hausdok

The bearings are worn out in the squirrel cage blower. Take it out, bring it to an electric motor rebuild shop and have 'em install new bearings. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Jerry, I think it's Stuccatto from Weyerheauser (?). Google it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Nah, that's not from oxalic acid; that's from when I find myself in a crawlspace and the IBS kicks in and there's no toilet paper handy. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The oxalic acid secreted by the algae. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Yeah, I see them here with plastic vents all the time. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Here is segment three of the series. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Do you mean that when you ran the water it would not light? Perhaps they had it set to some standby/vacation mode. OT - OF!!! M.

Yep. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, The second picture is not actual board-on-batten; it's shiplapped "drop" siding that looks like board-on-batten when it is installed. Each of what look like battens behind those surface boards is actually just a long tongue that's sitting in a rabbet at the back of the adjacent board. You have to prime/seal the backside of that stuff when you put it on or when the sun hits the painted exposed side and it absorbs moisture from the unsealed backside it curls up like Shirley Temples locks. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, It's simulated batten-on-board siding made using exterior-grade plywood and furring strips. Board and batten siding was quick and easy to install in two configurations; batten-on-board where wide boards were nailed over girts and then narrow boards were nailed over the gap between the wider boards - or board-on-batten where narrow boards were first nailed to the girts and then wider boards were installed over the narrow boards leaving a gap about an inch to two inches wide between the edges of the wide boards. What you've got there approximates the look of batten-on-board. Grooved T1-11 pattern plywood, hardboard or OSB panel siding - and even wide gap drop siding - approximates the look of board-on-batten siding. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Maybe. But where else are ya gonna be able to toss around the term imbricated riffles?I'm going to order them with fruit compote and a side order of bendway weirs the next time I'm at IHOP. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Rob, I know it seems strange to you and me, but there are lots of places where it's routine for an inspector to do inspections without the clients there and then have them show up somewhere around the end of the inspection. Maybe this is one of those cases; still, it's hard to miss the kind of second stage rot that's obvious at that soffit unless you don't even bother to look for it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Northwest is still chugging right along. Of course, what is chugging right along for me is probably what you guys would consider slow; I won't do more than one a day. OT - OF!!! M.

Every inspector's nightmare - You miss something on an inspection and later find yourself featured on the evening news with a lovely young lady talking about how your mistake has taken her life savings. Ouch! To read more or watch the video, click here. How do you avoid something like this? It's very simple, really; inspect every single house slowly and carefully and like you were inspecting it for your own parents.

I got it, Table E37013 Column 4 - I should have paid better attention to the rest of the table. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Jeez, I just looked it up. Where in the heck did I get the 12-inches from? I can't even remember - it's been years, but I'm sure I must have read it someplace that I thought was credible - I'm just not that strong on electrical. Oh well. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Please, please, please, Lose the "it is recommended" and write like you talk; unless of course you're Will Robinson's robot and you go around speaking like that, in which case knock yourself out. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Rob, I dunno, 53 years old and that's all the sagging/separation it's had? I'm guessing that those pony walls, upper part of those rafters and that ridge board are all providing a very nicely tensioned apex. If it didn't have those pony walls, I'd probably mention it, but with them? Nah, I'd let it go. Now, mind you all, before you start stompin' on me, I'm no friggin engineer and I know squat; so I'm only saying what I'd do if it were me. Rob has to decide what kind of liability he wants to assume. By the way, that's one very tidy looking attic for a 53 year old home around here; did they have an OCD owner there? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Here's one for the brethren. These photos were sent to me by an acquaintance who had a home inspection while I was out of town last week. They are concerned about the way an exterior sump pump is wired but the builder's electrician says it's OK. Conduit extends into the ground and ends and then the cable goes to the junction box. From the junction box, a heavy utility cable goes to the sump pump. I can't tell whether the bottom of the conduit is sealed around the wire but it looks like those are compression type sealing fittings on either end of that junction box that are supposed to keep water out. I can't tell if it's UF cable but it doesn't look like typical NM so I'm thinking it might be UF cable. My conclusion; if the conduit goes at least 18 inches below grade, if that's UF cable, if the end of the conduit is sealed around the wire, if[b/] the cable is buried at least a foot below grade, if those are water tight connections sealing the wires at either end of that box, if that box is rated for burial below grade, and if the box is watertight, it's fine. However, if any of those rules are violated it is not. Now, the kicker - apparently that junction box has water in it - so, even if I'm correct and all of those rules have been met, it won't be fine until they fix the leak. Right or wrong? Let me know - you all know that I'm as weak as Larry, Daryl and Darly when it comes to electrical issues. Click to Enlarge 47.12 KB Click to Enlarge 37.32 KB Click to Enlarge 78.28 KB ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Rob, This time I'm going to post it in TIJ's links library (I keep forgetting); the best thing I've found is an online course by Purdue University. It's extensive and it will take hours and hours to work your way through it, but when you get done you'll know more about private water supply systems than the average home inspector. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Randy, Is that your voltage/continuity tester up there? OT - OF!!! M.

Very soon, when an inspector finds a furnace worn out in Washington State, and the client wants to know what it will cost to replace it, inspectors would be wise to warn their clients that there will be a whole lot more involved with a retrofit than just replacing the furnace. According to Tom Ebert, owner of Snohomish Energy Services, as of July 1st 2010 the new Energy Code (WSEC) at www.energy.wsu.edu/code/ requires that duct air leak testing be performed on all furnaces replaced that have ducts in unconditioned spaces. If the test results are unacceptable then ductwork enhancement measures must be included in order to be issued the permit required to replace the furnace. Approximate replacement cost for an 80% efficiency unit used to be about $2400. After July 1st, once the cost of the duct blower test at $550 plus the duct work enhancement (R-8 minimum insulation after old insulation is stripped and joints sealed with mastic) is factored in, the average price will be about $4800 plus tax to replace the furnace in a 1300 sq. ft rambler with ductwork in the crawlspaces. For home buyers, this means that in some cases the cost of replacement will essentially double. ****

Hi All OK, I've update the State section of the chart to reflect the new serial number code and I've posted the new chart to the file library at this link: https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... oto&id=120 I've also written to AO Smith, because they've apparently assimilated State, and have asked them to provide me iwth a list of the companies that they currently own and an explanation of how to decode those various serial numbers. I'm not holding my breath that they'll answer too soon; so, if any of you see anything that needs correction on this decoder chart, or you have some other companies that we can add to it, please email me with that information at hausdok@msn.com Thanks ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Gary, Thanks, that's huge because it will affect about 20 brands made by State and sold under different names. I'll update our chart. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Sure they do, why else would they call them cameras? You need a digital adapter with the original Seesnake but the newer MicroExplorer has digital capture built in and you can extend its reach up to 30ft. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike