Wayne Gardner

I had one last week where the clients just couldn't figure out why the pocket door had a bunch of holes in it. I'm sure you have already figured out that the pocket door slides into the wall behind the range and of course, the microwave. The resulting poor installation resulted in a damaged pocket door and a microwave unit left swinging from the cabinet over the range. Then there's always the ones with minimal clearance from the cooktop. Can't get enough of those. As for testing, I carry a small plastic cup. I draw some water from the water at the fridge to see if the supply is working, then heat for 60 seconds to see if it warms the water. I have also found 2 or 3 that make all the right noises but don't actually heat anything up. Wayne G

That's what I told them in the report Tom..."Recommend you cover it with dirt." Thanks for keeping it light. I like it. [:-thumbu] Wayne G

Right Jim; service cable. Wrong term used. Sorry for the confusion and thank you for the response. Wayne G

Richard, It's the feeder from the meter to the panel, running through the attic. I appreciate your help. I will recommend an electrician review and properly stow/cover the splice in an appropriate enclosure. Thanks. Plummen - Thank you. Wayne G

In a 31 year old house, I found this SEC splice lying on the garage ceiling, in the attic, right next to the pull down attic access. Click to Enlarge 46.6 KB The IRC says... E3505.3 Spliced Conductors. Service-entrance conductors shall be permitted to be spliced or tapped. Splices shall be made in enclosures or, if directly buried, with listed underground splice kits.... It appears they came up about 6-8 feet short of getting to the panel. Just wondering what the repair choices are? Will they need to have a new SEC installed which makes it all the way to the panel or is there an enclosure which can be installed in the attic (junction box?) to enclose the splice....or, have I got this all wrong. Thanks for your help. Wayne G

Looks like there are a bunch of reviews on this type of lock on Amazon. I checked them out because I'm interested too. Seems like battery life is a problem. Reviews Wayne G

I would note that the extension cord is not meant to be permanent wiring (wet or dry) and that they should have a proper feed/outlets/etc installed. On a side note, to illustrate the potential hazard... My Dad had a cabin/dock like this on the Lake of the Ozarks. In the summertime, these docks are often full of young kids jumping and swimming around the docks. Imagine the possible trajedy. Wayne G

Hey Robert, Don't remember if that's what I actually paid 8 years ago but the price stamped on my copy is $49.95. Wayne G

I would suspect a collection of left over materials led to the questionable location. Assuming I read through my documentation and found nothing directly condemning the installation (I haven't done that), I think I would say, and report, something like this to the home buyer... The location of the home's disconnect is very questionable. You may have difficulty locating the panel in an emergency and someone who is not familiar with the home will most likely not locate the panel in an emergency. Although this location may not be directly addressed by modern building standards, common sense tells me the location is questionable and is a potential hazard. You should have a qualified electrical contractor move the panel to a proper location. If there is some hard documentation condemning the install, then it 'kind of' puts the onus on the seller for repair. Without it, the ball typically ends up in the buyer's court. Just my 2 cents... Wayne G

(It's Douglas Hanson.) Word on the street is that he's working on a new edition. In the meantime, try www.abebooks.com or ebay. - Jim Katen, Oregon Sorry to really muddy the waters....but.... it is actually Hansen...with an 'e'. I noticed there is a used copy on Amazon. Same price as I bought mine for about 8 years ago. At least it hasn't depreciated....[:-thumbu] Wayne G

Thanks...I like your new service panel...[:-party] Wayne G

Even worse, there are electricians on the fence. Thread drift...Tim, are you the same Tim5055 I see on the popuptimes site? If so, small world (waygard33 here)

They are...as usual. That's part of the reason I was thinking an access panel would be nice but there is no really good solution here. I think it was a small miracle they ever got them in there. Getting them out to perform maintenance will never happen. To complicate it even more, the dryer vents to the roof above, where you can't even monitor the exhaust cover for signs of trouble. Wayne G

Thank you Neal. I've read/heard about those. With the leak sensor attached, sounds like the bases are pretty well covered. I will pass the link on to my home owner. Wayne G

I have a homeowner who lives in one of those 3 story townhomes. The laundry is on the 3rd floor. This homeowner has already had 1 nightmare water problem as a result of the water heater, also located on the 3rd floor. We're trying to be proactive regarding the laundry. As is typical, the builder did not install any pan/drain system. The oversized washer/dryer (stacked) fill the small closet completely. You have just enough room to reach your hand in to work the fan switch. Of course, none of the plumbing/electrical/venting components are visible or accessible. Besides the pan/drain, we're looking for ideas. The back side of the laundry closet is adjacent to a bedroom closet. One thought I had was creating an access panel from this closet to provide some access behind the washer/dryer and at least allow the water to be turned off when needed. Looking forward to your feedback. Thank you. Wayne G

What a great thread this turned into! It's a micro and macro view into just how hard this job can be. On one hand, we have to look at hundreds of components, in a relatively short time frame, and apply our knowledge to them individually. On the other hand, we have to convey to the home buyer what, if any deficiencies we noted, what the significance is, and what should be done about it. On the other hand we don't have, we have to be able to step back and see the forest through the trees and evaluate the system as a whole, wrap the whole thing up in a pretty package, with pictures, and say enough to our clients to give them the information they need, without saying so much that we get in trouble. Then we hop in the truck and head out to do it all over again. In the mean time we have to keep up with voice mails, emails, phone calls and try to keep the pipeline full so we have jobs to do next week. We've got to pay our bills, our local/state/federal taxes. Keep our licenses up to date which means we have to keep up with our insurance and Continuing Education. Every once in a while it's nice to see the kids and if I remember right, I've got a wife around here somewhere....man! I'm tired.[:-crazy] But I digress. Regarding the trusses, I fall into Jim's camp. Do it the way the manufacturer says to do it. Any questions, let's ask the manufacturer. I completely respect the other approaches and fully realize that many of you are way more knowledgeable than I am in many subjects and your approach most likely stems from this knowledge and experience. The differences simply point out an entire other layer of the job and how we do it...we all got here through different paths and experiences. I really enjoy reading and learning here. Keep up the good work. Brandon - Thanks for the welcome. I've been lurking here for years. Finally got my youngest into high school, my coaching duties are ended and I feel like I've reclaimed a little bit of my personal life back. Thought I would jump in and join the fray. Wayne G

Please correct me if I am wrong (don't tell my wife I said that), but I'm under the impression that there is another option besides prescribing an engineer for evaluation. Although I haven't called myself, I thought that the truss manufacturer could be contacted for detailed repair information which could then be implemented by a qualified contractor. In the case of the misdirected pull down stairs, I would think it's happened before and the detailed fix is readily available by the manufacturer. Am I just dreaming? Wayne G

Thank you Tom. I appreciate the information. Wayne G

Just curious how much anyone is seeing this condition out there. I have the problem in one south facing window in my home and I found three south facing windows in yesterday's inspection with the same problem. All windows are Milgard. Similar to a failed seal in that it occurs between the panes, but looks quite a bit different. A 'blotchy / shiny' patch becomes visible between the panes. I've noticed that when the light hits it at night, it is very noticeable. You'll also see in the photo that if present, fingerprints and anything else on the inside of the glass becomes visible. Anyone else finding this out there? I've found it as a single complaint regarding Milgard when googling the subject. Does anyone know if Milgard will replace the windows (probably for original owner only)? Any other manufacturers suffering the same problem? Thanks for any information on the subject. Wayne G Click to Enlarge 33.64 KB Click to Enlarge 39.07 KB

I just push it back in place so I don't have to say anything....[:-tong2] Wayne G

I recently inspected a 4 unit building built in 1997. Each of the 4 units shared a portion of the attic. When I went up there, I was surprised to find only an OSB wall separating my unit from the rest of the attic. I checked with a couple other inspectors and the general concensus was the firewall was missing. It didn't seem right though as it was just such a huge oversight. Also, the units were converted to condos/townhomes in 2007 and the builder made significant updates but again, the attic was not changed. I called the building department and they looked up the address. The inspector spoke as though he was familiar with the property. He said that due to the buildings original designation (apartments?), only a 'draft stop' was required and the conversion in 2007 did not warrant a change in the attic. Was this building converted? You might want to double check with your local department. Wayne G

Your model number 1114-07-6 (Looks like a 6 or an 8 and there is no 8 in the Preston's Guide. So that model was manufactured in 78, 79, and 80. Serial number would confirm it is a 78 model. An old furnace, anyway you slice it. Wayne G

Without a model number, I'm just guessing...but here goes... Does it look like a 30 year old furnace? Standing pilot, natural draft, etc? Sometimes I look for the ansi date on the plate. If it is really old, I'd guess 1978. Got a picture? Wayne G

Hi Gary, I can look up a model number for you but that looks like a serial number? If it is a model number, I didn't see any Williamson model numbers like it in my book. Wayne G

Back in October, I looked at a 1-off new construction home around 2000sf or a little over when including the smallish 12x18 unfinished basement area which was advertised as 'Ready to Finish'. The furnace was 40k BTU's. In my report I noted that although I am not qualified to properly size a furnace, I typically find larger units in home's this size, and recommended some further evaluation on the matter. The war started soon after. The buyer was told by 2 HVAC techs they hired, that the furnace was in fact too small. However, the seller found his own HVAC tech who showed through their calculations, the size was in deed adequate. That's where it ended. As fuel for the fire, I had previously inspected another new construction home built by this same builder. The previous home was about 1500sf and had a 60K BTU furnace installed. Unfortunately, even this information was unable to help my buyer over come the seller in this case. In the end, I was very surprised to find how much of a variation there was, depending on who was doing the calculations. Relative to what I encountered here, Kurt, your variation on the other end, seems miniscule. Good luck. Wayne G Northwest Inspector