Jim Katen

Will you still be glad that you shopped around when you someday have a claim that they refuse to cover? 

11 hours ago, SmithEnt said:

I'm new to this industry. I was required to buy E&O and therefore did some research on it. I really shopped around because I have a tight budget as I'm just starting out. I found this company called Errors and Omissions Online to be the cheapest. Glad I shopped around.

Are you related to "Errors and Omissions Online" ???

I only ask because you have only ever made two posts to this forum and both praise the virtues of that company. 

12 hours ago, Mike Lamb said:

Is this type of residential surface wiring okay per the NEC?

Very much so. You can read all about it in Article 386, "Surface Nonmetallic Raceways." 

The most common one that I see is LeGrand's "Wiremold." I just finished installing some of their related "plugmold" strips in my kitchen. Pain in the ass to work with. 

5 hours ago, Angie said:

We have a home for sale in North Carolina and had an inspection today (this is our second offer).  The inspector that came out the first time scared off our buyers and he was hired again for the new buyers.  He told them he would "save them money" because our house has too many issues and would not complete the inspection today.  Is this legal? Any advice?

Maybe your house is a dump? 

If you call the inspector and ask nicely, maybe he'll tell you what the big issue is. 

Alternatively, you could hire another inspector to tell you what's up. 

So that I understand: 

• This house was once heated with a gas furnace and ducts that were in the attic and provided air to the rooms through registers in the ceiling. 
• The gas was capped, the furnace removed, the ducts disconnected and the registers patched with blocks of insulation (what kind?).
• The bathroom's have no exhaust fans. 

If this is all true, no wonder they have mold in the attic. 

7 hours ago, Mycakers said:

The HI verbally told my FIL that there is evidence of black mold in the attic and garage but, "I wouldn't worry about it.  It's not that bad."  He never noted it in his report. 

So, that was a huge mistake on the inspector's part, but probably not for the reason that you're thinking. The inspector should have looked at the presence of mold as a *symptom* of a moisture problem and he should have addressed that problem in his report, with strong advice about how to reduce moisture levels in the attic. After moisture is totally under control, then it might be appropriate to address the mold - maybe. 

Remember that no matter how much you treat the mold, it'll just come back if you don't fix the problem that caused it in the first place. And if you truly fix the problem, the mold will stop growing anyway. Removing old, dead mold might be a good idea, but it shouldn't be the priority. 

2 hours ago, Mycakers said:

So, because of the poor insulation I have interior heat coming into my attic and garage.  Am I wrong to think that the sudden rush of freezing air into my attic is not accelerating the process?

It's probably not the culprit. The mold forms when the wood gets damp and stays damp for a long time. Occasional inrushes of cold outdoor air would probably help to ventilate the space and reduce moisture levels up there.

The worst attic mold problems I see occur in poorly ventilated attics where a moisture source - often poorly vented bathroom exhaust fans, direct warm moist air into the attic. Once in the attic, the water vapor in the air condenses on the coldest surfaces in the attic: usually the underside of the north-facing roof planes. The missing wall was almost certainly not the problem. 

2 minutes ago, Bill Kibbel said:

I think folks that take baths might like to sit back and relax.  It's probably more comfortable ifn all the protruding bits are at one end.

I didn't consider that. Since becoming an adult, I've never sat in a bathtub. 

Thanks. This was in the '90s and the agency has changed ownership twice since then. None of the same people are working there. 

Interesting. Is it a problem? If so, why?

It should enable you to pass the exam, but more importantly, it should show up areas where you're weak and need to focus your energy on further training. 

Just to be clear, it's not only AHIT. I suspect that they're as good as anything else out there. 

I don't see any problems with it other than deterioration of the equipment. In my climate, those things deteriorate relatively quickly. I imagine it'll be the same in your climate - maybe worse. 

That's what I call and "are we there yet?" stairway. They always make me feel like I'm walking up the "down" escalator. 

When I was coming up, I learned two basic rules about stair geometry: 

1. If at all possible, make the rises 7" and the treads 11". 
2. If that's not possible, make them fit these parameters: 
   1. 2 rises + 1 tread = 24" - 25"
   2. 1 rise + 1 tread = 17" - 18"
   3. 1 rise x 1 tread = 70" - 77"

 BTW, we also used 7/11 for door hinges - 7" from the top and 11" from the bottom. 

Thanks, Stephanie. 

Many years ago, my tool bag was stolen and my inland marine coverage covered the loss. Several months later, I discovered some of the items in a pawn shop, where, after a brief discussion with the proprietor, they were returned to me. I called my insurance agent to ask what to do, and she told me, basically, to hang up the phone and never mention it again. 

Just out of curiosity, what is the *proper* course of action in such a situation? 

Eagerly waiting to correct misinformation that you get from AHIT. . . 

They say the voice mail skills are the first to go. 

Ahh. Sarcasm. 

I'm not trying to troubleshoot it. I'm trying to understand it. 

The outdoor temperature was in the mid to high 60s and the fresh air intake was closed. 

Yes, it makes no sense. If it made sense, I wouldn't have posted it. 

So your best guess is concealed debris in the evap coil, slowing the flow of air? 

I can certainly understand how that would make the air much colder, but, damn, this thing was blowing air like crazy. If I held a basset hound over it, his ears would be flapping backwards over his head. 

2 hours ago, Marc said:

Somethings wrong.  Unless the blower is on low speed, I'd start with concealed debris in the evap coil or low refrigerant charge.  If there's a TVX, and I suspect there would be one on account of the multi-speed blower, that could do that also.

Well, there's no doubt about something being wrong. I'm just wondering what because I've never seen such a great temperature differential. I had a good view of the evap coil, which looked fine, but I couldn't see the condenser coil. It it's plugged up, that might do it. The metering device might be shot, I agree. How would a low charge cause excessive cooling? 

2 hours ago, Bill Kibbel said:

PTAC unit - you inspecting a motel?

Apartment converted to a condo. 

We use PTACs in lots of apartments here. 

It's a PTAC unit - through the wall. No ducts. The blower seemed fine and the filter seemed clean. 

The differential was 39 degrees. (Intake 67 degrees supply 28 degrees). 

This 1971 PTAC unit had supply air at 67-degrees dry bulb and 56-degrees wet bulb. It produced 28-degree supply air. (I would have expected it to be in the 48-degree range.) The filter was clean. 

All I can think of is a dirty condenser coil or a problem with the metering device. 

Any other ideas? If I had left a glass of water on the unit, it would have frozen solid.