swarga

Dan, Good news bad news. The 2000 IRC does not prohibit an exhaust fan for a bathroom from venting in the attic. I am not disputing Chris's post however some AHJ's have said that a vented attic is outside of the living space therefore outside. attached is the code, and lots of it. Dryer vents and range hoods are prohibited but exhaust fans fall under section 16 and are not addressed. Check with the manufacture of the fan, if it is designed to vent outdoors they would need to correct it. Everything below this is from the 2000 IRC, if you are looking for commentary you will not find any more in this post. 2003 IRC CHAPTER 15 EXHAUST SYSTEMS M1501 CLOTHES DRYERS EXHAUST M1501.1 General. Dryer exhaust systems shall be independent of all other systems, shall convey the moisture to the outdoors and shall terminate on the outside of the building. Exhaust duct terminations shall be in accordance with the dryer manufacturer's installation instructions. Screens shall not be installed at the duct termination. Exhaust ducts shall not be connected with sheet-metal screws or fastening means which extend into the duct. Exhaust ducts shall be equipped with a backdraft damper. Exhaust ducts shall be constructed of minimum 0.016-inch-thick (0.406 mm) rigid metal ducts, having smooth interior surfaces with joints running in the direction of air flow. Flexible transition ducts used to connect the dryer to the exhaust duct system shall be limited to single lengths, not to exceed 8 feet (2438 mm) in length and shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 2158A. Transition ducts shall not be concealed within construction. Exception: This section shall not apply to listed and labeled condensing (ductless) clothes dryers. M1501.2 Exhaust duct size. The diameter of the exhaust duct shall be as required by the clothes dryer's listing and the manufacturer's installation instructions. M1501.3 Length limitation. The maximum length of a clothes dryer exhaust duct shall not exceed 25 feet (7620 mm) from the dryer location to the wall or roof termination. The maximum length of the duct shall be reduced 2.5 feet (762 mm) for each 45-degree (0.79 rad) bend and 5 feet (1524 mm) for each 90-degree (1.6 rad) bend. The maximum length of the exhaust duct does not include the transition duct. Exceptions: 1. Where a clothes dryer booster fan is installed and listed and labeled for the application, the maximum length of the exhaust duct, including any transition duct, shall be permitted to be in accordance with the booster fan manufacturer's installation instructions. Where a clothes dryer booster fan is installed and not readily accessible from the room in which the dryer is located, a permanent identifying label shall be placed adjacent to where the exhaust duct enters the wall. The label shall bear the words "This dryer exhaust system is equipped with a remotely located booster fan." 2. Where the make and model of the clothes dryer to be installed is known and the manufacturer's installation instructions for such dryer are provided to the building official, the maximum length of the exhaust duct, including any transition duct, shall be permitted to be in accordance with the dryer manufacturer's installation instructions. M1502 RANGE HOODS M1502.1 General. Range hoods shall discharge to the outdoors through a single-wall duct. The duct serving the hood shall have a smooth interior surface, shall be air tight and shall be equipped with a backdraft damper. Ducts serving range hoods shall not terminate in an attic or crawl space or areas inside the building. Exception: Where installed in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions, and where mechanical or natural ventilation is otherwise provided, listed and labeled ductless range hoods shall not be required to discharge to the outdoors. M1505 EXHAUST DUCTS M1505.1 Ducts. Where exhaust duct construction is not specified in this chapter, such construction shall comply with Chapter 16. M1506 MECHANICAL VENTILATION M1506.1 General. Where toilet rooms and bathrooms are mechanically ventilated, the ventilation equipment shall be installed in accordance with this section. M1506.2 Recirculation of air. Exhaust air from bathrooms and toilet rooms shall not be recirculated within a residence or to another dwelling unit. M1601 DUCT CONSTRUCTION M1601.1 Duct design. Duct systems serving heating, cooling and ventilation equipment shall be fabricated in accordance with the provisions of this section and ACCA Manual D or other approved methods. M1601.3 Installation. Duct installation shall comply with Sections M1601.3.1 through M1601.3.6. M1601.3.1 Joints and seams. Joints of duct systems shall be made substantially airtight by means of tapes, mastics, gasketing or other approved closure systems. Closure systems used with rigid fibrous glass ducts shall comply with UL 181A and shall be marked ia181A-Pla for pressure-sensitive tape, ia181A-Mli for mastic or ir181A-Hli for heat-sensitive tape. Closure systems used with flexible air ducts and flexible air connectors shall comply with UL 181B and shall be marked ia181B-FXlv for pressure-sensitive tape or ia181B-Mls for mastic. Duct connections to flanges of air distribution system equipment or sheet metal fittings shall be mechanically fastened. Crimp joints for round ducts shall have a contact lap of at least 1.5 inches (38 mm) and shall be mechanically fastened by means of at least three sheet metal screws or rivets equally spaced around the joint. M1601.3.2 Support. Metal ducts shall be supported by 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) wide 18-gage metal straps or 12-gage galvanized wire at intervals not exceeding 10 feet (3048 mm) or other approved means. Nonmetallic ducts shall be supported in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions. M1601.3.3 Fireblocking. Duct installations shall be fireblocked in accordance with Section R602.8. M1601.3.4 Duct insulation. Duct insulation shall be installed in accordance with the following requirements: 1. A vapor retarder having a maximum permeance of 0.05 perm [(2.87 ng/(s · m2Pa)] in accordance with ASTM E 96, or aluminum foil with a minimum thickness of 2 mils (0.051 mm), shall be installed on the exterior of insulation on cooling supply ducts that pass through nonconditioned spaces conducive to condensation. 2. Exterior duct systems shall be protected against the elements. 3. Duct coverings shall not penetrate a fireblocked wall or floor. M1601.3.5 Factory-made air ducts. Factory-made air ducts shall not be installed in or on the ground, in tile or metal pipe, or within masonry or concrete. M1601.3.6 Duct separation. Ducts shall be installed with at least 4 inches (102 mm) separation from earth except where they meet the requirements of Section M1601.1.2.

I do own code books, an Cd's. Now I end up spending part of each day teaching the code to contractors and building inspectors that never read it. (That's a pain) I also spend part of the day reading this board and trying to answer code questions that come up. Some times I feel that neither the contractor or the AHJ give a $#!t. They forget that the only reason codes are written is for the safety of the occupant(s) and the people maintaining the components of a building. For example this code has, to my knowledge, never been enforced: 801.3 Roof drainage. In areas where expansive or collapsible soils are known to exist, all dwellings shall have a controlled method of water disposal from roofs that will collect and discharge all roof drainage to the ground surface at least 5 feet (1524 mm) from foundation walls or to an approved drainage system. Or for the sparkies this one seems to be one of the hardest to understand. 320.23 In Accessible Attics. Type AC cables in accessible attics or roof spaces shall be installed as specified in 320.23(A) and (B). (A) Where Run Across the Top of Floor Joists. Where run across the top of floor joists, or within 2.1 m (7 ft) of floor or floor joists across the face of rafters or studding, in attics and roof spaces that are accessible, the cable shall be protected by substantial guard strips that are at least as high as the cable. Where this space is not accessible by permanent stairs or ladders, protection shall only be required within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the nearest edge of the scuttle hole or attic entrance. In accessible attics, Type AC cable installed across the top of floor joists or within 7 ft of the floor or floor joists across the face of rafters or studs must be protected by guard strips. Where the attic is not accessible by a permanent ladder or stairs, guard strips are required only within 6 ft of the scuttle hole or opening. (B) Cable Installed Parallel to Framing Members. Where the cable is installed parallel to the sides of rafters, studs, or floor joists, neither guard strips nor running boards shall be required, and the installation shall also comply with 300.4(D). I dedicate about 20 hours a year to learning more codes in addition to taking classes. It is not my job to teach the contractors but somebody has to do it. I hope one day to be half as knowledgeable as Mr. Cramer, Mr. Morrison or Mr. Hansen when it comes to such things.[:-graduate] Those that come on here and criticize the knowledge (Or lack of it) of others do not understand what the purpose of this board is for. [:-idea] This is a place where you can come and ask questions without getting railed, nailed or screwed. Remember "It is usually the person screaming the loudest that has nothing valuable to say."

I bet this one was Chris in disguise.[:-bulb]

No, but I will be having guests on the show. I already have a foundation repair company, a construction defect lawyer and a plumber,lined up I plan on starting with a short monologue then introducing the guest and having a short discussion before we start answering calls. Yes I am taking calls and I will have a couple of other inspectors helping out with questions. I am selling my company and the company that is buying me out is purchasing two ads on the show. The ads will be produced by the station and I will not be in them but people are bound to know that I will be working for the new company. I have only offered to read ads for one fantastic roofing company and I don't think they are buying any space yet. This is done at the station and the producer will do all of that for me. I spent 2 hours there learning how to do it all. I even have a cough button[] KXEM 1010 am in the Phoenix area. No you can't listen yet. A new general manager is coming here from Florida next month and that is one of the things he is supposed to change.

I use the 3-D software on a Casio Cassiopeia E-200. The last revision for the hand held was the one I've been waiting for since I started using a handheld three years ago. It works great, If you have someone else on the inspection using a different handheld you can merge your reports. For example: One person does the interior while the other does the exterior. Come to the laptop in the kitchen download and print. Tips: Get windows pocket PC 2003 or newer operating system. If your handheld takes photos you can import them directly into the report and print them in the report using a infer-red connection to a printer. Get the Office Management System also. It takes a little bit to set up but it makes life much easier. It also is compatible with Peachtree and quick books. If you have any questions feel free to contact me. Disclaimer: I do not work for or sell 3-D In fact I am selling my business to another company and will no longer be using it for regular inspections. (I may still use it for phase inspections.)

Starting May 8th I will be doing a Radio show on home inspections every Saturday. I am looking for humorous stories related to our business that I can use. I have some stories but the show is 1 hour per week and I have about 6 stories that I can tell on the radio (Without getting fined) Anybody have something they would like to share?

Inspecting the curb and gutter are beyond the scope of this inspection. Conditions may change suddenly due to an accident, debris in gutter, snow, temperatures below freezing or other acts of God. The Inspector did not determine if there is any plumbing, storm drains utilities or transportation facilities located under the inspection area. Viewing was restricted by the UPS truck illegally parked in the space.

Norm, I could not have said it better myself. I respect your position and decision

The bacteria in your evaporative cooler is 50 times worse than anything in a water heater that is used daily. Eat some yogurt, rake some leaves, cook up some mushrooms, and sit down with some bread and a beer and talk about bacteria, fungus and what ever else scares her.[]

Mike, As far as the Arizona standards Chris hit the nail on the head. Bigger than a quarter needs to be replaced. As far as walking on the roof a Monier rep showed us at an AZ-ASHI meeting how to do it properly. I weigh 230 and I walk two a day. Chris, Why is this the first I heard of your Pulte problem. Let me know how I can help.

PrintKey2000 http://www.geocities.com/~gigaman/

I would pull up to the house, get out of the truck and say "Holy S#!t[:-bigeyes] there is snow all over the roof. I haven't seen snow in this area for 30 years, ya know I wont be inspecting the roof today, ain't safe."[:-scared] Then I would agree with what every one else said. P.S. It was 97 degrees here today

I don't know about N.J., however most codes say that you must follow the manufactures installation instructions. A copy of the standards for installation provided by The Brick Institute of America can be found at http://WWW.BIA.ORG Hope this helps

Brian, I am running XP pro also. I have the Maxtor connected to a usb port. You need to choose: Do you want to use the one touch feature? or Do you want to set up a script? Or do you want to partition the drive in the Maxtor to do both? If you bought the 80 gig unit I would suggest one of the first two options. I chose a full backup. (Mirror of the hard drive)once a week. (Sunday @ 2:00am) It took 12 hours for the first back up It took 8 hours for the second backup The third was done in under 6 hours. The manual says that it will get faster the first 10 times you use it. If you have a 40 gig drive I would suggest a minimum of the 80 gig maxtor and really the 120 gig would be better. I set mine up so that it has two complete mirrors of my hard drive in it. (That way if I get a virus at 10:00 pm on Saturday and back it up, I still have the backup from the previous week) The one touch feature will back up files but I don't believe it makes a mirror of the hard drive. Good luck.

I have been using spybot weekly and was happy with it. UNTIL I started getting pop-ups when I wasn't using Internet Explorer. that's right, I am on a cable modem and I would get pop-ups with just the desk-top open. I down loaded ad-aware and it found 32 items spybot missed and the pop-ups stopped. I removed spybot from my system.

Here is my galvanized boilerplate. take it or leave it. Galvanized Steel. Steel that is coated with corrosion-resistant zinc is called "galvanized." It may be identified by the gray color of the zinc and a magnet may be used to verify it's steel content. Unlike lead pipe, which it resembles, it is usually connected with threaded joints and is usually quite straight (although gentle bends can be made). It lasts a long time, but eventually the zinc is lost and the the steel then rusts at the normal rate. In some areas this pipe may last over 40 years, however in this area the joints typically need replacement about 30 years after installation. Further review including pressure and volume testing is recommended by a competent, licensed plumber.

Questions originally posted by Brian G. I get all kinds of questions about 2 wire systems. Are they unsafe? Yes, under some conditions. Try cleaning a carpet with a metal wand, Wet floor and two wire systems don't mix. How unsafe are they? Kind of. What are the most likely problems to result? Reversed polarity is the most common defect I find. This is a problem when the light socket case is hot instead of the contact at the bottom How difficult is it rewire, and do you have any idea about costs? It's hard, that's why I became a home inspector instead. I can snake a few lines through an old house in an hour, and once took me an entire day to get one from the basement to the attic, with ugly results. They'll get better answers from an electrician. I agree with Jim Why did they change to the 3 wire system? They are safer. It is better for a wire or conduit to act as a ground and complete a circuit instead of a person. When did they make that change? +/- late 1950's In the Phoenix area I don't see 3 wire systems until the late 60's. K & T stopped here in the mid 50'S Is it safe for my computer and electronics? Most computers should be connected to a surge protector. These need to be grounded to function properly. Will it work? Yes, is it protected with out a ground? No.

We see the same thing here in AZ. and I agree, Flex & fiber board don't hold a candle to galvanized metal ductwork

After you type in your message. click on the "Insert a file" link under the text box. Click on browse, find the location of the photo you want to upload. Your plumbing sounds like what I have heard called a pan or con trap. I am sure others here that are used to dealing with older houses will be more help.

Once again I must bow before the almighty Hansen. I only got 301.5.[:-banghead] He is the Master[:-graduate]

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My first thought was tobacco also, I chewed the stuff for years while I was building. I never left a plug like that in the attic though. I did leave one in a projects managers chair once but that SOB deserved it.

Jim just mentioned what I was going to say. Before you write up moisture around the toilet I suggest taking some toilet paper and wiping down the area you are about to test. 8 out of 10 times the TP will turn YELLOWid="yellow"> That's not a toilet leak, It's bad aim. I test every stain. Really saved my A$$ last week. Saw a wet stain on the base board found moisture on an exterior wall 15 feet wide and 18 feet high. That is the area that was wet. No signs of moisture were present above 1 foot. I thought the meter might be picking up something else so I tapped on the drywall with my knuckle and it went through the wall. Another one bites the dust, and another one down, and another one down, another one bites the dust, HEY, I'll inspect yours too ...[:-headphones] ...

1) I do look at the main panel first. 2) I use the Sure test ST-1D I find voltage drop all the time but I try to be practical about it. If you have a 100 ft run of 14 gauge with four outlets on it you will have a voltage drop. I only write it up if the drop is 5% or more between outlets, or over 10% on a circuit. I don't pull outlet covers. Why should I? I am not going to repair it, I'm going to tell them to have a sparky fix it. I already spend to much time at a house without opening boxes or switches.

I have used the IR camera and loved it. A local company rents it to me for $150 a day. I have used it to determine hot spots on walls and ceilings in new construction. Some of the local insulation companies now have them for the same reason. (Or their trying to prove me wrong) I may by one down the road when the price drops in half.