Paul MacLean

Donald, thanks for the info. I have only seen PEX in Austin a couple times, but I'll interested in the outcome.

The paint in the panel is another no-no.

Interesting information, but well beyond the "Scope of Inspection" for this non-technical guy! If I'm concerned enough to do this kind of testing, I'm going to refer it to an HVAC contractor.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml05/05162.html

I learned a long time ago to never tell a client how long you think the roof will last. If you say 3 to 5 years, all the client hears is 5 years. Then when the roof starts leaking in 4 years, the client calls swearing you said it was going to last 5 years. I simply tell them they are going to have to replace the roof "immediately", "in the near future" or "in the foreseeable future." The bad ones get the Walter Jowers tag line..."the sooner the better." Works for me.

For a long time I wrote up fireplace air vents that are higher than the firebox for the same reasons Jim mentioned. Down here I frequently see them vented through the side of the chase above the roof when the fireplace is on an interior wall and you can't easily run the vent directly outside. Then I finally found manufacturer's instructions that said it was OK to run the vent above the roof. Since then I quit hassling everyone and don't mention it anymore. Unless it's early in new construction, it's something that isn't going to get changed anyway.

Rosie's License No. says she been in business no more than a year or so. Her prices are typical of newbies in the Austin area. She hasn't learned yet that she needs to add a surcharge for older properties. An 1800 sq. ft. 2002 home inspects a lot easier than an 1800 Sq. ft. 1975 house, both on slab.

A little late, but I'll jump in here. Probably 8 years ago while doing a final inspection on new construction, I filled the whirlpool tub, started the pump and noticed the water level in the tub start to drop. Almost immediately a voice from the kitchen below hollers, "Y'all know you got water coming through the ceiling down here?" It seems that an AC tech happened to walk in at just the right moment. Since it was new construction, I never heard anything about it after I left the site. I frequently use this story when telling people why they need to have new construction inspected.

I'm not Donald, but here in Austin I see both 15amp and 20amp lighting circuits. It's not a code thing. I presume some electricians just prefer to stick with 12ga wire and 20amp breakers.

Reminds me of one I saw about a year ago. (Sorry no pics) Three year old house. In the subpanel the neutral cable was simply stuck in the neutral bus lug with no screw. The cable was loose as a goose. How they went three years without a problem I'll never know.

And sometimes, it's even provided! What I'm seeing more often than not is a tiny little hatch that provides access to the GFCI outlet that the pump is plugged into, but no motor/pump access. I regularly see whirlpool tubs that have no ready access under the tub. They put marble fronts on the tub that are fully caulked and sealed. The fronts can be removed, but that doesn't fit my definition of readily accessible without damaging surfaces.

Ditto everything above. I just want to add that you need to make sure the unbacked batts under the subfloor are adequately secured. I frequently see batts on the ground in crawl spaces. A well secured nylon net or the like should do the job.

I have never seen that ugly stuff in this climate. And I'm happy about it.

The company I worked for was out of Birmingham, AL. Maybe a southern thing?

Back in my window days, our catalog listed them as a "Spiral Sash Balance".

I've never seen anything like that. It sure doesn't look right to me and I would want a plumber bless it or make necessary repairs.

Chris, you met my wife at Inspection World. I like her like she is. I'm NOT going to suggest your solution. [:-crazy]The AFCI is gone now. The treadmill works fine.[:-party] And as you could tell from my physique, I could probably do without the ice cream maker! But you're a wild man on the dance floor![:-jump2][:-jump][:-jump2]

[:-bonc01][:-bonc01][:-bonc01] Given my experience w/ AFCI's to date, I don't think they are effective @ much of anything other than confusing me & my customers. If I understood the basis of Douglas' talk @ InspectionWorld, he thinks they're near worthless (paraphrased, he was much more articulate in his condemnation). If they were required to be retrofit into all Section 8 housing & old rental properties, I'd be championing them. Since they are only going into new construction, where outlets are already installed on every wall & within a few feet of each other, what's the point? They strike me as a perfect example of mfg. lobbying adversely effecting code adoption practices. I, too, sat in on Doug's presentation. After the meeting we talked a minute (I sent him my old FPE panels for training) and he thought the Austin code inspector was going overboard requiring the AFCIs in a replacement panel. I agreed. ...and I agree with everything Kurt says...errr...at least in this post. [^]

Chris, you met my wife at Inspection World. I like her like she is. I'm NOT going to suggest your solution. [:-crazy]The AFCI is gone now. The treadmill works fine.[:-party]

My tale of woe... About three months ago I replaced my old FPE panels with new Cutler Hammer panels. In the process the AHJ insisted that we put AFCI breakers on the bedroom circuits. Never mind that the 1977 house is wired with more than bedrooms on the circuit. Two months later my wife's Proform treadmill trips the new AFCI on the bedroom circuit. I reset the AFCI and it trips the breaker again. I plugged the treadmill into another circuit and it still didn't work. Long story short, the treadmill technician finds a bad controller with an obviously burnt capacitor or something. I think - "Great - the AFCI worked." Two weeks later the treadmill trips the AFCI again. The tech calls Proform and learns that their treadmills "are not compatible" with AFCIs or GFCIs. So I finally read the fine print in the Proform owner's manual it says they're "not compatible with GFCIs." AFCIs are not mentioned. Today I am replacing my new AFCI breakers with standard 20amp breakers...don't tell the AHJ.[%|]

Which is why I just write it up and don't try to fix anything.

All communication system wiring (i.e. telephone, cable, etc.) is excluded in my contract and I make it clear that I'm not inspecting this stuff. So no, I wouldn't mention it.

Ditto in the Austin area. I haven't seen a lot of it, but it doesn't surprise me any more.

OK. It was great having all of you in Austin and meeting many of you for the first time. Somehow I missed Kurt, although I saw him in Albuquerque last year. Austin is a great city and now maybe you'll excuse me if I boast a little. As we say...come visit anytime! [:-jump2]