Douglas Hansen

Our plumbing code (UPC section 608.7) requires them whenever a water heater is elevated above the level of the fixtures. An example would be a commercial building with a small water heater above the ceiling of the restroom baths. We don't often find attic water heaters in houses, though if we do, they are supposed to have these vacuum relief valves. Here is what Watts says: "Series N36 Water Service Vacuum Relief Valves are used in water heater/tank applications to automatically allow air to enter into the piping system to prevent vacuum conditions that could siphon the water from the system and damage water heater/tank equipment." It still doesn't make sense to me.

Jim Katen and I will be discussing electrical issues all day in Portland, OR, this Saturday, November 2. I believe this seminar qualifies for CE units in Washington and Oregon. Details here

A fixture tailpiece is acceptable for an indirect waste. It has an air break (not an air gap) and meets the definition for an indirect waste. In California (UPC land) there is a prohibition on using the tailpiece of a lavatory sink when it is in the same room with a toilet. Jim's link includes the language. Most jurisdictions do not care about it being in a room with a toilet; it is sometimes the only reasonable way to connnect it. California does not use the IRC energy, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, or electrical sections; they only use the building portion.

Way cool. That one should be nominated for the home inspector Grammy award. Thanks Jerry.

The dishwasher should not share an angle stop with the hot water line to the sink; each fixture should have its own angle stop. The dishwasher drain appears to connect to a wye behind the left tailpiece. It should have a high loop secured to the underside of the sink lip, or should have a drainage air-gap device if your folks use the UPC. The trap depth exceeds the 4 inch maximum that is allowable, and the corrugated material does not have a smooth interior waterway. This sink is never going to be adaptable to a disposer with the trap arm this high, and the long-term solution is to open the wall, cut the pipe, and install a new san tee in the wall about six inches lower than it is now. FWIW, I think the tee on the continuous waste is a directional fitting that is installed in the correct orientation. The connection to the right drain basket looks damaged, and is likely to have to be replaced when the rest of this mess is straightened out.

http://youtu.be/M5P_nX-aOog http://vimeo.com/68465838

For the last couple of decades, bus ducts typically have breakaway bolt heads, where the second bolt head snaps off at the proper torque. The only failures I have seen were instances where a connecting section wasn't fully seated prior to torquing the bolts.

John - whether or not you report it is not the same thing as whether or not it belongs in the standards. I think Kurt's point, and his example with orangeburg, is that the standards aren't the place to try to list each and every possible defect. Think of the most common defect you find in panels, and ask yourself if it needs to be specifically mentioned in the standard, or whether it is enough to state that you inspect the panel and report defects. There is another standard for electrical inspections - NFPA 73, The Standard for Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings. It is up for revision this year. Though it is much more detailed than the ASHI standards, and though the insurance industry is represented on the committee in charge of the standard, it does not currently have specific mention of aluminum wiring. Perhaps that standard should have some sort of specific requirement regarding inspection of terminations on houses with the AA 1350 alloy? We will be starting a discussion on NFPA 73 in the coming weeks, and will be soliciting your input.

ASHI's current SOP requires the reporting of "solid conductor aluminum branch circuit wiring." That is a mistake, since solid conductor 8 AWG aluminum wire is manufactured today with the AA 8000 series alloy and is perfectly fine. A more important distinction than solid/stranded is the type of alloy, and whether it is the older AA-1350 type conforming to ASTM B 230, or the post-1971 AA-8000 series conforming to ASTM B 800. Even if the date of the system is uncertain, there are ways to tell if a sample of the wire can be extracted for field testing. There is a lot to the issue of aluminum wire, and I think that much of the existing published material has oversimplified the issue. Warning - shameless plug coming - We devoted 8 pages to the topic in the latest edition of Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings, and if I had to simplify it I would say that each case is different. Even houses with the old alloy might be OK in applications such as home runs on multiwire circuits.

This is the first time I've seen 25-amp FPE breakers. This whole installation looks like a hall of fame candidate. I'm fairly confident that the power is coming in to the black cable at the top of the fuse panel, and I am mystified by rest of it. Can it be that the other three cables exiting the top of the fuse panel are all 240-volt? It looks that way, but ????

Our security folks have finally come out with a way to view the book on an iPad. It is a web view that requires an internet connection, whereas the ebook for MAC or PC only requires a connection to download, not to view after initial registration. It does seem to have full functionality. Thanks

Since exposure to physical damage is not clearly defined, it seems that in some parts of the world inspectors are touchier about it than in other parts. Jim, in Maryland don't you folks routinely see it on basement walls? Looking at this photo of some fans in a basement, would it draw a correction notice in your part of the world? Around here, it would be written up as a violation of 334.15(A) & (B). Click to Enlarge 49.93 KB

It's funny how different things are from one part of the country to another. I did a seminar this last weekend in Reno and the inspectors there told me that they see nothing but cord-and-plug connections, despite the fact that the code prohibits it, and that UL has never listed a forced-air furnace with a cord-and-plug connection. Around here we see a few jack-leg installations with NM cable. Kurt's is relatively clean. Aside from the potential damage issue that Marc mentioned, usually the problem with NM is that it is not secured properly and that it is strung through the air, rather than following the building surfaces and framing. Kurt, it isn't NMC - it is just NM. NMC is a special type of cable used in barns and rated for corrosive environments. Look on pages 246-252 for more than you ever wanted to know about NM, and on page 251 for the skinny on NMC.

Reliance acquired FPE in 1979, and shortly afterwards discovered that "improper and deceptive practices" (their words) had been used by FPE to obtain their UL listings. Reliance divested FPE in 1986. The panels in your photo could not have been made after 1986, and could easily have sat for a year or so before going into that house. All FPE breakers had UL stickers, though they were often meaningless because of the cheathing FPE did to obtain them. Mark - look on page 151 of Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings.

Electronic version 2 was completed last night. If you have the first one, delete it and download the newest one. The print proof came back from the printer today, and the first orders ship on Tuesday. Click to Enlarge 52.29 KB

Layout is done and we are down to the final set of edits. Still missing a couple of key photos, so I may come here looking for help with them. Thanks

It is a (large) PDF. Unfortunately, the security program we are using renders PDFs inaccessible on iPads. They work on MACs or PCs, like the Code Check eBooks. If the iPad had a program that was truly an Adobe version of Reader or Acrobat then it would work there, but I don't think they do. We weren't able to do it on a test iPad using GoodReader. The book will eventually wind up in the Apple bookstore, though that is another licensing project, and will lag at least a couple of weeks behind the pdf version. If you are buying it primarily for the iPad, you might be better off with print. Thanks!

We are working our behinds off on this; it has turned into a much larger project than previously imagined. The electronic version might be available as early as Monday, and then it's off to the printer. We are cutting off the pre-sale (49.95) pricing this weekend, and then it will go to the full price (59.95 plus shipping). Mark and others - I really appreciate your advance order and your help here. This is a "crowd-funded" publication. I could not possibly have taken the time to work on it without advance orders. Thank you.

And there was Avant! in Silicon Valley - they were a competitor of Cadence design in the circuit simulation software business. I got my Avanti 2013 calendar today. Thanks Mike!

So we stepped out of the grocery store this morning to find this odd looking space ship parked in front... Click to Enlarge 56.46?KB Click to Enlarge 59.7?KB Click to Enlarge 52.19 KB Click to Enlarge 54.14?KB

For a brief period of time (1931 - 1940) the NEC allowed up to 8 branch circuits to share a common neutral, on the wishful thinking that the load would be balanced. Though the permission to do this was dropped in 1940, it didn't become specifically prohibited until the 2011 NEC, in section 200.4, which says "Neutral conductors shall not be used for more than one branch circuit, for more than one multiwire branch circuit, or for more than one set of ungrounded feeder conductors unless specifically permitted elsewhere in this code." Even prior to 2011 it would be a code violation due to the conductors lacking adequate overcurrent protection. As Bob pointed out, the currents on the neutral that makes it home to the bus could be the sum of whichever phase has a load on it. Even if they upsized the neutral it would have parallel overcurrent protection and not be allowed by 240.8. All in all, just a fancy way of saying this is jackleg work. Why couldn't they just extend each one of these neutrals individually?

Mike - Thank you for posting this. I have been working day and night on this project since late September. The most time-consuming part is the extensive research into code histories for each significant item covered in the book. The price of 44.95 for the electronic version is 10% less than what the initial price will be when we begin delivery and shipment. The eBook and the print book will sell for 49.95 in January, and shipping will be charged on print purchases made then. The book is more than twice the size of the previous edition, which sold for 49.95. The eBook will enable readers to see the photos in color, and will have some search capability, though bookmarks will be the primary navigation tool. Unlike Code Check eBooks, it will not have links to the actual code sections. That only works for ICC codes, not the NEC. The printed book will have the photos in gray-scale, and they are all being painstakingly optimized in photoshop for the clearest possible reproduction. People who pre-order the electronic book will be given updates as they come along, and we will make some accommodation as well for folks for folks who pre-order in print (possibly addendums). I really appreciate the support of everyone who is pre-ordering it. You are the ?sponsors? of this endeavor. Thank you.

These breakers allow two branch circuits in the space that would only take on QO breaker. There may be a problem with this type of breaker not being listed for a class CTL panel. The side-by-side version that Square D makes today has a warning label on it that it can only be used in non-CTL assemblies. If the panel was completely full this could be a situation where they should have installed another panel instead of adding these.

Apparently there is a psychoactive chemical in Amanitas, but humans can't process it without also injesting enough of the poisonous substance to not make it worthwhile. However, reindeer can eat them, and the psychoactive substance passes through their urine without the poison. Humans can drink the reindeer urine and get the effects of the drug. Siberian shamans discovered this long ago, and it is the origin of our image of Santa Claus - mostly red with some white - along with the idea that he is flying through the sky delivering wonders while being led by reindeer. Since the story originates in Siberia, by the time it gets through the Russian Orthodox culture, he becomes Saint Nick. Since these are not something folks can eat, I've wondered why the Allman Brothers Band uses Amanita Muscaria images in so many of their albums, web site, etc. Is it just that they are bad boys that like to flirt with danger?

So we went out for our Sunday morning hike, hoping to find chanterelles. All we saw were these little Santa Clauses. Click to Enlarge 89.12 KB