qhinspect

The Infrared has made me some money but it has saved me a lot more in the 6 months I've had it. Lawyers around here love to throw everyone involved in one pot and separate later. I feel that the Infrared camera has prevented that pot from being created a few times. Just the other week I came across a house somebody was flipping. They replaced the living room window with a smaller window. The Infrared camera indicated lack of or no insulation installed. When they put a small hole in the wall, it was discovered that no insulation was installed. The same thing was noticed at two other windows. Not only did I provide great information to my client during the home inspection, it also prevented me getting involved in a potential lawsuit if she did buy the house. Image Insert: 36.34 KB To respond to your question, classes are important but I would look at taking cheaper ones. A Level I Certification is not required or impressive to have.

What websites/blogs are those?

I downloaded the trial version and so far very nice. pdaFactory is much faster when it comes to coverting but this software has some nice features. I'm going to look into this software some more.

I don't call that out unless there is not enough information for me to determine if there is a problem or not or if I am not able to determine the extent of a problem or problems due to the limitation of being a home inspector. Example: There is a 30 year old gas upflow furnace that I know has a history of cracks at the front of the heat exchanger. There is no way for me to check for the crack unless I take the burners/pilot out. At that time, I would recommend further evaluation by a heating company. Same with an electrical system. I see a lot of problems but I (as a home inspector) cannot determine the extent of the problems, I would write that due to the amount of problems that were discovered during the home inspector, further evaluation and corrections by an electrician is needed since it is likely that other problems will be discovered. Most of the time I do not put "Further Evaluation" but it is there when I feel it is needed.

pdfFactory. I have used that software for years.

I'm not sure if anyone has written this already but the roof shingles have to lay flat. This so called J type flashing does not accomplish that. So I would write it up as wrong and that correction is needed to ensure proper performance. I would always call this out and if anyone question it, I would tell them my professional opinion and move on. Glad they don't do that around here.

34 years old. Dead from the stampede? http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassa ... 7903.story You're right about reporters. This clip sucks.

Just out of curiosity, how many people call out that the disconnects are improperly located if they can still be easily accessible? I note it on my report to cover myself but that's as far as I go. Others might disagree. It's been many years since I've been a HVAC tech for residential but I remember when companies were able to install the disconnect on the condensing unit. Then they had to locate the disconnect somewhere else, normally on the house sometimes behind the condensing unit. Then they couldn’t install them behind the condensing unit anymore which likely did not make them happy since it made them installing the outside unit that much harder/time consuming. As Jeremy wrote, there were exceptions.

From the information you gave, the flexible conduit is in a dry location. Electrical wires do not need to be protected from water if there is no chance of water entering the conduit. If you can see the flexible conduit outside, there is a chance of water entering. It appears to be fine. the slope of the soil might be different story.

I like the TIR and the software. The thing I really like is the focusing. Line up IR image horizontally with the item in the picture part and it's focused. The battery life is just fine and the screen is nice size. I would have like the camera itself to be a little smaller but overall it's fine. Lazy cat Image Insert: 38.26 KB

That's surprising since back in the 50's the houses didn't require that much power. No air conditioners, maybe one TV, no computers, printers, etc. It sounds like the house doesn't have electric water heater, stove and furnace. I'm surprised nobody has switched completely over to single phase since then.

Looks straight forward for 3 phase but what were they supplying power to in a house?

Same reason I bought the Fluke. Image Insert: 41.2 KB They just changed the software ,1.9 to 2.0, which allows making changes mostly on one page. Anytime they can make it faster to make changes, I'm for it. On the 2.0 verson, there is a 3-D option which makes the picture interesting to look at. I need to call them to see what the thought was behind adding this feature. It's interesting to look at but not sure how to use it for my clients.

Maybe I should have started a new paragraph since I didn't mean to combine the two thoughts. I disagree with the two year course. This profession is different than many others because many of us were in the trades before becoming home inspectors. I personally think the requirement should be like getting your drivers license. Take a test and then prove yourself in the field. If the driving license test is satisfactory (especially when the results can lead to injury or death to oneself or others) then this test should be fine for somebody that is looking at becoming a home inspector. This is for home inspectors in licensed states of course. I agree that being in the trades does not automatically qualify you to be a home inspector. I was taking heating and cooling classes at a local trade school when I started with a heating & cooling company. What I learned in class would not have made me qualified as a heating technician or installer. That's why I feel a two your course is not required and might even hurt this profession in the long run (It's hard to hire somebody now). When it comes to the drivers license comment. I was trying to say that if somebody takes the test and can pass it plus go to a house designed for a home inspector to show his ability to discover problems; that should be sufficient to determine if that person has enough knowledge to do an acceptable inspection. That or have them take a test so it shows they know the basics of home inspection than be an apprentice for 2 years then take a harder test to get your license. If I remember, something like that was already tried and there were problems with that. Just my opinion. By the way, when I was taking the HVAC class and out in the field working for a company, I learned a lot. I really enjoyed going to class and learning out in the field plus being able to ask a lot more questions than anyone else in that class.

I disagree with the two year course. This profession is different than many others because many of us were in the trades before becoming home inspectors. I personally think the requirement should be like getting your drivers license. Take a test and then prove yourself in the field. If the driving license test is satisfactory (especially when the results can lead to injury or death to oneself or others) then this test should be fine for somebody that is looking at becoming a home inspector. This is for home inspectors in licensed states of course.

It sounded like she took advantage of you. She was clearly wrong from what you told us. It's also likely that she will not use you in the future and not recommend you to anyone. My wife was in the legal field and I heard a lot of stories. More times that not there are people that want more then what is deserved. If a mistake was made or not. Story: Realtor was showing a empty house to her buyers when she slipped on the steps leading to the basement. She walked out of the house with the client. The same Realtor went back to that house hours later (without permission) to take pictures of the steps. She then went to her doctor and sued the owner of the house for getting hurt and things related. The Realtor didn't win the case and there was a chance that she was going to get in trouble for going into a house without permission. I have a feeling that if she posted her version of what happened, she would write it so it sounded like she should have won the case.

So it looks like ASHI should eliminate the words "professional judgment". When do those words apply to our profession when it comes to what is written above. Do we get to use our "professional judgement" when the item we have inspected is not functioning properly, significantly deficient, unsafe, or are near the end of their service lives? Because a home inspector used their professional judgement and likely doesn't offer a warranty or guarantee, he has to pay because a water heater failed? It would be interesting to see if the plumber actually said that and if he would put it in writing. I have found that in many causes what was told to me is not what that other person told my client. I have also found that in many cases what they did say, they will not put it in writing. That tells me a lot.

Lets say that the water heater was at the end of its life but still operational. Lets say the home inspector reported it. The water heater did not fail at time of inspection and unlikely the buyer was going to get the seller to replace it (since nobody knows when a water heater is actually going to fail). The water heater failed the day they moved in. The same result would have happened if the home inspector reported the water heater is near the end of its life. Saying that it will last a long time just means that they should not use him in the future. In my contract (I think it’s in most contracts) it's written that we do not guarantee or provide a warranty on anything. Did he think it was going to last much longer, lets say he did. Did he provide a guarantee or a warranty, it doesn’t sound like it. It would be interesting to hear how much the sellers paid to repair the items the home inspector discovered and the buyer requested to be fixed. In many cases, it's more then the home inspection price.

Has something change since the last time this was posted?

I found them as cheap as $19 which includes shipping. $19 is not bad. I'm looking at doing something interesting on the tailgate of my truck (for advertising) which I hope will result in the kids and mothers talking about what they see and possibly remembering my companies name. The card holder is just a little added advertising.

I'm looking at getting a business card holder for the exterior of my truck. Anyone have these business card holder and would like to give their comment on what they like and don't like about them. I noticed that one type has a snap shut cover while the other is spring shut. One has Velcro while the other is double sided tape. Any thoughts? Here is an example of what I'm talking about. www.cardpockets.com

That type of teaching is done a lot around here not only for home inspection but also WDI inspections. WDI classes around here are given by the Indiana State Chemist at Purdue University. Purdue clearly teaches everyone not to be specific when it comes to describing location. With that said, I agree with everyone here even though there are always exceptions.

Quick definitions (illegal) adjective: prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules. I'll have to agree with you. The last one about the Realtor could be correct.[]

I say don't use "illegal" unless you are 110% sure that the thing/act/etc. you're calling illegal is actually illegal. And don't let some tradesman, RE agent or HI from the rubber-chicken dinner tell you something's "illegal." Look up the law that applies, and make sure you understand the law completely (not an easy task for a regular citizen). Better yet, ask a lawyer who knows something about HI work. "Illegal" is a hot-button word. Almost any word that means "wrong" would be better. WJid="blue"> What's wrong with using the word "Illegal"? New service electrical panel is illegally installed in main bathroom. Or Illigal slope noticed on North side of house. How about Installation of roof shingles were illegally installed resulting in water seepage. Or TPR valve pipe is illegally installed too high off of floor. Last one The Realtor illegally handled that situation. I think it works. Note: I couldn't find the wink in the smilies.

when I moved up here I realized that I couldn't use that word. Even though the word "illegal" can easily be used, too many people around here would use it the wrong way (thinking that the sellers can be fined or put in jail if not corrected.)[:-bigeyes