holmer

Paul, I take your point. I made that comment tongue in cheek but I think you have a valid point there. Maybe she IS lighting all those candles at once. I guess I am naive about those things, it just seems so preposterous. Thanks,

Thanks for your input Mike Only the daughter sleeps in that room, but they did mention that the door is nearly always closed. The mildew spots are random, i.e. not on nail heads. The parents' room is right next to that room and the walls show no growth (high moisture with heavy condensation on the windows though). There were dozens of candles in the daughter's room and she seemed like the type to sit in there and burn them in her black room with gothic jewelry hanging all over the place. She did complain of headaches once the *mold* appeared (of course) but maybe she is just asphyxiating herself. I did explain to them the importance of getting the bathroom fan vented outdoors and improving the attic ventilation. I did not mention any of my thoughts about the young lady though! Thanks again,

Thanks Chuck, That will be helpful.

Hi All, Situation: Bathroom vent terminates in a poorly ventilated attic in a small one story home. The home owners complain of heavy condensation on all windows and on the chimney that is exposed all the way down. One bedroom has persistent mildew spots on the interior walls. None of these spots appear anywhere else in the home. I am certain that the condensation is a result of high relative humidity indoors. Question: Why does the mildew just appear in this one room? It is the only room painted ALL black, could it be something in the paint? Download Attachment: attic.jpg 45.26 KB Download Attachment: spots.jpg 35.32 KB Thanks,

Hi All, I know that this is not the correct way to ground a satellite dish (the line was bent around the service panel cover screw) but I was not able to tell my clients what the proper way is. Any thoughts? Thanks Download Attachment: Dishground.jpg 56.86 KB

I know that there is a lot going on in this picture but the subject in question is the chimney on the right. Download Attachment: Denisechimneyext1.jpg 41.93 KB Download Attachment: Denisechimneyext2.jpg 40.57 KB The next two photos are taken of the chimney viewed from the attic. The home was built around 1870 or so. Current owner has no idea when the modification was made. All the fireplaces below have been removed as well as the partition walls to make bigger rooms on both the first and second floor. Download Attachment: Denisechimneyattic3.jpg 36.99 KB Download Attachment: Denisechimneyattic4.jpg 68.17 KB Do any of you folks out there see this kind of thing very often?

I found these brown egdes on the sheet vinyl where it was cut around the heating duct. I am wondering if the hot air has caused this. This was the only place in the home where sheet vinyl was near a register so I can't compare it to any others. The home was built in 1991 and this was in a bathroom. Any thoughts? Thanks Download Attachment: Hiighead1.jpg 38.49 KB Download Attachment: Highhead2.jpg 35.58 KB

John, Come on out! This is a wonderful part of the state. Real estate does not move as fast as it does down there in the "other" Maine but you sure can't beat the quality of life here in Washington county. Where else can you hike for miles along the coast and not see another person? Who knows how long it will last though, about 40% of my inspections are for out of state folks as well.

Hi Eric, I can't offer any more than the other guys just did but I can suggest attending the AHSI Northern New England Chapter meetings that are held several times a year in southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire. I just attended the latest gathering this past Saturday in Eliot, Maine. It was a group home inspection and 25 of us looked at three different homes and compared notes. The new guys (of which I consider myself) teamed up with veterans and I learned bucket loads thus thus avoiding becoming a bucket head. Even though I have to drive at least 4 1/2 hours to these all day events it is well worth the time. Good Luck!

Thanks for your responses, you both have been very helpful! Eric

Hello all, I ran into this Square D electrical panel today. The door and dead panel are made of brittle plastic. I could not get the plastic screws into the correct position to remove the panel to expose the wiring. The breakers as viewed from the front were new to me and the whole set up looked as though it were a complete unit. I am wondering if any of you out there have had experience with this type of panel and are there any considerations I might pass on. (There are other electrical isssues with the home and I have recommended that an licensed electrician take a look at the home) Thanks, all your input is appreciated. Eric Download Attachment: SQd-breakers.jpg 15.92 KB Download Attachment: SQd-instructions.jpg 33.06 KB Download Attachment: SQd-panelcover.jpg 10.31 KB

Thanks for the information gentlemen. Those are helpful suggestions. Happy 4th!

Hi all, I got my website running about 6 months ago and the local outfit that helped me set it up submitted it to the "Search Engines Powers That Be" to be listed for a fee of $150. That was 6 months ago and so far the only place I can find myself is on the Yahoo! search engine. I figured 150 bones would do better than that. Yesterday I received an email from workmiracle.com They offered to list me with 300,000 search engines for $89. How do you know who is legit? I am wondering how DO you get your website listed? What works for you guys? Thanks

Sorry about the pic, I guess it really WAS hard to see. Better luck next time. >You did not mention what type of wiring system. Sorry the pic didn't post. Are there equipment grounding wires present at the circuits and are they run back to an equipment grounding terminal at the panel? Is it hard piped conduit where the conduit serves as the equipment grounding conductor? If they are tied to the neutral bar at the panel the system will appear as grounded which is where I think Mark was going with it. What do you see inside the panel? Does your tester identify bootleg or false grounds (the neutrals and equipment grounding conductors tied together at the outlets?) The Sure Test is the only one I am aware of that will identify this condition. Doug Hanson's book Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings is a tremendous resource in understanding the vagaries of what most of us hold to be the most difficult to understand system in the house.< As far as the panel goes, there is 12/2 and 14/2romex with grounds as well as flexible metal conduit, and that silvery sheathed wire going into it. Even two aluminum branch circuits that are corroding at the breaker connection. The neutrals and grounds are tied together at the panel as you mentioned. >What Mark & Crusty said. The grounding of receptacles is achieved by connecting them to the grounded (AKA "White" or "Neutral") service bus. The presence or absence of an earth ground has no effect on them. < Okay, I get it now.[:-bulb] >If you are using a 3 Light Night Light tester then you need to upgrade to a SureTest.< Time to upgrade once again. I will also order the Hansen book pronto, I have seen it mentioned a few times before and now its importance has finally sunk in. It seems that every panel I see has a new mystery and every electrician I speak to has their own way of making sense of it. This forum has the means of distilling it all to what is important for the home inspector. >I want to shorten the time from 10 years to something less.< I'm with you, Kurt. Its great to read what you guys have to say and I feel privaleged to be able to ask questions. This has been a big help in thinking about whats inside the box. thanks

Hi all, I inspected a 100+ year old home this morning with an overhead service that had the grounding conductor that comes out of the meter disconnected from the ground rod. The rod was nowhere in sight (maybe properly buried, maybe not there at all) but the grounding wire was hanging down with the acorn clamp still attached. All the "grounded" outlets tested correctly using a three prong tester. The plumbing was not bonded (the main water supply was plastic tubing) and there was no visible grounding wire coming from the Pushmatic electric panel. My question is why do the outlets show that they are grounded? Where should I be looking to find where the system is grounded. Or do I need to upgrade to a new way of testing? (I don't know if it makes any difference but the home is aluminum sided) As always, all assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks The picture is hard to see but behind the downspout is the wad of grounding conductor Download Attachment: Christina Frey 007 (Small).jpg 25.96 KB