Charlie R

on the Baltimore Beltway Click to Enlarge 59.78 KB

Thing fired up like a champ. Burners looked like they had been replaced, No rust to speak of, no evidence of leaks. it had all the stuff you want to see - expansion tank that wasn't full of water, auto fill, pressure relief, etc. Only issue I noted (beside the combined discharge lines) was the pressure was running a little high, 30 pounds. I did an American Standard once that was over 100 years old. Obviously it had a lot of parts changed, but the basic boiler was still intact and working.

There it is! Thanks Marc, much appreciated. Charlie

Thanks Scott. You are correct, the big question to me is the combining of all these drains into one discharge tube. I have read the IBC section on discharge tubes and it describes the size, the discharge point, the lack of threads on the discharge end, etc, but doesn't address if these have to be run separately or can be combined. If it is OK to combine them, shouldn't they have to go to a larger diameter?

At yesterdays inspection, I found where the pressure relief valve for the 1959 Burnham boiler was combined with the TPR valve discharge tube of the water heater, and what I believe is a copper condensate drain line from the attic A/C airhandler, all into the laundry tub. The main trunk of these combined discharges is CPVC piping. Now I know the discharges are not supposed to go into the laundry tub, but what about the combining of them and the use of CPVC? Click to Enlarge 38.45 KB

"Hey, I changed all my copper piping to CPVC so I'll just lay this chunk with the old GEC across the gas pipe and that will work as a bond, right?" I don't think so. That is an arc mark on the piping. Click to Enlarge 47.16 KB Click to Enlarge 41.12 KB

We all see common neutrals where they are using 2 hot wires to two circuits, is there any way that they can use a common neutral for four circuits? I don't think so but I've learned to ask rather than just say "no."

You sure someone else wasn't testing a smoke detector while you were busy tripping the GFCI?

And a great time was had - - Click to Enlarge 44.37 KB Click to Enlarge 46.3 KB and the hot chocolate was great!

It is a wee bit chilly usually, water temps are normally between 38 degrees and 42 degrees - but, you gotta look at it this way - no sharks!

I really enjoy having my own business and setting my own agenda. One of the things about being my own boss that I really enjoy is being able to use some of the profits to help others. Each year I help sponsor a "Penguin Plunge" on New Years Day in the Atlantic Ocean at Ocean City Maryland. Our plunge profits go to Atlantic General Hospital, specifically to help fund an emergency center for people hurt in the summer surf. I'm always shocked how many broken bones, including necks and backs, that happen in the surf. No, I am not asking for donations, just sharing with everyone something that I found that I can do that makes me feel good. And yes, I do the plunge too. Anyway, I thought if I can do this, than others may be able to take the fee from one inspection and help sponsor something in their own neighborhood that helps others. It makes great business sense - tax deductible and puts your business name out there in a different way that people can see you are a part of your community - and you really do get a good feeling by helping. So go out and see what you can find to help with. And think of this fat old inspector jumping in the Atlantic Ocean this January 1! Man, does that make the hot chocolate taste great! Click to Enlarge 44.96 KB

Thanks Marc. I see this about once every 4 years or so and it just makes my inspector senses tingle every time but I can't (or won't) commit it to my memory.

I see this so rarely that I forget - I know lights, fans, etc have to be at least 3 feet from the open shower edge but does the same apply to the light switch? I think it's wrong to have an interior grade switch that close to an open shower aera, but I can't remember if there is a specfic mention of switches in the NEC or not. Any quick help would be appreciated, but I can always go with "Verify with a licensed electrican that the placement of the light switch in the bathroom is acceptable." Click to Enlarge 31.71 KB

It's http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/i ... dtest.html Sorry about that.

I tell them I don't do mold tests, I will look for moisture problems because that is what mold needs, then I offer to e-mail them the PDF from this site, http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/i ... dtest.html, which lists the top reasons NOT to test for mold. As far as I know, I haven't ever lost a booking because of this.

This will be voted on by the commissioners at the October meeting as a change to the Maryland Standards Of Practice (SOP); The proposed additions to the SoP are in Bold & Underlined Title 09 Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation Subtitle 36 C om mission of Real Estate Appraisers and Hom e Inspectors?Home Inspectors Chapter 07 Minimum Standards of Practice .07 Plumbing System A. A home inspector shall visually inspect the plumbing system, including: (5) Fuel storage and fuel distribution systems, including the possible presence of corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) flexible gas piping B. A home inspector shall describe the plumbing system, including; (4) the presence of corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) flexible gas distribution piping, if applicable. If CSST is present, the inspector shall report the product requires special electrical bonding that should be confirmed by a qualified licensed electrical contractor .08 Electrical Systems A. A home inspector shall visually inspect an electrical system, including: (4) Service grounding; C. If applicable, a home inspector shall include in a written report the: (3) the presence of CSST gas piping with the recommendation such piping should be reviewed by a qualified licensed electrical contractor for proper bonding D. A home inspector is not required to: (1) Inspect: (e) the existing bonding method for any potential CSST gas piping I am simply posting this for Maryland inspectors information so don't shoot the messenger.

Hey Mike - Well said! Charlie

After weighing all the issues, I decided to strike out on my own. That was seven years ago, haven't looked back. Hardest thing was to get those first few inspections so you better have some money laid aside to get you through the start up period. Start up period can certainly be a full year. Of course, not buying the franchise will save you some money. If you work for someone else for a year or two it will be easier to go out on your own.

Since the composite shingles "may" or "probably" contain asbestos, I usually write to "have the shingles tested for asbestos content prior to disturbing." rather than just go to having the contractor do it. A lot of those shingles were made without asbestos. The fee for the test from an environmental testing lab is way less than paying the contractor. Charlie

There are ways to get a quick read on radon (at least an hour) but none of those ways meet the EPA test protocol. I could set up my CRM and just read it after an hour or two, it would show the readings. Minimum of 48 hours, per EPA, for an actual radon test. They could also use a Safety Siren Pro Series 3 which says it meets EPA standards as a radon home monitor but not for testing, it will show a reading after an hour. Anything instant can get you in a whole lot of trouble I'm thinking since radon is so variable. Me, I prefer to run 96 hour tests. More data the better.

Thanks for the quick replies, much appreciated. Charlie

Found where the service conductors were spliced between the main panel and the meter. I thought that the conductors were not allowed to be spliced, or at the least the splices need to be in an approved junction box. I'm looking for confirmation I am correct on this, but if I'm not, then why is this correct? I couldn't get under the painted over tape to see what kind of clamps were used. TIA, Charlie Click to Enlarge 24.66 KB

The inspection starts at 9 (or whatever) and you're there early, the Realtor is there, but the client comes late, and then acts like you were supposed to wait for them and you have to back track to catch them up with all you've found. Man, it just trips my trigger when people do that, client today was an hour late, actually had the nerve to say that he was paying me so what the heck. Then had the nerve to ask if he could just pay at the settlement table! I almost just walked away, but just decided to explain - slowly and calmly - that, first, he was to pay me now as agreed in advance and that if this deal fell through, he would have to find another inspector. Made the whole rest of my day run late. Thanks, now I feel better.

Also in Maryland, a new law effective July 1 - "The new smoke detector law in Maryland requires that all battery only smoke detectors need to have a 10-year lithium battery that is sealed in." Apparently it is being phased in so that all homes have this by 2018 but any home sold after July 1, 2013 has this requirement and it is part of the home owner's disclosure form. As far as I can find, home inspectors requirements for reporting on smoke detectors has not changed.

Same thing happened to me but I called them and insisted that since they couldn't ship for more than 30 days, they credit the purchase price back to my credit card, which they did. I received the unit 7 weeks after ordering (which was two weeks ago) and they still haven't re-charged my credit card. I'm waiting to see if they pick up on it or not. Incompetent.