Jim Katen

Sorry Jim and all.

Senior moment. Thought I was commenting on a rubber fitting not a coupling. Shit, it a good thing I'm retired.

Once again, "oops".

Tom Corrigan

Well, if it's any consolation, I was expecting you to come up with a slick reason as to why it was actually a fitting. . . .

Fernco fittings are UPC approved and marked as such for use on drainage systems, are not made of rubber but elastomeric polyvinylchloride, and meet the ASTM standard C564 (https://www.fernco.com/sites/default/fi ... mittal.pdf) as called for in the 2012 IRC section P3003.6.3.

However, make sure to look for the UPC code on the label, there are some imitations showing up that are not approved.

The workmanship of the installation is another question though.

Section P3003.6.3 deals with couplings. The op was asking about the "elbow fitting".

Fitting material must comply with Table P3002.3.

Am I reading the wrong?

Tom Corrigan

Aren't the things in the picture couplings?

For everyone who thinks that the use of Fernco couplings here is wrong: How else would you transition from the copper pipes to the PVC pipes?

The outer wall is broken, the inner liner might be as well. Someone should replace it.

They're allowed in my area. We're on the UPC and 705.1.6 seems to say that they're allowed.

The only question I'd have is whether or not attaching it to the hub of the elbow is appropriate. Honestly, though, if I saw that during an inspection and it wasn't leaking and it looked and felt secure, I'd just keep going without even making a note.

I thought it's composition roll, but it's on a residential over living area and the lines look to clean to be overlap.

I don't think it's mod bit.

Is it rubber?

What makes you think it's not mod bit? It looks just like it in the picture.

I assume clunking from the tank is another sign of a broken dip tube or sacrificial anode.

Dip tubes and anodes don't make any noise. The clunking happens when minerals build up in the tank and form scale. The scale holds small pockets of water at the bottom of the tank where they heat up really fast and actually boil. You're hearing the water turn into bubbles of steam.

Example.

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And a better way is...?

An HVAC thermometer. Attach it to a small spring clamp. Let the water run while you do other stuff and glance at it every now and then. Not only will this allow you to see the peak temperature, but you will also see the temperature curve - making is really easy to spot broken dip tubes.

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. . .

And ... on it goes.

FPE panels need to be replaced ... period!!

No argument from me. But citing made-up numbers doesn't help the argument, it weakens the argument.

This is the hottest I have ever measured tap water. 152 F.

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That's a really inaccurate way to measure water temperature.

i believe that's a direct citation from

inspectapedia.com/fpe/FPE-Hazards-111202_small.pdf

"Estimating Fire Losses Associated With Circuit Breaker Malfunction", J.Aronstein and R. Lowry, Transactions of the 2011 IEEE Electrical Safety Workshop, Toronto

(Note: Due to conference rules that prohibit identification of brand names, the FPE Stab-Lok ? breakers are identified as "Brand X" in the published paper.)

Got it. Thanks. It's basically a made-up number based on inference. The authors admit that it's not accurate but it's in "the right magnitude."

I'd love to see the source for the following claim:

"An estimated 2,800 fires each year directly result from Federal Pacific panel breaker malfunction."

The wood mantels look nice.

The rest (on both the model and your house) look typical for modern tract home construction. Lick & stick stone done by someone with absolutely no eye for design. I doubt that the installer even laid out the stones beforehand let alone spent any time considering what would go where.

You have little, if any, recourse. There just aren't any codes that govern this stuff. About the only thing that you could say is that it doesn't look like the model. (Not that that's such a lofty standard.)

The contractor is unlikely to budge.

There's nothing technically wrong with it. It's just a design choice. Kind of like having 4 different kinds of siding on one side of a small house. . .

What are you offering in return?

Of course, you should go with Company B. They're the better communicators.

The long block wall shrank after it was placed. The massive concrete patio slab prevented the corner from moving with the shrinkage, so it cracked at the corner. I'd patch it with mortar, mostly to reveal any future movement, which I doubt will happen.

Are there any written standards as to how big a header flashing should be at a wall to roof detail?

I think that the correct term is apron flashing or base flashing. Certainteed requires a minimum 2" vertical leg and a 3" or 4" horizontal leg, depending on the location.

I'll gladly let you be my editor, Jim, but you have to do it "pro bono", and you have to do it in no time.

Eh? Pro what? I couldn't hear you. Can't quite make out what you're saying. Damn hearing aids. Oh, well, nevermind. . . .

Perhaps the client will understand this, due to its brevity.

"The damn thing is broke. Have it fixed."

Do you mean to say that the thing has run out of money?

The NEC allows it.

The NCCS* prohibits it under section 1-800-dumbass.

*National Code of Common Sense

So, having the post up the driveway for the main breaker doesn't make the house like a separate building that needs its own 6 or less breaker deal?

Sorry. You're correct. It needs 6 or fewer disconnects.

Guilty as charged, I searched three reports and found five uses, but all of which, I think pass muster. The best thing about the phrase is its brevity.

Distribution of receptacles was not easy to tell due to the large amount of furniture and personal belongs in the rooms.

I did not operate the cooling side due to ambient temperature.

My crawl traverse found some damaged insulation. Much of duct length did not or only barely cleared ground, due to height limits in crawl.

Some joists look original, some are newer due to repairs through time.

Some decking on both sides of the chimney column is rotted due to flashing leaks.

All are wrong. Simple rule: if you can substitute "because of" then "due to" is wrong.

Except that "due to" is shorter, so in my book it wins.

If your goal is shorter, then you've been pinching pennies while wasting dollars. Consider:

Distribution of receptacles was not easy to tell due to the large amount of furniture and personal belongs in the rooms.

* Furniture and personal belongings limited access to the receptacles.

I did not operate the cooling side due to ambient temperature.

* It's too cold out to run the air conditioner.

My crawl traverse found some damaged insulation. Much of duct length did not or only barely cleared ground, due to height limits in crawl.

* Some of the crawlspace insulation is damaged. Low clearance forces the ducts to touch the ground.

Some joists look original, some are newer due to repairs through time.

* Some joists are original while others are newer.

Some decking on both sides of the chimney column is rotted due to flashing leaks.

* Flashing leaks have rotted the decking around the chimney.

Using good grammar *does not* mean sounding like an academic. Quite the opposite, especially if you limit passive voice.

Thanks everyone. More than 6 breakers at the garage sub, too.

Not an issue in a sub panel.

That will all be brought to modern standards when that rotten contaminated equipment is replaced.

That would be my call anyway.

Mine as well. Big time.

They separate at the garage. So, cant clear a ground fault that way?

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Right. At least I think so. 250.32 B (exception 3) says that installation shouldn't have any GFCI devices in the garage.

Marc

Actually, that's talking about ground fault protection of equipment (GFPE), which is almost certainly not going to be present in this garage. It's fine to have GFCIs in there.

Ground faults aren't going to be cleared because there's no low impedance path back to the neutral.