John Kogel

I like the sniffers but of course they are not infallible. So carry 2. The adjustable type can be set so that they don't detect less than about 90 VAC. I have a cheap one that is too sensitive so it goes off on low voltages such as induced current in dead K&T. If I get a positive on one side of K&T I check the other wire, which should be a neutral, dead if fixture is off.

Wow. I wonder how someone that incompetent survives a day on the job.

The value is big if a concrete foundation around the perimeter allows a young couple to get a mortgage on a low priced house. Around here those older money pits are usually close to downtown and to build new costs a small fortune.

Try to remember to bring a voltage sniffer into the attic on an older house like that. The ceiling fixtures especially on the first floor are often left on the K&T wiring, because the sparky doesn't want to break thru lath and plaster to string new cable. I recently had an old attic that had new cable to the bedroom fixtures but 2 porch lights were still on K&T. K&T should not be buried under insulation and these porch attics are not insulated. I inspected the wire for damage to the rubber insulation. If it is cracking off, it needs to be replaced. Always try to locate the transition from old K&T to new cable. Sometimes it is a flying splice, not in an enclosed junction box. Have a qualified electrician repair the splices for safety. Have the electrician replace any K&T that is damaged or unsafe. Jim is the most correct. It should all be replaced to reduce any doubt and replacing it will reduce their insurance costs.

BTW, a good upgrade is possible. Tear off the skirting, dig. Build forms, lay in the rebar, pour concrete, frame the gap or wood shims, siding. I have pics of a house that had that done and have done it myself too. It takes less than a week and you add big value to the house.

The vinyl siding and all the metal are dripping large beads of rain water, like the wall was hit with a sprinkler. Maybe a board fence could be built to block the prevailing wind.

I see you need a camera with a flash or at least something better than what you got there, a tablet? I see the main sewer stack has a handy cleanout. Just follow your nose to the open Y connector. Did you crawl to all four corners? I would be checking for termite tubes way in the back and all the piers. I don't see anything to be alarmed about.

The next time you see a normal-size range installed with a 30-amp breaker, check the kw rating on the range nameplate. I suspect that the breaker (and maybe the wires) will be undersized. As for your theory, if the microwave were tapped off the range feed, why didn't it die when the breaker tripped? I am picturing a 4-slot outlet on a 30 amp 3-wire feeder. Maybe now he needs a neutral for 120 volt gauges, dashboard computer, etc so he adds a neutral jumper from the 120 v range hood circuit. Maybe that's a bit far-fetched, too. Maybe there are rats chewing on insulation and the two circuits are shorting together.

My guess is a joint popped apart when they laid the patio.

Most electric ranges I see are on 40 or 50amp breakers. Yes, it should be 40 amp for a modern electric range. If it's an older house with a 30 amp breaker, the range outlet might be only 3-wire cable, missing the neutral. An electrician needs to repair that and it will probably involve installing a 4-wire #8 cable. John I get your reasoning but would that same imbalance not happen when someone flips on a light or a bath fan elsewhere in the house? I suspect some foul play in the wiring behind the stove, a jumper from the microwave to allow the stove gauges to work maybe?

Neal, wipe your lens. [] Yes, that is very nice detailing for such a mundane item.

This much is clear. It is a stormy day and the wind is blowing straight against the wall. I think in this case the flashing should be modified but have never seen this problem either. Do you have a brand name, model #?

Yes the bamboo, but you will want to glue it. I have floating engineered Maple floors in dining and living room on underlay and plywood subfloors. This wood expands and contracts with the humidity. I don't know how it would react to being nailed or glued but I imagine it will cup and shrink if it can't expand towards the walls. 5" planks will be more dramatic than 3" I suspect. I had nailed Maple in a previous house and it would shrink when the heat was on and tighten up in the summer months. When we replaced the stinking carpets in this place the first floor we laid down was 1/2" interlocking laminate. She-who-knows-best declared it made the room too dark and so a year later we took it all up and laid it in the bedroom and a hallway with a few planks left over. That is what I like about the interlocking planks. They are flexible and almost fun to work with. They say in Europe when people move out of an apartment they take the flooring with them. The true laminate we have does not shrink or expand, while the engineered Maple hardwood does.

The thicker planks still move a bit when you walk on them. It is a matter of degrees. Thickness of underlay and weight of the walker. It sounds like you won't be happy with the bamboo, which BTW makes an excellent floor.

They probably need a disconnect where firemen can reach it. More to this than what you say here.

Is it taboo to leave a note in the panel?

Really? A trash bag is so uncool. It should at least have your logo printed on it. [] [:-slaphap [:-monkeyd [:-slaphap

Really? A trash bag is so uncool. It should at least have your logo printed on it. []

Hey downspout drains don't have to be buried deep. Lay solid PVC pipe around the house just below the surface to direct the roof runoff out to a ditch or French drain. It is easy to do without a lot of digging. Then they can have the old foundation drains flushed and scoped.

Prime suspects - Loose uninsulated attic hatch, leaking bath fan(s), leaky pot light housings, range hood leaks, top wall plates with leaky vapor barrier, regular light fixture leaks, in roughly that order. Old folks tend to overheat their condos and blow a lot of warm air up the stairwell. At the top of a stairwell especially, I would like to see more often a double layer of drywall for the hatch or drywall screwed to a heavy chunk of plywood, with a good weatherstrip gasket. Damp air entering at the soffit vents is also possible, but not that common IMO.

Were you being a creeper again Erby? Taking pics of hot runners as you slowly roll by? [:-eyebrow No, they were coming by cuz they heard about Erby's big screwdriver. It's a local attraction. []

'they are too close ..' A chimney sweep here would not be able to fix that properly. When in doubt I use this "Have the XXX repaired by a qualified professional"

Beside the light gauge wiring, the turn and stop lights are controlled by an integrated circuit, computer chip if you like. If you ordered the factory trailer tow package, they would install 3 relays that took a small amount of power from the chip and 12 volts from the power box. So yes, LED's would be fine. What if the wiring on the trailer got pinched and shorted to ground? That would blow the fuse we hope before it blew the controller chip in the vehicle. Anyway, the kit Santa will bring me contains a similar chip and is fed by a new 12 v power lead from the battery. Costs about the same as LED tail lights. I think Ford's cost cutting measures like this helped to kept them solvent thru a tough time for auto manufacturers, so like you say, we should get used to it. Happy Holidays! Click to Enlarge 45.2 KB My dream sled in Xmas colors.

I think you are right. In my experiance, architects are typically bad with grammur and spellling. Myself includded! Merry Christmas to those that celebrate! OK, it's a 'bibb' if it's under the 'dinning room'. Happy Holidays and y'all take Scott's advice and keep your hose bibs warm. []

It was an Ontario tire store in the 50's. They must have been good at selling cheap tires to Yankees. They now have department stores in every major city in the country.