Jim Katen

It's coated copper wire. I always thought it was tin rather than nickel, but I don't really know. It was necessary back then because the wires were insulated with rubber. Without the plating, the copper would react with the rubber. I think you'll find that all old rubber-insulated copper wire has this grayish metal coating. - Jim Katen, Oregon

I'm afraid you don't understand the numbers. Did you actually read the test data results? I've attached them for you. The failures weren't simply a range of 1%-65%. The failure rates depended on certain variables including percentage of overload, overload applied to one or both poles and whether or not the breakers had been operated. Look at the data carefully. If the figures are correct - and the CPSC seems to think that they are - they paint a pretty damning picture of FPE breakers. Download Attachment: FPE_cpsc.doc 28.11 KB - Jim Katen, Oregon

From last year's class action against FPE as ruled on by the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division: Middlesex County DOCKET NO. L-2904-97 The Court has already determined that Federal Pacific violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. The violation occurred because FPE cheated during its testing of circuit breakers in order to obtain Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approval. Of course, there's always the CPSC comissioned test data. Using the UL 489 standard, it showed a 51%-65% failure rate of FPE breakers when tested with a 135% overload on one pole and a 25%-36% failure rate with a 135% overload on both poles. These are *not* happy numbers. Admittedly these tests are 20 years old, but I doubt that the breakers have gotten better with age. No. No one can afford to do the convincing. The CPSC has already admitted that the FPE breakers don't meet the UL Standard and don't trip when they're supposed to. It's their (very bizarre) position that this doesn't present a hazard in the home. Here's what they say: The Commission staff estimates that it would cost several million dollars to gather the data necessary to assess fully whether those circuit breakers which are installed in homes but which may fail UL calibration tests present a risk to the public. So until someone comes up with several million dollars to prove that deficient breakers could pose a threat, the CPSC won't be re-opening the investigation. With fewer and fewer of these panels remaining in service each year, the likelihood of someone devoting the time, energy and money to the topic dwindles ever smaller. The real question is, do you want your customers to be the last one's on the train? - Jim Katen, Oregon

All I remember is that is sounded like "glucosamine magma." - Jim Katen, Oregon

Hey Mike, in the past you've recommended treating roof algae with a mixture of one part sodium hypochlorite, 4 parts water and 1/8 part non-ammoniated dishwashing detergent. It seems that there are quite a few different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite mixtures available to the consumer. Clorox, for instance, contains about 3%-6%. Wimpy swimming pool chlorine contains 10%-12% and serious swimming pool chlorine contains 30%-50%. My inclination would be to use Clorox. It's readily available at any grocery store, it's the least concentrated form of the product, so it might be safer, and it requires the least dilution. So, which type of sodium hypochlorite does you recipe call for? - Jim Katen, Oregon

I'll bet that a resistor crapped out and when you pushed the button you sent line voltage to ground. - Jim Katen, Oregon

No, it's unlikely that it's related to sheathing movement. If it were, you'd see a pattern that resembled the 4x8 sheets of sheathing. The diagonal pattern is typical of matt failure -- at least that's what I frequently see. If you look carefully, you can see that it follows the ends of each three-tab section as they stair-step up the roof. My guess is that once one tab tears, it relieves stress on itself, but then imposes stress on the one above or below it and the pattern of failure marches along. If my theory were correct, then I'd expect to see vertical tearing patterns on roofs that were installed using the racking method. - Jim Katen, Oregon

Apparently it affected the auto focus feature of your camera as well. - Jim Katen, Oregon

That's standard orientation for a vent tee. Water isn't supposed to flow through it and if you put it in the other way, the angle would be all wrong. The vent needs to tie in not only above the shower drain, but above the level of the shower's flood rim. - Jim Katen, Oregon

Thanks to Mike Sterling for turning me on to this http://www.physorg.com/news11087.html - Jim Katen, Oregon

Nope. A 240-volt circuit is just a plain-Jane circuit. There's really nothing simpler. In most of the rest of the world, the electricity coming out of a wall receptacle is 240 volts. There is no 120 there. (Of course they also use a 50-cycle system - bad idea - but that's another story.) A 120-volt system is really more complicated and ought to be more difficult to understand. A parallel circuit just uses two sets of wires instead of a single set. We never see it in residential wiring, well almost never. In big commercial services though, it's not unusual. Instead of using great big wires that are very expensive and a real pain in the butt to work with, they'll use two smaller wires that, combined, provide the same capacity as the bigger wire. Your observation that they offer decreased resistance is correct. As I understand it, this is because the electricity tends to travel mostly on the outside of the wires rather than on the inside (don't ask, I have no idea why). Two smaller wires have greater surface area on the outside than a single larger wire. Me too. I've found that one of the best ways to learn something is to explain it to someone else. Well, that and to take it apart and stare at it. - Jim Katen, Oregon

Actually, the neutral service wire handles all of the load that's directed to it, not just the imbalanced part. But much of that load -- all of it in your two 2-amp example -- is self canceling. That is, we can't read it because the pulses of electricity from one leg cancel out the pulses from the other leg. They are neutralized. That's why we call it a "neutral" wire. I'm not sure what parallel circuits have to do with this. A parallel circuit is one in which you use two small wires instead of one big wire. (Big wires are more expensive.) I really think you're making this much more complicated than it is. A 240-volt circuit is really very simple, much simpler than a 120-volt circuit. In a 240-volt circuit the electricity travels out one end of the transformer coil, travels along a wire, does some work (like lighting up a light), then returns via a wire to the other side of the transformer. It forms a circle. That's where we get the term "circuit." (Since we use AC power, the electricity changes directions 60 times a second. One side is always pushing while the other is pulling, then they change, 60 times each second. Perhaps this is where the confusion comes in?) If there's no load, the electricity doesn't actually "travel" it just exerts pressure. As soon as you connect a load, the "traveling" begins. This is what the power company meter reads: traveling electricity. - Jim Katen

The easiest way to understand it is to remove the neutral from the entire installation (in your mind). There are two coils in the transformer at the street, a primary and a secondary. Power from the primary coil induces electrons to flow through the secondary coil; that's the one attached to our service panels. So forget about the neutral. Just pretend it isn't there. The electrons in the secondary coil flow in one direction for a while, then they flow in the other direction for a while -- back & forth, back & forth. That's where our 240v power comes from. Think of a slinky held between your hands and pulsing back & forth. If you were holding either end of the slinky, your body would be experiencing 240v power. One side pushes electrons while the other pulls, then they switch -- 60 times a second. - Jim Katen, Oregon

South and east actually. That's odd for our area. Usually, as you say, the south & west are the worst. Go figure. - Jim Katen, Oregon

In a normal home inspection, I try my best to identify the siding. If it's one of the various wood mcnugget (Walter Jowers term) products, I tell them one of two things. Either it's bad and has to be replaced. Or it looks fine today but it might go bad tomorrow and have to be replaced. I try never to use the "investigate further" phrase unless it's to recommend pulling something apart to find out what's beneath. To help me identify these products, I carry "The Siding Book" that Mike mentioned earlier. It's published by Siding Solutions, a local siding consultation group. However, this isn't a home inspection. I was hired to answer two questions with as much certainty as it's possible to muster. What type and brand of siding is on the house? Should it be replaced? I can answer the second question. Two sides clearly need to be replaced. The other two look very good. There's no functional failure on those two sides. The answer to the first question still eludes me. - Jim Katen, Oregon

Thanks Mike. My legwork has revealed almost the same thing. I actually have some photos of confirmed Catawba siding from a past siding consultation (see the attachment). It looks very much like the same critter, but not exactly the same. Notice the horizontal striations that are in my archive pics (meant to simulate wood grain), but not in the pics of this week's stuff. I've also attached a pic of unknown siding from a past inspection. It looks similar to this week's stuff but lacks the vertical striations that are supposed to represent bandsaw marks. Also, the GP rep I talked to told me that they didn't release the Catawba product till 1979 and this house was completed in 1978. Now that's pretty close, so I'm not ruling it out, I just want to know if there are alternative possibilities. The Masonite Woodsman product looks about as close to it as the GP stuff, but I confirmed that Woodsman had a screen-like texture on the backside. This stuff is smooth as a baby's butt. I suppose the next step is to start pulling pieces. - Jim Katen, Oregon Download Attachment: UnknownSiding.jpg 80.69 KB Download Attachment: Catawba2.jpg 89.95 KB Download Attachment: Catawba1.jpg 77.04 KB

You can get one at Johnstone Suppy or Graingers. There's one on the shelf at Home Depot near me. - Jim Katen

A kimchee crock? - Jim Katen, Oregon

I have both editions of The Siding Book. It's no help. I sent these pics to the folks who publish it. They're helping to chase it down too. So far, I've found a Masonite product called "Woodsman" that looks very similar. There's also Georgia Pacific's Catawba siding, but I think it's too recent a product. Both of these have the same flat zebra look. This isn't exactly a home inspection. The owner inherited the house and is trying to sell it. So far three deals have failed, all because of the siding. In each case, the buyer's inspector told them that he couldn't identify the siding, but that he thought it was bad and had to go. The seller is pulling his hair out. He feels like he can't trust the advice of inspectors who can't even identify the siding. Apparently one inspector told him that the siding might be cedar or redwood. (!?!) He's hired me to find out exactly what this stuff is, and whether or not it needs to be replaced. Beyond telling him that it's hardboard and "Masonite-like" I've told him that two sides have to be replaced but that the two remaining sides are in fine shape. We shall see. . . - Jim Katen, Oregon

I don't know. The oldest CABO code I have is from 1986. In section P2202.1 it says: Above-grade Piping Within Buildings. Drain waste and vent (DWV) piping above grade in buildings shall be: Cast-iron soil pipe. ABS or PBC Type DWV, 3.25-inch O.D., or foam-core plastic pipe. Copper tube, Type DWV or heavier. Galvanized steel pipe. I'm sure PVC was used for DWV earlier than that, but I don't know how much earlier. - Jim Katen, Oregon

On the one hand, the model building codes all say that bath exhaust fans are supposed to be vented directly to the exterior, not into the attic and then to the exterior. For instance, the 1995 edition of the CABO code (the one that probably applied in 1997) says in section 303.3 "Bathroom exhausts shall be vented directly to the outside." So, from a strictly technical, code-oriented viewpoint, your builder's plumber was wrong and your buyer's home inspector is right. The vent should have gone directly to the exterior. On the other hand, if the condition isn't causing a problem, why fix it? I'd ask your buyers to ask their inspector if he saw any signs of moisture damage up there that he thought might be related to the improperly vented bath fans. If he did, for instance a halo of mildew around the roof sheathing near the exhaust duct, then it's a righteous request and I'd carry out the repair (cursing the builder the whole while). If he didn't see any signs of moisture damage, and he's just making the recommendation to be safe, I'd politely decline to make any repairs. - Jim Katen, Oregon

Does anyone know what brand of siding this is? It's a hardboard product, like the old Masonite x-90, but the back side is smooth. There's no screen texture that I usually see on Masonite brand products. I also don't remember ever seeing this particular pattern on Masonite. It was installed in 1978. The exposure is 8". Butt joints were covered with aluminum H-channel. Could it be Masonite without the screen texture on the back? - Jim Katen, Oregon Download Attachment: Siding.JPG 81.77 KB Download Attachment: SidingClose.JPG 78.55 KB

No. The only time you need a handle tie is when both of the circuits supply devices on the same yoke. For instance, in residential wiring, electricians will sometimes run a MW circuit to a duplex outlet to power a dishwasher and a disposal. In that case, because both halves of the duplex are connected to the same yoke, there should be a handle tie between the breakers. Read all about it in section 210.4. Look inside a commercial panel and chances are you'll see dozens of MW circuits wired to un-tied breakers. - Jim Katen, Oregon

So far, so good. I don't understand. You should have been able to tell if the two parts of the circuit were fed from different poles just from what was going on inside the panel. Or was there more than one MW circuit in the conduit? Only you can make that call. You seem to have a very good understanding of MW circuits. I think you did the right thing. If the interior of the enclosure is a tangled mess, I carefully grasp one of the wires and gently wiggle it up & down. Usually, I can then see the other end moving beyond the tangle. This helps me to determine if the MW circuit is properly fed. I like to be sure of this. However, there's always the danger that, as I wiggle the wire, there'll be a fizz, spark, arc or boom. It's a calculated risk. Each inspector has to make the decision for himself or herself. Just to be clear. MW circuits aren't non-standard. In commercial wiring, they're the norm. Occasionally, in my area, we have houses with a half dozen, or more, MW circuits. - Jim Katen, Oregon

Maybe not predominant, but many of the builders are returning to it after bad experiences with Tyvek. Felt is cheaper, faster, more forgiving and, in the end, seems to work better. Did I say it was cheaper? - Jim Katen, Oregon