gpdewitt

I once actually read on a screwdriver package that I should not insert it into my ear. No kidding. At this rate, eventually we'll all be warned that "Any physical motion whatsoever is hazardous to your health. Ingestion, inhalation or absorbtion of any substance of any kind, natural or man made, may cause illness or death. Do not move, breathe, eat, drink or come into contact with anything at all!"

I don't understand the problem. It's not a house, it's and architectural sample book, showing all possible styles in one building! Only style I DON'T see is mid-century modern.

I have one in my townhouse attic. The 4/12 comp roof covers 400sq ft attic that had only 4 4x12 soffit vents along one eave only and a single 12x12 vent in the upper third. The attic was reaching 160 degrees in summer, and the ceiling, under 8 inches insulation, was radiating a considerable amount of heat into the building at night. Not having any control over roofing or vents, I waited until the roof was being recovered and installed a new thermostatic power vent the day before. I'm now saving quite a bit on AC costs, much more than I spend on electricity for the fan. True, I have to monitor the fan and replace the motor every few years, but it's still a small price to pay. It's a case by case basis whether a power roof vent will save power/money in the long run. I would much rather have installed a ridge vent, but sometimes that's not possible.

2009 IRC, section 202 Definitions: HOT WATER. Water at a temperature greater than or equal to 110 degrees F. CRC (California) has it at 120 degrees. Depends on your state, etc. I guess. Max recommended temp. is 120 for scald safety.

Ca: 1970 First car: '62 catalina $75 with 4 flats and a clogged carb. Abandoned behind a bar. Got it running for less than $100 First gallon of gas: $0.35, same as a pack of smokes. New car at the time: 3.5K more or less. 2011 Comparable new car: 23K Gas: $3.90 Smokes: God knows, had to quit or die. How come transportation related costs have gone up about 10x, but food costs and wages have not? Someone is making a fortune even in bad economic times...

Have you used your stick for crawlspace or attics, and how did that work out? Also, I think I can throw one of these together for about $500 with wi-fi enabled 5mp color camera with monitor and sectional stick from concrete finishers tools. What advantage does the eye stick have over DIY, other than convenience of only one purchase? Thanks in advance.

1933 conventional wood frame over slab 1 story house in Long Beach, CA. Originally had knob and tube wiring. This is at the top of one gable end. Please ignore black wires, they are CATV. I'm not sure if this is electrical or what. I found no evidence elsewhere of a lightning rod system. Because of the low slope roof, I was unable to see this area in the attic. Anyone seen one of these before, know what it's purpose is? Click to Enlarge 38.38 KB

As I understand it, these circulators can wear out copper pipes prematurely by "scouring" the pipe with continuously running water, so the timer is also beneficial to the plumbing. Set to be on only during potential use hours.

John - isn't that top track too short? Shouldn't the wheel always be inside the track even when the door is closed?

Wow, thanks for the film. If any of you are out to SF, the cable car power station is open to the public for a look see, worth the trip.

For awhile there, the conduits and boxes WERE the equipment grounding method. My 1964 home was built with grounded receptacles (3 prong) which relied on conduits for grounding.

There is a dome house in Florida, www.domeofahome.com, where they used it to cover the entire building, you might contact them for an opinion as to how it hold up.

Very nice, John. Like the tile work. Aren't all those lights fun? What does the project supervisor have to say?

I have heard, but not confirmed for every manufacturer, that electric water heaters have built in cutoffs for temp and pressure. That said, code is indeed code, there is no exclusion for electric WH. Those pressure relief valves on both units are NOT TPR valves, they are pressure relief valves only, and if the plumber who installed them thought they were in compliance with code for TPRs, he was wrong.

I worked on the set of the HBO show "Deadwood", the costumer had a device similar to that for sizing hats. Apparently, quite common in the old days. Here are some pics of a water heater, natural gas fired, seen here in Pasadena, CA at Heritage Square, a place dedicated to preserving some of our earliest homes. Click to Enlarge 61.44 KB Click to Enlarge 61.35 KB Click to Enlarge 49.44 KB Click to Enlarge 44.86 KB

Why did the plumber adapt the size of the line up and then back down to it's original size? Maybe a device to prevent water hammer? A place to drain for winterization?

OK, let's say that the wood platform is built like a train trestle, what else is wrong with the platform? It's missing a drip pan, that's what. A water heater will always leak at some point, then the wood will rot and you know the rest. Out here in CA, there are a number of other items may be wrong, YMMV. Should have: flex water connectors, flex gas connector, gas sediment trap, earthquake bracing straps, TPR line extended to the outside of the building and terminating within 2' of ground pointed down, protection from car(as you said). I consider all of these safety issues, none are mere minor code. You're right, it must be moved if only to comply with safety related code re: clearance around the electrical panel. Also agree with Denray, don't see much slope in vents. A disaster waiting to happen, soon...

It's called a manifold. It is designed to distribute water to several locations and looks like it may have a valve on each line. This set up can be used for radiant heating in several zones or rooms (or even snow/ice removal on outdoor walks and driveways), or it can be for water supply lines for an entire house. Some newer houses are plumbed with PEX "home runs" from each fixture to the manifold. You will have to find the source of the water and hopefully where it goes to know what it's use is. Might have to ask the current owner or their representative.

How about if you had glass with one layer like this? Money would definitely have to be no object.

Brick veneer is installed around the joists, the joists were there first. Look at how the bricks run and are cut to go around the wood. I'd be looking for flashing above the joists and rot near where they touch the brick. As for the diagonal crack, one of your photos shows a downspout emptying next to the wall. Are there any other drainage issues, especially near that corner of the building? Building settlement can sometimes be stopped/prevented with better drainage.

Robert - what you do makes a lot of sense to me, as long as the owner of the report (seller) is informed. Do you use a contract with the buyer, is it the same as the one you use with the seller, and do you discount your fee for the buyer, compared to a full inspection?

I've had HTC Incredible since June, like it very much. Long learning curve, it's true. At the rate of tech advancement acceleration, we should be at the point where the learning curve lags behind advancement by, let's see uh, next year! Anyway, battery life can be short if the user fails to monitor which services are on. Would be nice if the OS just turned on wifi, 3g, bluetooth as needed and then shut them down when not, at least as an option. There is an app called app killer that will shut down running apps in a controllable manner, saving battery. There are portable chargers, larger batteries designed to plug into the phone and charge it, even when there is no power around. Don't use it much, since I'm either in a house on in my car. I also wish 3d was ported for Android. AFAIT, it's a fairly simple relational database, what's so hard about compiling it for droid and mac? Best business feature is total integration with Google, where I have contacts, mail, calendar, etc. Coolest feature, to me, is it's ability to generate a wifi hotspot that my CTL netbook can find and see the internet through. Wifi in the middle of nowhere, as long as I have phone signal! There are also great PDF reader apps, so phone is a good reading platform, plus I keep my SOPs, codes etc. on it. Now, if I could just get it to talk to my car and note it's own business mileage, then enter it in quick books, I'd be completely satisfied.

Article 250 of the NEC has grounding/bonding requirements that apply to both CSST and ducts, if that helps.

I would use exterior grade ply run perpendicular to the joists. On the two face plies and center ply grain runs long ways, so more grain running perpendicular to joists that way. Glue and screw, deck screws, you don't want any movement at all ever. Follow wonderboard manufacturers instructions as to fasteners, subfloor prep, screw type, and I beleive modified thinset under the wonderboard. They also may want you to space out the subfloor and/or wonderboard, and tape the joints with alkali resistant joint tape and thinset. Can be done while you're setting your tile. Dry test your layout in both directions and every transition and corner to adjust for largest possible cuts. Have fun, and post result pics.

Glazed ceramic tiles? They come in a variety of surfaces, from totally glossy, which is a WALL tile only if you want your bones to remain intact, to fairly rough for exterior walkways etc. so they're not slippery when wet. Never seen ones as rough as 80 grit, but I see no reason they couldn't be made. There is no reason to seal glazed ceramic or porcelain tile. Porous tile, like clay spanish tile or concrete tile is usually sealed and must be maintained with some sort of seal on a regular basis to prevent absorption of stains, or water and deterioration if outdoors. Seal comes glossy or semi-gloss, but not gritty. There is grit available as a paint additive for painted decks to prevent slipping, and I suppose it could be added to seal, but I've never seen it done. Sounds like someone used a floor tile on the counters. I'd be concerned about it grinding the bottoms of my fine china.