The attic ladder was noted to be supported with screws, not nails as recommended by the manufacturer. Screws do not have the shear strength required to support the intended live loads(people)and should be supplemented with the appropriate nails per the manufactures recommendation.
I learned that metal flue vents should be a minimum of 18 inches from an adjacent metal flue vent pipe in order to prevent damage to the higher of the two vents due to the lower vent exhaust reaching the higher vent.
Between a house and attached garage the fire separation of the common wall as to be drywall with joint taped at the common wall and ceiling or a approved finish that as no open joint. The garage door need to be protected with a weatherstrip, automatic door shutter and to be molding finish and caulk to prevent the fume.
How to determinate the Age of a building:
There’s many ways to determinate the age of the building what I learned in this articles is that nails, flooring, architectural design can give you enough point to determinate the age. And there’s a lot of research that can be done to find out.
Hers is a photo of a TPR valve on hot water heater. It is installed in the upper section of the tank with copper tubing extending down the side of tank ending 6 inches above the floor. Appears to be in good working order.
In garage inspections, great care must be taken as many things can often be changed by the homeowner. Such as alterations to structural items (trusses) in an attempt to make more storage. These changes can drastically affect the structural integrity and safety of the building.
There is not adequate space around this main electrical panel to safely inspect. Work space around electrical panels should be clear of obstructions. The work space should be at least 36 inches in front of the panel, and not less than 30 inches wide around the panel.
Its always a good idea to have an escape plan in mind when you open the cover of your panel. Is there tripping hazards around the panel? Is the area wet and slippery? The National Electrical Code requires any panel or shut off switch have at least 3-foot clearance in front of the panel and 30-inches clearance side to side. It also requires a 6-foot headroom clearance.
Electric 40 gallon hot water tank has hot and cold water shut off ball valves, and a TPI valve installed. The brass TPI valve has the proper materials used for the discharge pipe, 3/4" copper pipe. However,the TPI discharge pipe should be further evaluated and corrections are recommended. The discharge pipe stops at a 90 deg fitting at the top of the tank instead of within 6" of the floor.
Man Door to Attached Garage(photo gallery)
The Entry door from an attached garage should be a 20 minute fire rated door and in some areas it is required that the door has an automatic closer installed as well. The frame of the fire door should also be fire rated, and typically the door is required to be 36" wide. All fire rated doors come with a sticker on them stating the rating, but if the sticker is not present, observing that the door is solid wood or steel and a minimum of 1 1/2" thick is good practice.
This 100 amp service panel was located in a single family residence. Good access was present as it was on an open interior wall, Connections at the individual breakers were clean, well attached and properly sized. Two of the cover screws were missing.
This is an example of a bad home electrical panel.Wires everywhere , unmarked . Not tied off. An outlet next to the panel that is overflowing. Fire hazard. No door to the panel.Many wires are exposed and just dangling.It is evident that this panel is over loaded.
Significant energy savings today can be accomplished by very straightforward and cost effective practices. Lighting in residences is costly and wasteful . Eliminating the use of incandescent bulbs; installing larger and will places windows and the incorporation of daylighting will reduce overall energy use.
The article that I chose was dryer vents.This is a main concern of mine as I am personally aware of how fires can start from the vent not being cleaned out and maintained.This should be a focus on inspectors as dryer vent fires are quite common.
Electrical Service Inspection
From this image I learned that you must look inside the electrical panel. first visually inspect the wires screw, any holes in the sides of the panel. Be sure there are not any wires combined together or double tapping. Be sure the grounds, hot, and neutrals are in the correct places.
A p-trap is designed to prevent sewer gases from emanating out of the drainage line. This design provides a water seal that eliminates the sewer gases from going airborne within the residence dwelling. P-trap is the only type of trap that is permitted.
Proper ground slope is very important to keep water away from your dwelling. You want your final grade to be a minimum of 8" below the bottom of the siding, and it should maintain at least a 5% grade away from the wall.
The first thing noticed with this main panel is that it is installed in a bathroom within a cabinet. It does have a main shut off breaker and the remaining breakers are properly labeled. It does not, however, provide the recommended work area for maintenance and such. The wires entering the panel all appear to be of the correct type and size for their designated purpose. Given that this house is over 100 years old and no “electrical code” existed back then there is little to nothing the homeowner can do with out totally rewiring the entire house at a great expense.
Barbecue safety is the article i chose. Most of the items mentioned are common sense items but were worth reading again. There where, however, a couple of precautions pertaining to propane grills that i was not aware of; 1) Never use a propane grill on a terrace, roof or balcony as it is dangerous and illegal and 2) No more than two 20-pound propane tanks are allowed on the property of a one- or two-family home. I know i have been guilty of both of these precautions at some point in my past and as i look around my neighborhood i see others also guilty of violating these precautions.
Assignment: Essay describing image of component of system in good condition or with defect. During the inspection of a kitchen sink plumbing I could verify that the plumbing utilized a P-trap to create a water seal to prevent sewer gases and bacteria from entering the interior of the building. I could also verify that the P-trap was no longer in vertical distance than 24 inches. P-traps located longer than 24 inches in vertical distance may self siphon the water seal out of the trap.
