Mike Lamb

I am replacing a 2 pole 30 amp breaker - if that is the right size - for this tank. Murray panels and breakers are discontinued. Need help as to what specific breaker should I get? This is beyond my expertise.

What would be an appropriate sized breaker for this WH?

Weak builder come back. If you remove all the carpet there is still a 1" difference. I agree and would write up as fall hazard.

There were two of these odd raised floor drains installed in a 1950s basement home. I assume water would run under the flange? And I suspect some kind of anti-flood. Anybody?

Thanks, Bill. Got to get me one.

100+ yr old multi unit. This was in the middle of the dining room floor. ??

I just looked at another website that had this orange Goliath clocked at 1974, so I guess never mind.

Is it possible that this boiler is from the 1970s? I went to a website that showed this exact boiler as being circa 1978. I would've guessed closer to the 1930s or 40s. https://garrettfuller.org/personal/kewanee/index.html

Sorry I did not get a better picture. Any guesses as to what is this thing I saw in the crawlspace? It was a brown bulb attached to a quarter inch water line with a corroded shutoff valve next to it. It looked old and not in use so I didn't think much about its function at the time, but now I'm curious.

Looks like a locking plug? What were those cables feeding?

Whitest Paint is the Coolest

I don't know what recent temps in Portland are, but whole house humidifiers attached to the furnace (if they have one) can be a horror for attic moisture.

How long should a good parge coat over brick last? Is it best to attach metal lath? Is there a recommended authoritative source for this application?

I am only familiar with the torch down method which should bleed at the seams as the asphalt melts. I once saw a careless roofer start his boot on fire.

What is this stuff? It was smeared next to all of the boiler zone valves.

I suppose you've done a lot of research on mold and mold testing. If so, you would've learned mold testing or sampling cannot determine the health effects of a person. What the EPA says about mold testing: “Standards or Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for airborne concentrations of mold, or mold spores, have not been set. Currently, there are no EPA regulations or standards for airborne mold contaminants.” Center for Disease Control: "There is always some mold around. Molds have been on the Earth for millions of years." “CDC does not recommend mold testing. The health effects of mold can be different for different people so you cannot rely on sampling and culturing to know if you or a member of your family might become sick.”

Bricklayer Love - Carl Sandburg I THOUGHT of killing myself because I am only a bricklayer and you a woman who loves the man who runs a drug store. I don’t care like I used to; I lay bricks straighter than I used to and I sing slower handling the trowel afternoons. When the sun is in my eyes and the ladders are shaky and the mortar boards go wrong, I think of you.

You probably know that there should be an ANSI date somewhere on the data plate. Add a couple years to that and you'll have a good idea of the manufactured date.

Thanks. I did see that in my search. It implies an underground feed. I'm not sure if it prohibits overhead. Now I'm looking at the title which states Minimum Requirements so I guess that would be my answer, or not.

I cannot find anything that prohibits overhead electric feed to residential detached garages. So I am checking here. My brother is looking to have a new garage built and the builder says the feed must be underground. Because of the landscape this would be tricky and expensive. He's in Chicago, and to the best of my knowledge, the city is using the 2017 NEC codebook.

B) Whether the reported deficiency should be corrected or monitored. I am not afraid to deviate from the SOP on this. I feel the spirit of the law is to inform and protect my client which is always my intention. And I have never used the words, "significantly deficient." Nobody I know talks like that. The words are creepy.

“low headroom, has inconsistent tread widths and riser heights, …” Around here, this sounds like a typical old house basement stairway, or stairs to a converted attic. As long as the stairs are not going to fall down, my most important concern is handrails. Installing handrails is never an option. “The stairs need a handrail. Have a carpenter install.” I would keep this separate from other remarks about the stairs which would include… "The stairway is a fall hazard because of this, this and this. Use with caution. Fixing this may not be practical and would be very expensive. Consult a carpenter."

My concern would be water absorption since SFB is like a sponge. Depending upon the time of year and weather conditions, I would assume a lot more water would gather behind the veneer. Some SFB is manufactured with a water repellent.

Is there a reference per code that gas appliances in garage closets should have a self-closing door hinge? Assuming appliances meet height restrictions, FVIR, etc.