John Kogel

A 1959 SquareD panel has two double taps. One is for the doorbell transformer installed and we assume approved by the authority in 1959. The other was added a decade or two later when the basement was dressed up. I don't believe the breaker is rated for double tapping due to its age. I believe the doorbell double tap is acceptable but not good practice. I called for the electrician to check the added circuit installation and repair it. When did SquareD start adding the two wire rating to their breakers? Click to Enlarge 32.68 KB Click to Enlarge 53.6 KB Click to Enlarge 68.9 KB

The septic tank will need to be replaced, too close to the house. Then the field will be old and too small. Around here that is $20K maybe more. They lived in the house 10 years did not much in the way of upkeep and some dumbsh*t like that baseboard heater. Now they want to sell it for how much? They want more than what they paid plus a cut for the realtors?

I use a picture with circles arrows and labels. Then a written sentence or 2, "The gate swings left-handed and most people prefer right. Have a handyman repair it for safety." Some of those sentences are cut and paste from my library, just a Word doc. I was shown a competitor's report yesterday. He has 25 yrs in the biz and uses the voice technology I'm sure. His report 10 pages of text with one pic on each page. I could not stand there and read 10 pages of text, so I skimmed the text and looked at the pictures, 3 showing a defect and the others not clear what. I missed a few important items buried in text. Maybe that's a good way to get realo referrals, bury the defects in with descriptions. [] One sentence with a picture, "this post is rotten". Read that any way you want. []

That 2" vent stack provides plenty of air for the standpipe to drain, I think. There could be a sink on the floor below, not a problem with suction from the stack, I don't think. But I'm not plumber, so I'm open to correction.

No one knows. But it doesn't inspire confidence. Thanks, Jim, that was eloquent. I would not write this in any report but can say it here. "when tested, the AFCI breaker failed to inspire confidence in the inspector ." []

The whole point of the standpipe is to provide an indirect waste receptor, which makes siphoning unlikely. It would be much less convenient to have to install a sewage ejector. Supplementary hoses are easily available. Thanks , Jim. the first time I questioned the basement standpipe was where Mr Handy ran the drain pipe along a ceiling joist and then down to the main drain. The washer specs sheet said it could push a head of 96". His mistake was his standpipe was only 2" tall. The air gap breaks the siphon. And it is actually harder to siphon with the hose raised, not easier. []

Maybe they had a plan for a factory that never materialized.

Funny one, Tom. Some people should not be allowed to operate heavy machinery. Some people shouldn't even pick up a hammer.

Rob, you should pull the plug when you are not using it.

A surge hit the panel and then the circuits a millisecond later. The TV was left on. The other appliances were off or robust enough to take the surge. What age of TV? Did it have a picture tube that may have exploded? If a new one, it was full of combustible plastics and thin filament wiring in plastic strips. This is why I tell people missing knockouts in the panel can be a fire hazard. I have seen electricians repair their wiring mistakes and ignore the missing knockouts, like they are no big deal.

Wow I just don't get anything close to those heights in my little suburban domiciles. The scariest climbs are the 1950's attic hatch in the stairwell stuff.

The span between the joists suggests something wasn't right with the builder. [:-magnify Good bet there was no rebar laying around handy. Maybe it took 2 weekends to get the pour completed with a mixer and a shovel. In earthquake country, I think they should shore up that foundation. They could pour footings for wide piers every 4 feet. Then posts can be set in there to take the weight off the crappy foundation.

Thanks, Barry. I just call it "faux stone"(like fool stone).

I see PEX every day and much of it is 1/2" to the fixtures. But do not see a lot of manifolds. Yes most runs are made with as few elbows as possible. Something to check out - sometimes a piece of plastic will get lodged in the pipe somewhere and reduce the flow. You could have a plumber flush the lines to your addition. If that's not it, you should upsize to 3/4". What Scott just said a minute ago. []

You mean "locally milled" lumber? [] Yes you can cut the rafters to full width, and here, you call it a custom home and do whatever with the rafter tails including trimming them down to about 3" wide like a swallow tail. Maybe that is a Craftsman style design.

I wouldn't worry about that surface damage if the concrete is good otherwise. I suppose it could have been damaged by gardening with chemicals or it was just a poor mix. They should get rid of that rotten plywood.

Insulation was blown into the stud cavities. That is the usual reason for those little plugs, that is.

That would leak here. Not enough slope either.

Johnny, it will eventually fail just like everything else. Right now the paint is just wearing off?. Scott, your reply 'appears to be servicable'. [] I call that a metal fireplace in good condition. Maybe. I would only be reporting on how well the flame comes on if it operates at all.

I recommend those to people that plan to rent out a suite that has a subpanel. They can monitor the sub with one of those devices and probably print the tenant a bill.

Heavy duty air fresheners in the house? Toxic sulphur farts, maybe? []

Yes, a future home inspector might freak himself out in there and bang his head. [] I might recommend that a professional go in there with a fine mist of water first and then this professional would gently wipe up the visible particles and bag them just to make it go away.

There's no requirement for one. When people put locks on these things they tend to lose the key or forget the combination. I suggest using heavy duty cable ties instead. It's enough of a deterrent to keep the really little kids out and bigger kids, well at some point they've got to learn about electricity . . . A screw shackle makes a good lock. Kid has to learn vise-grips and rust first, then he gets to learn wiring. [] Yes the doubletaps are wrong. Marc is 'transfer switch' a Cajun expression for 'disconnect switch'? []

That is a good question. Assuming a newer NG generator, with electronic ignition, there is no more spark at the points, no more "points and condensor", anyone remember those? The spark plugs are not exposed to the air. The exhaust would be plumbed to the outdoors. The breaker panel is a maybe. Electric switches can be a spark source. I had a furnace fan switch last week that makes a visible spark when you switch it on manually. The spark or ignition source is the brushes on the starter motor. [:-graduat So what are you telling him, to elevate it?

Look at the second pic along the line where the 2 X 4's are nailed together. That wood is rotten. It may not be a familiar species, but it is a fungus doing the damage. I am 4,000 miles NW of there, but had similar rot in joists last week. Very little fruit showing. No hairy web. Click to Enlarge 63.53 KB Click to Enlarge 44.84 KB Click to Enlarge 62.49 KB