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Hi, I don't think there is any glass-to-glass contact. I've seen a number of these and the doors usually have a gap between panels so there is no glass-to-glass contact. They are made from that super strong stuff they use for see-through balcony railings. When they're mounted on balconies there are usually very few mounting points, just like there. I'm not sure how they're made but the last one I looked at looked like some kind of lamination; kind of like windshield glass if you know what I mean. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, The stucco is going to move and vinyl windows will expand at twice the rate of aluminum wood or fiberglass, so keeping the joint sealed is a challenge with the trim flush to the face of the stucco. Jim's solution will probably work, if it's used on both sides of the trim, but the stucco guide shows another solution. The window is flashed with flexible bituthene flashings over the nailing fin at the sides and top and under the fin at the bottom; the stucco ending in a treated wood nailer/plaster stop butted right up to the sides of the window casing at the sides; a 1/4-inch gap between the casing and the stucco at the bottom; a 3/8-inch gap between the stucco and the casing at the top; and then the trim is applied over the plaster stop. A metal head flashing laps them both at the top, and then the gap at the bottom is filled with backer rod and tooled with sealant. Click to Enlarge 53.23 KB Click to Enlarge 57.77 KB

Don't know much about them; however, is it possible to have them commercially cleaned and then the interior sealed with epoxy similar to what's done to rehabilitate pipe? OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Yeah, you have to watch for pinholes in the convection tubes above the firebox. I've found that shining a light into them from above and looking up into the throat from the fireplace will reveal them. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, That's the in-line drain. It's supposed to connect to a nipple that projects (normally) straight downward from the right side bottom of that white exhaust vent coupler. It drains to the collector box and then into the air handler and out the side of the unit. Is it possible that the original coupler with the nipple cracked and was leaking and someone fabricated that one from a bunch of PVC pipe parts purchased at HD? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

It needs a new crown. That much efflorescence means that the stack is taking on a lot of water. The goop that they've sealed that side crack with and the perimeter of the crown isn't going to stop water permeating that stack and it's eventually going to weaken the bond at those top courses of brick. I'd recommend they get a reputable mason to knock that wash cap off there and install a decent reinforced crown complete with expansion joint and built-in drip edge that will ensure water never drains into that stack again. When you said steel pre-fabricated, were you referring to the heavy steel inserts with the masonry stack built around them and the intake vents below and to the side with the three large heat tubes through the throat above the box or are you referring to a zero-clearance type like someone was asking about last week? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

It's interesting that Marc can pronounce it fiction without even knowing the inspector involved. You folks know me and you know that I wouldn't publish anything that I think is a lie. I know this inspector and I trust him and believe in him. Being an ex-cop, I know a lot about lawyers and the way they operate. I'm willing to accept the word of this home inspector over a lawyer's any day. We can't keep it much more professional than that. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

What's the part that you need? Those things are pretty much just a radiator coil with a bunch of off-the-shelf components attached to them. What is the part that you need, maybe you can get something similar from one of the other hydronic system manufacturers? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Print out the document below onto a piece of heavy card stock and keep it inside your clipboard. Then go to this link: https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... goto&id=89 and print that out as a handout for customers who want information about GFCI's. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Download Attachment: GFCI Locations.pdf 11.21 KB

Hi, I don't think it matters. The inspection identified the issues involved and the buyers had the opportunity to address that cost with the seller before proceeding. That's not the issue; the issue is that the inspector identified all of the pertinent issues and then under-estimated what it would cost to fix them. If the buyer only asked for $20,000 in concessions based on that discovery and estimate, and the seller granted it, the seller is not on the hook. Lesson - if you're going to give them estimates you'd better at least be in the ballpark or you've basically screwed yourself royally. By the way, this inspector is also an architect. Can't say that I'd want him designing and costing out a home for me. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Chad, Don't know what to tell you; it works fine from this end. Anyone have any ideas? OT - OF!!! M.

There's more on this story here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

FLIR Systems has delivered its 100,000th commercial-use infrared camera. The FLIR thermal imager was sold by Professional Equipment, a distributor of FLIR infrared cameras, to Bob Childs, owner of Bob the Inspector Inc. in Green Valley, Ariz. To commemorate the milestone, Childs and Professional Equipment were honored at an awards ceremony and press conference Nov. 5 in Tucson, Ariz. In addition to receiving the 100,000th infrared camera award, Childs received his FLIR BCAM SD infrared camera compliments of FLIR Systems ($3,450 value). Source: FLIR Systems

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Hi Kurt, If I got it right, his company is only doing the first 500; after that, he's distributing the work to other inspectors who're certified to do the wind mitigation inspections and takes a piece of that action. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

By Kris Hundley, St. Petersburg Times The board of state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. approved what is likely the largest no-bid contract in its history last month, awarding $60 million to a software company in Jacksonville. The contract gives Inspection Depot Inc. responsibility for coordinating re-inspections of as many as 400,000 of the one million homes insured by Citizens, the state's largest property insurer. To read the entire article, click here.

Hi All, Thought you all might in interested in a decent article in Plumbing Mechanical Engineer Magazine about in-place rehabilitation of existing pipe. To read more, click here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

A home inspector in British Columbia has just been ordered by a judge to pay a couple $192,000, the difference between his estimate of $20,000 and the actual $212,000 cost to repair a home. To read more, click here.

Hi, I'm not sure I understand the question; isn't the Watt's 210 designed to shut off the gas to the burners in order to prevent the temperature from going any higher? I thought a sensor was installed in the tank and wires run to a solenoid shutoff installed in the gas line; did I get this wrong? OT - OF!!! M.

Very Kewl, Steven! OT - OF!!! M.

No really, The technique you use is the one prescribed by the Shake and Shingle Bureau for extreme weather areas. I know you get some pretty extreme weather where you are. OT - OF!!! M.

I'd buy a new one and replace my own for less than $500 before I'd let someone soak me for $2K plus. Go here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I seem to recall that this was something that Jerry Peck used to harp about all the time, and get into some pretty long and contentious arguments about, on the ASHI board; but I don't remember what the outcomes of those arguments were. I'm sure Jim remembers. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Shakes are very inconsistent in thickness and texture, so layers of felt are interlaced between courses over the skip. Air passes under the shakes, thorugh the felt and into the attic and dries them out. These roofs breath so well that attic ventilation is pretty much not an issue - even when some idiot vents a bath fan into one of these attics. It could have been a crow. When a young crow starts worrying at the edges of a hole he'll go on for hours and hours and even days pecking and pulling at the edges. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Rob, I've been thinking about it. I think that a 4 by 4 could be flashed on all sides the same way they flash and seal the deck/balcony-to-house joint. 1. Coat the post with primer 2. Install overlapping steel flashings around the base 3. Prime the flashings 4. Install the fiberglass scrim from the flashing onto the balcony and then from the flashing to the post. Allow to dry. 5. Featheredge the scrim and trowel on the first coat of urethane - allow a day or two to cure. 6. Apply a second coat - allow two days to cure. The flashings should be invisible by now. 7. Apply a third coat, allow to dry for a few hours and then spread sand on the walking surface - allow to cure for a couple of days. 8. Sweep off the excess sand, apply the finish coat and allow to dry at least 2 to 3 days. 9. Thoroughly prime and paint the balustrade posts. As long as the posts above that point are kept well painted and the end grain sealed, there's no reason that this would not perform as long as needed. The stuff is as tough as a pickup bed liner and is flexible so that it can easily accommodate the different expansion/contraction rates of the deck materials, flashings and posts without failing. 'course, could be wrong; often am. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike