Marc

Alex, perhaps there is a difference in definitions. I've always thought that a 'two family dwelling' was not intended for individual sale and that a condo was. Of course, definitions may be regional. Marc

I don't know about Texas, but next door in Louisiana a townhouse in which the units are intended for individual sale must have a 2-hour firewall between them. What's shown in your photo doesn't even qualify for a one hour firewall. Marc

In my locality, the AHJ would immediately pull the meter on a service entrance if he saw that extra #10 on that main breaker. Marc

I don't see the wisdom of a home inspector condoning the operation of an appliance in a way that is contrary to what the appliance manufacturer intended. Marc

Google this term to learn more about the shortcomings of radiation based, non-contact thermometers: Emissivity I'm 5' 10". If it's an 8' ceiling, I simply extend my hand upwards. My thermocouple has about a 2' lead on it. Marc

I don't use the infrared thermometers at this time. When checking register air temperatures, you can get different readings depending on whether your infrared 'sees' the metallic grille or the black insulated interior. It's an objectionable difference, in my opinion. Maybe I'll begin using them in instances where the ceiling height is out of reach. I've had lots of Flukes. They seem to be a good rugged brand. Marc

Interesting product. If it becomes popular enough, the smart home market might add it to the feature list for smart home wiring so that homeowner's can get quantitive feedback on how much electrical power is used by various appliances in their home. Of course, if advances in energy efficient construction were to outpace the rising cost of energy then this OWL might not take 'flight'. Marc

There are greater consequences to installing too much tonnage of cooling in a house. Cooling needs to be sized correctly for proper humidity removal (latent heat removal) but the heating system? Exceeding the J calc by a safe margin is the norm for me. It's insurance. It's somewhat like sizing an electrical service entrance. If the load analysis says anything between 125 to 160, I sell a 200. Marc

You don't clean suspended ceiling tiles of rat droppings/urine, you change them. As for the insulation laid upon it, may have to change that too if the infestation is bad enough. Marc

My practice, when I was contracting in electrical, was to keep the breaker serving the subpanel at no more than half the ampacity of the main breaker. The reason for this was to reduce the chance of a fault on the subpanel from tripping the main breaker. It's a big inconvenience to the customer when that happens. The same plan is applied for any panel feeding off of a subpanel. Marc

Great tip! I had one, just never thought of using it that way. Marc

I don't quite understand what happened. In Louisiana, determining the adequacy of the heating/cooling system is beyond the scope of a home inspection. Marc

Ohh, I love the jokes. Marc

Your air conditioning contractor can open the rooftop package (AC) unit (if that's what it is) to inspect it but to clean it out may also require the attention of a hygienist, depending on the severity of the issue. Marc

I stand corrected. Thanks Jim. Marc

440.6 (B) and it applies to this discussion via this mention of yours: My point is that these thermal devices are engineered to protect the hermetic units from high temperatures which could damage them. They are not engineered for the purpose of protecting the electrical circuits that serve the appliance. That protection is separately engineered and is specified on the appliance nameplate in the form of minumum circuit ampacity and minimum/maximum breaker size. Marc

I think what you are referring to is the thermal overload which is commonly installed within hermetic refrigerant units to protect the motor from overheat conditions. Although similiar to the thermal portion of a thermal/magnetic breaker, the application is not so simple as a breaker case. It's a refrigerant-cooled electric motor and refrigeration compressor installed within a sealed hermetic case and the engineering of this thermal device is likewise different. Overheat conditions may result from not only excessive current draw by the motor but from a host of other issues such as high head pressure, excessive suction temperatures or pressures, etc. My understanding of the motivation of the code forming committee's 'multiple motors in a single appliance' rule is the desire to allow the manufacturer to engineer the ampacity/overcurrent protection of the circuit serving this appliance so that it will allow proper operation of the appliance without exposing the consumer to excessive risk of electrical fire. Of course, this is just my opinion. Marc

Jim, Would you clarify this for me, pls? Marc

[:-thumbu] Marc

If the hot tub is considered multi-motor equipment and the manufacturer's nameplate has a maximum OL protection specification and minimum ampacity specification then those specs can be used. The hot tubs that I've seen have only a single motor (pump motor). Marc

As far as I understand digital computer history: I don't think it's that they don't target Mac, Linex, etc. It's that the instruction set of these operating systems is fundamentally different than Windows and by nature, isn't very susceptible to viruses, if at all. It's also a very stable operating system. These are some of the primary reasons why major corporations favor Linex and derivations of it. Both Linex and Mac operating system were derived from Unix which is the most original and successful digital computer operating system.

How did you take this picture? Marc

For what it's worth, this is from the 2006 IPC Marc

It's perfectly alright to vent if you're working with Vista. I don't have experience with PalmTech but if you like it, you're probably justified in blaming you're troubles on Vista. Marc