David C. Argabright

If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built leaks...... It's normal.

Why not put a window well around the thing??

No one ever told me I would have to wear a flea and tick collar as a home inspector. Now that's funny. I don't care who you are. [:-thumbu][^]

I'm with Kirt. It's not that difficult or nasty. Wipe of the dust first. I carry too many gadgets now to also include a bulb aspirator. I'd most likely leave it at one of the houses after a few days anyway. About half of the sump pumps in these parts have the plastic tube. 1/4 have a float. The rest are tested only if there is a connected hose close by.

I say "pushed" the button. I used the term "mashed" with respect to Walter. He's kind of funny that way.

I've mashed the test button and tripped the GFCI too. Some of them are still energized. Did you check for current after mashing the test button?

Another way to determine if the grounds are present is to look for them or armored cable in the panel.

I use a Greenlee with a sensitivity dial. I always carry it but don't totaly rely on it. I've only had one through the years that I somewhat trusted. I don't remember the name and I left it lying somewhere years ago.

I getting ready to replace my old one also and had considered geting a tankless model. After doing some research I'm having second thoughts. The big plus would be space savings. The down side as I see it would be the cost and sometimes a less than an adequate supply of hot water. What are your thoughts Frank?

"hi there everyone, i inspected a house, but what i noticed was the whole house was cold except the kitchen, the whole house has wood flooring through out it except the kitchen which had tiles. Is this normal.. thank you for your help. The house is 20 years old and has a gas furnace which is working fine." Was the kitchen on the sunny side of the house with lots of glass.? If the floor was warm it could have been solar heat gain.id="blue">

The usual. Defects, correct installation, improper installation, inspection methods.

The cut outs between the tabs should be no closer the 4 inches to one another and must never fall directly over another cut-out in the row immediately below it. I could be mistaken but I was under the impression that asphalt shingles should be lapped 6". Is the min. 4" lap accepted by the manufacturer on three tab shingles and architechural shingles?

I've never heard of issues with FP fuse panels other than the probability that they are old and at the end of their useful life.

Did you consider shutting off the breraker to the energized circuit?

"The breaker has 4 wires connected to it. Each heads out a different conduit run. Two of these go to the exterior outlets. The other two go to the upstair bathrooms where they are connected to GFCI outlets. " I've seen breakers that allow two wires to be connected but NEVER four wires. Isn't that alone a reason to make safety improvements??

Where are the roof vents? Is it possible they had a ridge vent installed on the short peak which started leaking? Did they remove the vent and cover the area with the rubber material to close it off? Or did they leave the opening to install a vent at a later time and just never got around to it?

I heard a few weeks ago that one in every four vacant homes in this area have been vandilized. Most are in the inner city but others are being hit too. Some of the homes I'm called to inspect have had the piping removed the night before so I get to make a suprise call to the Reelters. I have one for sale that was robbed of the copper a month ago. All told they couldn't have recived more than $100.00 for the stolen material. He**...If they had talked to me I would have given them something to do and paid them more that the $100.00 they got from theifery. (Protection money?)

Of course it would do more than leave a scuff mark. It would burst the ball. The wall as has been said before, wouldn't feel a thing. Lots more exterior pressure causing the horizontal crack than the ball would generate. How's the exterior grading and gutter system on the wall?

Were 240 volt sub-panels EVER allowed to be connected with only three wire feeds? I know there are a very few exceptions but when were the four wire systems FIRST required by the NEC.

The photo would be welcome but in reply to your question NO...I haven't seen anything like you describe. I've seen grading onver the sill plate several times and mulch above the plate many times. Could be we have a better grade of idiots around here.

I think you're right about the quality of the steel. Has anyone seen the steel painted with anything other than the primer from the supplier? I suspect the shallow slope of the sills is allowing water entry too.

It may be a code issue where you live but not in this area. I see access panels in bathrooms here at least once a week. Usually in smaller two story condos. Drywall panels are installed and finished to match the ceiling. Sometimes there is wood trim that the drywall rests on. Sometimes the opening is finished and the drywall lays on top. With the required fan or window this should prevent most moisture entry into the attic.

Wrap the chimney cap with a waterproof tarp. If the sheathing is still wet after rainy weather it's the flashing. And it could also be the cracked cap, flues, mortar joints, and soft porous brick. I don't think there's a magic bullet for this type of water intrusion. I looked at the house with this same problem three weeks ago. Because of the wetness a new roof had been installed and the flashing had been redone twice. Three roofing contractors and two general contractors had taken a look. None of them were certain about the cause and each seemed to blame someone else. The last contractor that installed the shingles blamed the chimney brick and crown. I had a specialist that I know pretty well take a look and he seemed to think the primary cause was the improperly installed valley flashing that ran very close to the chimney. So.....back to the roofing contractor and the legal types I guess.

I wonder if they need someone to carry their tools and hold the umbrella to keep the sun off their heads? Could be a nice out of country tax shelter too. Seems like a long way from home for the guys though.

That was indeed an old fashioned butt kicking. The Bucks have never played a game like that in my memory regardless of the teams or conference. The Gators had a better game plan, motivated players, better coaching, and the list goes on. On the other hand I'd like to mention what the Bucks did right...........Well nothing I can think of. The Gators just were the better team by far in that game. As for conferences the Big Ten played three SEC teams and had two wins. See ya next year.