Nolan Kienitz

Actually I installed one like that in our kitchen sink about two years ago.

So far ... it is still working.

Consider a "rubber band" around the top of the handle and the faucet spout.

Of course the band would have to be replaced periodically.

[:-slaphap

Saw this on a news feed this afternoon from BBC News:

BBC News: Skyscraper Melting Cars

BK,

Builder has no leverage for an 11-month warranty. He is tossing his weight around and BS-ing the homeowner.

Some builders down here (Texas) are now requiring signed contracts for 3rd party inspectors to do phase and final inspections (before closing). Their E&O requirements (by one builder anyway) are near $3M, GL is at $4-5M and this same builder also demanded $2M on my truck.

I asked the builder's rep if they had the necessary documents for all the non-English speaking trades running nail guns on their homes under construction ... especially the $2M on their vehicles.

Goes without saying I didn't get an answer.

I also ran everything by my attorney and he just said: "Hell no."

IRC recommended water pressure is to be between 40 and 80 PSI.

Pressure over 80 PSI is to be regulated by a PRV (Pressure Regulator) to keep it within the required levels for safe operation.

Extended high pressure will cause undo wear on all valves and seals and they can and will eventually blow out and cause the associated water damage.

Case in point: My brother lives in a retirement community in Central Texas (aka: Del Webb). Original water pressure on his new home (~6 years ago) was right at 70-80 PSI. A couple of years ago he sent me a message that he received from the local city and the notice that they were switching over to a new water tower supply for their community and that the new system would be providing a new static (give or take) water pressure of about 120 to 130 PSI and that they strongly recommended that all homeowners contact the approved plumbers (those approved to work in the community) and get PRVs installed on their incoming water lines.

My brother put it off to save the ~$250 for the installation and PRV. Well about six months later the line for the master bath toilet blew out at 2:00AM. Thankfully he knew where his shut-off valve was and handled it immediately.

After that ... he put on anti-burst lines for the toilets, sinks, clothes and dish washers AND he contacted the plumber for the PRV installation.

He told me of several homes who had some serious flooding with burst lines (due to increased pressure) where the residents did not install the PRVs.

Just FWIW ...

Many arborists down here call the topping of the very common Crepe Myrtle trees: Crepe Murder

They don't like it and do not endorse it for the reasons noted by Chris.

Link below is for an article at Texas A&M about the "crime".

Texas A&M article about "Crepe Murder"

1) Weight

2) Insurance company may not cover (err ... no pun intended)

Just a couple that come to mind.

I've been digging through my Haag Engineering materials (used for the certified roof inspector class they have) and the images I noted in those books seem to indicate a manufacturing defect.

Again, it could be a combination of things, but I would lean toward the defect approach.

All primary condensate drain lines for HVAC systems (usually located in attics in Texas) route to a bathroom sink drain (first or second floor ... depends on house style) and is always "above" the P-Trap.

Biggest hiccup I see is that the HVAC installer will often use a thick radiator type hose from the PVC in the wall penetration to the drain line connection and they end up "crimping" the hose which block the condensate flow.

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You mean you don't use gutters for electrical cable runs?? [:-bigeyes

Consider all the people bussed in to picket for so many things from political events to telco union strikes, etc..

Sometimes it is all the "temp" folks on the lines who have never worked a whit for the company, but they are picking up a stipend from the union organizers.

Like Kurt noted: "Legal is an abstract concept."

Tensioning of the cables happens at two intervals. Once within 7 days to put a slight tension in place and then at about 28 days they put the full tension on the cables ... once the concrete cures. That is when the PT cable ends are secured, cut and covered with a dollop of mortar.

Often (far too often) framing starts with a day or two after the pour.

Tensioning times are set out by the Post Tensioning Institute (PTI) and there should be documented reports of what was done when. Such documents are supposed to be signed off by people certified/trained by PTI.

I guess they have not completed the final tensioning then. I assumed that they had to before the framing could begin. The pt cables are still exposed and stick out from the foundation about 2 feet.

Should I be concerned that they began framing 4 days after pouring?

Thank you for your response and insight.

Typical and common when builders are in a hurry to get the structure built and closed and move the tax liability from their books to the buyer.

In a perfect world it would be nice if things were done in a proper sequence of events and timing, but that is not the norm.

I've seen framing starting as close as one to two days after the pour.

Once the PT cables are fully tensioned they will be trimmed just under flush of the slab and covered over with a mortar mixture.

Tensioning of the cables happens at two intervals. Once within 7 days to put a slight tension in place and then at about 28 days they put the full tension on the cables ... once the concrete cures. That is when the PT cable ends are secured, cut and covered with a dollop of mortar.

Often (far too often) framing starts with a day or two after the pour.

Tensioning times are set out by the Post Tensioning Institute (PTI) and there should be documented reports of what was done when. Such documents are supposed to be signed off by people certified/trained by PTI.

My wife and I took one of our grandsons to Corpus Christi a couple years ago to tour the USS Lexington ... a great aircraft carrier.

[utube]

In our realm (or maybe 'my' realm) down here it is either stucco (traditional head-coat) or EIFS.

I don't get into "type of texture" ... as it were.

Your landlord's insurance should have paid for a real cleanup job.

That is assuming he has insurance.[?]

You kinda wonder who was here first, but you gotta figure it was the dryer duct guy first. How else would he have room to shove the duct vent through the wall.

Who knows for sure though!

I assume the house and compressor unit are the same age. Regardless, the HVAC dude is a wad for not remotely following compressor clearances to walls.

Any idea what that clearance is supposed to be? Never heard of it before though it makes sense.

Marc

Typically its the manufacturer that recommends 18-inches.

Nolan K.

...My office and my Wife have been helping me get back on track for the past couple years. They don't let me go on inspections with particular agents, allow me to curse all I want (in the office), remind me I'm not perfect, etc. I only do 5-6 inspections per week now and spend the rest of my time training, bitching, litigation, bitching, reviewing inspections, bitching, and occasionally I volunteer for stuff...

Hey, Les...here's a thought. Ever consider volunteer work where you bitch for others who are lacking the time, spinal fortitude, or maybe just an adequate vocabulary to do it themselves?

Now there is a part-time job for Les.

Heck, seems like we're just creating all sorts of work for folks here at TIJ ... [:-slaphap

I'm not a summary producing person for a lot of reasons.

I also find it interesting that the summary is in the front of the report, but then each application does their report compilation differently.

The application I use can automatically generate a summary from the core information I put in the report and I could configure it to put it at the front as well ... so i think that is just an application thing (I'm thinking out loud while keying here).

RE: Summaries ... I leave it up to my report to convey the information and have been doing more and more like Kurt and use short or one line comments and images. To me, summaries are just a repeat of what I've already written and shown with images. Cutting way back on the many sentence narratives ... I'm just not a Pulitzer Prize level writer []

Kevin ...

You could have a part-time job writing headlines for newspapers, but then there are getting to be fewer of them around much anymore.

Darn good eye catcher for sure !! [^]

I like to exist in that perfect moment, where a perfect montage of scathing criticism flows effortlessly, creating novel vignettes of character assassination.

How 'bout "Only morbid curiosity compels to me to continue looking @ this pukingly bad pile of crap, if only to plumb the depths of human debasement".

Not bad, but it needs work. I work better when slightly over caffeinated and fresh in the saddle.

Priceless!!

Something in that comment is going to become a 'Phillipism' quote. []

Window washer pegs.

Yup. You can still get the belts that have clips that work with those brackets.

Jerry,

There you go ... a sideline. Window washing for that building and others with those pegs.

Maybe on weekends !!

As noted above ... I do similar. T-Stat set to heat and turn the temp up to 90+. Wait for flame to ignite and burn a few minutes and be sure it is as blue as possible and then go back to A/C.

If flame isn't blue then I have something else to write up ... even at 95+ degrees. Yesterday's home the attic was about 105-110.

Certainly didn't leave the heat on for long. [:-bigeyes

I believe I'm seeing them packaged with all GDOs being sold and have also been seeing such labels in almost (repeat ... almost) all new home construction over the past 4-5 years.

I do make note of it in my reports when it is not there.

I mean, think about it. There's a few thousand (at least) HI's out there hunting and pecking with a stylus through long lists on their little handheld device, or fumbling with an iPad trying to take pictures and punch buttons on the screen, all the while having to worry that their device might be damaged.

I use a water and impact resistant camera in the palm of my hand.

Which is easier?

Kurt,

Which camera are you using these days? I'm still doing well with my Pentax Optio.

Most of my data collection is via my camera, but I still have a small ring notebook in my hip pocket, but relying more and more on JPGs.