mcramer

Why recommend ASHI? Q. Why do you always recommend home buyers hire inspectors who belong to the American Society of Home Inspectors? I am a professional home inspector, formerly a home builder, who chooses not to become an ASHI member because of their outrageous requirements. There are several other excellent home inspection organizations which have equally competent inspector members. Does ASHI pay you? ASHI does not pay me to recommend their fine national organization. Non-ASHI members like you often complain that I don't mention their home inspection organizations. There are many inspectors who are not ASHI members. However, I know of no other nationwide group that has such high membership standards. Do you? Unfortunately, some realty agents often recommend non-ASHI home inspectors who are known as easy non-deal killers. But home buyers need tough, honest inspectors who will thoroughly inspect homes and report to buyers the facts discovered. REAL ESTATE QUESTION? Questions should be mailed to Robert Bruss, 251 Park Road, Burlingame, CA 94010. Or, to e-mail questions, go to www.bobbruss.com and click on "Ask Bob a Question." Robert Bruss email this print this

Some people over there seem to like branding: Subject: website referral -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today I got my fourth inspection from the new website. Hope everyone else gets similar results. Frank Lesh Indian Head Park, IL 708 246 4183 You have my permission to forward this to anyone you please. Also read another message yesterday (over there) from someone who just got 3 jobs, I think it was, heck, he might even be hanging around here. . .

Something like 40 tons of asbestos come into the country every year in products imported from other countries. If it isn't glass, metal, plastic or wood, it could contain asbestos.

It has nothing to do with a "marketing program." You would have to know the unique individuals involved in order to understand it. When I was President of ASHI, I visited many Chapters, including Gulfstream. That was the only visit where people were actually somewhat rude to me. Not everyone, but just a few.

system 1 unsealed roof are still being applied in other parts of FL (aside from SE FL) Some are system 2, which is sort a hybrid; sealed underlayment, but tiles adehered with fasteners.

Just curious. For what?

http://www.hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/99/991111.html Florida Solar Energy Council: http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/pubs/energyqa/q8.htm

That's a common misconception. Recent research shows that if you eliminate ventilation of the attic, it increases the surface temperature of the roof by 2-3 degrees. Many of our code requirements are based on "that's the way we always do it" rather than knowledge derived from research.

OK, but you didn't ask why before. The reason is that the neutral is grounded at the service and is at the same potential as the earth. As you get away from the grounding point, the potential to earth increases, therefore you need to insulate it to protect you from getting a shock. P.S. Don't waste a lot of time reading code books. They're basically inscrutable.

Where does it say that in the NEC? (Hint: It doesn't)

The neutral can be bare up to the main disconnect, even today. You guys should buy a code book.

The main issue with this will be water penetration. When water inevitably leaks behind the stucco over wood frame, how does it get out? It doesn't. I've seen several houses where this condition has caused structural damage, water inside the house and the dreaded M word. It's a fundamental flaw.

Those are asbestos cement shingles. Wired on. The underlayment is rotted away by now, which is why it's leaking. It's at least 50 years old. Tell your client to plan on additional disposal costs when it's replaced. Around here it adds about a grand to the cost of replacing a roof.

Why don't you just send me the $134.00. I won't even charge you any tax. My previous post was all voice recognition.

A here’s what you’re more likely to get a period this footstep just doesn’t really work for a well as he’s been a while lot of time training at Obviously as needed spend quite a bit more time training the software in order for it to work properly I think you’d be far better off learning how to type faster While that last sentence actually came out OK

Is there any difference?

The key factor is that the the only source for the heat added to refrigerant is the outdoor air. In heating mode the outdoor coil of our heat pump is now an evaporator coil. The refrigerant boils in the outdoor coil because it's heated by the outdoor air passing over the coil. As the OD temp goes down, so does the heat content of the refrigerant. When it get's inside to what is now a condenser coil, there is less heat available to transfer to the indoor air. It's just like air conditioning in reverse. With an air conditioner, if you measured the temperature split at the OD coil, it would go down as the temperature in the house goes down. Otherwise, what Katen said. I agree with the article. It's tough to use heating temp rise to evaluate heat pumps. Take the numbers on the chart with a grain of salt. I don't call them defective unless they are way out of whack.

There's always some current flowing through the earth, because the entire electrical grid is grounded. Some of the current always flows through the earth back to it's point of origin. But those currents are usually in the milliamp range, not amps like we see on water piping. Here's an article that talks about that: http://www.mikeholt.com/documents/stray ... rrents.doc There are also cases where the neutrals on the utility companies underground cables are deteriorating and allow higher levels of current to flow through the earth.

The lines on a heat pump will be the same as an air conditioner. One large. One small. The barrel thingy is a drier. It's put on when the system is opened, like to put in a new compressor. It filters out contaminants. Look at the ends. They rust and leak. If you see oil on the rust, that's a leak.

Marvin, Don't take a correspondence course. If you are serious, spend the money and go to ITA's two week class. You will learn so much more there than through any other method. [Dislcaimer: I teach for ITA in Tampa] Most students come to class wondering what the heck they are going to do for two weeks. After about the second day, their heads are spinning from the amount of information they've received. I've NEVER had a student say they wish they hadn't taken the two week class. OTOH, many one week class students wish they had taken the two week class. The point is, you really have no idea what you don't know. And it's far more than you can imagine. Students are always surprised to discover how much they need to know to be a half way decent home inspector. The more time you spend in the classroom, the better off you will be when you begin. Good luck.

It's not stray current coming from the earth. It's coming from a neighbor's service, over the common water piping in the neighborhood through your service, back to the transformer, where it originated. If they have a neutral connection with high resistance, some of their current will flow back to the transformer over your neutral.

Yes, I am seeing this in new construction in FL.

I find current on the GEC on a regular basis and I can explain it. It's really quite simple. This occurs in neighborhoods where the water lines are all metal. In this case, every electrical system in every house is connected together. When resistance in the neutral goes up, some of the current flows over the GEC, to the metal water piping, to your neighbors house, over their GEC, to their neutral, and then back to the transformer. Or vice versa. Your neighbor can have a bad neutral connection that puts current on your water piping. It’s really quite common in older neighborhoods.

Yup, that's me. But I still think it's useless. If an inspector is going to tell people GFCI's were required in any given jurisdiction at a certain point in time, he's probably making it up, because there's no way to know for sure without going back and examing municipal records. Your credibility goes way down when people figure out you're lying.

Yes, here in central FL, lightning capital of the US, it's been known to cause pinhole leaks in the copper far removed from the connection of the grounding wire.