John Kogel

Some of the BC members felt very strongly against giving up the testing process. No, it isn't big money, but it is historically in the tens of thousands per annum. Naturally NHIE is willing to take this on. I don't think we are reinventing the wheel. We just chose to have one built for us, that we will maintain ownership of. I don't agree with everything my association does, but everybody got to vote. You bet there is competition between the associations. We all claim to be the best. Nobody in the rival associations will have any interest in our test. That's fine. One of the associations recognized by the licensing board here has an open book test. Why would they want to adopt our exam?

I'll chime in. the grounding conductors are one size smaller than the neutrals. Typical for the age, but another reason not to have them both under the same screw. I would not pull the fuse block, but then I would not be able to report the fuse size either. It would have been wrong to guess the size by the cable.

The use of the US based NHIE was put forward and discussed at length. In the end the members voted to keep the exam local for a number of reasons. One simple reason was that all the code rule questions have to be rewritten into Canadian. This was a few years ago. Now that has apparently been done. But the main reason was that we will now retain ownership of the exam and the exam process. Exams generate a fair bit of income. Why give that away?

The key to that mess is whether the work was done under a permit or not. If a permit was in place for the change, then the installation has been blessed by an authority, end of story. The present-day authority might not accept it, but there is no obligation to rework what was accepted in the past, especially if there is no hazard. No permit, an electrician needs to bring everything up to the new standards with a permit for the repairs. CSA approval is open to interpretation as well. The old panel was certainly an approved enclosure when it was a breaker box. The cover needs to be altered and that alteration is not CSA approved, unless they filled all the holes with factory plugs.

Neither do I but it seems to be surviving. [] Recycled panel boxes are not uncommon in older houses here. The box should be bonded to a grounding conductor, and there should be cable clamps where cables exit the box.

Yes, way over on the exterior wall.

Now what should we put in the garage? How about this Plymouth wagon? (Scott's place gets the '53 Vette and a big Chrysler sedan.) Click to Enlarge 37.46?KB There is nothing on that wall of vinyl that I want to hear.

Skillion - shed. Thank, Google. If you want a continuous roof line, the gutter has to go, so it would be replaced with flashing, lapping over the new roof. The overhang of the original roof is not designed for the weight of the shed roof. Better to run the skillion rafters to the wall below the overhang, and run the new roofing under as well. Does it ever rain in Melbourne? The roof is mostly a sunshade, I imagine.

You need to tell us if the main breaker in the bottom of that panel is the service disconnect. If it is the service disconnect, yes, the neutral bus(es) are to be bonded to the panel. Usually, there is a screw that turns in tight to contact the back of the panel, or a solid metal jumper that connects the bus to the back. What you have done there is unconventional, so whether it is satisfactory will depend on what the authority thinks about it.

Ditto here, no fridge pulling for me. Especially one that is packed to the brim with bottles and beer cans. My number one concern is for the flooring. Numbers 2 and 3 are busting my back and spilling a bunch of food. One place I remember, the seller's two sons pulled the fridge out for me, sure, no problem. The panel cover was missing, even better. [] Here's my hidden panel of the month. I peeked behind every painting and there was a bunch of paintings in this condo unit. Finally caught a glimpse of the upper portion of this panel behind the hall closet. Check out the black cover for the inside. The flashlight is not mine, BTW. Click to Enlarge 36.98 KB

We can only guess as to what the amateur sparky was doing with that hookup, but it doesn't matter. It all needs to be replaced for safety reasons, and the repair should be done by a licensed electrician. An ungrounded 240 volt circuit is questionable and also somewhat suspicious - high voltage lighting, maybe?

Thanks. This is about 86" floor to ceiling. I'll check the manual. Edit - the manual for newer units indeed says Min 24" Max 96". I guess it's ok then and it is certainly managing. I imagine waste water sits in the hose but there's got to be a check valve at the pump. Jim, congratulations on both your washing machine and your wife. We could place bets here, but that would be evil. []

The pump has to blow water 7 feet up. There's an air gap where the PVC fits into the ABS. The ABS pipe carries the wash water across the ceiling to the far wall, where it dumps into a waste pipe. I told my client this is not the way to set up a laundry in the basement. He needs a sump and a grinder pump. The poor little Kenmore washer pump can't last working this hard. Or can it? Click to Enlarge 49.68?KB Click to Enlarge 45.08?KB Click to Enlarge 34.61 KB

I'm surprised to hear about all this bulldozing. Don't folks in other parts of the country burn down unwanted houses? Around here, folks call the local fire department. They set it on fire, put the fire out, set it on fire again, put it out again, etc. Great fun. Right, same here. Pulling it all down with a hoe, piling the scrap and hauling it all away is the expensive alternative. Sometimes the house will be jacked up and trucked away to be sold as is, but not if it's rotted. Bulldozers in fact are mostly rusted hulks parked out in the back forty. Few of them will ever run again.

Phillip, you'll need a pouch for Aiden pretty soon. A Jolly Jumper with belt loops might work.

The 'B' word won't make you popular, but I think you know that. [] My first reaction is the same, but there are builders that are not easily frightened, that can drop that floor and hang a new one, provided the outer shell is worth it. Case in mind, a little 40's bungalow with serious termite damage to the subfloor. The builder had laid a log with the bark left on for a beam in the dirt crawlspace. Basically created a termite nest under there. My clients were a handyman and his son. They took it on as a challenge and have restored that place nicely. An electric chain saw made short work of the log.

To the poster - your neighbors appear to be in good hands and thanks for watching out for them. The table saw is worn up front. Too hard to make an accurate cut with it behind your back. [] When the hammer on the belt starts feeling too heavy, it is time to hang up the belt for good (and become a home inspector? Not directed at anyone here, BTW) Who wears a tool belt for inspections? I have a couple of clip-on pouchs I use. Just curious. At a test inspection this year, one candidate wheeled a 3-tiered cart with drawers full of tools in the door, and he had a tool belt full of stuff as well. It made me feel somewhat .... inadequate? []

John, it is an antique service. You wouldn't drive a Model T on the freeway. (Model T's have terrible brakes, little mechanical rods and cranks.) With regards to the AFCI breakers, I wonder if you old branch circuit wiring will cause nuisance tripping? You should check that out. I so far have only seen them in newer construction, post 2007 or so.

The source could be just humans breathing. In that case, it usually means you are keeping the bedroom too cool at night with the windows shut. Electric heat is dry. Warm windows don't sweat. A ceiling fan can sometimes help. Add this to all of the above, including the sleeping dog. []

That would be cheap for us up here. I normally warn people it could be $3G or more. A lot depends on the service mast, up thru the roof or just clamped to the wall. I believe you are allowed in the US to swing the service drop over the roof. That is not permitted here in Canada, over the eaves only. Yes, I am excited for you. And your old house thanks you too.

I'm starting to think every good idea has already occurred to somebody somewhere. Most of the best ideas are already on the market, in fact, like this one. "This system eliminates the need for costly and recurring monthly monitoring fees, the system calls you. A water detector, connected to a telephone system may be able to provide advance notice of a problem and may help reduce the damage that water can do.Set includes: 1 wireless water detector, 1 telephone dialer, batteries and all connections.Sensor detects water and sends wireless signal to telephone dialer for quick notification.Dialer stores and calls up to 5 different telephone numbers to advise of an alarm.Land telephone line (not cellular) and electricity are required for the telephone dialer. >Wireless sensor detects water, sounds alarm and sends signal to the dialer. The dialer stores and calls 5 phone numbers up to 5 times > Receivers of alarm calls will hear BEEP sounds (4 styles) indicating a problem >22 Ideal sensors, sirens and 8 remote controls can be linked to the dialer >The DIALER can store sensors in up to 4 zones and BEEPS will identify zones > Back up battery will provide limited service during a power failure. This system may provide early notice to help prevent serious damage to your home. > Batteries and connections included" $160.40 Canadian Click to Enlarge 15.43?KB

Maybe sling the ladder underneath? Click to Enlarge 23.5?KB I have a beef with Subaru. The wife's Outback has a 22" wiper on the driver's side. It gets whipping and eventually wears out a bushing on the wiper motor. That's all it needs, just a new nylon bushing. Can I buy a new bushing from the Subaru dealer? Nope, you have to order the whole friggin wiper assembly, I think they cal it a transmission, and it ain't cheap, either. Thankfully, we now have the internet. I found a guy that shares his repair story - buy the bushing for a Jeep Cherokee, trim it a bit with an Xacto knife, press it in. I bought a package of bushings for about $12, cheaper in the US. Dorman's part no. 40445 or 40447. Fix your Subaru wipers in about 20 minutes.

All that diesel getting burned and all that sawdust going to waste. Check out the steam saw. Logging in the old days - one steam donkey and a bunch of fellas. Now it's one donkey on a feller buncher. []

No need to worry about the missing TPR drain line. There is another TPR on the 1/2" outlet line that's piped to the crawl space. That is wrong, too. The TPR valve has a temperature probe that has to sit in the top of the tank. The one in the tank might blow ahead of the one with the discharge tube. I call it a scalding hazard because a curious kid could flip the lever and get a shot in the face.

I see a valid concern, but technically, the appliance is in the hall, not in the bedroom. Yes, removing the kitchen door would reduce the risk. Until someone decided they wanted the door back. You are right to point out the risk. In my mind, I would recommend closing off the water heater with a closet door there and adding an air supply from outside. But that might not be practical. The tank sticks out too far into the hall. We just call them 'water heaters' but I guess they are 'cold water' heaters. Oh yeah, the TPR discharge pipe is kinda .... missing. []