Mark P

Further proof that Chicago and Illinois are two separate entities. Few test and no one implements radon mitigation into new construction. I've never even heard of it. I called around to a few builder friends; they haven't heard about it either. Im not sure the link will work, but it is called the Radon Resistant Construction Act. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/il ... apterID=37 I have not seen it being done either, but it is the law in Illinois. I'd estimate around 60% of the homes I inspect also request radon testing.

Thanks, What I mean is, isn't the breakdown affected by variables? Half-life is the amount of time required for a quantity to fall to half its initial value. It is at a known and unaltered rate. The half-life of uranium (the grandmother of radon) is 4.5 billion years. The half-life of radium (radon?s mother) is 1,600 years. Radon is 3.8 days and the RDPs that float around in the air and can be inhaled vary. Polonium-210, which has been used as a poison to assassinate political dissidents and possible even Yasser Arafat is a radon decay product with a half-life of 138 days.

In Illinois radon mitigation is highly regulated by the state and thousands of system are installed every year. Also as of 1 June 2013 all new residential construction in this State must include passive radon resistant construction. The details of this are outlined in state regulations. The idea is that once the house is built if high levels of radon are found all that has to be done is install a fan and extend the vent pipe through the roof (turning the passive system into an active system). I perform a lot of testing and when high levels are found the seller pays around $800 for a mitigation system and the deal goes forward. Certain laws in Illinois prevent realtors from avoiding radon anymore. Once the realtors got on board with it and became educated about it a lot of the stigma surrounding radon went away. Tesing and mitigation is very common in Illinois and some other states.

That is the same as saying the higher the levels of radiation were exposed too the safer we are.

The half-life of radon is 3.8 days. It is not the radon that causes the damage to the lung tissue it is the radon decay products (RDPs) The RDPs attach themselves to dust and other pollutants in the air, we then breathe those in and the alpha radiation given off by the RDPs damage the lung tissue. The analogy I like best when discussing the chance of getting lung cancer form radon exposure is as follows. Radon is to the lungs like sunshine is to the skin. The more you?re exposed to the higher the potential to develop cancer.

Sounds like you need a repair man or a new AC.

That is very informative which is why I have hung around TIJ for the past 9 years or so. On another note, I blew a 3 amp fuse recently when I pluged in an electronic air filter that was not pluged in. In addition to learning way the filter was not plugged in the HVAC system stoped working. I was able to figure out what had happened went to a HVAC supply store bought a bag of fuses and got the system working again. Now I'll keep the spare fuses in my car for the next time. The fuses in these systems are either 3 or 5 amp, in case you want to stock up.

I would never froth a termite - I have some scruples, Oh wait what exactly are you taking about Marc?

I too use paypal and have been happy with it. I have a link on my web or I can swipe the card on my I-phone. 2.5%

I would write something like this.. "It looks like when the siding was replaced they shot some siding nails through the backside of the electrical panel. The nails need to be removed - which will entail removing some of the siding. I recommend an electrician pull the panel to see if there is any hidden damage / nails behind the breakers and make a determination on if the panel needs to be replaced or can stay in service." You might also contact the manufacturer of the panel to get their take on it. It also looks like you have some single strnd AL wire that needs to be reported.....

A few weeks ago I wrote up that there was no attic access. It was behind the fridge.... Click to Enlarge 41.8 KB Click to Enlarge 38.62 KB

Oh CP number! It turns out to be 1986. That is a very usefull website. Thank you Mr. Bill

Can the age of a Weil-McLean boiler be found in this serial # CR 1294583. I'm 50/50 between 1994 or 1983. Click to Enlarge 55.62 KB

Some sort of beetle or ant. Someone will chime in with a species.

From the article... "Meanwhile, the other $400 million will be used to pay for inspectors to look for evidence of lead paint in pre-1979 homes."

Each panel has 120 v circuits, mostly 20 amp circuits.

I performed an assessment on a commercial building built in the 50?s and used as a sign shop. It has two subpanels fed with 3 conductors each. One has no separate neutral and the other no separate ground running back to the main panel. I know the IRC states (I?m paraphrasing) a subpanel must have a separate neutral running back to the service disconnect which requires the subpanel to be supplied with 4 conductors: 2 insulated ungrounded conductors, 1 insulated neutral, and a bare ground (or sometime a metal raceway). I also know the IRC does not apply to commercial buildings. So I guess my question is "is this still wrong?" and what standard covers commercial buildings? Would you write it up the same way you would in a residential building?

I use Excel. I have columns for name, address, fees, referral source, millage, etc. I have separate sheets for other things such as monthly totals, radon test, etc. I can sort it however I want if I'm looking for a specific piece of data. I use quickbooks to track income and expenses that easily generates a year end report for tax purposes.

I don't have an answer, unless you could have it made with a 3d printer; but if Les ever organizes a TIG road show I vote for a stop at Chad's House.

Thanks I asked because both "30" and "48" are in the model number.

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In August a friend and fellow DJ on mine died when he fell 18 feet down a elevator shaft. He was moving into a loft appartment in downtown St. Louis. He walked in the front door of the lobby at 2 pm and steped inside what he thought was an elevator, but it was just an empty shaft. The building and elevator were 100+ years old. His name was Bob Reuter if you want to google it.

I had one house with an elevator. I did not touch or look at it. Like Jim I punted and disclaimed.

Can anyone interpret this? Click to Enlarge 29.64 KB

I'd do a meet for sure.