DonTx

Wow, it's been a while since I've been here, the place has changed! Anyhow, to my question. I found a Fedders A/C condenser today that the Seller swears is only about 6 months old. He said that his Home Warranty company put it in when the compressor in the old one failed. The problem is, the new one is a 3.5 ton unit and it's as small as the old 10 and 12 SEER units. I couldn't make head or tails of the serial number but it did say it was "Made In PRC" I know the new SEER manufacturing regulations pertain to U.S.A. manufacturers but does it also affect units made overseas for resale in the U.S.A.?

Can someone answer this question? Will E&O Insurance Companies issue a policy without having a binding arbitration clause in your pre-inspection agreement? Thanks,

That's pretty common SOP around these parts. Those hip and valley rafters need braced at the peak. As for the reverse angle cuts (as close as I could tell), that's just poor B.S. workmanship.

Congrats to both of them, especially for having the gonads to actually do something like that! I often fantasize about owning a fishing boat in Cabo, complete with hot & cold running Senioritas. Ahhh but my wife said no, so it's off to work I go.

They're old and lonely and need company..[:-eyebrow Seriously, I can't find my C&D reference manual and Preston's doesn't give me electric furnace info. #1 BDP electric furnace SN#R2D00514 MOD#:517ENO42 #2 York electric furnace SN#MEVS218470 MOD#:N2AHD10A06C #3 York A/C Mod# H1CF042S06A SN# MHXM244770 Thanks,

I noticed my Tramex Wet Wall detector sitting on top of my file cabinet the other day. I've only used it once this year. I thought "Geez, there's a thousand dollar meter sitting there collecting dust." So I've put it up for sale on eBay. In the next few days I'll probably have more toys up for sale that I've bought and don't use. The Tramex works great. It also has the Users manual and the warranty cards. I bought this baby about 3 years ago. Here's the link to the eBay sale. Tramex Wet Wall Detector On eBay

This is how we install balconies to the house in Houston. All the homes I looked at in this subdivision had balconies attached to the homes in this manner. New construction! 13 10D nails throught the Hardie siding attaching the ledger to the home. Post not secured, rim joist nailed to the ledger. Download Attachment: IMG_6122.jpg 41.58 KB Download Attachment: IMG_6124.jpg 43.52 KB Download Attachment: IMG_6114.jpg 42.46 KB Download Attachment: IMG_6113.jpg 49.14 KB

Myself and Mark went through the Tune Up classes. We don't get a lot of request for it, but of the dozen or so I've done here, we've been able to help every customer. Some of these homes were 20 to 30 years old and had maybe 2 to 3 inches of insulation. One had tape that had come off the seams of the evaporator coil housing and was blowing cold (cool) air into the attic. I'm not sure how much other inspectors with the Tune Up program are charging, but we're charging anywhere from $175 to $250 depending on the size of the home. For what we're finding and saving our Clients, that's a heckuva deal. Scotty - I don't know why you couldn't make money with your Energy Audits. I watch the local Energy contractors for Builders here in Houston do the Energy Star test in less than 20 minutes and then slap a "Energy Star" passed sticker on the house. This includes the blower door test (which they run about 30 seconds) and report (a 1 page checklist).

Hey Bain, was that a roof vent or roof jack? I see many older installations run up into a roof jack, but have never seen one ran up to a roof vent.

I'd lose the roof lines. The overpower the name. I agree with Martin, scrap the house and just go with the company name. Plus, if you have serenityhomeinspections.com, I'd put the ".com" after the name in the logo. I don't know what you payed for that logo, but gotlogos.com creates those type of logo's for $25. Good Luck,

I have to agree. For some reason many inspectors (and engineers!) want to sound "educated". Unfortunately, they usually come off sounding anything but. I like "poop". It's simple and everyone knows what he's talking about. I once reported "vermin scat" in the attic and the lady called me back and asked what "scat" was. I should have used poop or crap.

I have a copy. If you have other illustrated guides as I do, then you've probably got most of what's in this Field Guide. If not, it's a good buy. I'd say it's more like a desk reference rather than a field guide though. Seems I bought mine for less than $75 though, but I could be wrong (and I'm not digging the receipt out!)

Congrats on your first inspection Les. Just a note. In the future, fax or email your agreement (fax is preferable) ahead of time and get them to either send it back before the inspection or give it to you at the start. I prefer they send it back before the inspection. As for the heater. The downstairs may have been a "Master" thermostat. This means that if you had one A/C-Furnace, the downstairs t-stat probably controled it. More than likely, the upstairs thermostat only controled an electronic damper that opens/closes when the downstairs unit is on. The upstairs t-stat would not actually operate the A/C-furnace. The downstairs would have to be on heat for the upstairs to have heat. Also, if the downstairs was set on A/C, turning the upstairs to heat would do nothing. I see this set up quite often when there's just a Gameroom or Guest room upstairs. Hey, next time take us some pictures and we'll (hopefully) be able to tell you what those boards were doing.

Well, I have to agree with Walter. We're paid for our opinions. I've answered that Big Question a few times. I don't like to answer it, but if they ask my OPINION, then I give it. If it's an older POS and they ask me if "I'd buy it", I might say "If I had the money to buy it and to buy all the building supplies needed to fix all the problems, sure, I'd probably jump on it. I like to spend my free time doing major repair projects." If I'm standing there with a young couple who've scraped every nickel and dime they have to get into a home, and they've both told me they "don't do home repair thing", then if asked, I'll tell them straight up. On the other hand, that same home may be perfect for someone looking to play DIY HomeMakeover. Since I don't rely on Agents for my livlihood, it's no skin off my nose if they get their panties in a wad. Just my 3 cents worth,

My version of strongbacks are the same of Mike Lambs. I believe IRC 802.3.1 discusses their need in framing. It's a common problem in new construction here. Many trades do not understand them or do not care to use them properly. BTW, Mike, what book is that illustration out of?