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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 is a sad day of mourning here in Orem, Utah! My friend Noel McShane from Atlanta, Georgia died yesterday evening. He fought cancer valiantly till the end. I was shocked, saddened, and yet very relieved that he was taken out of his pain and suffering. I will reflect on the thoughts of "What would Noel do?" for the rest of my days here in mortality. Noel led a much different life than I and has seen challenges and experiences that I will never know. Yet his quest for truth and inner peace was motivational to all those that he let into his inner circle.
THE PASSING OF NOEL MCSHANE
Earlier this week I posted the following on another inspector forum regarding the well respected inspector friend named Noel McShane........ BTW, still thinking of Shelly and sending prayers your way.
Thank you so much for thinking of her. Shelly is still struggling with her 11 month bout with Sarcoidosis and to complicate the issue she just broke out with her fourth round of shingles. This time it broke out on her eyelid, of which those of you that are familiar with shingles know, it can spread quickly and cause blindness. A major source of comfort is the Book of Job because it lets her know that other people have it worse than her. She really has been putting up a valiant fight and I especially appreciate your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate the associations I have with fellow inspectors because you all really are a good group of individuals. Inspection forums like Rod's have brought about some close friendships and has brought me together with individuals like Noel McShane. Those of you that know Noel have noticed his lack of inspection forum presence in recent months. He has been battling cancer valiantly for more than a year now, but it has taken away his strength and he is enjoying his last moments, days, months in mortality. Noel has helped me appreciate what it means to be at peace and ready to pass on to the other side. He has taught me the true meaning of being honest and true to one’s honor.
A little Noel McShane story...... A couple of years ago a client wanted to sue me for misidentifying a water main. I identified it as galvanized and the client said it was black pipe. As many of you know they do not use black pipe for water lines because it quickly corrodes and deteriorates. I personally had never seen black pipe used for a water main before and I was dreading the week long wait until I could return to the vacation getaway to defend my report. I brought the situation up on several forums and found that I had a bulletproof defense. I had contractual language. I had report disclaimers. I had E&O insurance options. I had rehearsed 30 or more confrontational dramas to the point that I was ready for the battle. This was not going to end in defeat. I had everything in my favor, even if it was black pipe. I had called the municipal inspector. I had called the water department. I had even found out that the client was really upset because they wanted to take this getaway home with a standard residential water supply and turn it into an 8 bedroom bed and breakfast. This clearly was my final defense and there was no way to lose.
Then came a reply from Noel McShane. "Michael", he said, "What if you are wrong and it really is black pipe? I believe that you need to be prepared to open your checkbook and pay for your mistake. No insurance claims. No negotiating. Just write them a check and right your wrong."
With that advice I went to my wife in tears and said "He's right." And with that resolution I felt inner peace. I was able to sleep that night. I was able to return to the scene of the crime and face my accuser knowing that his advice was pure truth. Noel never hides behind contractual disclaimers. Noel never negotiates his mistakes. Noel has always faced life head on and kept his slate clean. Noel is ready to meet his maker with a clear conscience. Noel has been a true friend and even in his last days of mortality he is a shining light in the midst of the darkness. He lives by simple truths and he will be rewarded for his noble actions.
Thank you Noel for your kindness. Michael Leavitt - Orem, Utah
The sad news for the inspection industry is that my friend Noel passed on yesterday evening as the MMM was being polished off. Noel spent his last few days paralyzed from the waste down in hospice care. He fought valiantly till the end and passed on to the other side with complete peace of mind. Noel McShane put his family first and valued qualities of life that I have never considered. On several occasions Noel shared his poetry on another inspector forum to let us into his intimate thoughts and to help those like myself keep this profession in perspective. With all reverence I wish to share one of my favorites.......
NOEL'S PRAYERLord save me fromThose who would wear your scourging like a mantleThose intent on crucifixion rather than resurrection.Those who would herd us toward you from fear rather than love.Seeking no reward and fearing no Hell,I hear only praises and glory in each new dawn chorus of birds..Listen..... to the birds................................Who has ever heard a halfhearted birdsong? |
DOES THE AII HOTLINE REALLY HELP?Have you ever found yourself out in the field and encountered a situation that you couldn't explain or a new product that you had never encountered before? Well Greg Justice found himself in that position earlier last week. Monday at 5:01 pm he posted.....
Hello, I am in the field and thought I would try to take advantage of any available help. The owner states the furnace turns off, then fires back on 15-20 seconds. Does every so often. Does this mean anything? Greg Justice - OR
At 5:34 Michael Leavitt responded with.....
The unit is short cycling. The furnace in the home I was in this morning would fire up the flame and run for 2 minutes. The flame would then shut off and 15 seconds later the blower would come on for another couple of minutes. Then everything would shut off. Two minutes later the flames would come on and start the process all over again. The flame and the blower were never on simultaneously. This is one version of short cycling. The situation you describe sounds like another. Tell your client that you are never achieving peak performance out of the unit since it is continually warming up and cooling off. This can prematurely deteriorate the combustion chamber (so I’ve been told). Michael Leavitt - Orem, Utah
At 7:23 PM Jon Gudnason responded.....
As Michael said, "short cycling". It should be investigated by a professional. There are a number of possible reasons. Poor air flow over the heat exchanger or a defective limit switch are a couple of the more common causes. Jon Gudnason, Placerville, CA
And then at 9:54 came the response from Jim Lucas....
Greg--- You defer this to a HVAC technician for further analysis. We are not the problem solvers. Michael will remember the unit I had like this that kept exploding. It even blew the cover off and right past John Henry. I now, at Douglas Hansens suggestion, wear a cast iron jock. Jim Lucas, Camino, CA
So there you have it. A real life situation and three high quality responses within hours of the posting of the question the first of which came just 33 minutes after it was posted. So newbies out there and seasoned inspectors alike, I challenge all of you to post questions and respond to those questions asked. Don't ever think that your opinion, experience, or best guess is not appreciated. Every viewpoint and response helps to shed new light on the topics of our profession.
MOTLEY FOOL'S INSPECTION ADVICEWhat did you think of the Motley Fool's home inspection advice?
Fool is the key word here. I never, hardly ever heard of a listing agent that recommends an inspector, so you don't need to stay clear of that one. If you rely only on an ASHI giving the thumbs up on an inspector who hasnt paid them their "Non-profit Membership" dues, forget about it and you may miss hiring agreat inspector,as ASHI doesn't produce great inspectors, just loyal members who aren't required to to re-certify or carry E&O, which makes the Motely Fool contradict himself. Full time inspectors that belong to a certifcation organization that requires annual re-testing and insurance are the better way to go. As far as informing the client about your SOP's and organization that is a great idea as long as they want to become more confused by you then they were by their realtor, and they usually don't give enough time to educate them during their inspector shopping spree, but I still try to throw in something about credentials and certification.
P.S. I am not trying to offend any ASHI people out there it's just that they are not the best or the only way to go, and I am annoyed at the way they try to make Non-ASHI inspectors seem like there is no way we know up from down just because we didnt buy into a membership organization. Chris Burkhart - Sandy, Utah
Following and distracting the inspector is not good advice. Post inspection summary works best. Reggie Ayres - Medford, OR
EXPLODING FURNACESJim Lucas shared the following experience dealing with an exploding furnace.......
Wednesday I couldn't get a furnace to heat. The listing agent was there and phoned the selller. He wasn't of any help. She left and came back later. In the interim, I heard some very loud boooms from outside at the lower level near the dual pac unit. I thought it was an unlocked storage room door that the strong winds were blowing shut.
Agent comes back and says "did you get the furnace to work?" and I said "No." We went down to the unit and the furnace access cover was laying on the ground. I could hear the ignitor and see the flame short cycling. I told her a HVAC technician would need to examine the unit then I put the cover back on (It was on when I did my exterior inspection). About 10 seconds later, as I was standing 90 degrees to the furnace, a giant explosion occurred, the door blew off and missed my John Herny by about 2"! I had to check my scivies to see what I had done. The grin on the agent's face was choice.
Question: Besides short cycling what happened to make the gas build-up and explode when the ignotor did its thing? Jim Luca in the fabulous Sierras - CA
Douglas Hansen replied.....
What a story Jim! (or do you have to change your name to Jamie now?)
Are we talking about a propane furnace? It doesn't take much unburned propane to build up an explosive concentration in a furnace, and when it reaches an ignition source, it all goes off at once. As propane tends to burn dirtier than natural gas, it is common to find one burner not completely igniting, and the unburned gases accumulating and going off with a vengence.
I know that some people have to wear bullet-proof vests on their jobs. Sounds like you may want to invest in a protective cup for these furnace inspections. Douglas hansen - Palo Alto, CA
Doug: I love your sense of humor and I will think long and hard about adding an armoured cup to my arsenal.
Yes, the gas was propane. I always thought that it was cleaner than natural gas as it doesn't have the sulphides. Did I miss something?
Also, is there a chance the ignitor was faulty allowing gas to accumulate and then explode when the ignitor finally fired? What caused the short cycling? Jim Lucas in the fabulous Sierras - CA
IPAQ POWER POUCH TESTIMONIAL
Hi Micheal, A month or so ago I had e-mailed you about not being able to find an allen wrench to fit the teeny tiny screws on the cover of the Ipaq expansion pack. Shortly after I e-mailed you, my son (who is a software engineer) came to visit for the holidays. I mentioned this to him, and he told me that Compaq uses Torx screws on a lot of their products. I had heard of Torx screws, but hadn't actually used or even seen them. When I looked at the screws on the expansion pack with a magnifying glass, I could see that the corners of the hexes on the screws were pointed. So I took the expansion pack to the hardware store and tried the different Torx screwdrivers and found that a #6 Torx driver fits the screws. You might want to add this info to your direction sheet for installing the lanyard loop on the expansion pack for those of us that don't know about these newfangled thingies. Otherwise the directions are great, and I love having the Power Pouch.
When it slipped out of my wet hand on an inspection this last week, it was a great feeling to watch my $500 toy bounce back up instead of coommiting computercide on the floor. Thanks again, Gary Holzbauer
PHOTO CHALLENGE #88 FEEDBACK
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The jumper presents the false image that 220 volt service is available. However, there are only 2 wires coming into this home, which means that it is a 110 volt service. Tim Walz - Oakdale, MN
Tim then added.... Michael- I did not realize that the panel was a sub panel. OK, now that I look at it again, it is more obvious. I'm not sure that I can think of anything wrong with this scenario. Do you want to share any thoughts you may have? FYI: No, panels in our area do not have to labeled "110" (as far as I know). Thanks for sharing your Monday Morning Messenger with me. I enjoy the read. Tim Walz
I am thinking first of all the double tap on the lug. Then it lookslike it is only a 10ga (30amp) incoming, so what size are the breakers? 15 amps? 20amps? they use only 70% so that means 3 15 amp breakers ae using 30 amps if they are20 amp then there is a concern with that. The jumper seems to make it a 220, but I am not sure, I am sure that the two wires make for an improper connection and would recommend repair/improvement by a licensed tradesman. Chris Burkhart - Sandy, UT
Looks like a 110 volt panel with the existing possibility of setting it up as a 220 volt. Decided to use it as 110 volts only? Hard to tell what's really going on here. Doesn't look right.
I would recommend a licensed electrician evaluate this panel and also take this picture to an electrician for information/education. Ron Cloyd - Klamath Falls, OR
I believe this could be considered more of a "distribution" panel. than a sub-panel. Since there is no second phase, there can be no imbalance between the phases and there will be no need to separate the the neutrals from the grounds. The challange here is that there is only one breaker at the main panel supplying power to this panel. This is just one extended circuit with switching for the individual downstream legs. There may be too many lights, outlets etc.connected to the three breakers. Also, you can bet that the work was not permitted. I have seen this several times and while there are no safety issues, I call for further review by a qualified, licensed electrical contractor. Sylvan Stenge - Sacramento, CA
You are incorrect in your assesment of this subpanel. You most certainly do have to isolate the grounds. If there is a partial short, for example, current will travel from the hot to the neutral, thus the neutral bar then into the copper ground. This will indeed energize anything the ground is connected to (e.g., the washing machine, etc.). Jim Lucas - CA
MARKETING GOALSHi Michael, You asked! I am working to complete my Oregon certification...even more than ever after reading about the new California. legislation. I live on the border of Oregon and California and have been practicing in California only. Looks like this new legislation could have an impact on us California A.I.I. members. So my new Oregon campaign will shift into high gear.
My new 2002 fee schedule will also be in effect. I will be bumping up my base fee by 25% and all additional add-on fees by 10-20%. I agree with some of the recent sentiment that 1% of the selling price of the home should be our fee goal. Right now, I'm at about 1/2 that.
I inspected a house Thursday and the realtor told me the house was winterized and the water was shut off... She failed to tell me the electricity was off also. It was 30 degrees outside and just as cold inside. I couldn't start the heater without electricity so I didn't lounge around too long. Things went a little quicker without having to thoroughly test the electrical and plumbing systems. I guess there's always a plus if you look for it !! I too am ready for spring!
Thanks for all your hard work keeping us organized. Will Baley Northwest Home Inspections Tulelake, CA
PHOTO CHALLENGE #89
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QUOTABLE QUOTE: "Hard work spotlights the character of people: Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all." Sam Ewig |
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