nspctrdan

At the risk of stating the obvious, the panel has to be mounted to a wood backer or have an air space between it and the foundation wall in order to prevent condensation. As we all know, the breakers are a bit warmer than ambient air and condensation is not uncommon especially when, as perviously mentioned, the SEC is not sealed.

I'm sure you noted it but just in case....the chimneys need to have crowns installed on them. I'd hate to be the original home inspector on that one. Looks like he is in for a earful after the owner get's your one year bldrs warranty report.

Yes, they can be installed in either orientation since the electrical code does not state a preference. If we are going to be 'performance based' home inspectors then I think receptacles should be installed with the grounding slot up in a vertical installation and with the neutral slot up in a horizontal installation for the reasons mentioned by Scott P.

I use HomeGauge report writing system and they include a draw inspection template that has worked well for me. You should be able to view a sample at their site. I started doing draw inspections for a local bank recently and it seems like I've become their 'go to' guy in large part because of the HomeGauge draw template. A bank is looking to CYA on a draw inspection so the addition of pictures to the draw report is invaluable to them. Keep the report short, add photos, don't be shy in estimating degrees of completion and be prepared to tell the bank when a draw is not warranted. Good Luck! I'm not exactly highly seasoned in this field but I'd be happy to talk if you have any questions.

info on fpe panels and breakers can be found at http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/fpepanel.htm

I have performed thousands of 'inspections' for several insurance companies. I did these years ago and it was a good way to transition from contractor to inspector. We usually took a picture of the front of the home and any obvious big ticket defects. Then measured and rough-diagrammed the home to arrive at the square footage. Only homes that were over sixty years old or in excess of 3,000 sq. ft. required interior inspections. These were performed only for insurability and risk determination purposes. We were paid around 12 to 15 dollars each on the 'drive-bys'. On a day with good routing I could do twenty or more with no problem. My personal best was 45 inspections. The money wasn't great but it helped me see a lot of homes, get paid for it, and start thinking like an inspector. The main problems were poor routing, long distances, outdated rural addresses, dogs, etc. I'm still in contact with my old bosses and colleagues there. They are great people and have a large, multi-state territory. Email me directly if you want any more info. Good Luck!!

Jim Katen may be correct in his diagnosis but there may also be something more going on there. Accreted minerals and rust inside galvanized piping certainly does result in a loss of pressure and volume but it is typically consistent and not fluctuating when only one fixture is flowing. I ran into this for the first time in 2,000 plus inspections and I'm not sure what caused it. On the installation I saw there was no pressure tank or booster pump. Upon opening a tap water would flow well and then peter out to a glorified trickle after 20 or 30 seconds. I thought maybe an underground leak in the service pipe could be causing it or a partially closed buffalo box. I'd love to hear any other thoughts.

Circuit tracers are available at any home center. I bought one recently for around $30.00 Doesn't seem to much to spend in order to avoid all that radio and extension cord rigamarole.

Well Brian...When I use exam questions to prep my HI students I don't believe I'm doing anything unethical. Is that so different from what Mr. Gromyko is doing? Perhaps the solution is in a longer and more difficult state exam that is harder to prepare for through memorization. Thoughts?

Scored 94 and actually left one answer blank accidentally. Doesn't seem any harder than the original test posted on NACHI's website. How could a working home inspector fail this thing?

To all the home inspectors and visitors who expect a professional reply to your questions....check out pblg.com and visit their message boards. No smart ass comments from nitwits who think they're God's gift to HI.

Iceman....check out the Brick Institute of America website (BIA) for info on proper flashing and weep details. DO NOT caulk the lintels!!! Re-pitch the sills and make sure to use urethane caulk where the limestone sills meet the adjoining brick. Drop me a line if you need more info. I'm going way down south of the city to inspect a house for a friend next week and would be happy to look over your exterior masonry for free. Good Luck!

thanks for the reply blackjack; that makes sense and it's something that will make sense to my clients also. i don't think "kurt says it's ok" would be an acceptable response to a clients inevitable "why?"

Water Softener was opened and the salt and water were both clean. No 'stagnet' water found. For the fourth time, this was water sucked from the drain into the dishwasher and then back into the hot side of the water supply piping. I ran the kitchen sink water before starting the dishwasher and the water smelled and looked normal. Chlorinated city water sitting in a copper pipe is not going to go gray/black and smell like water from a grease trap! It will not stagnate or become stagnant. I am not about to drive forty-five minutes to see if the water is still clear the next day. God bless you if you would! I'm doing three to five jobs a day and don't have that luxury. Thanks for the cogent and enlightening reply.

Are brass pipe nipples between the copper water supply piping and the galvanized water heater tank an acceptable substitute for di-electric unions?

Mike...if you look back at the questions i posed they were two. One, how did the contamination occur. As you well know, understanding the mechanics and inner workings of all building systems and components is essential to what we do. No area of knowledge is extraneous. Cross contamination of the potable water supply system is a very serious defect and should be understood. Two, what would the correct course of action be considering that this is a condominium building with other residents sharing the same potable water piping system? I chose not to knock on other resident's doors to alert them of the possible contamination of their water supply. We all have a duty to report conditions that are immediately dangerous to the health and safety of the occupants of the buildings we inspect. If the mechanism of contamination is understood perhaps a more informed decision could be made regarding notification of building residents. Sabe??

did you read the post? I asked for an explanation for the way the drain water got into the potable supply side.

NO..it is not algae! The water system is chlorinated and I have done enough plumbing work to know that what I saw and smelled was kitchen drain water that had been sucked into the dishwasher interior and also into the hot side of the potable water supply system.

Thanks for the reply steve. i've smelled sulfurous odors from water heaters before but never the distinckt smell of trap/drain water. I think it got sucked into the potable side from the dishwasher but just can't see the path or pressure differences that could allow it.

here's my two pesos...when i was a fire investigator we would never state that we smelled gasoline. 'an odor resembling gasoline' or some such phrase would be used so that the defense attorneys could not tear us apart on the stand. Whenever i see something that looks like mold/mildew (which are synonyms btw) i feel it is more accurate to say 'a mold-like substance was noted in the attic' As we all know mold or mildew for that matter must be identified in a lab. As a general report writing principal we use language of certainty when we are certain and use somewhat more amorphous terms when we're not 100 per cent positive about something. I don't mind going out on a limb but I hate being proven wrong; especially by lawyers.

Greetings Brethren and Sisteren: A ten year old, three story, twelve unit condominium in a far south suburb of Chicago. Vacant for a two or three months; I primed the dishwasher so the pump wouldn't be spinning air, set it for a rinse/hold cycle and went about my business. A few minutes later I noticed that a sewage smell (like a kitchen drain) smell was being emitted from the vicinity of the dishwasher. Opened the door and voila!...stinky, gray water! Closed the door back up and continued the cycle; went to the bathroom hot water taps and out comes stinky gray/black water! Ohh boy! It's just me and the buyer at the inspection. I called the buyer's broker who I know personally, and ask him for the listing agents number to make an official notification. Unfortunately, my broker/buddy is drunk at the White Sox game and can't even tell me the listing brokerage. So I just ran all the hot water taps until they smelled okay and called my broker/buddy the next morning to reiterate the situation. Any ideas on how the cross contamination occurred? There was no air gap device of any kind, of course. But I just can't visualize the path of drain water back to supply water! What could I have done to avoid this? How many of you would have knocked on neighbor's doors to alert them? I anxiously await your feedback.

hi y'all....i'm using an inexpensive receptacle tester with a GFCI test button. Every time I plug my tester into a bedroom receptacle that is AFCI protected the AFCI breaker trips back at the panel. Anyone know what's going on and why? Thanks!

The brand of the ladder is 'Cosco' and it's sold at 'Costco' hence the confusion. I've used the 17' for the last few years and it's rock solid and inexpensive. I gave up on the Telesteps that I bought at Sears Hardware after I started having nightmares about it sliding shut while I was on the top and catching a precious part of my anatomy in it's jaws. For the last several months of use it was only locking in on one side. It got to be a little like climbing a big automobile antenna. The convenience factor of the telescoping ladder is undeniable and it's probably my next capital expenditure.

Jerry...Beverly is within the corporate limits of the city of Chicago. The realtors down there are a bit like the Gold Coast Witches but with cloth coats. Anyway, I recommend a telescopic (is that the right word?) inspection of the sub-surface drainage system in any home built before WWII or if I see suspicious dips in the lawn or humps in the basement slab or deteriorated clay tile drains in the catch basin or I'm not sure what else might jog my memory.

Sounds like the poster and responders are focused on the code requirements again instead of taking a broad, multi-disciplinary approach. The need for vertical space between the cooktop and the cabinet or micro/hood above it is based on more than just the mfr's req. or the code. How about the ability to stir a pot of spaghetti sauce when it's cooking on the back burner. I regularly see clearances of less than 18". Thoughts?