a46geo

David, I am thick too. I have no idea what you just wrote. I know that Douglas can put it in terms we both can understand. He is the best there is at deciphering and then explaining very complicated concepts. George

David, Do a Google search for false ground. The very first site listed is Sure Test's explanation. It will tell you all that you want to know. In a nut shell a bootleg ground puts ground in the circuit. George

Chad, I do know what you are trying to say here, but sometimes you just have take your lumps. I also know that the older you get, the slower the body heals. But just think what she will do to you if you squander money that could have been used on her mink. My wife wants an Escalade. Two things here. Budget, and will the city allow me to park an Escalade in the bedroom? Chad, I have no idea what your local inspector may or may not approve. A decorative fireplace is one thing, but a thermostatically controlled gas burner which is the primary source of heat is another matter entirely. Know your target before you pull the trigger. I'm just trying to save you some trouble. George

Chad, How many outside walls will this new bedroom have? Is this going to be supplemental heat or stand alone? Are you planning on keeping the temperature up 24/7 or will there be times that heat migration from the house will be sufficient? What about cooling this space? Are there any unusual conditions to factor in or mitigate? (North facing door wall, poorly insulated crawl etc). What does your city have to say about a gas burner in a sleeping room? Have you ever seen a wall hung split system? Look next door, can you see your neighbor? What is she wearing? What is your heat load calculation? Cooling load? Will your local electric provider supply 2nd meter service for A/C? Hot water? Suplemental heat? Do you have easy access to coal? There is a solution to your problem, we just have to find it. George

Dan, I don't know about elsewhere, but here (S.E. Michigan) you can elbow right off of the diverter. The pipe must maintain at LEAST a 1" rise for every foot of run. This one seems to slope down. But, I like the way you wrote it up. George

Chad, As distasteful as it may sound at first, 240 volt electric base board heat might just be your best bet here. But what about cooling? How were you planning on doing that? George

Jim, Yes, I have seen it 3 times. Once about a year ago, 3 or 4 weeks ago and one time in between. I have seen Marion once and Reggie twice. They did fine, considering they only have 2/ 10 minute segments to cover a 3 hour plus inspection. I don't think it helps or hurts our cause, it's bland, slow moving and doesn't contain anything even a first year inspector would call educational. However, when I know you are going to be on, I will watch just so I can come here and heckle you. George

Renron, There are ladies present. AND, I don't have an inspection today so I am sitting in an office at my sons company just looking for something to do.....sorry. I did chuckle before editing. George

Chad, Sounds like you need a lab and an engineer. The only way to know if you found asbestos is to have it tested. There is a harmless look a like insulation that was commonly used too. About 25% of this old insulation that I do have tested (about 5% of what I find) comes back clean. The integrity of the structure certainly seems to be compromised, it's not a call you can make with a visual inspection.

Mike, I am sure that would indeed work in some instances. Depending on the length of the drain and the location of any obstruction. However, a fish tape can be used for more than just fishing you know. It works well not only finding an obstruction, When slightly modified at the tip (sharpened), it can clean an obstruction. You could also carry a 5 lb jug of CO2 with an adapter hose with an 18 inch piece of 1/4 inch copper tubing to blow through the line, if you are like Chad and don't want to use your lips. George

Well I read renrons question and was going to suggest that he pee in it. Seems however that suggestion was taken. Most of the houses in Michigan have basements. the furnaces are in the basement. In other words, no pan. Look for and learn to interpret the water marks. The presence, absence, depth of the stains can all tell you a story as to how everything was working the last time the unit was running. However, If it has been off for a long while and it is too cool to run test, and you really need to know if it is blocked .... pee in it. George

Gosh-dangit, your right Kurt, Now I'm all ticked off again. What a jury rigged, hack job. Unless do you suppose Mr. Amaral accidently posted the photo up side down? George

Alright then, I guess if that is the case, I'm OK with it. George

I just hate it when they mount the switch upside down like that. DOWN is off! George

Anthony, I feel like I am following you around here. I do happen to know your area VERY well. Going to all of the real estate offices has a side benefit for you. You will bump into the 180 or so other inspectors in our area so often that you will get to know all of their kids names too. You are just going to have to give realtors a reason to refer you over your competition. Some of the things that have been commonly used are a big screen TV, trips, cash kick backs and gift certificates, "fair to the house" inspections and "non-alarmist" reports. To stand out, you may have to do something a little unconventional too. I know one guy that literally dressed up like a clown to call on realtors, so don't do that, it has already been taken. Also, you might try by-passing realtors and advertise directly to home buyers. You would be pretty much alone here. Who knows, that might work. George

Brian, I have been married so long that I have totally forgotten about such things. AH, to be 41 again. I can almost remember what it was like on that 650 cc Triumph Bonneville. I am so jealous of you right now, I don't even want to talk to you. I'm otta here. George

Danny, I have never even thought about what you are now questioning. I don't know. You must be very thorough. However, drawing on my years of experience as an HVAC service tech, I can't figure out why it would be needed, unless called for in the manufacturers installation instructions. George

Dan, According to my attorney, if I advertise any thing as "free", I have to provide it to ANYONE who asks, whether they pay for an inspection or not. If the laws are the same in your state, call this franchise guy and ask him for your free stuff. George

Thanks Mike, That is as good of a guess as any. I have never seen anything like this. I just wrote it up an "beats me" (not like that of course) and called for a look see by the aassociations plumber to investigate. George

What is happening here? I did an inspection of a condo today. It was the end unit of a 4 unit building. No seller present. The disclosure statement says a french drain had been installed two years ago. The sump is filled with gravel and the pump motor is buried in the gravel and still plugged into a live outlet. The float is also buried in the gravel. There is about 4 inches of water in the sump but there is no sign of this thing ever overflowing. Download Attachment: DSC00102.JPG 152.39 KB

Norm, I'm with you, I don't know. BUT since water is a conductor, wouldn't resistance decrease[:-?help]

Pete, Anything that you think can go wrong, can indeed go wrong. As if that is not bad enough, there are a lot of things that can go wrong that you will never think of until they actually do go wrong. Everyone is different here, But as for ME, I have chosen to inspect only single family homes for buyers only. I hope to pick one thing, do it well, and market the hell out of it. Hopefully then I will be too busy to even worry about anything else. 4 weeks aye? you lucky dog. George just MY opinion.

Chris, I can't add anything to what has already been said. If you can get the numbers off both the condensing unit and the A-coil, York can tell you what you need to know. George

Good eye Kurt. I did not catch that point. It was (at one time) common practice here to install oil tanks in the basement. People then would finished the basement. The tank and a game of pool never seemed to interfere with each other, but that doesn't mean it was legal. George PS I looked, I can't find anything forbidding an oil tank indoors. However, it must have a fusible link in the line. But it did occur to me the big problem in this day and age may be home owners insurance.

Terry, I am not sure what thoughts you are looking for. I am also not sure how familiar you are with oil, so don't take offense here. Oil is not volatile like gasoline. In fact it can be a little hard to light. With most oil furnaces it takes a 10,000 volt zap to light atomized oil. In another life at another time I used to service these furnaces. One of the things that had to be done after burner service was bleed the pump. I often did this while smoking. (Like I said, long time ago) Anyway, after bleeding the air out of the pump I would have 3/4 of an inch of oil in a coffee can or pie tin. I would put my cigarette out by putting it in the can and letting the oil drown the fire out. The point here is that an oil tank in the garage (properly installed) really isn't a concern. George