jltdesign

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So far jltdesign has created 34 blog entries.

Basement floor drains – October, 2022

Basement floor drains are supposed to *remove* basement water, not bring it in. One of the reasons that home inspectors run so much water during an inspection is to reveal problems like this one. The basement floor drain is connected to the main sewer line, which doesn’t drain fast enough. As a result, some water backs up into the basement. While this might [...]

2023-06-14T16:54:00-07:00October 1st, 2022|Gas and Plumbing, Snaps from the Field|

TPR valves – September, 2022

Temperature and pressure relief (TPR) valves are critically important safety devices. When one fails or is improperly installed in a way that prevents it from doing its job, a traditional tank-style water heater can behave like a bomb (or a rocket). Here, a flush kit for a tankless water heater is installed upside down, placing a shut off valve between the hot water [...]

2023-06-14T16:53:56-07:00September 1st, 2022|Gas and Plumbing, Snaps from the Field|

Gutters – August, 2022

Is this a new type of leaf screen?  This gutter may be very effective at separating leaves from the water off the roof, but only at the expense of water running down the side of the house and causing damage. This pattern of deterioration is certainly unusual - I would suspect that it may be corrosion from some type of de-icer chemical/pellets or [...]

2024-02-23T11:13:07-08:00August 1st, 2022|Exterior, Roofs and Gutters, Snaps from the Field|

Plumbing – July, 2022

A trombone comes to mind... Or maybe miniature golf. Drainpipes under a sink should be simple: a small U-shaped bend called a “trap” holds a plug of water to prevent sewer gas from rising out of the drain. This plug of water should never be more than 4” deep and the remaining drainpipes should be as short and direct as possible. The drain [...]

2024-02-23T11:13:55-08:00July 1st, 2022|Gas and Plumbing, Snaps from the Field|
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