John Kogel

That's two great pics, thanks. When I was a kid, my dad ran a couple of big aquariums, pumps and lights, with an octopus like that. Somehow, the house survived. The guy that invented the power bar deserves a medal. [:-thumbu] He eliminated millions of those behind every desktop computer in the land.

She's obviously lived there long enough to know where all the receptacles are... Kelly, check every receptacle in every room for a GFCI and press the reset button on every one you find. Check the panel for a breaker with a reset button it and push that as well. If it still doesn't work, then follow Marc's advice. One more thing. Sometimes a tripped breaker in the panel won't be obvious, because the handle only moves a fraction of an inch. Flip it all the way off, then on. This guy the other day didn't know where to look after 5 years in the house. Search in the vicinity of the panel for starters.

I had a 5 year old home yesterday, nice place. I came upon an outlet by the patio, tested it and a GFCI somewhere snapped off. The little water feature died, too. 3 hours later, I was waiting for my clients and I still hadn't found the GFCI for the outdoor receptacles. The owner and his son came home, the owner couldn't help me but the son knew there was a GFCI receptacle, under a workbench in the garage, behind a pile of storage. Yeah that was it.

That's a funny one, Kevin. Looks like Bubba never lifts a hammer in that place. [] Those brown streaks have a rodent flavor to them. That hammer might be doing double duty as a step up to the sill.

I said "A possible cure would be to shunt the RF to ground thru a capacitor on the AFCI breaker connection" Marc said "John, what would happen if that capacitor were to fail? Pooof!" You are right, Marc. It should not be done, and it was just an idea but a ceramic or metal film 400 V cap wouldn't short. What if the AFCI were to fail? Poof! What if a cap in your stereo were to fail? The stereo goes poof to the dump. [] I've seen where audiophile idjits install caps on all the breakers to reduce static, and I would call for them to be removed, come to think of it.

Elton would've caught the croup and died young in this place. [] Nobody sits on that moss. It's perpetually wet. I grew up in this climate, never did get that line. Hey, maybe that's it. He sat on one of those spruce cones and it changed his life forever. []

It was easier to paint it than it would have been to clean it, eh? They left the other toilet blue, but painted the walls orange. Bubba was in charge of stairs and flashing. Oh yeah and a bit of wiring. Click to Enlarge 33.56?KB Click to Enlarge 37.68?KB But the bare wire is only hot when the light switch is on. []

Lots of funny pictures this week. I was super busy Thursday, an estate sale followed by a vacated rental. Wow, two jobs in one day. Click to Enlarge 44.4?KB Click to Enlarge 79.65?KB Click to Enlarge 39.25?KB Click to Enlarge 88.73?KB Click to Enlarge 111.17 KB

Don't worry, Mike. If Mr. Rattus is still alive, you'll hear his little cries for help before you get too comfortable on the throne. [] You know it's a crappy house when the rats are trying to swim the sewer pipe to freedom. []

I called this one for repair. I thought it looked like there's been backdrafting. A gas guy said it was fine. Click to Enlarge 40.8?KB Click to Enlarge 37.55?KB Correction - It is flame rollout. Thanks, Rob and Tim. Gas guy said it's ok.

The AFCI breaker should be shielded from RF by the panel enclosure. So I'm guessing it's the cable from the panel to the outlets which may be picking up the radio signal? This is something they should have been aware of from the start, but maybe needs some refinement. Household wiring makes a very good radio antenna. I have a couple of vintage FM radios, (insert pic, Zenith C845) that use the power cord for an FM antenna. This must be a baffling problem sometimes, nuisance tripping for no apparent reason. Both Smart meters and AFCI's are pretty new to us up here. Thanks for the heads up. A possible cure would be to shunt the RF to ground thru a capacitor on the AFCI breaker connection. Bit of a hassle, and just one more source of future grief. Click to Enlarge 50.13 KB This pic of someone else's Zenith C845 shows the clamp on the cord which attaches to a screw on the back if you want to use the power cord antenna. The best sounding table radios ever made, circa 1959.

Here's an idea. Browse through realty ads, and compare the pics with the sq ft. After a while, you will be able to guesstimate. Good luck with the insurance inspections.

That 3" pipe is likely coming down from the toilet. No vent there.

Is the first pic a mailbox? They can throw 90% of my mail in there. []

I use my voltage sniffer for knob and tube wiring and when I see loose exposed wiring, abandoned circuits and such. So a little more often than occasionally. []

They have elements like a big toaster. I've got a good pic from a house where the elements were visible from the crawlspace. The builder "forgot" to install any ductwork, 20 yr old home. The rooms had registers open to the crawlspace. It was sure cosy down there. [] Click to Enlarge 45.76 KB

He says "sis". I think he means "silly internet sucks" as in "the network is down, shall verbalate frustration by Morse code". Bryan, if you're set on recovering the old siding, this is an opportunity to insulate the exterior before installing a vapor barrier and siding. I see good old building paper used quite a bit in my damp climate. Building paper, thin vertical slats, Hardiplank.

I appreciate the well wishes. I hope all of our complaints can be resolved as easily. Who said it's resolved? The clients still say you're a dickhead for, well for whatever it was you missed. They know you missed it and even if they never find it, they'll tell all their friends you're a dickhead.

So did Daniel Boone come to the door? I hope you wore your coonskin cap. []

They put the vent up by the window for the folks that ain't used to using indoor plumbing, yep, this is where you go now. [] Can't upload a pic.[:-thumbd]

Right, good job, Scott.

Are you quite sure about that? I thought the code says that the grounded bus and the grounding bus may be bonded but not beyond the main disconnect. If the grounded conductors and grounded bus are isolated from the grounding bus and equipment grounding conductors why must they be bonded through the enclosure, if it's a situation where the code allows it under special conditions but doesn't require it? You say the neutral (bus?)(grounded bus) is bonded to the Myers hub but it looks more like the service grounding electrode conductor extends from the grounding bus through a hole at the lower right corner on the way to the service grounding electrode and passes through a bond clamp attached to the Myers hub. Have you got an establishing shot of that panel? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike What I see is the bonding strap was not installed. I expect to see one in a combination service panel such as this, where the service conductors come in from the meter box to a main breaker, that's the main disconnect. In this situation, I am pretty sure the neutral bus must be bonded to the panel, in both the US and Canada. I said that the neutral was bonded at the meter only because that would be correct. I never get to see behind the meter. (Will attach a pic later)

No, the double tap is for the doorbell ringer, which some authorities allow here. .... With all due respect to your Canadian authorities, that makes no sense. The Square-D and type CH breakers that are listed for 2 conductors have specially designed lugs that, when used correctly, ensure good contact on both wires. On all others it is possible (maybe not likely, but possible) that one of the two conductors will not be fully trapped and secured under the lug screw. I don't see that it matters if the doorbell transformer tap only has a light load as it could be the main circuit conductor that comes loose and arcs. I have no issue with using the circuit for the doorbell, but the tap should be done with a wire-nutted pigtail. Thanks Richard. I reported the double-tap as well. The electrician should reinstall that connection with a pigtail like you described. Here's how I tackle the transformer question here. If it's an old house, old panel, was allowed, I report it as was acceptable at the time. The transformer must be outside the panel and mounted securely. New house, not allowed unless SqD or CH type breaker. This was a panel upgrade in an older house. The double-tap is wrong, because the new installation comes under the stricter rules. But as Joe pointed out, it is unlikely to start a spark show, and I will hesitate to call for a repair if that is the only fault I can find in an old house. I've set a beer aside for you as well. Want to flip for it, double or nothing?

Jim, there is a beer set aside here for you. Better hurry, it won't stay fresh for long. [] Yes, after all that neat and tidy installation, he neglected to install the bonding strap of the neutral bus to the back of the panel. 3 years later, I'm reporting it. The neutral is bonded to the meter can, so I think that may be why nothing bad happened? I suppose an apprentice made that error. Fresh out of school, he should know better. Click to Enlarge 72.37 KB

I'd look at the standard pellet stoves as a better choice. You want a nice big hopper for the pellets. A small unit is going to be a PITA, and it blocks the window. No, I haven't seen one yet.