SWagar

I am under the impression that we do not have the Hobo Spider here in Oregon .... Am I wrong ?

Well from that description, sounds like the drain line is pitched incorrectly and is holding water. When another fixture empties water into the system, air or water pressure is forcing the trapped water back up into the sink. But this could also imply that there is a lack of venting all though the house. How well did this sink drain? Do you do a sink overflow drain test and then empty a full sink full all at once ? Maybe, the drain line is marginally or even correctly pitched and has built up gook which could be causing it to hold water. Just a thought. Added later... It could also be that the main drain is clogged or occluded so that water backs up in the entire drain system and the bathroom sink is the point of relief. I think it's now PLUMBER o'clock !!

It is a little hard to tell from your photos whats what. But It sounds to me like the main bathroom sink is not vented or the vent is clogged. How much water came back into the sink, a sink full or a trap full? If there is only a trap's worth of water in the sink. Air pressure may be forcing the water in the trap back up into the sink. If there is more than that, I'd suspect that the drain line is also pitched toward the trap instead of away from it. Do you have any more photos? Where is the sink drain line in the wide view photo?

I'd be afraid that those shingles would give be vertigo and I'd fall off the roof.... or maybe just puke off the edge. I have had a talk discussion with my go to roofer about this type of defect. He basically said that it is a manufacturing defect, citing the same reasons Scott stated above, but that there is not enough evidence to suggest that they will fail early.

That is absolutely "or Worst" ... I think you just gave me nightmares for a long time to come ... damn you. Now I have to wash my mind out with a stiff wire brush.

In my opinion, correct or not, right or wrong, all double keyed locks are a fire safety hazard. During the panic that will inevitably exist during a house fire, the occupants will go to any exit door they can. If they cannot operate the lock they can .... die (or worse).

If it was a single handle faucet, it could be clogged at the mixer. If there were two valves, I would think something is very fishy. What are the odds that both valves or both angle stops are clogged at the same time? Was the house vacant?

Wouldn't that be a skipping "golden" shower ????

I would recommend that one removes the shower head and sees if the water flow is still interrupted. Look in the shower head for junk.

Was the water flow at the tub spigot constant ? Where was the diverter ? In the spigot or the valve? Was there even a tub? It might be debris in the shower head or the valve.

I think you did! Yes, the converted basement bedroom needs a secondary egress.

In my defense [:-paperba , It is often hard for me to gauge the real size of things when I'm looking at a photo. We do have a pretty glamorous job don't we !!?? [:-tong2] I found these little cuties a while back ! Click to Enlarge 98.25 KB

I will vote for .. #4 Looks like rot and Subs, depending on the size of the fecal pellets it could be Pacific Dampwood. #6, 8 Looks like rot and Annobiidae.

I don’t think I would say that V and I are always inversely proportional. Take the standard electrical equation V=IR Where: V= voltage I = current R = resistance V is directly proportional to IR, as one quantity increases so must the other and vice-versa. If R remains constant then as V or I increases, then so must the other in a proportional manner. Ex: 100V = 10 amps x 10 Ohms 200V = 20 amps x 10 Ohms 1000V = 100 amps x 10 Ohms Edited later: Only when R varies will can V or I change in an inverse relation. If R increases either I must can decrease or V must can increase (or a little of both). Although, when R changes V and I can also change in the same direction as the change in R. In that case they would not be inversely related.

What species of Termites were they? Subterranean? Dampwood? If they were Dampwood Termites they may not enter the structure as they live in/eat only damp/rotted wood. Remove the rotted material and the Termites will go away, no real need for toxic stuff.

Here is a link you might look at: http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/recogniz.htm A big clue as to the type of wire is the insulation style. As Mike said above, I have never seen Alumimun wire that is enclosed in rag wrapped insulation. To my eye tinned copper has a pinker hue than Aluminum wire. Look for scrapes on the wires in the panel for copper beneath the tin. Also check out the end cuts and bare ground wires. Also, I don't think (someone help me here) that there is any Aluminum wire in two wire (no bare ground wire) NM cables.

Ken, I found the same type of thing a couple a years ago. The fruiting bodies were coming out of the siding joints in three or four places. As I recall, I recommended that the siding be removed and the area inspected for water damage .... and so on. I was pretty sure that there must have been trapped water and fungus behind the siding. Unfortunately the buyers must have thought I was on drugs because they didn't want to have a investigation or repairs done, they just took the house the way it was. Click to Enlarge 27.13 KB

I would always allow my clients to borrow my flashlight for a few seconds to see something I was pointing out until ... One of my clients dropped it from the top of the attic access ladder. My rechargeable Mag at $125 was broken big time. That was before the time I had two flashlights. That was one dark crawl space that day. I had to use my backup cheapo Mag Light. I'm sure my client had no idea how much that light cost and did not really seem to care for that matter. Luckily Mag repairs are free. Now I bring a "client light" which is just a small cheapo Mag light. Let um drop it all they want. I keep a couple of tape measures in my tool bag for clients to use. I just buy the ones with real bright colors so I can tell they are mine.

Oops! I guess reading is fundamental !

Jim, Where did you see soild conductors? I see some soild wire but I'm not so sure it is the same as the gray conductor.

It looks like an appliance connector (cable) or extension cord.

I test all AFCIs at the panel as well. But I think I'll start testing at a receptacle just for good measure.

I understand that in some older New England homes, since there was the whole house trap not all fixtures had their own trap. My Salem Mass home (built in 1932) had a whole house trap. It was added sometime later when the house was converted from septic to public sewer (or so I was told- before my time in the house).

Is there a Suretest that also tests AFCI circuits? I am at the point where I need/want to test AFCI receptacles in the bedrooms rather than just at the panel. BTW here in Oregon, AFCI is only required in the bedrooms. What are your recommendations for a AFCI tester?

A good reference is the Simpson Catalog. For each connector they specify what types and sizes of fasteners can be used. I only have the 2006 catalog at my disposal so I don't see any reference to the S3 screws. A Simpson rep has said that they DO NOT allow deck screws or any other screw that will deform the hole. These are engineered connectors and are designed not to have any of their mounting holes deformed in any way. Take a look at page 11 in Richard's post regarding screws instead of nails.