hausdok

The algae damages the shingles? Sure does, Fungi produces oxalic acid to digest whatever it's growing on. Some types of fungi are worse than others; lichen for example. Lichen will usually grow wherever birds are crapping on the roof and when you remove it the protective granules come with it. Some types of alga eat limestone. Around here, a roof can look great except for areas that are shaded and covered with moss or alga. Leave it on too long and those areas will usually wear out far sooner than the rest of the roof. Where the south sides of a roof will wear out soonest in other parts of the country where there's a lot more sunlight; here, the opposite is true. You can have a roof that's 17 years old and the south side of the cover will look great and the north side will be covered with alga and look like it's stained with dirt or smoke and that side will look pretty bad. So, sometimes they'll only replace the north side. The problem with that is that eventually the south side will wear out and then the north side will look great and the south side is shot - like this one. Sometimes it's the roofer that does it without the owner realizing it,sometimes the owners know it and they just want to save money. Don't you get moss and alga where you are? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, There's no opening at the ridge but there are openings under the eaves. I'll bet the insulation at the perimeter of the attic is touching the underside of the roof. Lots of houses around here they only have vents in every other rafter bay and the insulation is pushed right up against the roof in those bays without the vents. Moisture-laden air is moving up into the attic and insulation. When it hits the cold underside of the roof at the perimeter between the vents, it condenses and drips down through the insulation to the wall plate, saturates the drywall and then runs down the interior wall. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The half roof is a possibility. I've found about a dozen homes over the years where the roofer only replaced the shingles on the north side - the side where moss and algae tear up roofs here and they wear out first. That's kind of a nice way to pad one's profit - replace only the north slope and perhaps clean the other slope and leave the homeowner thinking that it's an entirely new roof. It's not always the roofer, though; one a couple of those houses, the homeowner's actions subsequent to the discovery sort of tipped us off that the homeowner had 'sort of' left a small detail out of the disclosure statement. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Brad, Don't refer them to any inspectors who are calling themselves mold inspectors. Refer them to a real lab. NVL Labs on Aurora has a top-notch mold/asbestos tech there. He'll tell them what they need to do and if they need a full treatment supervised by the lab I'd recommend they contact Jim Renfroe at Wood Care Systems in Kirkland. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Jim, You're right, for here; but he's not here. Code aside, manufacturers of PEX don't have a problem with hooking directly to electric water heaters - only the gas ones. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I agree with Brandon; it looks almost like some wingnut got up there with a pressure washer. However, if it were that you'd expect to see it on both the north and south slopes. OT - OF!!! M.

Quote: Originally posted by Kurt Anyone wants to argue fine points of drying times, I'd take my riding crop across their lips for talking back......... Riding crop? [:-bigeyes Do you wear a bustier and fishnet stockings along with that? OT - OF!!! M.

Silly you, Who worries about talking on a phone anymore when they can even brew coffee? That's what the phones back at the office are for! [] ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, I did. Once I saw that thing suck up all of that coffee, I couldn't leave it alone until I'd figured out what was behind the whole spoof. 'Course, since I come from Cape Breton stock, I'm not surprised at the intelligence of those crafty folks up in Novia Scotia. [] ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Nice spoof, Brad. They had me until I saw that thing suck in the equivalent of about 10 times its volume. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Who knows, Maybe in a few years, if this catches on and the price comes down, instead of trying to explain to our clients why something doesn't work, we'll be able to pull up a file from our article archives and project a computer animation of the issue on the wall of the living room so that the client has a clearer understanding of the issue. What say you all? Goofy or Not Goofy? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

By David Aamodt At CES this week, Logic is going to unveil a fancypants new smartphone that has an onboard projector. No news yet on whether it will have tweezers, a toothpick, or a fish scaler—all of which would be as useful as a mini projector. Don’t get me wrong, the novelty factor of a projector phone is pretty high. You know, it’s like having your own pocketsize R2D2. But after watching a few dim sports blooper clips on your cubicle wall, will you really keep using your battery-draining projector? I remain a skeptic. In addition to being a super intelligent, cyborg smartphone (touch screen, camera, Bluetooth, GPS, etc), the Logic Bolt can allegedly project clear image and video at up to 64-inches. Pretty cool! You can even hook your Xbox or Wii up to the Bolt. Read the rest of the article at Top 10 Reviews.com.

Hi Mark, While there might be a little truth to that, he did state repeatedly that in cases of fraud or neglect it wouldn't shield you. That's the rub, the standard for fraud or neglect is different in different states so the success of the lawsuit really depends on what the laws are in your own state. My philosophy, just inspect everything I inspect like I'm doing the job for my own mother; that way, I know that nobody is ever going to be trying to sue me for malfeasance. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

By Ryan Lengerich • rlengerich@news-press.com • January 11, 2009 Air conditioning manufacturers nationwide are taking an economic hit as they repeatedly replace copper coils destroyed by the recently exposed "Chinese drywall" phenomenon, local air condition company owners said. "I have never seen this many air conditioners fail at this age," said Fred Kobie, owner of Kobie Kooling in Fort Myers and a 25-year industry veteran. "It's almost an epidemic down here." For about two years, scientists, engineers and vendors nationwide struggled to learn why evaporating coils in new machines in new developments have gone sour often in under a year, Kobie said. The machines should have lifespans beyond 10 years. Kobie said the answer became clear when The News-Press reported Dec. 20 drywall imported during the construction boom years of 2004-05 is releasing sulfur compounds that corrode coils and copper tubing. Read more at the Ft. Myers News-Press.com.

Hi Richard, That happened to me two out of three times that I clicked it. I found that if I refreshed the screen while I was there it would go through. Some sites are a little bit glitchy. OT - OF!!! M.

That's the question put to syndicated columnist Barry Stone after a homeowner called in a plumber to do some work and the plumber told him that things weren't done "to code." What's your take? To read more click here.

S'funny you should mention that. Just yesterday I was emailing some folks about that idea. OT - OF!!! M.

For those of you that are intent on taking advantage of depressed real estate values during this downturn, you might consider investing in some historic properties. Sure, they come with some restrictions and the profit margins are smaller, but you'd be helping to preserve our heritage. Besides, there's just something about restored old buildings that gives one a warm and fuzzy when one sees them. Here are a few down Indiana way. This one in South Bend, IN is kind of attractive. She's been dried in and the exterior has been completed. Now it's time for the interior. Price - $1. This old girl is in Lambertville, MI, only 3 miles from Toledo, OH. Check out the interior photos. What someone did to the interior of this home was a crime and the condition they've allowed it to degrade to is worse. If you're a kid at heart and have fond memories of going to amusement parks as a kid, this lakefront property in New York State will interest you. Here are a few down in North Carolina. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Joe, On the older houses we'd find tin or copper used along the eaves. My dad would use drip edging and a doubled-up layer of 60-minute paper along the eaves. We didn't have customers with any roof problems unless they were self-inflicted. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! mike

Haven't a clue, Joe. I'll guess though that for some reason I'd deleted my profile and had to start all over again. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Joe, The Berkshires are in Western Mass but don't forget that they extend down into Connecticutt and eastern New York. My home town in New York is known as "The Gateway to the Bershires." ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

New technology, huh? I remember when I first saw the stuff talked about. I was in Germany in 1991 watching a taped replay of an old This Old House episode on AFNTV and Norm Abrahms and Rich T. were talking about what a great product it was. Yeah, 17 years later I guess it's a new product. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Have you ever reset the What's New search parameters to see what's been posted over the past few days, weeks. If not, try setting it to look backward for one week or two weeks. You'll be amazed at the number and variety of topics that get discussed in here; and, if you look at them more closely, the quality of the responses. It's especially gratifying to see that the number of technical and sensible topics dwarfs the number of silly soap opera type topics that make up the majority of other home inspection board discussions. We might be a sleepy little corner of the inspection world here, but I think we are the one that "got it right." This is TIJ's 7th Anniversary and all of us on the TIJ Team want to thank each and every one of you for helping to keep this, if not the busiest, at least the best home inspection discussion board on the net. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Looks like this inspector made two mistakes: 1) Forgot to rattle that back gate and make some noise before opening it and walking into the back yard. 2) Forgot the doggie treats. S'funny, the dog is getting more sympathy from the respondents than she is. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Jodi, I think he means we're supposed to live in run-down shacks. Have you ever seen a mechanic's car? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike