refrigeration cycle high side and low side with compressor changing refrigerant state from liquid to vabore passing through metering device. evap coil is supper heat / picks up heat. condenser side is sub cooling /reject heat. compressor compresses refrigerant 30 degrees above ambient temperture to desired psi to reject what was picked up from the evap coil and rejected to out side of a building. tonnage of the unite is determent by the size of conditioned place.compressor should have lubrication oil in that compatible to the refrigerant.metering device is to drop pressure to a desired psi into the evap coil. refrigerant changes states from liquid to vapor through latent heat.
This photo shows the location of the water heater to be sufficient for the structure, located in the main hall closet. The shell does show signs of previous water leakage with acquired rust at base of unit. Water temperature of 125 degrees dispersed throughout the house was tested at all accessible faucets. It is recommended to replace the drainage pipe from the TPR valve (Temperature Pressure Regulator) as it is reduced in size from the size recommended from the manufacturer. It is also recommended to have the electrical cover plate reinstalled to reduce chance of personal injury due to electrical shock. The unit is past the date of warranty coverage, but was functioning properly at the time of inspection.
On November 7, 2016, we did our first paid home inspection in California. It was built in 2001 and had 1863 square feet on five acres of land. The single-family home featured three bedrooms and two full baths. Kitchen had a large island with all appliances, kitchenette dining and Living room. Large patio deck, horse coral for five horses. As you can see in the attached photo the circuit breaker panel had no door covering and is rusted in some areas. There were a lot of faulty, loose wiring with a lot of cob webs. This was a good example of a possible fire hazard.
My research essay is on “How to determine the age of a building.” There are many different factors to determine approximately when a structure was built. It could be from the architecture used, to many different building materials that were used in certain time periods. Materials such as hand made iron nails that were used starting in the late 1800 time period, to the use of OSB sheething that became popular over plywood in the 1980’s due to its lower price value. Other indications could be the use of aluminum wiring in place of copper wire, until it was learned that aluminum wiring can lead to fire hazards in a structure.
This roof has severe ice damming. Improper roofing covering pitch is to low for roofing. Increase insulation to decrease roof temperature air sealing would help. Change roofing to a low slope approved covering, like Epdm. The skylights have also have issues blocking air flow from vents to assisting keeping the roof deck cooler. This roof is one that I did and had a customer who did not want a flat roof. I ice and water sheilded the whole roof and wrapped it into the gutter. Inow shovel it off for her to date and I really wish I would have not installed shingles as the first contractors did.
In this picture I took in an apartment you are able to the TPR valve as well as an expansion tank. Both are location in the laundry closet suspended in the air. The laundry area is located off the kitchen dining room area so the elements will not be impacted by cold freezing weather. The TPR pipe if it has to discharge will go in the metal receptor with a drainage system attached as well. The pipe is visible to any future tenants or maintence persons; it also follows the flow of gravity. The down pipe is no more that six inches high that contraption used to collect excess.
In the article Bamboo Construction and Inspection I read of the many ways Bamboo can be used. In Asian countries it is widely used as means to build a home to scaffolding for skyscrapers. Although it is regarded as a renewal able material that is quickly grow and is eco friendly some uses can show drawbacks. Such as being insect prone if not treated, can split easily if it too moist and cannot bear heavy weigh if harvested prematurely. When it comes to design if used a specialist maybe needed. Even with all that said bamboo has advantages if it use correctly
This has been a great experience with learning home inspection. I believe this will be a great baseline for me to learn the in and outs of home inspection. With learning the 25 standards of every home inspector should know it’s been quite helpful with showing me what is expected of me as a home inspector. I can tell frome this picture that drainage is the most important thing in any footer or basement structure. By insuring your down spout is properly flowing get away from the house and the grade of the yard is drain ing water away from the foundation it will minimize water damage.
I read the article about asphalt siding. I think based on the images provided by interNACHI is very helpful in understanding how it can be used and made at a home. I think in the right climate this can be a great opportunity for a homeowner to protect their home from the environment. I also think it could be something that a person can take advantage of as long as it its I stalled correctly. I also believe the life of the finIsherwood product couldevelopment into a good investment and help keep a property safe and dry in a wet climate.
After inspecting a recent bathroom upgrade and remodel in an older mobile home, the bath sink was located on a common wall with no vent pipe access. The homeowner performed the remodel himself in an area where no building permits are required. The home owner had originally capped off the vent pipe section of the drain system and started noticing very slow drainage and occasional sewer gas odor coming from the sink drain. The homeowner then installed an air gap valve on the vent pipe that was originally capped. After installation, the problems were no longer an issue and the homeowner learned a valuable lesson.
This photo represents a negative drainage condition on the East Side yard of a residential structure in New Smyrna Beach Fl. The home was built in the early 1950s with no apparent concern for proper drainage. All elevations of this structure have a similar but less severe condition of negative drainage.
This homes is typical of many homes in the near beach subdivisions. At the time of construction most homes were absent of concrete driveways, including the home represented in the photo. The concrete driveways have added to the problem of flooding.
The only defense of constant flooding is the percolation of the soil on which the home is built.
In the Insurance or warranty fraud section for images, one of the more common types of insurance fraud comes from contractors or homeowners trying to mimic hail damage. As an inspector, the ability to recognize the difference is very important and critical in the inspection process. I am not only an inspector but also a catastrophic insurance adjuster and this is all to common in areas where a hail storm has been. Hail hits can be very random depending on the direction the hail is falling, glancing hits compared to direct hits. Hammer hits on the other hand are almost always a direct hit, but sometimes very hard to differentiate.
The picture taken is one of two Compressor/Condensers on our property. The unit itself is less than two years old. It is located on the north side of the property and is well protected. The unit sits on a raised cement pad that is well drained and easily acessable. I checked the tubing and insulation, all in excellent working order. The fan was working at the time of the inspection. The inside temperature was consistent with the thermostat setting. Upon futher inspection I located the copper drainage tubing from the air handler. Previous observation attests to its proper drainage. The electrical shut-off is convienently located within a few feet.
I chose an article on the importance of Increasing Home Energy Efficiency. Energy efficient homes save money and put less stress on energy demands that can also have a positive effect on the environment.
The most important area and the largest consumer of energy is our heating and cooling systems. I live in Florida and its need for efficient A/C systems hit home, especially since our recent installation of additional insulation. This along with a new system has significantly reduced our electical bills. this is reinforced in the article with the recommendation of proper insulation towalls, floors and ceilings. these are the fastest fixes for energy savings. In addition properly routed ducts, ceiling fans, proper maintenance of equipment and being conservative with temperature settings all aid in energy conservation.
A common sense approach to energy efficiency by homeowners is critical to the conservation of energy.
This is a photo of a gas water heater flue exhaust pipe that is in contact with the roof decking. This pipe can get very hot and can be a fire hazard. All of the Type B flue pipes associated with gas fired appliances should have at least 1 inch clearance to all combustibles and by no means should ever be in contact with combustibles. The pipe should also be seated properly on top of the draft diverter so that combustion gases can be properly and safely expelled from the house. Water heaters should be checked often for physical damage as well as for safe and normal operation. The pans should be checked for water and signs of leaks.
Headwall Flashing Condition:
It is apparent that this condition is a very common condition on a variety of structures. It is also a critical situation that must be treated properly to insure that there is no water intrusion at the point of intersection of the wall section and the lower roof.
I believe that the key components of the assembly would be the flashing, counter-flashing and the house wrap. Proper installation of these key materials would keep any possibility of water intrusion from occurring.
Along with the professional installation of the siding and roof materials, this detail would produce a sound construction practice.
The picture I chose to you use is of a roof that had several shingles that could be lifted. It appears that the shingles tar/ glue strip is no longer holding the edge of the shingles down. This is a concern because when the wind picks up it can get under any of these shingles and rip them off. If any of the shingles were to be torn off it would potentially allow water to get into the house causing leaks. The easy fix for this would be to use roofing tar/ mastic to re adhere in shingles that could be lifted.
The image I chose is about insulation and clearances around chimneys and the devices that allow for these clearances. In the photo they show a 1"-2"clearance around the chimney as it enters the attic. This clearance is made by a box that is keeping the insulation away from the chimney. This box should also be tall enough to keep extend up past the level of insulation that is in the attic. It also shows the use of a fire stop between the chimney’s penetration from the living space to the attic. This is what I have learned from this picture.
This picture is of the overflow pipe connected to the TPR valve on a gas fired water heater. At the time of inspection it was continuously flowing and when the basement was inspected water could be seen leaking in through the foundation. This indicated the valve had been purging for some time. Another indicator that the water tank was faulty was the excessively hot water coming out of the fixtures. This was a safety concern due to the scalding potential while using the shower or any other hot water fixture. It was recommended to have a licensed professional come in to repair or replace the malfunctioning water heater.
The article I chose was about aluminum wiring and its inherent flaws. What I mostly gained from the article is why it made for such a poor choice for smaller connections. It was also good to see that there are multiple options to fix the issue.