Questions of the week 10/02/2016

Inspection Education Topics Inspection Question of the Week
1

Got a little behind this week, busy as a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.

Questions of the week

Introduction and requirements:

A member of the Award Committee will post a question, at a random day/time.

A competing member may make one post per question thread to answer the question and the member’s winning entry must have all parts of the question answered completely in that one post. Editing your one answer post allowed will result in disqualification.

Winnings will be limited to no more than 6 times in a given year, the objective is to allow as many Members a chance to win as possible.
Any disregard to the above and divulging the correct answers will forfeit the weekly winnings.

So please refrain from participating if you have already won in the maximum for the Year.

First correct answer (as judged by the Awards Committee or Poster of the Question) wins.

The lucky winner will get a case of “Now that you’ve had a Home Inspection Books” shipped to them at their address on file. Make sure your Address on File with Inachi is correct.

Courtesy of Nick Gromicko.

Winners of the Question of The Week shall request their prize by emailing fastreply@nachi.org and submitting their Mailing address for shipping.

Allow 2 weeks for delivery.

The Questions:

QOTW**

  1. What are the types of heat that must be taken into account when calculating the cooling loads for an HVAC system?**

a. Sensible and radiant heat
b. Radiant and conductive heat
c. Conductive and latent heat
d. Sensible and latent heat**

  1. Which of the following would be most likely to have the highest R-value?**

a. 6" fiberglass batt insulation
b. 12" cast-in-place concrete wall
c. 2" extruded polystyrene panel
d. Triple insulated glazing system with ½" air spaces**

  1. An inspector can often determine the approximate age of a home by its method of construction. Which of the following choices shows the methods of construction in order from first developed to most recently developed?**

a. Post and beam construction, balloon framing, platform framing, ICF construction
b. Balloon framing, post and beam construction, ICF construction, platform framing
c. ICF construction, balloon framing, post and beam construction, platform framing
d. Post and beam construction, platform framing, balloon framing, ICF construction**

  1. When one is inspecting an EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finishing System) wall system for deficiencies. Where would these be most likely to occur?**

a. Window heads
b. The center of large expanses of EIFS
c. Along the bottom edge of the EIFS installation
d. At the corners of the installation, such as around windows
**
Good luck inspectors!**

2

question 4 is confusing, maybe something left out.

3

D
a
a
d

4

I agree many varibles with this question. Face sealed or drainable EIFS would be a big one.

5

Another good round of questions Paul. Nice job. :slight_smile:

6

B d a d

7

Yep, good work, Paul! :slight_smile:

8

C, a, b, d

9

d
a
d
d

10

b,c,a,d

11

Congratulations Samuel, you got them all correct!

Collect your books.

**Answers and Explanations

  1. D: Sensible heat is energy that causes a change in temperature. Latent heat is energy that comes from matter changing its state, but not its temperature. For example, when ice melts, it absorbs latent heat because energy is required for the phase change. HVAC systems must deal with both of these types of heat loads in order to make the indoor environment comfortable for occupants. The terms “radiant” and “conductive” (Answers A, B, and C) refer to types of heat transfer, or ways that heat can be gained or lost, but not to an actual value of heat gain or loss.

  2. A: Six inches of fiberglass batt insulation could be expected to have an R-value of around 18. A 12" cast-in-place concrete wall (Answer B) would be about R-1. Two-inch extruded polystyrene (Answer C) has an R-value of 10. A triple insulated glazing system (Answer D) would only have an R-value of around 3. A material’s R-value refers to its ability to resist heat flow. Fiberglass batt insulation contains many tiny air pockets, which help to increase its R-value, while a 12" concrete wall has very little air in it, thus resulting in a low R-value, despite its thickness.

  3. A: Post and beam construction was used beginning in around 1700 in what is now the U.S. This involves large wood members connected together with jointed posts and beams and wooden pegs. Balloon framing started to be used in the early 1800s, while platform framing came into widespread use in the middle of the 20th century. ICFs, or Insulated Concrete Forms, began to be used in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Insulated concrete forms are polystyrene blocks that are stacked and filled with concrete. They provide a much higher R-value than typical concrete construction.

  4. D: Corners offer the largest potential for leakage, and therefore special attention should be paid to them. The corner of the jamb and the sill is especially prone to leakage, because water can get in the jamb and then run down the edge and back into the wall at the corner. The center of EIFS installations (Answer B) is probably the least likely area to leak because there are no joints. The bottom edges of the installation (Answer C) are not as prone to leaking because water must be driven upward to get in. This can happen, but not as easily as when gravity can help water get behind the EIFS.**

12

Congrats, Dave!

13

Congratulations Dave. Well done. :slight_smile:

14

Thanks! I was getting low too. :wink: :smiley:
Email with address sent.
I put four cards in each one at the end of the inspection, so along with the one I give them when I introduce myself the first time we meet they have five cards. I get a lot of calls “I got your card from Joe Client…” :lol: