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Michael Leavitt & Co Inspections, Inc. |
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MONDAY MORNING MESSENGER |
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Message prepared especially for Members of the American Institute of Inspectors® as well as Home Inspectors abroad |
GOOOOOD MORNING, A.I.I.....
It's a great day here in Orem, Utah! We just celebrated Independence Day and Shelly's birthday all in the same week. Both events were memorable and we are beat here at the Leavitt household.
Watching the kids enjoy the fireworks is really quite an experience. They look skyward with ooohs and aaahs wondering how the beauty of the explosions occur. Each has their own shape and beauty and each seems better than the last. The culmination of the grand finale is a glorious moment that makes chills go up your spine. Part of the fun watching these with kids is that the little ones have a way of taking us back to our own wonder years.
Saturday found myself and my kids participating in a Boy Scout Eagle project. 
This is an act of service organized by the scout. He rounds up about 20 to 40 people to come together doing something to help out community. We were asked to help build switchback trail railing on the pathway leading its way up to Y mountain. Y mountain sits above Brigham Young University and is a popular hiking trail. After the project the 5 of us made our way on up to the Y. It is about the size of a football filed and we braved our way in the 96 degree heat to its top. This was exciting for the kids and it was quite an energy exhausting experience that left me taking a nap on the couch after the experience was complete.
CPSC WHIRLPOOL WASHER DRYER RECALLFor Immediate Release July 2, 2002 Release # 02-192 CPSC Media Contact: Mark Ross (301) 504-0580 Ext. 1188 Whirlpool Media Contact: Tom Kline (616) 923-3738 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 Whirlpool Recall Hotline: (866) 251-1607
CPSC, Whirlpool Announce Recall of Washer and Gas Dryer Units
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Whirlpool Corp., of Benton Harbor, Mich., is voluntarily recalling about 17,000 combination washer and gas dryer units. 
The gas dryer can overheat, posing a fire hazard.
Whirlpool has received two reports of the unit overheating. No injuries or property damage have been reported.
The recalled 24-inch washer and gas dryer units were sold under the Whirlpool, Kenmore and General Electric brand names, which is written on the control panel of the units. They are white or light tan. The model and serial number are located behind the dryer door at the top of the opening. Model and serial numbers of units covered by this recall are as follows:
Brand: Whirlpool Compact Thin Twin Model Numbers: LTG5243DZ2, LTG5243DT2, LTG5243DQ2, LTG5243DQ3, LTG5243DT3 Serial Number: Begins with MM, ML or MK
Brand: Kenmore Laundry Center Model Numbers: 110.98752792, 110.98752793 Serial Number: Begins with MM, ML or MK
Brand: General Electric Unitized Spacemaker
Model Numbers: WSM2480TBAWW, WSM2480TCAWW Serial Number: Has Z, A or D as the second character
Home improvement and department stores, new construction builders and remodelers sold these units nationwide from January 2000 through May 2002 for between $800 and $960.
Consumers should stop using these washer and gas dryer units and unplug them immediately. Do not attempt to shut off the gas supply. Call toll free at (866) 251-1607 anytime to arrange a free in-home service and repair. For more information, consumers can visit Whirlpool's recall web site at www.repair.whirlpool.com Consumers should have the model and serial numbers of their washer and gas dryer units available when they call.
Washer and dryer units with electric dryers are not involved in the recall.
To see a picture of the recalled product(s) and/or to establish a link from your web site to this press release on CPSC's web site, link to the following address: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml02/02192.html
PHOTO CHALLENGE #110 FEEDBACK
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It's tough to see clearly, but in my area, this would be considered an inadequate amount of insulation. There is also knob and tube wiring, which may require updating. I also see a vent that will allow moisture filled air to enter the attic space (another no-no in Minnesota). The supports to the right side have lost their bearing capacity and I also see moisture stains on the supports at the front of the screen (possibly originating from the vent). Tim Walz - St. Paul, MN
Support posts do not appear to be placed on weight bearing walls on the main floor, this may cause the ceiling joists to bow and cause damage to the ceiling. Knob and tube wiring appears to be spliced, if this is active, recommend further evaluation by a electrician. Vermiculite insulation may be installed, this product may have Asbestos Containing Materials. Bill Schwahn - Belgrade, Montana
COALITION OF CALIFORNIA HOME INSPECTORS LEGISLATION UPDATEMEMORANDUM
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In a continuing effort to inform the membership, we would like to update you on some recent developments.
SB 1332 Dropped from 2002 Session The author, Senator Figueroa, at the request of the CCHI, has pulled the bill from this session. We're very disappointed that CAR waited until the last few weeks of this session to object to the third party language in the bill. Although we had resolved the consumer attorneys' concerns and they were neutral, CAR announced its intention to oppose the bill in committee Tuesday and Senator Figueroa felt uncomfortable with this turn of events.
The good news is that Senator Figueroa dropped the bill at our request. She offered us the option of either (1) amending the bill to remove the third party Leko language and the amendments to California Civil Code § 1102.4 or (2) drop the bill and reintroduce it next year for double referrals to the Business and Professions Committee and the Judiciary Committee in each house. The CCHI leadership, based on feedback from the April 21, 2002 CCHI Steering Committee meeting, decided it would be more prudent to have no bill at all, rather than having one that failed to address the Leko issue; providing consumers the right to negotiate contractual terms with professional Home Inspectors.
WHAT’S NEXT? In a statement received from Meredith Borak, Legislative Assistant, the Senator stated her intent to“….re-introduce this bill in the 2003-04 session to pay proper attention to the issues at hand. We feel very strongly that this bill is a good bill, however these matters should be addressed by both the Business and Professions Committee and Judiciary Committee of both houses in order to craft the best bill possible- for consumers, home inspectors, and all affected parties”.
Carl Brakeinsiek, CCHI’s professional Legislative Advocate, spoke with Senator Figueroa Friday, June 21, 2002; she indicated she values the Home Inspection industry’s support and cooperation, and looks forward to working with us again, next year.
WHAT CAN STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS DO? Thank yourselves, and your members. This was, at times, a contentious topic among the inspection industry. However, when it mattered most in the State Capital, we all came together with one united front. All Home Inspectors can feel proud in our collective effort, and our determination to resist legislation that does not achieve consumer and inspector protection.
Without the financial support and active participation of the membership, the CCHI leadership could not provide the direction needed for the tasks at hand. Please tell your members thank you for a job well done.
WEB-SITE As mentioned earlier Hann-Tech Marketing Links has developed (for free) a website for CCHI and CREIPAC at www.thecchi.org. The site has information on each organization, some basic Q&A’s, and, of course, donation forms that can be downloaded/printed for mailing. We plan to use the site for more communications in the future.
MONEY As usual, we need it; please use the fund raising stickers CREIA provided, 50-50 drawings, educational programs – you name it – please do it. The stakes continue to grow, and so do the financial needs of CCHI. As stated above, the Senator intends to introduce the bill again; therefore, we need to increase our revenue generation to meet the continuing high cost of active lobbying and maintaining a presence in the legislative arena. It addition to funds for CCHI, we also need funds for our political action committee. See the web site for further information on the difference between the two.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON? We will continue to distribute the CCHI Legislative Updates that outline particular bills of interest. We appreciate your time and dedication to the CCHI, and look forward to your continued participation.
PHOTO EDITING FEEDBACK
What photo image editing software do you use? Do you use a thumbnail viewer like I've described? How do you store and catalogue your digital photos?
I know that many of you are expecting to learn from the masses as to which photo editing software we use. Unfortunately only a couple took the time to share. I guess that the groupwide info will remain a secret until you all open up and share what you are using. Special thanks to Peter Barten for sharing his photo storing methods.
I use MGI Photosuite for editing the photos. It does more than I will ever need (It was free with the first digital camera I bought.)
As far as thumbnail viewers are concerned I have always used windows explorer, which, by the way is how I get the photos off of my camera via USB (at risk of being labeled a “casual user”.) In the past I have used a PCMCIA card adapter but for some reason seemed to be going through the SmartMedia cards like crazy. I figured they were getting worn out from constantly removing and installing. Since I have been transferring photos via USB I have yet to “wear out” another SmartMedia card. The USB is very fast and I have not found a reason to spend more $$ on peripheral card readers. I rename ie: photos 4-136, cut and paste each individual inspection photo file to a file I created in “My documents” called Inspection photos. This entire photo file is then saved to my individual client files: 3D report; Agreement; Work Order (MS Word template)and any other digitized documents (I even made a recording of a phone conversation with my Ipaq and included it in my clients file) All to be burned to CD on a regular basis and duplicated for storage in my firesafe box as a safety measure. The following is the basic navigation in windows explorer:
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Local disc (C:) |
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| 2000 clients: | |||||
| 2001 clients: | |||||
| 2002 clients: | |||||
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1A 1-25 (inspections 1-25) |
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| 4-02-01F | |||||
| Photos 4-01 | |||||
| Agreement | |||||
| 4-02-01F (3D report) | |||||
| Misc. files | |||||
| 4-02-02F | |||||
| Photos 4-02 | |||||
| Agreement | |||||
| 4-02-02F (3D report) | |||||
| Misc. files |
You get the picture. I am not using the Office management suite in 3D (am I crazy for not using it? Tell me what it can do. Should I buy it now?) Peter Barten - Bay City, OR.
I favor the Kodak Digital Cameras...there EasyShare dock system makes it very easy to transfer photos. I do like the warranty program that Best Buy stores offer. You most likely will be returning any camera within 4 years, and if your model is not available...you are upgraded to the next one. David Dionne - Buffalo, NY
Like Michael, I have taken to numbering my inspections instead naming them. It makes it easier to find them after some time has gone by. All I need to know is the date the inspection was done and I can find the report. That is because the inspection name is based on the date. Let's use 0207 07 0800 as an example. 0206 is the year and month. I put the year first so that all reports will end up in chronological order. 07 is the day of the month and 0800 is the time. An afternoon inspection that same day might be 0207 07 1300. The inspection report number(name) is also the computer file name. Using this system, all the report file names are in the same order that the reports were done, and easy to find. Every document I produce pertaining to an inspection gets distilled into an adobe acrobat file and attached to the end of the report file so there is only one file per inspection. Each report file goes into a folder named for that month. Twelve report folders for a year and each folder is burned onto a CD. One CD easily holds and entire years worth of reports. At the end of each month I make sure all the reports for that month are in the folder and then that folder is burned onto the CD. I do this each month except when I forget. I sure hope my computer never dies sometime when I have forgotten. Jon Gudnason - Placerville, CA
PHOTO CHALLENGE #111
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QUOTABLE QUOTE: "I go to bed each night and pray that rich people will get taste and that those people with taste will get money." Anonymous contribution from Architect Digest. |
HAVE A GREAT WEEK! Michael Leavitt & Co Inspections, Inc. The Most Qualified Inspector in Northern Utah! |
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