Jim Katen

Tandem breakers can be installed wherever the panel schematic allows them. On some panels, that's the bottom. That's not necessarily the case on all panels. I was taught the descending size thing as well - big breakers at the top. But I've never found a source for that rule other than "that's how we've always done it." If I had asked a question like that when I was coming up, I would have received a smack on the head. My guess is that it's just a cultural habit descended from the old fuse panels and split bus panels, which were factory arranged with the large appliance circuits at the top and the "lighting" section at the bottom. Are you aware of an actual rule for this?

It's a little more complicated than that. 110.26(A)(3) says that the maximum height is 6'-6" *or* the height of the equipment, whichever is greater. Lots of panels extend higher than 6'-6" and their working space should be just as high as they are. Under this rule, your 84-inch-high breaker would require clear working space around it. But the 2nd exception after this rule confuses matters. It allows the working space to be shorter for equipment 200-amps or less in "existing dwellings." (While it doesn't explain "existing dwellings", it means before this rule came into effect - pre-1993.) They specifically did not want the rule to apply to pre-existing panels. As for the 84" high breaker, two separate rules restrict that. 240.24(A) and 404.8 both limit the height of breaker handles to 6'-7" in their highest position. It's interesting to see that both the working-space rule and the breaker-height rules are 2 meters, but the working space rule resolves that to 6'-6" while the breaker-height rule resolves it to 6'-7". . . Two different committees, two different translations from metric.

I gave you an answer, but you don't like it: Without experience in construction, you need to apprentice yourself to an experienced inspector for at least a couple of years and really hit the books for that entire time. The point of this business is to sell your knowledge. You don't have any knowledge to sell. Getting that knowledge - knowledge that someone should legitimately pay you for - will take years.

There are no training programs on this planet that can take a person who has no experience in home construction and turn them into a competent inspector. None. The most you can expect is to discover what holes you need to fill in your knowledge - and from the sound of your posts, you need to fill *a lot* of knowledge. Without experience in construction, you need to apprentice yourself to an experienced inspector for at least a couple of years and really hit the books for that entire time. Of course someone will hire you. Ignorant people hire incompetent people all the time. If you think that your paragraph, above, is pithy, you have a lot to learn. One good inspection will get you very little - it takes hundreds to make an impact. One bad inspection could get you sued out of existence. It's the National Home Inspector Exam. The fact that you don't know this is quite disheartening. It's like someone saying that they want to become a lawyer but don't know what "the bar" is. Gee, do you think? Right now, your biggest problem is that you don't have a clue, not the first inkling, about what you don't know. All you're going to achieve is to waste your time and money and the time of others around you. You might contribute some money to the economy via tuition to some inspector training school. They really rake it in from gullible fools.

I'm gonna guess that you were near the sensor eye and not the emitter eye. The emitter sends out a beam of infrared light, but it's not focused like a laser, it widens like a cone on its way to the sensor. When you wave your foot in front of the sensor, you only obstruct part of the light and some reflected light might still make it into the sensor. As you move closer to the emitter, your foot obstructs more of the light. Just a wild-ass guess.

It varies with the type of foam and the mix. Other factors probably come into play as well. I've seen gaps between the foam and the rafters up to about 3/16" on 10-year-old foam. Of course, the old UFFI tended to turn into dust over time.

Spray foam is good and has some advantages, but it's messy, expensive, very tricky to install, and it shrinks over time. Personally, I'd stuff the cavities full of R-30 unfaced fiberglass batts.

In our climate, you don't want a vapor barrier on the unconditioned side of the insulation. The OSB flooring is your air barrier. Caulk the perimeter of every sheet and seal all penetrations. Then just stuff the joist cavities with insulation - any kind - and install a durable soffit under it. Personally, I'd use paperless drywall such as DensArmor Plus.

I believe it's my job to define the condition of the house and make recommendations for improvements where I believe they're necessary.

The probability is 100%. No lab work is required. Spend the money on fixing it, not testing it.

Like Bill said, a 25- or 30-amp breaker is fine - IF you have 240-volt power. I'd use a Siemens brand breaker. They've owned the Murray line for quite a while.

Also, throw away any ionization smoke alarms and replace them with photoelectric ones.

You can notch out the full depth of the rim joist. 8" sounds large. The range hood manufacturer will specify the diameter of the duct.

I've built a whole lot of stairways and *always* took into account the height of the intended floor coverings. That's part of stair building 101. If this is new construction and the floor coverings were known in advance, then the builder is a dope. On the other hand, after a stairway is built, lots of people like to change their minds and use different floor coverings . . .

I'm not aware of any special considerations or maintenance. There should be no need to flush the coils - they get flushed every time the system runs. If any mineral deposits are going to accumulate, they'll accumulate at the water heater side, not the furnace side.

Did Krawl Gear go out of business? https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/topic/5060-krawl-gear/

A quick Google search revealed this one: https://www.rsl.ca/Product/white-rodgers-standing-pilot-gas-valve-fast-open-1-2-x-1-2-24vac-ng-or-lp-36c03-258-eme You should be able to go to any HVAC house and get one.

I like those. Have one in my own house.

Not sure what you mean. If you mean that they install them inside the panel enclosure where you live, then it's wrong. Doesn't matter if that's "how they do it." The manufacturer requires them to be outside the enclosure.

You wrote it up right.

Does it actually connect to the chimney? What's under it? I've seen people plumb kitchen ceiling exhaust fans into chimneys, wrongheaded as that is.

Sorry, how does this apply to the age?

What they've got there is an expensive tarp. It's time to hire a real roofer.

It's totally normal for water heaters to accumulate debris at the bottom of their tanks. The debris looks a lot like sand. I wash out my water heater every few years and end up with a few cups of the stuff each time. The real question is how it's getting from the bottom of your tank all the way up to the top of the tank and into the distribution pipes. That's not normal.

Is there any reason to believe that it's *not* from 1984?