CHI

Ok, a 1952 house with a Square D fuse panel in the basement with 4 subs. Two of the subs were tapped into the main lugs, double taps at several locations. A green wire (ground?) double tapped in one sub. The fuses in the main panel were 40 amps and all other fuses were 20's. The subs had 30 and 40 amp breakers installed. I know there are many more issues. More info on this one than I can write. I believe I'll just let the client know that it is outdated and note several of the concerns...including the water heater breaker that is on in the down position. Click to Enlarge 42.44 KB Click to Enlarge 65.5 KB Click to Enlarge 63.43 KB Click to Enlarge 62.39 KB Click to Enlarge 21.99 KB Click to Enlarge 45.33 KB Click to Enlarge 33.23 KB Also, a wall switch was installed in the garage with a 20 amp fuse between it and the light fixture. Can't figure out why that was installed.

Thanks Mike. I suppose I'll be hearing from Harbor Homes on this one.

The siding did extend past the sill and there hasn't been much rain up our way lately. Is there a solution? If this much moisture is consistent, the joists will certainly rot or become lunch for carpenter ants.

Not sure what would be the cause of this. New construction, cement siding. Approximately 45 degrees outside, lows overnight in the 30's. The rim joist and sill were soaking wet at nearly all locations in the crawl. You can see water stains on the foundation wall at several locations. The ends of the insulation were dripping wet when pulled back. I'm assuming it has to due with a lack of vapor barrier at the exterior? Anyone got the answer?? Click to Enlarge 43.07 KB Click to Enlarge 57.08 KB Click to Enlarge 35.3 KB Click to Enlarge 48.39 KB

Hey Mike, Sounds like a good solution. There was a small amout of saw dust, I even looked under the vapor barrier for it. I saw him enter the crawl with the threaded rod, then heard about 15 minutes of the unmistakeable sound of a sawzall chewing through wood. They knew I was there and were acting very sheepishly. The buyer was an elderly woman and was quite concerned with what she was observing. Thanks for the input.

Now, call me paranoid but when I saw the 21 year old come out of the crawlspace with a sawzall in a new home I was a little suspicious. It appears he cut the bottm chord and web of the truss system in the crawl to accomodate the seismic retraint rod. Quite a bit of damage was done. Can this be strapped or should an engineer be called? Image Insert: 64.76 KB Image Insert: 63.44 KB Image Insert: 58.66 KB Image Insert: 67.81 KB Image Insert: 63.78 KB

Thanks Jim, That's pretty much what I told the buyer. It certainly was a mess, but it didn't look like it grew there, it looked like it had been poured. The fact that it was near and on top of the main waste line makes sense. Thanks for your insight.

Found this in a crawl today. It was pretty solid until moved then became pretty fine, almost like a powder. I want to say it looked like a bag of lime, however it was spread under one entire room and was behind the insulation at several locations. Well ventilated, no moisture and had a vapor barrier. Thoughts? Image Insert: 61.22 KB Image Insert: 67.01 KB Image Insert: 48.46 KB

You got it Randy, this heater was used for the entire home and when you turned that damper lever you got a huge shot of air that made a difference in the amount of air flow in the interior of the home. Thanks for the input.

Thanks Kyle, That was my hunch. It just looked so odd having this huge open duct near the furnace. I'll write it up as a register is not recommended in the garage. Thanks Much!

Came across this situation yesterday. The seller works for an HVAC company. He also had a lot of nice toys in the garage, so I assume he spends a fair amount of time in there. He wanted to keep warm so he installed this 12" duct with a damper to open and close. My concern is the location of "register" to the combustion of the furnace. R309.1.2 says of garages; ducts shall be of approved materials and, "shall have no openings in the garage." Is there a problem having the register so close to combustion? Image Insert: 82.47 KB

Good to hear that I'm not the only one who encounters these situations...[^]

I actually had to do a little research to confirm my suspicions. There were several dead bees/wasps...I didn't get too close to check. After some research this was indeed a wasps nest. Has anyone seen 'em this big? Oh yeah, I mentioned the insulation, or lack thereof! Download Attachment: wasps nest.jpg 151.41 KB Download Attachment: Wasps nest 2.JPG 177.92 KB

Hey guys, I'm still researching the siding on this one. I've asked the seller to replace the damaged siding and to inform me of it's manufacturer. I'll keep you posted. I did go by the unit yesterday and still could not locate any "LP" knots. There were some full 16' lengths, but to my untrained eye, I did not see any. Thanks for your insight.

Hey Mike, But I don't see the distincive knot pattern that is indicative to LP??

Sorry Brian, I had a hunch that was going to happen. Those were the first photos I've posted, I should have known better... By the way, thanks for getting me addicted to the cussed penguin game[:-weepn]

Sorry it took so long to reply, I had my 2 year old with me all day. Can't get too much accomplished with her around. I believe the siding is either weyerhauser or a masonite product. I have attatched some photos. The gel is is clear and felt like hair gel. It was not thick or hard but felt very watery. Could it be the onset of a mold or fungus? What about the breakdown of adhesives that are used in the construction of the siding itself? Download Attachment: DripEdge_Medium.jpg 43.36 KB Download Attachment: DripEdge2_Medium.jpg 60.82 KB Download Attachment: SidingSurface_Medium.jpg 55.82 KB

Hey there... I was doing an inspection today on a duplex that is actually for myself. When I inspected the bottoms of the planks, I found a gel like substance on them. The siding that was covered by the eaves was in good shape and had no delamination, but the siding on the decks, which were exposed more directly to the elements, had this gel and were delaminating. Any suggestions would be helpful... thanks Rob

Great information. I will be starting my home inspection business in March, and finding this site has been an incredible help. It can feel a little daunting to knock on that door for your first inspection, but with the help of all of you on this forum, I do feel slightly more competent. (or at least more informed) I am currently reading ALL old posts, going through them and making notes as I go. As far as the acidic build up on the heaters goes, I will ask the seller to have that looked at prior to closing. Thanks Guys... Rob Renfro

Hey all, This is my first inspection...ok I'm not really up and running yet but I will be soon. I'm looking to purchase this duplex so I did the inspection myself. When I inspected the gas heater, I found a white powder like substance in the unit itself. It seemed to be coming from where the blower housing is connected. It also seemed to be corroded inside the flue itself. There was white corrosion leaking from the joints in the exhaust flue. The heaters in both units had the same situation. The heaters are about 10 years old. Any suggestions? I've got photos, however they would not load when I attmepted to link them to my message. Thanks Rob