Jim Katen

I'd vote for the middle and, of course, swinging outward. That way you can put shelves to either side of the entryway to store lots of stuff for easy access without having to walk all the way into the shed. 

Also, throw away any ionization smoke alarms and replace them with photoelectric ones. 

You can notch out the full depth of the rim joist. 

8" sounds large. The range hood manufacturer will specify the diameter of the duct. 

I've built a whole lot of stairways and *always* took into account the height of the intended floor coverings. That's part of stair building 101. If this is new construction and the floor coverings were known in advance, then the builder is a dope. 

On the other hand, after a stairway is built, lots of people like to change their minds and use different floor coverings . . . 

14 hours ago, Apollo Enthusiast said:

I have a 50 gallon 2010 apollo unit that works like a champ. After 12 years, it finally started leaking. The cheapest replacement I could find was a  $1350 Bradfordd White. I'm going to go ahead and replace it; the coils are in good shape and it keeps us toasty during the mild Virginia winters. Plus, I'm not quite ready to upgrade the rest of my HVAC system. My old A/C unit still uses R-22 and it kicks in the summer. 

I didn't see any posts about maintenance or if there's any special considerations when replacing the heater. I'd love to know how to flush the coils, and if there's any kind of priming procedure when I cut the water back on after piping everything up. I'd hate to burn up my pump.

If anyone can weigh in on these questions, that'd be super!

Thanks

 

-Al

I'm not aware of any special considerations or maintenance. There should be no need to flush the coils - they get flushed every time the system runs. If any mineral deposits are going to accumulate, they'll accumulate at the water heater side, not the furnace side. 

Oregon's law is similar to Louisiana's, but Oregon allows pretty much any change to the requirements if the licensed inspector and the client agree to the changes. So, in theory, we could do these with a special contract that outlined what would and would not be done. 

I think that Jocelyn's concerns are real but, like anything else we do, best handled by carefully managing expectations.  "I'll tell you about any problems that I see from a running horse as I gallop by." 

What do the insurers think? 

Did Krawl Gear go out of business? 

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/topic/5060-krawl-gear/

A quick Google search revealed this one: 

https://www.rsl.ca/Product/white-rodgers-standing-pilot-gas-valve-fast-open-1-2-x-1-2-24vac-ng-or-lp-36c03-258-eme

You should be able to go to any HVAC house and get one. 

I like those. Have one in my own house. 

6 hours ago, Trent Tarter said:

That's how they install them where I live. 

Not sure what you mean. 

If you mean that they install them inside the panel enclosure where you live, then it's wrong. Doesn't matter if that's "how they do it." The manufacturer requires them to be outside the enclosure. 

You wrote it up right. 

On 3/21/2022 at 1:36 AM, williamnoah2022 said:

Hello people, I am new to this conversation. I truly need to accept that I will get some direction here.

Sure. 

Go to hell. 

Does it actually connect to the chimney? 

What's under it? 

I've seen people plumb kitchen ceiling exhaust fans into chimneys, wrongheaded as that is. 

Sorry, how does this apply to the age? 

What they've got there is an expensive tarp. It's time to hire a real roofer. 

On 3/18/2022 at 4:12 AM, Jerry Simon said:

Had them out yesterday; not them.  

Bled heater; nothing visible, though did fill white tub up again last night using hot water; full of sand/silt again.  Nothing cold side.

Aren't water heater's lined so when they corrode, corrosion isn't introduce into water?

It's totally normal for water heaters to accumulate debris at the bottom of their tanks. The debris looks a lot like sand. I wash out my water heater every few years and end up with a few cups of the stuff each time. The real question is how it's getting from the bottom of your tank all the way up to the top of the tank and into the distribution pipes. That's not normal. 

Is there any reason to believe that it's *not* from 1984? 

The zip code, alone, puts it after 1963. 

Looks like a watercolor painting. 

I've never taken one, but Richard Weldon (with Carson Dunlop) has been teaching one for years that's well regarded. If I remember correctly, it centers around the ASTM E2018 standard. Others have told me that it's not really a class about how to inspect commercial buildings, but more a class about how to run a business that inspects commercial buildings. 

I've made absolutely no effort to attract this kind of business, but, oddly, I get a fair number of calls for it. Commercial (as opposed to multifamily residential) inspections are a nice change of pace. The parties are generally pros and have very little emotional investment in the transaction. 

Anyone know if those coils were connected in series or parallel? 

I could convert that into a wicked smoker. 

About once a week.

On 1/29/2022 at 8:21 AM, raffivegas said:

hey gang, apologies for bring this thread back from the dead, I have this lever on the side of my gas fireplace as well.  I also have a much larger lever at the top of the fireplace to open the flute.  Wanted to know what position I should have the "outside air control" valve set to (the little lever on the side, not the flute), open or closed, when I have a fire going.  Reading what Joe wrote, seems I should have it open, but not sure, the posts are kind of confusing me.  Thanks.

The word is "flue" not "flute." 

Both the outside air control and the damper should be open while a fire is burning. You may close both of them when there's no fire, but you don't have to. If you leave them open, you'll just lose heated air up the flue and get a draft from the combustion air opening. 

Exactly. Someone installed a lav spout on a tub. 

On 1/24/2022 at 11:25 AM, Scott Malkinson said:

Doesn't the mismatched  panel/breaker combination issue render the CTL issue a moot point?  Are there differing degrees of wrong?

I think it's the other way around. A shattered breaker renders the mismatched brand a moot point. A shattered breaker is a whole 'nuther level of wrong.