News

So who is this guy?

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 19:32
From NACHI:

This is a message from: David Wicker <dwicker@chinsurance.cc>
Here's his or her message:
Dear InterNACHI member,
I hope that your new year is starting off with great success and good health.
As we enter into the first quarter of the year you may be seeing your renewals coming up for you insurance programs.
I can provide both professional liability (E&O) and general liability insurance programs.
If you would like to discuss your options or to get a quote please feel free to contact me below.
Talk Soon.
David J Wicker Account Executive CH Insurance Brokerage 100 Madison Street., Suite 100 Syracuse, New York 13202-2704 315-234-7500 – Ext: 5334 315-234-7508 – Fax 315-877-3930 – Cell dwicker@chinsurance.cc

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Hub E&O

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 18:47
Having a *NHI* and *CMI* designations has its advantage...:cool:
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Water Heater Tied into Boiler

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 18:44
On an inspection this morning I found an odd configuration at the boiler. There was a water heater (gas fired) tied into the boiler (oil fired) that is used to circulate hot water through the old cast iron radiators providing heat.
The water heater had two zone valves linking it directly into the output on the boiler and shared the main return line. It was not providing domestic hot water. Could this just be supplemental because the boiler is undersized?. I have never seen this done before.
Sorry but i don't have any good pictures.

Hurricane clip nailing

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 16:58
RE: UMVI Inspection - Wind Mit

I have a client that has hurricane clips installed with only one or two nails securing the clips to the sides of the trusses. He is asking if he could add screws rather than nails to meet the 3 nail requirement. I told him that I thought 1.5" or 2" stainless steel screws would be permissible.

Does this sound like good advice? I could not find much on the topic.

Craig Howard

InterNACHI's free Wind Mit course update includes 4 hours of Hurricane Mitigation

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 16:15
InterNACHI's free online "How to Perform Wind Mitigation Inspections" has been approved by DBPR to include 4 hours of Hurricane Mitigation.

See course approval at http://www.nachi.org/florida-dbpr-wi...n-approval.htm.

Converted?

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 14:49
How do I know if it was converted to be in contact or not?
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Any Clue ???

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 01:08
Does anyone have any idea what this might be? Its the first time i ever seen anything like it. It was attached to a copper water line.
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Small vent

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 00:36
For gas appliances, why do the smaller exhaust vents need to be connected to the vent above the larger appliance connector? I am looking for a scientific explanation.

What do you like and dislike about your inspection software?

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 00:15
Personally I use "Inspect It". Its OK, one thing I dislike about it, is the fact that it takes me forever to find common defects and preset information that I use regularly.

I feel like its quite lumbering at times.. but I do like how it makes my reports look in the end. :mrgreen:

What about you guys?

Looking for Southern California Inspectors NOW!!!

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 00:14
A client of mine has immediate openings for home inspectors (multiple inspectors, yes). Experience is a plus, though training can be provided. More inspections than they can handle are coming in every single day, they can fill your schedule!

Competitive splits, all their guys enjoy great pay, about the only downside is that you'll have to do this whole thing where you take down model numbers while you're checking the appliances anyway! Something about checking for recalls...

Anyway, if you're interested or know someone who is, email me at Nathan@NathanThornberry.com with some details about you and any inspection experience you have and expect to be interviewed in the next couple weeks for sure.

grounding electrode encased in concrete - NOT UFER

Inter Nachi - Thu, 03/28/2013 - 00:02
This is difficult to search for - when you put the words "Grounding Electrode" and "concrete" together, you get UFER.

This is not an UFER. The concrete was poured around the driven grounding electrode. I remember a reference some time ago that this was not acceptable, but maybe I'm incorrectly confusing that it's not OK if you can't see the connection.

Is either/both/neither of these scenerios acceptable?

Thanks
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is BC Home Inspection a failure

Inter Nachi - Wed, 03/27/2013 - 23:34
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/after-four-years-is-bc-home-inspection-licensing-failure-by-craig-hostland-rhi-cahpibc-1772825.htm



March 27, 2013 18:20 ET
After Four Years Is B.C. Home Inspection Licensing a Failure? By Craig Hostland, RHI and CAHPI(BC) President

KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - March 27, 2013) -The end of January marked the four-year anniversary of the province's announcement of a licensing program for B.C. home inspectors.
On January 30, 2009 a news release issued by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, John van Dongen, announced the regulation of the home inspection under Consumer Protection BC, declaring, "… consumers need to have confidence that the person who is doing the inspection has the qualifications to make a professional assessment".
Unfortunately, this has become less of an assurance and more of a hollow statement due to the methods used for legislating home inspectors and the failed way decisions are being made to address the many serious problems in the home inspection industry.
If not corrected, licensing will continue to only benefit those who want to make a fast buck off recession-weary B.C. consumers.
What has happened?
It took ten years of aggressive pushing by the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors of British Columbia - CAHPI(BC) - media focus, and unified support from more than 50 B.C. municipalities, before the provincial government finally found the resolve to listen and regulate the industry - and to exclude from licensing a U.S. based fly-by-night group whose anti-consumer practices were reported on by The Sun and Global TV in 2006.
As recently as the one-year anniversary of licensing, we wrote in The Sun that Consumer Protection in BC was off to a strong start.
A great deal has happened since, but much of it as disturbing to the legitimate B.C. home inspection industry as it is dangerous for B.C. consumers.
In February of 2010, an Ontario-based home inspection association was accredited for licensing in BC.
This organization was formed out of that U.S.-based group whose online quizzes - in which a person could sit down, take the quiz, and for $200 be pronounced a 'qualified home inspector' - attracted Vancouver Sun and other media attention and perhaps was key to the BC government's announcement of a licensing program.
Yet this organization now "met all the necessary criteria" and that its associate members qualified for licenses to inspect BC homes.
As a result, this new group began accepting for membership home inspector candidates who did not meet the high qualification standards of the two organizations initially recognized by Consumer Protection BC - CAHPI(BC) and the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC). Reputable home inspection training providers, including B.C. community colleges, were reporting that students were bypassing rigorous training in order to join this new group, where they could immediately be granted licenses to perform home inspections in British Columbia.
Therefore, under-trained and under-qualified individuals were being supplied with B.C. licenses, and able to enter people's homes and provide assessments on a condo, a house, or a property, so long as they promised to get training and education at some future date.
The shame is that the very people that B.C. government licensing was supposed to protect consumers from were being licensed through a loophole in the licensing regulation that has now allowed yet another out of province licensing body.
We saw this as a broken promise to BC consumers and brought this to the attention of Consumer Protection BC.
On our recommendations and diligent prodding, they implemented basic criteria that needed to be met by all new inspector applicants: 150 hours of formal home inspection education; academic examinations with a passing grade of 70%; a minimum of 50 hours of supervised field training; Peer Reviewed Test Inspection, an inspection by a qualified examiner who is aware of the deficiencies and safety issues of the property; and minimum continuing education hours of 20 per year.
CAHPI(BC) knew that, although a good first step, these qualification requirements were still woefully inadequate.
But then, Consumer Protection BC advised that in the future they would not change inspector entry criteria unless all 4 approved associations agreed in unison.
At the urging of Consumer Protection BC, in December, 2011 the four associations came together and spent a day ironing out critical changes that we all agreed were essential for the protection of the public.
Those changes included: a minimum of 300 hours of formal home inspection education; academic examinations with a passing grade of 80%; and a minimum of 100 hours of supervised field training prior to licensing. When the letter addressing these issues was prepared, one of the 4 associations declined to sign the document.
Since the Government requires unanimity amongst the 4 associations, the one association (comprising of less than 20% of the BC home inspectors) was allowed to stop progress.
After much delay and no sign of moving forward, in July of 2012 CAHPI(BC) took it upon ourselves to address these issues and a letter was sent to Consumer Protection BC explaining the crisis level need for these stiffer requirements in the industry, outlining our positions, and calling for early adoption and leadership in this drama.
To date, our initiative and efforts have been stymied by a rule that makes no sense. CAHPI(BC) comprises the majority of inspectors in BC but only has one vote - which is worthless when the only means of adoption is by unanimity and one player refusing to participate.
The fact is, the crisis in the home inspection industry is not about having only one association, although we wrote legislation for it more than 10 years ago, and it's not about only having one standard, it's all about not being able to implement logical important critical changes in licensing to ensure more demanding and powerful standards are adopted promptly and without stonewalling by a very small portion of the industry.
Consumer Protection BC is all about protecting consumers; but is severely limited by the Government of BC setting unattainable decision making criteria.
The home inspection licencing system should be continually enhancing consumer protection, not undermining it by allowing the continuation of accepting unqualified people into B.C. homes where they can influence the biggest spending decision British Columbians are ever likely to make.
One thing is certain.
Licensing has set a bare minimum standard that is woefully inadequate and has painted every home inspector in BC with the same brush.
Consumers beware - it's just like before licensing - the wild wild west - except now inspectors are licensed to pull the wool over your eyes.
We call on the BC Government to convene a meeting of the 4 associations and hammer out the necessary higher standards, or let those who want to work with Consumer Protection BC implement these important and critical changes.
Why do CAHPI(BC) home inspectors care?
Because for over 20 years, CAHPI(BC) has led the charge for higher standards in the industry - now 275 Province-wide Professionals linked arm in arm - and I for one am proud to be a part of this grass roots effort and will never, never, never give up.

Craig Hostland is an Okanagan home inspector and president of the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors of British Columbia

radiant barrier question

Inter Nachi - Wed, 03/27/2013 - 23:13
opinions on the discoloration on this radiant barrier?
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Will InterNachi training be accepted?

Inter Nachi - Wed, 03/27/2013 - 20:45
Here is the thread that deals with individual anxiety as to what will happen for possible Licensing. I have pulled it up again to show all Ontario Home Inspectors that you need not fear as most if not all InterNachi courses will most likely be accepted by the Ontario government.
So really you can panic and spend thousands more than you really needed to.
Really with that being said it is in your best interest to at least get close to the minimum training provided by InterNachi provided for a license in Alberta as quickly as possible. Again I stress there is no way of knowing what the Ontario Government will ask for as the minimum.
http://www.nachi.org/forum/f48/carso...pectors-62772/

Laundry sink drain

Inter Nachi - Wed, 03/27/2013 - 20:24
Is there a particular distance the laundry sink drain should be from the P-trap of the standpipe? Image attached.
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Type B vent termination question

Inter Nachi - Wed, 03/27/2013 - 19:13
Type B water heater vent terminates into copper stack / cap but is not directly connected. New home. OK? See picture. TY
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HVAC wiring

Inter Nachi - Wed, 03/27/2013 - 19:08
I'm pretty sure that a/c disconnect wiring must be stranded type not solid. I this the case?

Also, is stranded wire for a 40 amp furnace ok?
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