Bain

You know, Donald. Matches can be used to correct multiple improper conditions within houses. Not a suggestion, mind you. Just a thought . . .

That's one I'll steal, Mike. Thanks for the translation.

viel Geld? I don't know what it means but I'm thinking I want to. There was no attic access in the joint described. But there appeared to be a few feet of airspace between the ceiling joists and rafters. I'd have loved to've had a look at what was beneath the membrane. The ceiling beneath the chimney was damp mush.

A regular client who rehabs POSs for profit had me look at a 110-year-old candidate today. Check out the photos of the concave roof. Water is intended to be directed toward the lone, undersized scupper on the upper, rear portion of the roof, and then trickle off of the lower tier. As you can see, though, none of the surfaces contain proper slopes. Water is seeping through the membrane seams, and also through the outer-periphery metal flashings. The soffits are being destroyed, but worse, water is seeping behind the stucco and eroding it. The dark areas within the second-to-last photo are layers of paint over previous repairs, but they're also wicked damp due to the moisture penetrating the stucco and trickling down the exterior of the house. Has anyone seen this configuration before? And does anyone have a clue how it could be remedied without spending a fortune? Download Attachment: Rooftemp1.jpg 62.32 KB Download Attachment: Rooftemp2.jpg 50.46 KB Download Attachment: Rooftemp3.jpg 46.4 KB Download Attachment: Rooftemp4.jpg 44.9 KB Download Attachment: RoofTemp5.jpg 52.37 KB

What condition are you referring to? The photos show different ends of the panel. Are you wondering about the wires in the lower gutter that weren't landed?

Thanks for the response, Michael.

I have a question about smoke shelves, which seem mysterious even to experts who teach educational seminars. You mention that smoke shelves permit the passage of exhaust and return air, which makes sense, but which also seems slightly oxymoronic. What exactly is the purpose of a smoke shelf, and what are the underlying principles that allow it to properly perform?

And the solution costs less than a dollar, although I still don't always use it. A bungee cord wrapped around both a ladder rung and a gutter spike will prevent the wind from dislodging the ladder. Oh, and one more crawlspace yuck-yuck. I once scrabbled through an access door a couple of feet and was engulfed by a swarm of fleas. But of course I didn't realize they were fleas until after I'd torpedoed out of the crawlspace, flailing my arms and twisting and heaving as if I were having an epileptic seizure to the tenth power. I finally calmed down and called my pal the termite inspector, who also has an entomology degree. He said the fleas weren't what really concerned him, but rather the vile creature in the crawlspace--use your imagination, I did--that was attracting them. I refused to go back in the crawlspace until an exterminator had cleared it of all objectionable inhabitants. Never had to return, though, 'cause my buyer decided she'd search elsewhere for a place to live.

Mike, I once had the same bad experience with a ladder that you did. I was on top of a 10-year-old two-story house when I heard a horrific clanging and clattering below. I scooted toward the front of the roof and saw my ladder straddling the front yard. I actually started thinking I was lucky the ladder hadn't smashed into a seller's car before I realized I had no way to get off the roof. The soffits were too wide--or I was too big of a chicken--to try to climb down, so there I sat, for nearly an hour, ace-home-inspector-guy, trapped on a roof. I finally was rescued by a teenager walking down the street who was kind enough to put the ladder back in place. When I was down, I shoved twenty bucks into his hand and got back to work.

Oh, and Brian. Got you re the photo size. Sorry.

I know nothing about poria, Mike, but I'll take a look at the previous thread I mentioned.

I agree that all the hysteria regarding mold is largely unfounded, but check out what I saw in a crawlspace earlier today. Every fixture in the bathroom was leaking into the crawlspace, and the water-heater flue pipe was discharging into the cellar/crawlspace---so I suppose that's where the moisture came from that allowed the mold to flourish. I was reminded of Mike's "Name That Rot," thread several months ago in which the villain was some polysyllabic organic material that I'm too dopey to remember. Download Attachment: DSC02100.JPG 585.88 KB Download Attachment: DSC02101.JPG 590.36 KB Download Attachment: DSC02106.JPG 624.95 KB

Totally yucko, Kurt. I saw something similar, once, in a five-year-old house. I was completely baffled until the furnace fired and flue gases started roiling up from the attic floor. I kicked away the blown-in cellulose and discovered that the flue pipe was completely detached at one of its joints. Ummm, of course then I sorta freaked out 'cause the attic was full of flue gases, which we know are primarily carbon dioxide, but of course I'm thinking worst-case-scenario . . . but that's another story.

Again . . . this time in a $750,000.00 house. What are these nuts thinking? Download Attachment: DSC01526.JPG 557.5 KB

Smooth work, Chris. I don't like to move stuff, either, but always try to check out closet walls and floors when they're behind bathrooms, kitchens, etc. I loathe getting up close and personal with someone else's gym shoes when I move them, but two or three times a year I'll discover stained baseboards and/or damp carpet.

So . . . what do you figure's easiest? Cutting a 3/4" hole in a galvanized sewer-vent feeder? Or using a hole saw in the soffit? Brilliant work here, performed by a "licensed professional," who gets to overrule us at times. The overflow-pan drain, seen to the right, terminated perfectly within the garage ceiling. Download Attachment: DSC01495.JPG 616.34 KB

And what about when the garage-door opener is wired into the garage-wall GFCI? No rule against it, but stupid.

Brian, Were you able to ask the seller the purpose of the jumper cables?

Very useful info, Jim. Thanks. John

You're right, of course, Gary. But the service-people who come in behind me and others seldom possess your level of expertise. Independent thought is becoming a lost commodity. How many service techs would you expect to ask the same questions you did in your post? John

Thanks as always, Kurt and Scott. John

So the tech likely knows what he's doing, huh? There's a photo of a failure in the Heat Exchanger Expert manual that practically mirrors the one I uploaded.

The photo didn't upload for some reason. Here it is. Download Attachment: DSC01180.JPG 577.86 KB

I found this--quite easily for obvious reasons--cracked heat-exchanger in a furnace last week. Today, the HVAC tech called with questions about a second furnace with minor problems and said he was going to replace the "face plate" of the furnace in the photo. I asked him a few questions to make certain we weren't miscommunicating, and (I think--we were, after all, talking via phones) he maintained that what I was looking at was not the actual heat-exchanger but a replaceable plate. I was able to penetrate the crack +/- 1/4" with a screwdriver, so I'm finding it difficult to envision that portion of the furnace as replaceable. John

Yikes, I hate to think that I've fallen prey to the myth-monster. Mike, based upon your recommendation in another thread, I bought Hansen's book, but have been wicked busy and haven't taken the time to read it. Jim, don't sell yourself short. Your breadth of knowledge constantly astounds. Scott, I did what you suggested, however briefly, but uncovered no definitive clues. That's why I was asking about the aluminum wire. I hate it when I'm wrong . . .