Mike Lamb

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I once told a woman that the cords on the blinds can strangle a child. She told me she just uses her hands.

http://www.inspect-ny.com/electric/Zinsco.htm

Use a utilty knife/razor. If it goes in easy, you have bad wood. No one will see the damge. This was suggested as a way of probing a long time ago by Mr. Kat. "If the Kat's away, the cats will play." Paul Schaefer

I see that some folks carry drop cords/lights to use in the crawlspace and basements. I would like to ask why? With the flashlights thats make today that can light up a lot of space to view. I drop the trouble light into hole and leave it there just to serve as home base. If I have a problem with my flashlight I can somewhat see my way out. How many of you open the front yard clean outs like Mike L. does? What is the benefit of doing this? If I see any water or waste standing at the bottom of the tee I know there is problems. This is not always apparent from running the house plumbing.

-a bucket -levels: 2', 4', torpedo -small piece of plywood to set my ladder on if on another flat roof -big channel lock wrench for opening front yard clean-outs. -garden hose. Used to. I don't bring it no more. -big flashlight -a couple of old bed sheets for tarps -trouble light and all crawl space crap -umbrella, rain gear -spare shirt and socks. I've yet to use the socks. -hammer and a pry bar for stubborn roof hatches and stubborn people. -tons of batteries, every size. Ever run into a thermostat you can't work because the battery is dead? -my basic tool box which has nearly every hand tool a handyman would need to fix something. I try to never use any of these, even at home.

This was brought up by Kurt in a recent thread but I’m starting a fresh one. This story is unfortunately true. I inspected a condo a few years ago, a 1970’s 2 story on a slab. My client had a ground level unit. Anyway, her unit was fine except it wasn’t. There were tree roots in the sewer in the front yard. One day all the sewage from the units above backed up into her unit through the floor drain in her laundry room. She was livid I did not recommend a TV scope. This occurred almost a year after I did my inspection. The condo assoc. paid to have new carpet and some drywall replaced but she was still unhappy. There is something very disconcerting about having a few inches of shit floating around your home. I told her I wouldn’t dream of recommending a scope when there were no signs of problems. She told me in so many words she was thinking about suing me. Now I’ve lived around the city’s Southside (Chicago) nearly all my life and still do. Sewer back-ups are not uncommon, but they certainly are not common if that makes sense, so I have stayed away from recommending the scope when I see no apparent reason to do so. But I have changed my mind. Not because of the frequency of this happening but because it is so nasty when it does. So what is a recommended boilerplate stating that the underground sewer should be scoped? What house age would you make the cut off for such a recommendation? Would an overhead sewer vs. all gravity weigh into the decision?

Is the vermiculite in fake fireplaces worth commenting about?

I wouldn't. However, I believe guards should be installed at 24" (Chicago's standard) or even less as a simple safety issue.

From Square D. http://ecatalog.squared.com/pubs/Circui ... rs%20(AFCI)/0760DB0501.pdf "Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter Tester? Not Really. The proper way to test an AFCI is to use the push-to-test button located on the device. Using an AFCI indicator, also referred to as an “AFCI tester,â€

Thread drift (my specialty) Create reasonable, indelible client expectations by insisting they are at the inspection with you and that they follow you around. After a 3 to 5 hour side by side, they will know exactly what to expect.

My reports are all delivered on-site. If I don't know something, forgot to put something in the report, want to clarify, or whatever, I type and email an addendum or supplement. If you deliver on-site, it's a good and necessary business practice. And you don't need a clause giving you the right to add an addendum. If you need to pass on valuable information after the inspection, do it. If it is timely, there is not a client in the world who won't appreciate it.

IRC Sec. R312 says you need one.

Ah. Very good. The GE instructions I was looking at had no such wording or else I missed it. The Maytag and Amana? also were not explicit re: carpet.

Thanks. Jeff, do you have a link on that GE info?

I read somewhere that dryers should not be on carpet. It would make sense since you want to avoid lint build-ups and provide a good air flow around the unit, but I can't find a reference.

I'm sort of overwhelmed with documenting all the problems I can see. I don't recommend a scope unless there are signs of back-up flooding or a heaving basement floor or a sink in the the yard or a clean-out station in the yard or something/anything that says you should have a scope.

Don't do night inspections. You are putting your client at a great disadvantage. This is off topic. Is there a survey as to how many flashlights HIs lose every year? I lose 6 to 8. I use the cheapest Eveready, or whatever, I can buy for most of my work. I only work during daylight (at least for most of the inspection) and the cheap flashlight does 90% or more of the grunt work. With daylight: interior walls and ceilings, under cabinets, small holes and general interior are done quite nicely illuminated with a cheapie, including closets. Big dark spaces get the big bright guns.

Good attachment to wall framing. "Instant gratification takes too long." Carrie Fisher

I looked a few years ago and could never find a requirement. From Heat & Glo: Hearth Extensions A hearth extension may be desirable for aesthetic reasons. However, ANSI or CAN/CGA testing standards do not require hearth extensions for gas fireplace appliances. "Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Lewis Carroll

How about starting with the first sentence from visionary Alan Carson. Home inspections have traditionally been for the benefit of the purchaser. Duh. Ya think? Who in the world is this sentence directed to? Oh, I know now: Idiots. The first sentence should be, "Home inspections are for the benefit of the purchaser." The rest of the fairy tale is now moot.

For some reason, the whip is often messed up from the thermostat to the fan. The AC (BX) is stretched out or the connectors have come loose. Maybe it's the vibration. If I can reach it easily and remember to bring a narrow screw driver, (what's with the the teeney recessed screw control? The kids are going to go up there and mess w/ the temp. setting?), I test them. Some have a dial you can move with your finger. Better idea. Test buttons I have not seen yet. If an attic is reasonably sealed and insulated from the interior, and has decent passive ventilation through the roof or gables, aren't attic fans just a huge waste of money? "It is a necessary component in the ventilation system of the home." charlieb wrote. I don't know about that. Mike Lamb Chicago-ish "My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-five now, and we don't know where the hell she is." Ellen Degeneres

Whoa, I screwed up. I deleted my original post about being a 6 year ASHI candidate. It was not intentional. Anyway, Jesse asked, >6 years. Why are you still a candidate? It's honest curiosity, not an attack. It’s more than 6 years. I joined ASHI in December, 1999. I had already been inspecting for about 3 years and knew everything there was to know about being a top flight inspector. I was ready to teach the boys of ASHI a thing or two about the HI biz. I figured I would become a member immediately and add it to my resume. I took the NHIE (a membership requirement) without any studying and failed. They don’t provide a test score but I figured I scored about a 50%. I sent some sample reports to ASHI for approval and those were rejected as deficient as well. So I started reading their forum and realized what an ignorant dumb-ass I really was. I was nowhere close to being a competent inspector. I did and do intend to become a real member someday (Or whatever it is called now. It’s not a big deal) but have just never gotten around to it. Honestly, in eleven years, I’ve only been asked 4 or 5 times if I am an ASHI member so I’ve never felt rushed. Right now my membership is in flux. I have been suspended (rightfully so) for not having enough continuing ed. credits (MRCs) and also the small item of late dues. My people are working on it. I shall return. I miss the ASHI forum.

J. Layton says, http://www.cdc.gov/elcosh/docs/d0200/d0 ... 00285.html If the device will not trip open, or if it trips and current continues to flow, the device is defective and must be replaced. The CPSC says, If the "RESET" button pops out but the light does not go out, the GFCI has been improperly wired. Contact an electrician to correct the wiring errors. If the "RESET" button does not pop out, the GFC1 is defective and should be replaced. Who is right?

I'm sorry about any confusion. I am speaking of the service drop, the overhead service from the utility power line to the weatherhead. That's not an optical illusion. The drop is enclosed in a metal encasement of some sort. I have never seen this and was curious. The house was 1950's Chicago and the next door neighbor had the same deal.