Mike Lamb

Thanks. I liked this guy's web site so I contacted Ron, "the bat guy," from central Illinois. He says this is text book squirrel. Racoons don't gnaw. They are into tearing things apart with their hands but only to get what they want. http://www.thebatguy.com/companyinfo.html

This is the most damage I have seen done by critters. There were several rafters gnawed through 90%. They chewed the crap out of the wires in an open J-box. They chewed up just about everything in the attic to some degree. Would this be caused by a desperately trapped rodent? Or is this just what racoons do when they party? I was also thinking beavers. Image Insert: 71.97 KB Image Insert: 65.33 KB Image Insert: 76.87 KB

"When the Kat's away, the Cat's will play." Paul Shaffer

Chris, your web site is just plain cheap and horrible. Upgrade? Get rid of the banners? Um, yeah. Monster.com has twice the presence you do on your own web site. If you think your business will work and it does sound interesting, pay someone $600 to $1,000 to do a good web site. Good luck with your endeavors.

Thor, is 4' above an industry standard or just a certain manufacturer's specs? How much room side-to-side? Do you have any references? I've heard stuff about 12 - 16" on all sides but I just don't know.

NEC 2002 110.22 Identification of Disconnecting Means. "Each disconnecting means shall be legibly marked to indicate its purpose..." etc.

Image Insert: 463.14 KB This building showed signs of lintel failure and lintel replacement. New steel. Weeps. The estimates I have been given for single window residential around here are $800 - $1,000 for lintel replacement of about a 4' span.

Mike, that might make for a good cartoon! Yes, it would. Dave Argabright suggested this same thing to me a while ago, only with a plumber who charges by the fitting. I havn't drawn anything in a while.

Yes, I did. My mistake. The units were 4 and 5 ton. I'll change my original post.

I asked this on an HVAC forum and came up with not much. A way to cool the deck above it? AC was oversized and the outside air will add to the load to reduce oversizing problems? (the old line was cut out and replaced with this configuration.) It was a novice and they were using one of those computer screen saver endless piping things as a template? And, yes, more copper for crack heads to steal.

The EPA recommends fixing the problem if readings exceed 4 pCi/L. Send them to http://www.epa.gov/radon/

The far AC unit in the photo (5 ton, I believe) makes 5 u-turns under this deck before it heads up the wall to the 3rd floor. What's the reason? Download Attachment: AC.jpg 66.44 KB Download Attachment: Loops.jpg 99.03 KB

I like the chicken ladder in the first photo. Did you bring that along with you so you could safely reach the top ridge?

Could be, but I see these things all the time when there is a metal liner in a masonry chimney.

I believe that is the the often required clean-out for a masonry chimney. There are thousands of that type around here. You are right. The hose is for draining rain water. Slick.

I, too, find that most manufacturer's instructions allow way more than the 25' that the IRC dictates. From IRC 2000: IRC 2000 SECTION M1501 CLOTHES DRYERS EXHAUST M1501.1 General. Dryer exhaust systems shall be independent of all other systems, shall convey the moisture to the outdoors and shall terminate on the outside of the building. Exhaust duct terminations shall be in accordance with the dryer manufacturer’s installation instructions. Screens shall not be installed at the duct termination. Exhaust ducts shall not be connected with sheet–metal screws or fastening means which extend into the duct. Exhaust ducts shall be equipped with a backdraft damper. Exhaust ducts shall be constructed of minimum 0.016–inch–thick (0.406 mm) rigid metal ducts, having smooth interior surfaces with joints running in the direction of air flow. Flexible transition ducts used to connect the dryer to the exhaust duct system shall be limited to single lengths, not to exceed 8 feet (2438 mm) in length and shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 2158A. Transition ducts shall not be concealed within construction. M1501.2 Exhaust duct size. The minimum diameter of the exhaust duct shall be as recommended by the manufacturer and shall be at least the diameter of the appliance outlet. M1501.3 Length limitation. The maximum length of a clothes dryer exhaust duct shall not exceed 25 feet (7620 mm) from the dryer location to the wall or roof termination. The maximum length of the duct shall be reduced 2.5 feet (762 mm) for each 45–degree (0.79 rad) bend and 5 feet (1524 mm) for each 90–degree (1.6 rad) bend. The maximum length of the exhaust duct does not include the transition duct. Exception: Where the make and model of the clothes dryer to be installed is known and the manufacturer’s installation instructions for such dryer are provided to the building official, the maximum length of the exhaust duct, including any transition duct, shall be permitted to be in accordance with the dryer manufacturer’s installation instructions.

Thanks, Darren. You are right on. I did some searching and came up with this for anyone interested. http://www.rouchtec.com/TD2003R.pdf DON'T PAINT!

Image Insert: 19.33 KB I believe these are covers for sprinkler heads. Can anyone fill me in as to how they operate? Should they be painted?

I was at my Mom and Dad's when the tree in the back yard got struck. My goodness. The window I was looking out of turned all white from the flash. They had a metal cable tied from the tree to the back porch for the dog to run on. The nails used to hold the stops on the porch screens were all burnt.

Maybe a rodent (or man). Not likely lightning. Lightning strikes measure 15,000 to 60,000 degrees F. Jesse ain't kidding when he says, "wicked." Even "cold" lightning would leave a mark. The gussets would be fried. Nope, not lightning.

I was just yukking. Bill's comments are funny and the photo is astonishing.

When I run into this set-up, I set a tissue on the sink and bath tub drains, and then operate the fan with the door to the bathroom closed. Close the toilet seat lid. (You should not stay in the bathroom when you do this.) It will give you a pretty good idea as to whether the traps will be affected. Check the archives, I'm pretty sure this has been covered.

Ditto.

A client of mine is buying into a 14 unit self-managed condo assoc. She sent me the minutes and other docs and it looks like the self-management is in way over their heads. There are a lot of expences coming with little to no reserves. I send this link to all my customers buying condos: http://www.smartmoney.com/home/buying/i ... tory=seven Any suggestions as to other literature re: reserve studies, funds, etc. that may be helpful? Does anyone else encourage that the buyer get the minutes from the last year or so, to see what's going on ? I do.