Nolan Kienitz

Happy Birthday - Jon ...

I consider the maturing process like a bottle of fine wine. Just gets better with 'age' ... [:-thumbu]

I know that Marc in LA will appreciate the image. 1958 house being purchased from original owner/family. Only updates were carpet over hardwood floors and replaced HVAC at least once. I'm still working on report.

I just wanted to post the image for Marc's sake. []

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John's verbiage is good.

I just call it "composite siding".

And I have to echo the "This is a terrible time to go HI" sentiment, though your area may be doing somewhat better than some others (find out).

Brian G.

Good Luck, You'll Need It [:-wiltel]

Brian G. -

Excellent information.

As for home sales in the D/FW market ... they are way off. Houston is similar. Many full-time HIs are no longer ... they are doing part-time and other work trying to make ends meet.

Of course there are those ($195.00 drive-by specialists) who are keeping somewhat busy as the zoids love them and their reports.

My business is down 30-35% compared to last year.

Ditto

So, don't ya'll all believe we should double our prices.

Done ! But, I'm have a heckuva time getting the client to accept the new fees []

Mike O .....

Congrats and thanks for being you and letting us be a part of this educational forum.

Neal -

The Fenix products have a 2-year warranty and the TK-30 is one of the brightest out there. I'd have it repaired.

I have my TK-11 in for a factory refurb just inside it's 2-year warranty and am getting updates on it's progress.

I also have a TK-15 that I'm using currently. It is brighter than the TK-11, but both are bright enough and knock the socks off my Streamlight UltraStingers.

There's a flashlight forum that Kurt has mentioned a time or two and they do all sorts of testing on all flashlights.

JD -

Read through the multiple posts here at TIJ and see what folks have advised about jumping into the HI business at likely one of the worst times for real estate sales in recent memory.

Whether you agree with any school or not is immaterial as you have to meet the Texas TREC requirements. Review the TREC website and the location/tab for inspectors and the requirements.

There are better schools than AHIT and you should also research them. They are also located in the D/FW market and one in particular is locally owned/operated by long-time Texas TREC inspectors. Far better than what you would get at AHIT.

Many HIs are getting jobs (outside of inspecting) just to try and make ends meet over this past year and the numbers are constantly shifting.

TREC is about to approve more changes that will make our job far more onerous than it currently is here in Texas.

Do your due diligence and do NOT just soak up what the HI schools feed you about how rich you will get with very little working hours and on and on. That simply isn't reality.

... And then there is this:

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This one just for Marc in LA ... [:-slaphap

Excellent video and kudos to you and Steve Hier.

And you can add the below. The glass bowl sink on top was very nice ... but was "slow to drain". Go figure!

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I heard this cat named Bill manufactured it:

I love the name of the boiler, but then again I would.

The name plate looks like something produced in the 60's.

Terry,

Dang ... you beat me to it. I was looking for an image of Bill the Cat to post. BTW - I have almost all the Bloom County books and more from years of collecting Berkeley Breathed's stuff.

How about if you had glass with one layer like

this?

Money would definitely have to be no object.

When I was with AT&T Labs I worked on a project that used such glass between a conference room / front office area and a Network Operations Center 24/7 console/operation.

Pretty slick and was pricey even in that limited application. Was not a full wall of glass.

I came across one of Broan In-Line Ventilators in a crawlspace last week.

Install doc attached.

Download Attachment: Broan_MP280_ExhaustFan_InstallationGuide.pdf

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The TREC IAC (Inspectors Advisory Committee) has come up with a "penalty matrix" over the past month or so and it is being discussed in Austin this morning as I'm writing this post.

Appears that it will likely proceed and be adopted and put into the rules later this year. Now, mind you ... things can change so will have to see what comes out of today's meetings.

I've attached a direct copy of the Penalty Matrix that the IAC has proposed and I've also attached an opinion/counter-proposal by the local Texas state inspectors organization known as TAREI.

I've also put a link to a running Blog site that Mike Boyett (inspector in Austin) keeps up for many legislative issues regarding the HI community in Texas.

With all the choices in HI organizations (national and Texas local) well over 50% of all HIs do NOT belong to any organization. There is not a strong common voice for all of the inspector community. There are (as we can all understand) so many different voices and opinions and personal agendas that it is something akin to herding cats.

Anyway ... I just wanted to let y'all see what is going on in Texas and how the HIs appear to continually be set up for potential broadsides.

FYI ... as you know we are required to carry E&O and now TREC wants more visibility made of the (still viable and usable) Inspector Recovery Fund that an upset client can also tap and then there will potentially be the "inspectors penalty matrix".

Talk about a triple whammy.

Download Attachment: TREC_IAC_PenaltyMatrix_Proposed.pdf

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Download Attachment: ThePenaltyMatrix_TAREI-AlternativeProposal.pdf

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Mike Boyett - Austin HI ... Blog

Was/Is there a deadfront cover under the wood door? Actually I think that was Douglas' intent as well.

Today's piece of news and resulting spin ... err ... observation!

Reuters: New Home Sales Hit Record Low

Does anyone know the law about charging a higher fee if a credit card is used?

Remember at the gas pump, cash was one price and credit card was a higher price? I've since heard that form of pricing is illegal but it's only been hearsay.

In Texas you cannot have two prices (IE: Credit Card vs. Cash). At least that is what one of the TX State Tax folks told me a number of years ago.

... other than replacing the rubber button cover on the TK11.

-B

Brad,

Have you been able to get just the "parts"? My switch and rubber boot gave out on me this past week (1-1/2 years of use), but they want it sent in for 'warranty' repair.

I've been messaging all over trying to get the "parts", but am not having any luck so far.

I've used GTM several times all without hiccups as well.

May be my 'luck of the drawl' ...

Ditto what Scott said. I e-mail all my contracts to my clients and get approximately 75% of them returned well before the inspection. I have copies of the contract as well as my invoice with me at the inspection and the client either brings the signed one with them or I have them then sign it at the inspection.

Payment is via cash/check at the time of the inspection.

I don't mess with Credit Cards and the fees anymore. Dropped that about a year ago and was pleased with not having to pay the fees ... which added up.

I have used PayPal occasionally depending upon the client's availability. I've had some clients in Europe, China or Iraq during the entire process and I just sent an invoice via that mode.

In nine years I've only had to chase two clients for a payment, but I did get it along with "handling" fees. I'm fortunate in that regard from some of the stories I've heard.

Bottom line ... not a big problem getting signed contracts handled.

The first clue to make me "run" away from this one is the salesman's claim that he has sold "a gagillion" of them.

Stay with "quality" else you will regret it for a very long time.

Don't ever shortchange your tools and test equipment. Bad, bad idea.

A close HI friend of mine down in Austin, TX sent me this document that he got at an HVAC class in the past year or so from a Carrier representative.

Has some good clues.

Download Attachment: Carrier Model Numbers.pdf

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Hi Nolan,

The first #'s in the model # are almost always btu's/1000 - in this case I think the Btu's are the model # 24.... x1000= 24,000. At 12,000 btu's to the ton, that would equal a two ton unit.

Date of manufacture is on the tag.

Problem there is that there are two different size units and the 24 exists as part of the model number on both units.

The divisible by 12 just isn't sticking its head out on these 2010 model units.