During its February, 2021 meeting, the Piedmont City Council adopted new energy code amendments, which are designed to meet the Piedmont's Climate Action goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and natural gas usage in residential buildings. Ordinance 751 N.S. requires a Home Energy Score assessment at time of sales as of March 3, 2021 What [...]
Most people know that carbon monoxide alarms are important and save lives, but many are confused about where they should be installed. It can be tricky, since the manufacturer’s recommendations, state, and local requirements often don’t agree. The advice given here is based upon the California Residential Code (CRC). Required Locations Since 2011, the State [...]
Everyone knows that smoke alarms are important and save lives, but many are confused about where they should be installed. It can be tricky, since the manufacturer's recommendations, state, and local requirements often don't agree. The advice given here is based upon the California Residential Code (CRC). Before buying your smoke alarms, please read THIS [...]
Sediment traps have been required on gas piping systems for many years, but there is a lot of confusion about them. Read on to learn what they really are, where to install them, and how to configure them properly. Sediment Trap vs. Drip Leg"Drip leg" and "sediment trap" are often used interchangeably, but they are [...]
Professional achievements and their designations can quickly become an alphabet soup. For home inspectors, you will see such designations as ACI, CCI, MCI (and many others) - but what do they mean? ACI stands for ASHI Certified Inspector, CCI stands for CREIA Certified Inspector, and MCI stands for Master CREIA Inspector. ACI and CCI are [...]
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas. You can’t see it - you can’t smell it - but it can poison or kill you. Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning resemble those of the flu – headaches, dizziness and nausea. Ongoing symptoms can be headaches, tiredness, memory impairment, difficulty in concentrating, difficulty in sleeping, and [...]
Senate Bill 407 (SB407) was signed in 2009, and this law will have a big impact on California home owners starting January 1, 2017. In short, this law requires the installation of water conserving plumbing fixtures in all single family homes built prior to 1994. This is not a time-of-sale requirement, it applies to all [...]
I created a video to go over the basics of earthquake retrofitting a simple home. Using a layered SketchUp model, I will walk you through the basic elements of an earthquake (seismic) retrofit. Many of these standard details come from "Plan Set A" which can be found HERE. Enjoy the video and please let me [...]
GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) protection is a modern safety feature designed to help prevent shock hazards and electrocution. GFCI breakers and receptacles (outlets) de-energize a circuit or a portion of a circuit when a hazardous condition exists. GFCI protection is inexpensive and can provide a substantially increased margin of safety. Where to Install GFCI protection [...]
Tankless water heater manufacturers recommend flushing every 6-12 months. This is especially important in areas with hard water, as minerals can buildup inside the heat exchanger and cause performance problems. I'll run down the basics and I've collected the descaling instructions from the three main manufacturers of tankless water heaters: Takagi (sometimes labeled A.O. Smith), [...]
