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It's a great day at Michael Leavitt & Co Home Inspections. Tomorrow will bring an even better day as August 3 is my birthday. It is amazing that another year has come and gone. I can't believe that we are already in the month of August.
SAD NOTE: Last week brought the passing of my Grandmother. We will be having her funeral on my birthday. It is sad to know that she has left us, but we are relieved that she has finally been released from the burden of this life after more than ninety years. I have been asked to speak at her funeral and am looking forward to the experience. Our family is comforted in knowing that Grandma was able to pass on to the next life where Grandpa had been waiting for her for 12 years. Grandma's body had just worn out and we know that she has been allowed into a much better realm....... Families Are Forever!!!
Official
Millennial AII™ Y2K SurveyLast week these questions were posed to the readership. Several people responded.
Sylvan Stenge shared....
Hi Michael and Shelly: It has been a long time since last contact. Hope family is well.
Dan Sochor from Virginia passed along this advise....
I am preparing for Y2K as if it were any other natural disaster. If I happen to have extra food, gas, water, or cash because it didn't come then GREAT! I didn't get upset last year when my house didn't burn done (Rats!! I wasted $300 on fire insurance that I could have saved) I thanked the Lord, and renewed our house insurance for another year. Dan Sochor
Richard Grisham from Las Vegas, NV sent......
On the official millennial AII Y2K survey:
Ron Cloyd passed along this wisdom........
Dear Michael:
First of all let me congratulate both you and your lovely wife. 10 years is great, but the next 10 are even better and the third 10 get better if you can imagine that.
Your Y2K questions:
Michael, when will the "new"
hand held computer and software be ready for us
non-computer types. We talked about TI having one by this past
Jan. and the
soft ware being ready by next Jan. 2000? Any updates?
Thanks for your "as always" great information in the MMM.
Ron Cloyd - Back from fishing the Canadian Outback having had some luck and too much good food.
Frank Johnson from Carson City, Nevada e-mailed.....
With the new millennium approaching
there are bound to still be natural disasters occurring. Maybe
the FEMA approach would be beneficial to some. If the home inspection
business does come to a halt, you wouldn't have to worry about
missed inspections just because you're out there doing disaster
inspections. Just a thought.
Frank Johnson - Carson City, NV - www.capitalhomeinspection.com
OUTLET
COVER DANGER
Have
you ever received any grief because you painstakingly documented
each and every missing outlet or light switch cover plate? Have
you ever wondered if it was necessary to do so??? I remember sitting
around with a group of Inspectors and they razzed me about documenting
all of these items. Their defense was that we are called upon
to point out the big "Defective" items in a home. As
you can tell, they were not AII™ trained and Certified Inspectors.
Their rationale is that the cover plates are so inexpensive and
obvious that they are missing, that it really is not a big deal.
I strongly disagree and wish to share this article from a city
10 miles to the south of my home........
The three-day search for Joey Simpson, a five-year-old boy from Spanish Fork, came to a heart-wrenching end Wednesday when police officers and FBI agents found his body behind the washer/dryer in the laundry room of his home.
Spanish Fork Chief of Police Dee Rosenbaum described the situation: "Joey was located in the washroom in an area (less than a foot wide) between the washer/dryer and the wall. It appears Joey was on top of the appliances possibly reaching for something on the floor behind them."
Officers found Joey's hand on the
dryer's electrical cord. "He may have reached for the electrical
connection and was electrocuted when he took hold of the wire,"
said Rosenbaum.
Rosenbaum said that there had been no protective plate over the
connection.
Police speculate that after electrocution,
Joey's body fell into the small space between the wall and the
appliances. The space was so small that Joey's parents didn't
think to search in that area.
The officers found a baseball behind the appliances and speculated
that it may have been the object Joey was reaching for. Rosenbaum
also reported that earlier Monday morning some of the neighborhood
children had been looking for coins behind the washer/dryer.
When the officers found Joey's body, they informed his parents and brought them to the police station "so they could be away from the commotion at the home and be alone in a place where they could notify and meet with family members," said Rosenbaum.
No foul play is suspected.
"It appears to be an accidental death," said Rosenbaum.
Rosenbaum said he hoped the tragedy would encourage parents to make their homes safer for their children.
"This is another incident to
alert parents to check the details throughout their home,"
he said.
Roenbaum said he was impressed with the assistance offered by
the community in the search for Joey. Over 200 people helped.
The Simpsons are new to the Spanish Fork area, having recently rented a home on Main Street. Michael McCleave, bishop of Simpsons' LDS ward (Spanish Fork 9th), said that the Simpsons didn't have many connections in the ward before Joey's disappreance, but their trial brought the members of the ward together around them.
McCleave said that 35 young men and women dropped their evening's church activity to help in the search. Six adults from the ward also participated.
"(The Simpsons) will obviously have the support of faith and prayer," said McCleave. "We will let them know that we love and care for them."
The ward is looking into setting up a trust fund to help the family bear the costs of Joey's funeral, according to McCleave.
The story is tragic, but true. How would you like to have inspected their home and then have the accident happen??? Do you regularly note missing 220 volt dryer cover plates??? Of all the cover plates that I might not mention it would be the dryer plate. Up until reading this story I felt that it was a relatively inaccessible outlet and posed little risk. I have changed my ways.
If this did happen after your inspection would you be responsible for not noting the condition??? Do the AII™ Standards of Practice justify you in not noting missing outlet and light switch covers??? I look forward to your feedback. Please E-mail us your feedback now!
CIRCUIT
BREAKERS OFF?Have you ever encountered a circuit breaker in the OFF position and then turned it ON during the inspection??? Have you ever showed up at a vacant home and then turned the main breaker on so that you could evaluate the electrical system??? How many of you are stalwart in following the guidance which you were given during AII™ training that we are not to turn on or off any circuit breakers??? What is the worst thing that could happen???
I encountered this Inspector's experience on another forum that may firm up your diligence in refraining from tripping or setting circuit breakers.......
On June 11, 1999 our Assistant Chief of the Prevention Bureau was caught in an electrical explosion. He received thrid degree burns to over 90% of his body and his lungs. He will probably die within the next few days. If he lives, he will have a life of pain and disfigurement.
The accident happened because someone flipped the circuit breaker. Since the amount of electricity was so great, along with the backfeed from our local electric company, a 12' x 12' room was engulfed with blue fire. Four men were severely injured.
Many people ask why we do not turn on breakers if they are popped, or turned off. We usually answer, "because we do not know why the breaker is off." You all are welcomed to tell the above story as an example. I ask all of you and myself to be careful around electric equipment of any size. It does kill.
I recommend adding this story to your archives.
KARPENKO'S
WORLDOn the lighter side......... Andy Karpenko passes along this great newsflash. Keep in mind that Andy operates in his own little world.
Hey there, Michael!
I just found out that your computer mouse can actually intercept and process YOUR BRAIN WAVES!
There is a web site that actually proves this!! (This is not a joke site. It is for real.)
Here's the link to the site... http://205.236.189.119/zchip/ or
<a href="http://205.236.189.119/zchip/">CLICK HERE</a>
Please reply to me with your reaction!
Andy Karpenko
Thanks so much for sharing this website with us Andy. I followed the steps of the quiz and had my mouse securely planted on my head. Low and behold it works. I wish to caution all of you against the Z chip. It will soon probably be related to AIDS, Cancer and unplanned pregnancies. It must be a Big Brother conspiracy.
If you encounter a great web site I would love for you to share it with me...... Thanks Andy!
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