Jim Katen

It was great to finally meet Marc and his wife, we've been having fun.

I don't understand. Nurses are on their feet all day; wouldn't she be better off wearing flats? Pantyhose came out in 1959. I'd have thought that nurses would have been early adopters. And what's with the dog? Is this a *veterinary* nurse?

I'm curious, does yours have the "advanced flow control feature." If so, does it work well? If not, do you get temperature swings when you turn multiple fixtures on and off? What did it do to your electric bill?

Yes. Each unit had a 175-amp service with what looked like oversized feeders. When the water heaters were running, the meters spun furiously. They could easily accommodate two showers at once, but when you added the dishwasher & washing machine, they just dribbled.

I didn't write it. Our inspection was on Thursday & Friday and I left for IW first thing Saturday. One of my partners will be writing it this weekend. If I were to write the report, I'd include it as an FYI note: These water heaters have an “Advanced Flow Control” feature. It ensures that the hot water temperature doesn’t fluctuate very much (a common problem with many other on-demand water heaters), but it does this by reducing the flow of water when too many fixtures run at once. For instance, if a resident runs the dishwasher and the washing machine (on hot setting) while taking a shower, the shower flow will be much lower than it would be if the other fixtures weren’t running. Consider telling the residents about this at their orientation to avoid complaints after they move in.

I'm reviving this discussion because I just finished inspecting 30 units that were all equipped with Stiebel Eltron Tempra 36 water heaters. (36kw fed with three 50-amp breakers.) We were going through the units with 3 inspectors so we had the kitchen sink, dishwasher, washing machine (set on a hot cycle), showers, and sinks all running at once at times. I was amazed at how steady the hot water temperature was. It hardly fluctuated at all. However, it did this with their "Advanced Flow Control" technology. As we piled on fixtures, the water heater simply cut the water flow to maintain an even temperature. So when everything was running, only a trickle of water was coming from each one. I imagine that the residents will quickly learn how far they can push it and still get the shampoo out of their hair. (Any two fixtures at once were fine, but after that, the flow started to choke down.)

Welcome to the world of heating with electricity. Electric heating is already 100% efficient. All of the electricity is turned into heat. You can't make it more efficient. You can conserve energy efficiency in other ways, but we can't tell you what those are without knowing where you are, how old your building is, and myriad other details about your building and your unit. Is there a possibility of installing mini-split heat pumps? Can you improve the seals on your windows? Are there other electric hogs, aside from the baseboard heaters, that might be sucking up energy? Why not consult with a local energy retrofit contractor?

There is no possible way to name the mold without testing it. The world is awash in mold testing companies. Just google mold testing in your area and you should find a few. As for the health effects, very few have been proven, aside from allergies. That said, no one wants that much nasty stuff in the air. It gross, even if it's not toxic. If you're getting that much accumulation of gunk with a regular cleaning schedule in place, then your cleaning schedule sucks. Up your game. Aside from cleaning the water, you need to clean the air that comes in contact with the water. Mold spread via airborne spores. Install air cleaners.

The builder mistakenly built the stem wall too short. Whether Hardi allows it or not, the shims will be fine as long as gravity is the only force acting on them. My only concern would be how the whole assembly will hold together during an earthquake, and that would be a significant concern. There's no way to know that without knowing how the builder connected all those pieces together. If I was in a bad mood, I'd recommend that the builder re-build it to comply with the approved plans or, alternatively, hire an engineer to ensure that the existing construction will provide equivalent seismic performance.

Given that mold won't grow on stainless steel or in water, it must be growing on debris that's coating those surfaces. Install some super-duper filtration and establish a regular cleaning schedule for the equipment and the problem should go away.

It's my impression that the 60% rule in Chapter 9 only applies when the conduit is enclosed at each end by a "box, cabinet, or similar enclosure." No?

As long as it's less than 24" long, it's not a concern. 310.15(B)(3)(a)(2) Adjustment factors shall not apply to conductors in raceways having a length not exceeding 24".

Well I would have been of no help at all.

The fire department?

Take off the old switch and bring it to Graingers. They should be able to match it for you. Wesco electric furnaces tend to have an unlimited service life. Every part in them can be replaced by off-the-shelf stock. If you're in the Portland area (Wesco was made in Portland), any furnace tech should be able to swap it for you, but you're right, he'll charge you $125 or so. Is this furnace paired with a heat pump or something? It's unusual to see a straight electric furnace.