Brandon Chew

The dip tube on the supply line may have broken off inside the water heater.

When it is installed on a submarine. (sorry, all the good advice on that topic was already provided by others) They are two enclosures, connected together. They are not "really one enclosure". There have been several threads on this subject, the most recent was within the past couple of weeks.

When a rafter is loaded by the weight of building materials, snow, and wind blowing against the roof plane, it wants to bend and push against the ridge. When the cut edge is only partially bearing against the ridge, it sets up shear forces in the rafter that run parallel to the grain. Wood is weakest in shear parallel to the grain. The roof framing will look fine until a great enough load is applied to the roof that causes the rafters to split along their length starting at the ridge. Whether or not those rafters will be OK under the required design load conditions is something for an engineer to figure out. There is no exception under the prescriptive code (IRC). Plans detailing the rafter-ridge connection that are stamped by a licensed design professional would be acceptable in lieu of the prescriptive code.

Ouch. I never had a broken bone either, until two months ago. Then I broke seven bones in four fingers on my left hand. The bones are now healed but I have several months of therapy ahead to transform my hand from a claw back to a working hand. I'm still looking forward to the day when it doesn't hurt all of the time. Still, I'm lucky to have all my fingers and I'm thankful for that. When I resume inspecting, I'm going to be re-thinking the risks I take when climbing ladders and I will be making some changes in my equipment and procedures to improve safety. Broken bones, and not being able to work, both suck. Hang in there. I hope your recovery goes well. Running off to OT appointment as I finish typing this.... Brandon

There's an inspector that will not be having any wool pulled over his eyes! Thanks for sharing, Chad.

Nah, I just hear some demonic laughter whenever I inadvertently run my mouse pointer over your avatar. Even though I've heard it before, it occasionally makes me jump a bit when the laughter starts. My boys think it is funny, and usually come running into Dad's office to see what the ruckus is all about, especially when the laughter is met with a shout of "Curse you, O'Handley!" from me.

In addition to concerns about moisture and termite damage to that untreated below-grade wood, I hope (but doubt) that the concrete foundation wall was engineered to restrain the top of the concrete wall from pushing inward. You have a depth of unbalanced fill greater than the wall height, which is outside the realm of the prescriptive building code. This needs to have an engineered design. The foundation is going to want to hinge at the sill plate.

If you haven't done so yet, pick up a copy of Genius by James Gleick. It's a great read about the life & times of Richard Feynman and the guys he hung out with. He took great pride in his ability to explain complex subjects in a way that was easy for others to grasp. He often said that if a person was unable to do this, then that person really did not fully understand what they were talking about.

That was nice. I like this version too: [utube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFLy8eGtSYo[/utube] This is the patriotic tune that gives me goosebumps: [utube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Wt4XlXUrc[/utube]

I would believe that for flooring but not for framing. In response to changes in moisture content, wood swells and shrinks the most in a direction that runs across the grain, and very little in the direction running with the grain. I think he has it backwards. Drying out the crawl could cause the flooring to open gaps between the boards. Getting flooring too wet causes it to buckle.

My wife and I traveled by bicycle in two weeks from Anchorage to Homer during one summer before we had kids. We carried everything we needed with us: food, clothing, & camping gear. Alaska is awe inspiring! I've traveled around a bit but I never had a sense of how big the world really is, and how small of a part of it I really am, until I went there.

TIJ's version of Mythbusters in action. Gotta love it! John - check the weatherstripping around the door and at the threshold between the house and the garage. If it is missing or damaged, recommend it be fixed to save energy and to keep the fumes that you are concerned about, outside the house. FYI - we call those houses a "raised ranch" around here.

It is clear to me from the schematic provided in the manufacturer's installation instructions that when the instructions say "2. Install the coupler into a suitable workbox or equivalent enclosure using the two mounting holes" and they describe the unit as "the PPC-1 is designed to install in a suitable junction box and wire to two phases (circuits) of the circuit breaker panel", they are talking about an enclosure that is separate from the circuit breaker panel.

Hi Don, welcome to TIJ. These guys bark and sometimes they bite, but it's usually done with the intent to help the person who made the post, and anyone who reads it, become better inspectors.

Worker's comp covers employees for accidents on the job. It won't pay for things that happen off the job. I see your company is an "Inc" so you mak be able to get it. Disability insurance replaces lost income if you have an accident anywhere which results in you not being able to do your job. It usually pays after other coverages have paid their share (if you have them). It's very expensive and can be difficult to get by self-employed people who don't have a well-documented historical income stream. When you buy it, you choose a waiting period from a couple of weeks to six months before payouts kick in. The longer you can wait to start getting the payouts, the cheaper the insurance will be. When shopping for disability insurance, you need to pay attention to definitions and what the policy is covering you for related to inability to do the job you were doing when you got hurt vs your ability to do any job you are qualified to do even after you were hurt. Know what you are buying before you buy it. I recommend savings account AND disability insurance; the longer you can survive on savings, the better. I'm dipping into my savings portion right now... I'm not an insurance professional, nor do I play one on internet message boards. Speak to one who knows the rules and laws in your state and who can recommend the right coverages for your needs.

The codes folks are taking a second look at not requiring structural sheathing on the gable ends at the attic. After the barrage of hurricanes with Katrina and the ones that hit Florida a few years ago, they found that lack of structural sheathing on the gable ends was a key failure point in a structure that would have otherwise survived the hurricanes with minor damage. Wind tore a loose piece of siding off, which let more wind in, tearing more siding off. When the hole was big enough, lots of wind-blown rain came in causing extensive water damage to the occupied areas of the building below the attic, and in some cases the wind tore whole portions of the roof framing away. Chad Fabry did a stint as a disaster inspector down there after Katrina. I bet he saw a lot of buildings with damage that I described. Is it required? - depends on your local code Do I recommend it? - I think it's cheap enough to put on the home before you install the siding that it's a wise thing to do. Should you retrofit if it's not required and not there? - depends on your location, and how you balance risk and the cost to do it.

I think that would be a very good response to their letter. They obviously put a lot of effort into the letter and common courtesy requires a polite response. If you ignore them, they'll just get more & more worked up. If you respond to each allegation, then you've fallen into the trap of an unwinnable argument. Nothing that you can say is going to change their mind. They're not going to sue you over this stuff. They have no case and any lawyer they talk to will tell them so. - Jim Katen, Oregon Count me in with Jim on this one. I would respond politely but say nothing about the substance of the report.

I haven't had to go on a hunting trip for the GFCI yet, but when I do, this thread's been a big help. (adds extension cord to box in car that holds extra towels, mini vac, roll of toilet paper, extra batteries, etc.)

Yep, I got all that. Like Steven, when I first started looking at it, I made an initial assumption (because the pic was cut off at the top) that the bus bars were jumpered. If they were jumpered, feed would be from the lower left but as I followed the way the current would go in that arrangement, I realized the assumption about a jumper was either wrong or that power had never been applied to the panel. Once I had figured out there was no jumper I knew what was going on. About that time, Steven posted the comment about the jumper and I chimed in with my exploding head comment. Chad, I'm wondering how many conductors the manufacturer called for on those machines. If those were 120V work lights and not 240V, I bet it was four...or was this a DIY motor & light wiring job?

I started typing a reply several posts above yours. I was following the wires until I hit that jumper. Then my brain froze and my head exploded.

They were probably afraid of phthalates.

And no more than six degrees of separation between anyone and Kevin Bacon! [:-slaphap You knew someone was going to post that.... [:-paperba Good post Tim.

Agreed, but then you run into this problem: Yep, as I was reading down the thread, when I came to your post I was thinking "what happens if there is a fire in the garage?" Since I can't find anything in the code that says you are required to have a return in the same room as a supply duct, I'd go with IRC §R309.1.1 as was noted above. The supply register is a great big honking opening in the duct in the garage.

I'm leaning toward noninvasive or nondestructive. Noninvasive has a good parallel to the medical field, and I think more and more people are becoming familiar with that term and have an intuitive grasp of what it means -- to examine without breaking the skin or penetrating a body cavity. Nondestructive is similar but not quite the same, and comes from the engineering world. When you go to the doctor, the doctor wants to learn as much as possible about you without causing damage to your body. The doctor runs you through a battery of noninvasive tests and examinations: looks you over, pokes and probes, measures your temperature and weight, listens to your heart and breathing, measures your pulse and blood pressure, looks in your ears and throat, checks your vision, tests your reflexes, etc. Beyond that there are a whole host of noninvasive diagnostic tools available for use: x-ray, ECG/EKG, MRI, radiology, ultrasound, and yes, infrared imaging. The doctor might order some minimally invasive tests such as drawing blood, a biopsy, or even a colonoscopy -- although those who have had that last one might disagree that it is "minimally invasive"! Thankfully, technology has pushed "let's grab the scalpel and see what's going on in there" way down the list! Over in the engineering world, many of those same techniques and technologies are being used on physical objects in a process called NDE or nondestructive evaluation. NDE refers to methods used to examine and evaluate an object, material or system without impairing its future usefulness. A small amount of damage is permissible as long as the usefulness is maintained. A house is a bunch of objects and materials that are assembled into various systems. I think nondestructive is better than noninvasive as a description of the kind of inspection that HIs do. It's that "examination without impairing future usefulness" part that is the key. Using a pin-type moisture meter, probing for wood damage, or dismantling equipment in order to get a better look are all invasive methods but they are still considered nondestructive techniques. When I am working to define and shape the client's expectations of the inspection, I don't say "I'm going to do a limited visual inspection of the readily accessible areas of the home". I say "I'm going to spend several hours here trying to find out everything I can about the condition of this home without damaging it." Then I'll mention some of the things that might limit my inspection (e.g., not visible, not accessible, not safe).

The IRC is a "model code", meaning it has no force of law. It represents the collective opinion of a broad cross-section of subject matter experts about what currently constitutes the "minimum requirements to safeguard public safety, health and general welfare, through affordability, structural strength, means of egress facilities, stability, sanitation, light and ventilation, energy conservation and safety to life and property from fire and other hazards attributed to the built environment." The code that applies in a given location is whatever code the municipality adopts through its local laws. It could be the IRC verbatim, it could be the IRC with modifications, or it could be something completely different. State law often controls what the locals are required and allowed to do. New York, for example, adopts a modified version of the IRC that applies everywhere in the state except for New York City. Local governments are required to adopt this code in their local laws. They are not allowed to change it to make anything more lenient. They can apply to the state for approval to add things that are more stringent -- they call them "More Restrictive Local Standards" (MRLS). Somewhere in the local law or in the local code, the powers and duties of the building official (a/k/a the AHJ) will be defined. The building official can legally do and not do whatever is spelled out there. If your local code is based on the IRC those powers will say something like this: The building official is authorized and directed to enforce the provisions of the code. The building official can interpret and clarify the code, but such interpretations must conform with the intent and purpose of the code, and specific requirements of the code cannot be waived. Now, what the law says people are supposed to do, and what people actually do, are not always the same... Side comment: Be careful about using the word "violations" to describe what you find, as in "I found some IRC violations...", unless you are performing a code compliance inspection. You're not doing one of those inspections unless you are one of those people "authorized and directed to enforce the provisions of the code".