Terms Beginning with "T"

tapered insulation: Pre-cut or pre-molded insulation designed to provide a positive slope for adequate drainage to the roof deck before the membrane is installed.

technically exhaustive: a comprehensive and detailed examination beyond the scope of a commercial property inspection that might involve, but would not be limited to: specialized knowledge or training, special equipment, measurements, calculations, testing, research, analysis, meters, scaffolding, dismantling, probing or troubleshooting; also, where the cost of obtaining information or the time required to conduct a portion of the inspection and prepare that portion of the inspection report could outweigh the likely usefulness of the information obtained, or could be detrimental to the orderly and timely completion of the client’s transaction.

tensile stress: The opposite of compressive stress, it is the stretching force applied on an object.

thermal cycling: A term used to describe recurring expansion and contraction of building materials from temperature fluctuations.

thermal insulation: Any material that is highly resistant to heat transmission that, when placed inside the walls, ceilings and floors of a structure, reduces the rate of heat flow.

thermal movement: The measured amount of dimensional change that a material exhibits as it is warmed and cooled.

thermoplastic: A material that can be repeatedly softened when heated and hardened when cooled, such as TPO and PVC.

thermoset: A material that, once cured or vulcanized, cannot be softened to bond with itself or reshaped, such as EPDM.

thermostat: an automatic control device used to maintain temperature at a set point.

thimble: the tube or lining through a wall that a connector passes through to enter a flue or that a flue passes through to exit a roof.

through-ladder: a type of fixed ladder that requires the user to step between its side rails in order to dismount at the top.

tilt-up construction: A form of construction in which concrete slabs (wall panels) are formed on the ground adjacent to the final design location. Once the concrete reaches its specified strength, the slabs are vertically lifted to the final installation location and fixed to a foundation slab or edge beam.

timely access: access to the subject property and documentation required by the inspector to perform the inspection.

TJ (or TJI): Manufactured truss joints resembling the letter I that are used as floor joists and rafters. I-joists include two key parts: flanges and webs. The flange may be made of laminated veneer lumber or dimensional lumber, usually formed into a width of 1-1/2 inches. The web is commonly made of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Large holes can be cut in the web to accommodate ductwork and plumbing waste lines. I-joists are available in lengths up to 60 inches long.

TLVs: Threshold Limit Values (guidelines recommended by ACGIH).

toilet room: a room containing a water closet or urinal, but not a bathtub or shower.

torch-applied: A method for installing a membrane on a low-slope roof that uses special equipment, such as an open-flame propane torch; usually used on MB.

TPO (thermoplastic polyolefins): A thermoplastic low-slope roof membrane.

tracer gases: Compounds, such a sulfur hexafluoride, which are used to identify suspected pollutant pathways and to quantify ventilation rates. Tracer gases may be detected qualitatively by their odor or quantitatively by air monitoring equipment.

trap: a fitting that provides a liquid seal to prevent the emission of sewer gases and odors.

tree crown: the branches growing out from a tree, including twigs and foliage.

tributary area: A loaded area that results in the given structural member supporting the area.

truss: A frame or jointed structure designed to act as a beam of long span, while each member is usually subjected to lengthwise stress only (either tension or compression).

TVOCs: Total volatile organic compounds.