It's a great day here in Orem, Utah! We have a lot to be thankful for. The inspection schedule is full and the daylight hours are long. It is interesting how each year at this time I start to feel animosity about my chosen profession. It seems that balancing the workflow is very difficult.
I have an inborn quality that does not allow me to let down anybody. This is a blessing, but it can also be a curse. I have an extremely difficult time telling perspective clients "NO!" They call at the last minute because they failed to plan the needed time for an inspection and I repeatedly find myself being sucked into their sob stories and adding one more inspection to the schedule. Looking back on the past couple of weeks is almost laughable. My inability to say "No" has robbed precious time from my family life for the sake of attempting to help others out of a bind...... It is so much easier when somebody else is manning the phone and I don't have to say that I'm too busy to help out.
This 21st century e-mail technology is quite a blessing, yet with a stroke of the wrong key it can also be a source of blunder resulting in hurt feelings by those that information was never intended for. This past week we had an issue on the AII™ Inspector Hotline where our past Chairman Brent Foster sent off a reply to an Association complaint e-mail. He hit the Respond To Sender icon thinking that the public e-mail that he was responding to would only be sent to the specific sender and not to the entire membership. Logically this makes sense, but when you deal with e-mail group list this is a major error. Because of the way an e-mail group is set up, the original sender is the group list e-mail address and not to the individual who originally authored the e-mail. Long story short..... Check the Addressee line before hitting the send button.
After Brent Foster sent off his e-mail response there came forth a barrage of e-mails that did not take into account that Brent's message was sent to the membership in error. The responses attacked the Association and the leadership. Out of the rage though came Scott Merritt's calming influence...... Kudos to Scott.
Hi Group; It's not my place to defend Brent, but maybe I can put a little perspective behind it. I may know him a little better than many of you, as I worked closely with him through 2000 when I served as President of the AII™ Association.
Clearly, Brent's message was not intended to appear on this forum. Not being as familiar with e-mailing as some others, he pushed the wrong button. It has happened to me. It has probably happened to you.
My e-mail gives me the choice to "Reply to the Sender and all recipients", and "Reply to Sender only". I think on this forum if I reply to sender only, my message gets routed to the entire forum list, anyway. My guess is that is what happened.
Brent is blunt and to the point. He doesn't mince words and he cuts to the chase right now. That is one of the characteristics I most admire about him, to tell you the truth.
He is also very loyal to those he has established a rapport with. Take for example, his flying out to Utah one weekend recently to help the Leavitts when they were in the most brutal time of Shelly's recent illness.
His e-mail was another example of that loyalty. Brent ran this Association for a good amount of time before we got Betty on board as Executive Director. He experienced the frustration of having to perform simple tasks or make simple communications more than once because a member(s) failed to read mail or check phone messages. He knows the degree of effort Betty has made in her job, and his blast was to let that member know that HE was out of place voicing his displeasure on this forum. Brent's defense of Betty makes sense to me. BUT HE PUSHED THE WRONG BUTTON!
I know Brent well enough to know that he would not publicly dress down another member of this Association.
Now, let's look at why this exchange took place at all.
First, let's remember that the Executive Director is Betty Buckley. When she posts a message on this forum - READ IT! (If you have time to compose a two page e-mail to explain why you don't have time to check your e-mails, who are you fooling?)
Second, RESPOND TO IT!
Third, if you have Association business to deal with regarding your membership, or complaints about how the office is being run, or suggestions on improving an aspect of same, do not use this forum to voice it. All of us do not need to know. Betty has an e-mail address: AII™@cdsnet.net. Please enter this address in your computer for easy reference.
Lastly, if an inappropriate message gets posted on this forum, instead of hitting your Reply button and firing off your own insult, assume a mistake was made. Call our current President, Bill Schwahn. 406-388-9890. Let him handle it. Have a Great Day! Scott Merritt
Then came the words from our current Chairman of AII™ Ron Cloyd.......
Dear Inspectors, It has already been very well said by Scott Merritt, but I feel that perhaps I should say something also.
For all inspectors - "It is alright to make mistakes, because if you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. The important thing to remember is not to repeat them!"
I saw this on the bulkhead (wall in navy language) when I was assigned to my first squadron. I later learned that this is very true. We all learn by our mistakes and then go on with life. If we're lucky we also learn by the mistakes of others.
On this forum we have the added benefit of learning from each other. So don't take these small comments and happenings so seriously. Learn from others and then share your knowledge with the rest of us.
A.I.I. and its members are the most valuable resource we have and we're very lucky to have such great teachers. So, for those of you contemplating not renewing your memberships I would suggest that it would be the largest mistake of your inspection careers. How are you going to keep up with our profession if you don't belong? Where else do you expect that all the help and advice might come to you in a time of need.
Please, don't let these small errors or slips of the tongue move you away from A.I.I. Learn from them and share your knowledge with others.
Learn to laugh at our shortcoming and help us with your knowledge by taking part in our organization. We are the best professional inspector's organization in the World!
Very Sincerely, Ron Cloyd Chairman of the Board of A.I.I. - 541.273.1901
Then came words from our President Elect, Jim Corbin....
Hi Everyone, The words of Scott, Bill and Ron are very true. I share the opinion that Scott stated in that I think a "Whoops" was made. In recent past, Betty (I think) did something similar and I know I have many times...I simply hit the "reply" key and off I go without considering I wanted the message to go to the individual.
Secondly, I also know Brent. He is one of the most dedicated inspectors. Yes, "to the point and blunt" ...he is that. I, for myself, appreciate that. You do not have to wonder where his opinion lies. He has led us through some shaky times and done an outstanding job and has never hesitated to help anyone on all fronts. He has extended "self" on all occasions I know of.
Thirdly, saying this...I also know, too painfully well, from my Engineering and military careers that the written word is just that; it is without feeling, intent, inflection, facial expression, smiles, chuckles, eye winks, gestures, etc. It is most difficult to express in words what one may state very well, and successfully in person. I believe a little latitude should be exercised when reading our messages and to believe that the best intent was intended, because we are all professionals. Sometimes a wrong button, a wrong key, misspelling, words left out, etc. occurs. If there is a concern, contact Bill or myself to gain clarification or voice your concern.
I would strongly encourage each to not limit membership in this great association by a message. We are more than that and are all working hard to be ever better. We all have so much to offer and we do that, frequently.
Good Inspecting to you all and see you at the November conference! Jim Corbin - Bow, WA
Then, lastly came the public apology from Brent Foster......
My humble apology to the hotline members for a e mail not intended to go to the members as it stated in my message. For those that do not know me, you could be offended, not my intent!!!! My vigilance is for this Association, the members and leadership. Like I have stated many times, I would not have succeeded if not for the American Institute of Inspectors....... My defense of this group of exceptional people will never waver, whether they made a mistake or not. My apology to the members. Brent B. Foster
I recently has the experience of explaining the workings of a water heater to an Inspector-in-training from Southern Utah. I explained the importance of a water heater's Temperature & Pressure Release valve (TPR) or Safety Release Valve (SRV) in the following way.
"Water heaters can sometimes malfunction and overheat. Without the benefit of a working SRV the unit becomes equal to its weight in dynamite and can explode. The resulting damage can level the home and take out half of each house on either side."
This explanation always draws the same disbelief whether it is from and Inspector-in-training or with a client on site during the inspection walkthrough. The thought that a water heater could explode and do any real damage is hard to fathom. This is especially hard to believe when you explain that it does not matter whether it is a gas or an electric unit. How could an electric unit ever heat up enough to explode?
So how often does this explosion event happen? The truth of the matter is that I could not find any database of water heater explosions. I do know that in the last 7 years I have heard of 3 water heater explosions as well as the completely non-related exploding dishwasher. I'm sure that there may have been more, but I just didn't ever learn of them. So to add to this list of SRV related explosions comes news from Washington State from this past week..... Special thanks to Jim Corbin for passing on the newstory.
In a town southeast of Seattle, named Burien, there once was a small hot water heater...
The attached story tells and shows what a small hot water tank under pressure can do to its surroundings. The pictures on the news broadcast were far better than the one in the article. They showed the remains of the tank in a parking lot some 460' away from its original installation. The tank appeared to be about 30 gallons capacity and was electric.
We've been told in our training of the danger of a hot water heater when it overheats and that the Safety Relief Valve (SRV) is installed to relieve the pressure at such a rate and volume so as to prevent the explosion of the tank. From my engineering background, I know this as I have done the calculations and I have also seen what was left of buildings in a plant from a pressure vessel explosion. A domestic hot water heater is a licensed ASME pressure vessel design. The photo in the article does not do just to what damage was done from this small unit.
The back wall of the business had a double cinder block wall design. The explosion blew a hole through it. The front door and window was blown into the front parking lot along with lots of glass and debris. The adjoining businesses were all but destroyed. The hot water tank went through the roof and landed 460 feet away from its original installation. Four people were hospitalized, but, luckily no one was killed.
This is a dramatic example to show our clients that is NOT "just a small hot water tank". It can be very destructive. It is a potential bomb if the proper safety valve is not installed, monitored, and the drain line is the proper manufacturers size and design (not plastic, not 1/2" diameter, not flex line, not with 8 elbows and 40' of line, etc). When clients talk about it being "just a hot water tank" I discuss these issues. It is very important to me to so advise my clients and to not waiver on the proper installation of the SRV system. Just imagine what a 75 gallon tank would have done!
I thought you might like to pass this article along in the MMM. If this file does not come out well, go to www.komotv.com and follow the prompts to news for this date. Have a good one Michael.
Jim Corbin Certified Home Inspection Service Bow, WA
You've got to take the time to watch the short video found at http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=12945 of the TV reporters story. The damage is pretty extensive.
July 28, 2001
By KOMO Staff & News Services
KING COUNTY - An exploding water heater shattered the fronts of three businesses in a shopping center and injured several people as it rocketed into a Pizza Hut parking lot about a block away.
Initial damage estimates were $750,000 to $1 million, said Bill Harm, King County assistant fire marshal.
Fire crews found four people dazed in the parking lot Friday, said Battalion Chief Doug Hudson. One, a 50-year-old Burien woman, was treated for second-degree burns to her right arm. She was in satisfactory condition Friday evening at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a nursing supervisor said.
The others were taken to Highline Hospital in Burien with minor injuries.
The explosion was apparently caused by the electric water heater at a video store in the plaza, Puget Sound Energy spokeswoman Dorothy Bracken said.
"The pressure relief valve had been capped, and the tank was partially drained of water," Hudson said. "It built up steam pressure. It was a steam explosion."
The thermostat on the water heater also may have malfunctioned, Harm said.
Harm didn't know whether the building housing the businesses would be repaired or demolished.
"It will be a few days before the insurance company and the contractor make that assessment," he said.
Bracken said the explosion damaged a gas meter and caused a leak, but the gas was not involved in the blast.
The water heater, a cylinder about the size of an oil drum, rocketed through the building's roof, over a Taco Bell restaurant and into a Pizza Hut parking lot 460 feet away, Hudson said. It did not strike anyone.
"Had there been more people in the business or anyone in the vehicles outside or had that water heater ... hit someone, we'd have a much more serious situation," Hudson said.
The building at 123 SW 152nd St. in Burien, about 10 miles south of Seattle, housed a Mexican restaurant, a video store and a grocery store. Glass and bricks rained on parked cars and blanketed the four-lane road next to the building.
Some concrete chunks landed more than a block away.
"The whole front of the Mexican restaurant, the video store and the grocery store blew out," said J.D. Burtis, who works at a recreational vehicle park across the street. "They're totally shot. All the windows and glass are gone. There's counters laying on the front door."
Nearby businesses were evacuated. Utility workers shut off gas at the building.
"The windows started shaking and then we heard a big boom. We looked out the window and all these police cars were around," said Rhodell Richardson, 15.
Jose Lopez, 45, of Burien, was just getting out of his car at an insurance firm next door when he heard what he thought was an earthquake.
"I opened my door and 'boom!' and it exploded," Lopez said. "People started running out full of dust."
A neighborhood chiropractor, Diane Visco, has set up a fund to help victims of the explosion, many of whom she said are low-income Mexican immigrants who send money back home.
Donations can be made to "Victims of Burien Explosion" at any Key Bank branch.
Here is another newspaper account that can be found at http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/33094_boom28.shtml
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Four hurt as water heater explodes
Steam-powered tank rockets out of Burien store and over 6 lanes of traffic
Saturday, July 28, 2001
By ELAINE PORTERFIELD, PAUL SHUKOVSKY AND LEWIS KAMB SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS
BURIEN -- Inside the Taqueria Zacatecas Mexican restaurant, Jorge Herrera was busy preparing meals when the walls suddenly blew apart.
A block away, at Burien Toyota, sales manager Bobby Lynn was holding his regular Friday morning sales meeting when the building began to shake.
And at the Carniceria Zacatecas butcher shop, Susana Randall was buying meat when she heard an explosion.
"There was glass, everything flying all over the place," Randall said. "I feel very lucky that I wasn't hurt."
And so it was yesterday morning, when a hot water heater exploded and blasted through the roof of Cuautla Video.
The steam-powered tank hurtled across the busy intersection at First Avenue South and South 152nd Street -- over at least six lanes of traffic -- before landing more than 439 feet away in the parking lot of a Pizza Hut.
The tank then tumbled another 25 feet before coming to rest.
Four people were injured in the blast. Three were treated and released from a local hospital, but one woman was admitted to Harborview Medical Center with second-degree burns to her arm.
The powerful blast occurred at 10:23 a.m. at Plaza Zacatecas -- a small strip mall that includes four Mexican American-run businesses: a video store, a butcher shop, a Mexican restaurant and a shop that sold clothing and other items.
Initially, the blast was thought to have been caused by natural gas, but an investigation quickly ruled that out. Authorities said a plumber had been in the building the day before the blast, and they were trying to determine whether the electric hot-water heater had been worked on.
"The pressure relief valve had been capped, and the tank was partially drained of water," said Doug Hudson, the battalion chief of King County Fire District 2. "It built up steam pressure. It was a steam explosion."
Water heaters are equipped with pressure-relief valves -- typically placed on the top of the heat. The valves are designed to open immediately to relieve pressure if steam builds up in the heaters.
Although rare, pressure explosions of water heaters do occur.
In 1993, for example, a 40-year-old water heater exploded in a home in South St. Paul, Minn. The 200-pound tank shot through a floor, ceiling and roof like a missile.
The explosion shot the heater 150 feet in the air. It destroyed the home, slightly injured two people and killed the family beagle.
Yesterday's explosion blew off the front of the video store and spewed shattered glass across the parking lot. It also blasted a hole through the cinder block wall making up the rear of the complex.
Other nearby businesses were evacuated, and utility workers shut off gas at the building, located across the street from Highline High School.
"It was pretty quiet, then all of a sudden there was this huge explosion," said Randall, the woman buying meat inside the butcher shop at the time of the blast.
Randall said another customer in the shop, a man she didn't know, suffered a cut on his head when he was hit by flying debris. A cashier in the butcher shop also suffered cuts, she said.
A woman who owned the video store suffered the worst injuries, witnesses said.
"She was covered with dust and had bad burns on her arm," Randall said.
The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where she was listed in stable condition.
Three others -- Monica Caro, 29; Juan Licona, 39; and Imelda Vyrra, 41 -- were taken to Highline Community Hospital, where they were all treated and released.
Yesterday afternoon, Caro was sitting in the hospital's waiting room, holding a bag of ice on her head.
She was working as a waitress inside the strip mall restaurant when the explosion ripped through the building.
Asked what hit her head, she shrugged and said, "I don't know, it was so fast. And I came out very, very fast. I was very, very scared."
Moments before the explosion, Vidal Cornejo drove up to the strip mall with his wife, Maria, and his two sons Issac, 4, and Abraham, 1.
Cornejo left his family in the car and went into the butcher shop to buy some meat when he suddenly found himself knocked to the floor as the store disintegrated around him.
"I jumped up and ran out," Cornejo said in a combination of Spanish and English.
Cornejo, who was uninjured, stood across the street yesterday afternoon, staring glumly at his red Nissan parked in front of the devastated strip mall.
Although the back end looked all right, the front of the car was hidden from view by rubble.
"My family is OK," Cornejo said. "My car, I am waiting."
John Bellamy, who works on the other side of the alley from the strip mall in a Speedy Auto Glass store, was getting ready to install a windshield when there was a "whoomph" sound followed immediately by intense pressure.
Blown to the floor, Bellamy "turned and saw everything flying at me."
He followed instructions perfectly when his manager, Bill Blazekovich, yelled for him to "get out of there, John."
The area where Bellamy had been standing was littered with shards of glass and chunks of concrete blasted from the strip mall wall.
Bellamy was shaken, but not injured.
One man said he heard the explosion in his apartment four blocks away.
Meanwhile, at Burien Toyota, Lynn, the sales manager holding yesterday's meeting, was amazed at his fast-moving crew.
"I've never seen 18 guys' butts come out of their chairs so fast," Lynn said.
Please include your name so that proper credit can be given.
Thanks Ron. I was just mulling over my escrow payment protocol and how I will deal with it in the future. Your article came at precisely the right time. Thanks again, great article. Peter Barten - Bay City, OR
I like your suggestions, Ron and Michael. I do not yet take credit cards. My inspection business is now almost 4 years old and I have 0, nada, zilch, zip, NO accounts receivables. I collect my fees at the review of my report at the end of the inspection, having told the client when scheduling that that is when I want to get paid. I charge an additional fee of $50.00 to run it through escrow. I also give a 5% discount if they pay me cash. That is what is called cash flow !!! Robert Fischbach - Sacramento, CA
I have a standard letter that clients sign if they elect to pay through an escrow company. The letter states that it is OK for the escrow company to release their (the client's) money to pay the inspection fee. I also charge a $25.00 fee for billing through escrow. Tom Walther - Vist, CA
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