like all one unit instead of individual pieces. Like maybe they sprayed the foam and then somehow made the impression of the tile afterwards. Before I left, I talked with the neighbor next door. He told me that it was a Bermuda Roof. A foam roof with a hard mortar surface. He also said that most of the roofs in the area have had leakage problems and needed to be sealed. The buyer of the townhouse called me later in the day and told me that they had canceled the contract due to all the issues found in the inspection. Now I am currently doing some research on this type of roof so that I am better prepared in the future. Can anyone tell me how this roof is installed or where I might be able to find information on it? Thanks, Jeff Euriech Peoria, AZ Download Attachment: Bermuda Roof 1.jpg 192.44 KB Download Attachment: Bermuda Roof 2.jpg 210.67 KB

We would need a little bit more information in order to point you in the right direction. What type of house is this? Frame/stucco? Block? Stone house? Is it on a slab or does it have a crawlspace? Some pictures of the defects would help. Jeff Euriech Peoria, AZ

Jay, See Trapping Design Flaws from Trane at the following web site: http://www.trane.com/commercial/issues/iaq/iaq5b.asp This should answer your question. Jeff Euriech Peoria, AZ

The following article from the Copper Development Association may give you some insight: Why Do I Have Blue/Green Staining Of My Bathroom Fixtures? http://www.copper.org/applications/plum ... tures.html Jeff Euriech Peoria AZ

Plus with the two of them tied together, then how would you differentiate condensate from TPR discharge (or leakage); the latter indicating you might have a potentially serious problem with the water heater? Jeff Euriech Peoria, AZ

From Pass & Seymour http://www.passandseymour.com/knowhowfa ... ory=GFCI's Q: How many receptacles can be wired downstream from a GFCI? A: There is no set limit. However, thought should be given to the length of the wire run. The farther the distance is from the GFCI to the load the greater the chance is for nuisance tripping to occur. Jeff Euriech Peoria Arizona

Buster, I'm curious, are those rafters 2x4's? In my area the minimum size would be 2x6. I assume that this may have been a homeowner add on? Jeff Euriech Peoria, Arizona