It's a great day here in Orem, Utah! What do you think of this hot new Texas version of the ever popular water skiing??? Nothing like having a double wake to negotiate.
Last week was a long one and this coming week is already booked, with the exception of one time slot. This makes it difficult to deal with the large number of potential clients whose agents have not negotiated a big enough inspection window to allow for me to work them into the schedule.
I had an agent call me on Friday. First off I was a little miffed that this agent did not register online. Instead, it took her 20 minutes to tell me everything about this home. I even told her in the beginning of the conversation that my next opening was the following Thursday. This clueless wonder continued to give me the details and all of the contact names.
Then out of the blue she says..... "We need the report in hand by Monday the 13th at 5:00 PM." You should have heard me laugh with disgust. It was about 3 PM Friday afternoon and she needed the report in hand on the following business day in the middle of the busiest month of the year. I kindly pointed out that she should consider calling around and if she wanted to change her contract I would love to do this inspection for the buyers. She then said..... "I guess I should have told you the tight time frame right up front." Well DUUHHH. I was miffed because she wasted 20 precious minutes of my life.
I have been fielding several of these types of calls lately and I have come to the conclusion that this is a major red flag in most cases. The agents are unorganized and the houses are generally the "Non-Preferred" type. You know the type that I mean..... They are run into the ground piece of junks that have every reportable condition known to man. I am considering a new fee schedule that will allow buyers to schedule on line with a 4 business day scheduling notice. Those that are rushed within a 3-day schedule will pay more for their lack of planning. This may seem harsh, but I am looking at it as another way to weed out those potential trouble clients.
Speaking of trouble clients......
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This past week I was once again encouraged to try out a software editing program from Firehand. You can find information at www.Firehand.com. The program is called Ember and it is designed specifically to work with digital photos. As many of you know, I have been a long time Adobe Photo Deluxe Business Edition software user and I have always been a little frustrated when working with digital pictures. Adobe's software is a lite version of their more powerful Adobe Photoshop which is an industry standard for photo manipulation. Both of these programs, however, are designed for the advanced user who really wants to do some fantastic improvements to the image. Both do too much for the Home Inspector, yet they do not do other things that Inspectors really need to do.
NOTE: If you want to manipulate the photos to include a water skier being pulled behind a jet fighter then you will need Photoshop. Otherwise, I recommend that you read onward.
Firehand Ember is a great specialty photo editing program that runs $49.95. It allows you to quickly open the photo, resize the image, crop, and most importantly change the file size of the image. Then to top it all off you can even easily draw colored arrows and place text onto the image while easily resaving the image as a jpeg file.
Here's what the website touts:......... www.Firehand.com
OPENING THE FILE - I was impressed with the quickness of opening a file with Firehand. When you open the folder with the images they quickly show up as thumbnails to make the photo selection process very easy. Those of you with digital cameras are aware of the frustration of the file naming of the photos. Straight out of the camera they are just numbered sequentially. Once you select the photo you simply double click and it opens immediately. This allows for quick access to modify the photo.
RESIZING IMAGE - Firehand's Ember program allows you to reduce the size of the photo as well as the quality of the photo. By reducing either the size or the quality you can reduce the size of the file to be transported over the internet. For example, with my Sony Cybershot 3.1 million resolution the size of one photo at that high resolution setting is about 3 megs in size. This means that if I were to send it over the internet to you and you were on a dial-up modem it might take you 10 minutes to download the file. The picture would also be crystal clear at 11"x14" in size.
For my inspection photos I use the 640x480 photo setting which by today's standards is very low. This allows for a great 4x6" photo and is about 62 kilobytes (It takes 1,000 kilobytes to equal 1 meg). This size is more than adequate for any internet transfer. With Firehand Ember you can take that same photo and easily shrink the size of the photo and then you get the opportunity to save the file. At the Best resolution all of the pixels remain. Another option is to choose a lower setting and this allows the computer to drop out some of the pixels, thus reducing the file size. If you drop out too many of them, then the photo starts to look grainy and unclear.
CROPPING PHOTO - I have always been known as a cropper. I disdain uncropped photos that leave a lot of the things in the photo that don't help convey the message. On my first page of the 3D Inspection System reports I always crop the house photo to a much more rectangular shape. It seems that almost every house is much wider than it is tall. An uncropped house photo leaves you with a lot of street and blue sky. Firehand's ability to quickly open and crop makes it a necessity for my inspection business. It is much quicker than doing the same thing in Adobe Photo Deluxe.
DIAGRAMING ON IMAGE - Another great feature is the ability to apply colored arrows and colored text right upon photos. I previously have used Microsoft Word to diagram on photos. This involved importing the picture and then using a great set of Microsoft tools to diagram. This is also the drawback of the Microsoft picture because when you are all done you have a graphic that has been diagramed and is still in Microsoft Word format. You cannot easily import this Microsoft Word file into other programs. But the suite of tools in Microsoft Word are unmatched in any other program that I have encountered.
The Firehand Ember program does not have a full suite of diagraming tools like Microsoft, yet it does allow you to easily place colored arrows and colored text. The program saves this as a jpeg file type and this makes it very easy to import the picture into other programs like 3D Inspection software.
NOTE: I purchased the Ember program as well as two file extension programs. My total was $69.95 and I highly recommend the purchase.
Driven rain will enter the attic and light up the electrical as well. Would be thiefs can just remove the fan and have easy access to the home from the attic access. Most neighbors would think nothing of someone entering, just probably a handy man. Looks like a good size opening at the top for birds and bats. Chris Burkhart - Sandy, Utah
Weather, bungee cord failure, rain on an unprotected fan motor, a unit not properly protected electrically for exterior use...to name a couple. Was this an attic or living space? Jim Corbin - Bow, WA
No damper to prevent rain from entering attic space. Areas around fan are not sealed. Owner should remove fan and motor, go to local sheet metal shop, have new housing constructed to fit opening, add damper system, hard wire the motor to a thermostat. Make sure fan opening is covered with 1/4 inch mesh screen. Cost $300-400 dollars, plus labor. Oh? You say you can purchase one ready for installation at Lowe's or Home Depot? Cost is less than $100.00 plus installation-What will they think of next!! John Rebenstorff
In this electric themed issue of the MMM I feel it important to revisit the family experience of Ron Cloyd with GFCI's.
I had a new house built in 1976 after retiring from the Navy. The electrician was installing a type circuit breaker (GFCI) that I had never seen before, so being a curious person I asked about it and he educated me. Several months later I came home from work to find my wife Kathy giving Scott and Jeff (5 & 4 years old) their baths. Actually they were bathing and Kathy was plucking her eyebrow with the scissor type pluckers in front of the mirror. You know the kind with an aluminum rivet as the pivot point? I sat down in the newer renovated family room/garage and was watching the evening news.
Just behind me on the wall and now behind a picture was the electrical service panel. I heard a clicking noise and instantly knew what had just happened. I ran from the room, about 20 steps to the boy's bathroom trying to figure out how to give CPR to two kids at the same time. I figured I could get Kathy on the way by the phone (the reason she left the bathroom in the first place, just as the boys were getting out of the tub onto the vinyl flooring). She could learn CPR while I did it on one of the boys and do the same thing to our other son. (Kind of a funny thing, I had completed CPR training the week before!) I came through open the door and to my very great relief were two standing boys, their hair was standing straight up in the air (REALLY). Their eyes were as big as saucers, and they were white as ghosts. Interestingly, they were also very quiet. Our sons were unharmed except for the melted aluminum pop rivet that dripped on to Jeff's arm and burnt him. Jeff, the youngest, was very mad, but was very quiet at that moment (He has refused to take baths or even be in the bathroom with his brother from that moment onward). Long story short, the GFCI's work (If properly wired). You know it only takes about .015 to .025 of one amp to kill a person. The GFCI detects the short/ground and trips the circuit breaker/GFCI outlet before it gets to about .005 of one amp, called 5 milli amps. Our boys are both successful engineers today. They both remember the electrifying day like it was yesterday. Neither one of them opted for the electrical engineering field. Instead, one opted for mechanical engineering as a practicing civil engineer and our other son is a structural engineer. So what happened in the bathroom that day?...... I guess you would like to know just a little more information? Scott, the oldest, took his Mom's pluckers and being a very smart little boy, saw that they would fit nicely into the outlet in the wall. They were both standing naked, dripping wet in a pool of water on the vinyl floor. For some reason he inserted them into the receptacle and the GFCI protection saved their lives. The pluckers however, were no longer usable. The ends of the pluckers were burnt off. The rivet was non-existent. The boys had failed their first lesson on electricity and still lived to talk about it. We actually did discuss what had happened. They both agreed that this would never happen again. Boys being boys, they did find other challenges in their lives. Some of the challenges I would prefer never to know about. I would suggest that all inspectors use this story to educate your clients about the importance of GFCI's. For less than $10 this relatively easy safety upgrade can save the lives of your clients.
GFCI TESTING ADVICE... I DON'T RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE TEST A GFCI BY STANDING NAKED ON THE VINYL FLOOR, DRIPPING WET AND STICKING AN EYELASH PLUCKER INTO THE RECEPTACLE! Instead, you should use the electrical tester to test the polarity. Then press the Test and Reset buttons on the receptacle. I do not endorse using the GFCI test button on the electrical tester unless you want to buy a freezer full of beef (another experiential story).
Name, City & State: Please include your name or else I don't know who it is from.
I went to a meeting with a group of Home Inspectors this past week and I was amazed that most were unaware of the upcoming building requirement for AFCI's. Most had no idea what the acronym AFCI stood for. I went back through the MMM archives and found information from August 1999 on AFCI's. Let's revisit the topic.
The new buzz word in the electrical world is the AFCI. You are all familiar with the GFCI, well add the AFCI to your vocabulary of electrical terms. AFCI - Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter is a new circuit designed to trip when there are faulty electrical connections. They were approved in the 1999 National Electrical Codes, but won't go into affect until 2002. The product is available now from Square D, but the powers that be felt that a 3-year delay was in order so that all of the electrical suppliers could come up to speed and work out any glitches. From what I have been able to learn they will be required on all 15 and 20 amp circuits powering bedroom outlets. I found this article from the Gadget Guru at http://www.gadgetguy.com/AX001275.HTML.
Is your home protected against electrical fires? According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), high temperature electrical discharges known as arcs are a leading cause of electrical fires in the home.
A new technology, called an arc fault circuit interrupter (Square D introduced Arc-D-tect), was introduced at the National Home Builders Association Show in Dallas last week. The 1999 National Electrical Code will require arc fault protection for the circuits supplying receptacle outlets in the bedrooms of all new homes by 2002. This is the first major advance in home electrical system protection since the ground fault circuit interrupter was introduced in the late 1960's.
Aging electrical wires, loose connections, faulty equipment cords or the breakdown of insulation material protecting wiring can cause arcs. Even nailing a picture to a wall can punch a hole in electrical wires, causing arcs. The possibility of arcing grows as a home's electrical system ages and deteriorates.
Most homes have a load center with circuit breakers to protect against electrical overloads or short circuits in the wiring. When there's a short circuit or overload, the circuit breaker detects it and stops the flow of electricity so wire insulation won't melt or catch fire.
However, arcing occurs at levels lower than conventional circuit breakers or fuses are designed to detect. This means that sporadic arcs can go undetected for extended periods. Over time, heat from arcs, which sometimes exceed 5000 degrees Celsius, degrades wire insulation. Eventually the insulation or other nearby materials can catch fire.
Arc fault circuit interrupters fit into a home's existing load center and should be installed by a licensed electrician. For more information about arcs and arc fault protection, call your local electrician or contact Square D at 1-800-392-8781. The Gadget Guru
Next, I was able to sort through the immense amount of information on the Square D website. They seem to be leading the way with this new safety product. I found a good product description at: http://www.squared.com
The Arc-D-TectTM arc fault circuit interrupter deenergizes the arced circuit upon detection.
Arc-D-Tect's basic application is protection of 15A and 20A branch circuits in single and multi-family residential occupancies. The Square D Arc-D-Tect Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) provides protection from effects of arc faults by recognizing characteristic unique to arcing, and then deenergizing the circuit upon detection of an arc fault. Its basic application is protection of 15A and 20A branch circuits in single and multi-family residential occupancies.
More than 40,000 fires annually are attributed to electrical causes in fixed distribution systems. Electrical appliances, extension cords and heating and cooking equipment cause more than 100,000 fires, typically started by overheating from current flow or electric arcs in damaged or mishandled equipment. Here is where the Arc-D-Tect provides protection -- it directly targets arcing occurrences within the fixed wiring and connections of the distribution system through extension and appliance cords when damage or improper installation occurs.
Typical conditions where an arc may be generated:
Arc-D-Tect doesn't need to know how the arc fault starts, because it recognizes its nature and takes action automatically. And, they're available as an integral part of the QO® and Homeline ® circuit breaker families.
As time goes by we will learn more about these special breakers. They look very similar to Square D GFCI breakers except that the GFCI's have yellow test buttons, but the Square D AFCI's have blue test buttons. I'm sure that they will eventually introduce AFCI receptacles also. There are currently a couple of testers on the market for AFCI testing, but they are well over $200.
I must also admit that I am uncertain about just what they help to protect and why they will only be required to bedroom circuits. The pictures at the Square D site show a man drilling into a wall and striking a wire causing the sparks to fly. I am not sure why someone would drill into a wall, or why drilling would be limited to just the bedrooms. I think that the AFCI's are going to protect us from faulty outlet connections at the outlets. I believe that the AFCI's would trip from the all too common faulty connections at the push-in fasteners on the back of outlets as well as the sloppy worn out prongs inside the receptacle that fail to even hold a plug in position.
Time will tell how this new home safety feature will affect our normal inspection process. Much of my commentary/summary is purely speculative. I have taken the time to share this information so that you don't get blind sided by a client or agent asking about this relatively new device. Your feedback or comments on the AFCI are welcomed by e-mailing me at Peaceofmind@TheHomeInspector.com
Click on the link for the PDF pamphlet from Square D http://www.squared.com
From the Square D catalog - A technology breakthrough focused on safety. Square D is committed to safety in residential electrical systems. In 1955 we introduced the QO ® circuit breaker, which redefined the standard for electrical protection in residences. Electrical safety around the home took another leap forward in 1971 when Square D utilized new electronic technology to introduce the industry's first ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). And in 1994, we began field testing the first prototypes of a major technology breakthrough… arc fault circuit interrupters. News of critical importance to every household.
On a typical day in the U.S., fires of an electrical origin damage more than 400 homes (155,000 a year), sometimes causing injury and death. A significant portion of these fires result from arc faults, which occur when electrical products or wires are damaged, aged, or improperly used. Arcing generates high intensity heat and expels burning particles which can easily ignite combustible materials.
Traditional circuit breakers and fuses are designed to detect over-loads and short circuits. GFCI's detect overloads, short circuits and ground faults. The Square D Arc-D-tect Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI), on the other hand, was specifically designed to detect overloads, short circuits and arc faults. The AFCI is designed to open the circuit and stop the arc fault and its high intensity heat before a fire is likely to ignite. It was also designed to function with the same level of reliability that has made the Square D brand the choice of homeowners, builders, and electrical contractors.
After years of extensive testing , the Square D Arc-D-tect AFCI is now available for residential use. How important is this new electrical protection technology for the homeowner? It has had positive attention by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Underwriters Laboratories, and the National Fire Protection Association. In addition, it will appear in the 1999 National Electrical Code as a requirement for branch circuits in bedrooms starting in January 2002. AFCIs obviously address a critical issue. Why Arc-D-tect AFCIs make homes safer. Arc faults can start fires anywhere in the home. They start silently, often in interior walls or other places hidden from view. And they can be caused by something as innocent as puncturing wire insulation while hanging a picture or pushing furniture against an electrical plug.
The Square D Arc-D-tect AFCI technology is the result of years of research and testing. Safety was our primary concern as we worked to develop the highest quality product, while also helping to define industry standards. Our extensive testing ensures that the Arc-D-tect AFCI quickly detects the wide range of conditions causing arc faults. And it also addresses reliability without nuisance tripping.
The Arc-D-tect AFCI is only the latest in a long line of electrical protection systems from Square D that make homes safer. Other examples include: n QO and HOMELINE circuit breakers, exceeding industry performance standards QWIK-OPEN ® protection on all 15A and 20A circuit breakers (the fastest in the industry) Exclusive QO VISI-TRIP ® indication, featuring a red visual flag for easy identification of tripped conditions Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters to provide protection against electrical shock SURGEBREAKER Secondary Surge Arresters to protect against surge spikes Homeowners , builders , and electrical contractors choose Square D because of our record for quality, reliability, and innovation that is apparent on first inspection and after years of operation.The Arc-D-tect AFCI demonstrates once more that Square D takes special care in providing the best in electrical system protection.
Here in Central Oregon, about 95%+ of the water heaters are installed correctly. The most common conditions I come across are: lack of drain pipes on the SRV, the pipe draining onto an interior floor or into the crawl space. Less than half of the newer replacement water heaters have earthquake strapping. Gary Holzbauer - Junction City, Oregon
I seem to find them more times than I would like. Most of the poor installations or omissions stem from "Harvy Homeowner" doing the repairs. Even though there is a requirement for a "permit" to install a water tank, most never get one unless a licensed plumber does the work. I find no SRV, under sized discharge lines, plastic discharge lines, many elbows, flexible lines, corroded discharge lines, discharge lined with built in "P" traps, etc. The one I found yesterday... the tank was in the garage, the SRV line (3/4" diam.) went through four elbows, into the garage wall, down to the crawl space and out of the opposit side of the house traveling about 30 feet after being reduced to 1/2" within the wall. I had to dig through the insulation just to trace it, but I did see it exit the exterior of the home. Go figure on some of these. Hope all is going okay for you over 40 old guys. I can't remember back that far. Have a great day! Jim Corbin - Bow, WA
Today's photo challenge is a tough one....... Let's see how good you really are....... I expect all of you to give it a shot.
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