hausdok

That furnace is at about 150% of its normally expected service life. Does it have a pilot light? If so, that may be where the hot gas from the pilot turns on it's way to the flue. Hot spots on the cabinet typically indicate a crack in the exchanger, but that's only 88 degrees. Is that with the furnace running? If so, I don't think it's being caused by a crack. Maybe there's something wedged in there. That's a less-than-ideal environment for a furnace to be operating at 1-1/2 times service life. I'd bet it's about time for replacement. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Sometimes there's a lot of debris in the bottom of the casing tray under the snap-in insert that the window slides on. Sometimes it's because the framer didn't make the rough opening large enough or they tapped the wedges in too tight around the window casing when they leveled and plumbed it in the rough opening. Something you should understand is that vinyl windows expand and contract at about twice the rate of aluminum, wood, or fiberglass windows. If they're installed in too tight a rough opening or someone's careless when using wedges, there's almost nothing that can be done to correct it afterward short of tearing into the wall. I've found homes that were several years old where the heat-welded corners of the vinyl windows had broken apart and the windows were very difficult for me to open. It's hard to say and mostly impossible to figure out in the context of a home inspection. I don't generally write it up unless I find the corner joints broken apart or I think a kid won't be able to slide the window open in order to escape a fire. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

IBC 2003 1807.2.1 Floors. Dampproofing materials for floors shall be installed between the floor and the base course required by Section 1807.4.1, except where a separate floor is provided above a concrete slab. Where installed beneath the slab, dampproofing shall consist of not less than 6-mil (0.006 inch; 0.152 mm) polyethylene with joints lapped not less than 6 inches (152 mm) or other approved methods or materials. Where permitted to be installed on top of the slab, dampproofing shall consist of mopped-on bitumen, not less than 4-mil (0.004 inch; 0.102 mm) polyethylene, or other approved methods or materials. Joints in the membrane shall be lapped and sealed in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Barry, Thanks, we actually have that in the links library in the codes category but it never hurts to remind folks that it's there. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Richard, Thanks, I think the Viper one is the product I was thinking of. I say that because I'd somehow gotten this image in my head of a dragon logo. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hmmm, Seems to me that, if the circuit were overloaded, the breaker would be expected to trip; unless it were an FPE or Zinsco panel, in which case, one couldn't really count on them tripping and the wire-nutted splice would be the least of the worries. Mr. Katen has backed his opinion up - can Check it Out back up his? Ironic that the initiator of the thread and this fellow have the same user names. Guess my software couldn't figure that out. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, I seem to remember someone posting a photo of some really heavy duty polyethylene vapor barrier material a while back but I can't seem to locate it. Does anyone remember what the post was about. All I can remember about the stuff is that it was bright orange and I think it was reinforced. OT - OF!!! M.

In this article in Broker Agent News, Dan Steward, President, Pillar to Post, makes an argument for how pre-listing inspections can help agents move homes in the current stagnant market. To read the entire article, click here.

It's extremely common not to see drip edging used at the eaves here; I'd guess that I see it maybe 2 or 3 times on every 1000 buildings. However, I find damage to the edge of the decking on about 5% of those homes where it's been omitted. For those 5 out of 100 homeowners that omission is serious stuff. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Well, Though I agree with your reasoning, it violates the listing and labeling on the insulation. OT - OF!!! M.

John, What your thinking of is a damp course. It's designed to prevent rising damp, what Jim referred to. OT - OF!!! M.

Please, Remove that term "Passed the test of time" from your lexicon. OT - OF!!! M.

Around here, there'd be leopard spots spreading out around that vent despite the ridge vent. OT - OF!!! M.

So, Slab foundation? OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, It looks to me like the base of a concrete furnace flue stack. If so, it's not really going to affect it much, cuz it's probably filled with concrete all the way to the point where the flue tile begins. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Jodi, This has been discussed many dozens of times over the years. If you do an advanced search for "FPE" you'll find that answered many, many times. Here're some of the more recent discussions. https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... hTerms=FPE https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... hTerms=FPE https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... hTerms=FPE ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

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Hi, Well, not to be argumentative, because I do think that this is a very poorly written law, you're assertion presupposes that everyone appointed to that board is going to be a criminal who's open to the idea of a conspiracy to water down the competency of the average inspector in Kansas. That seems, at least to me, to be a stretch. Sure, you might get one or two board members who're on the side of builders and realtors, but, as has been shown in North Carolina, it's not always so easy for political appointees to "fix" things while under the scrutiny of an entire state's populace bird-dogged by home inspectors. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Chad, If the soffit vents are allowing cold air into that attic beneath the stuff that's on the underside of the roof and there is continuous airflow through there, you've got an R19 ceiling with a roof that will reduce solar gain but won't help with winter heating costs. If there are full-length air chutes above the insulation, which are sealed around their edges at the soffit ends and the discharge end at the ridge, or if there weren't any vents at all, one might consider it to be semi-conditioned space, since you'll get a certain amount of conditioned air leaking into the attic. That would probably give them better heat loss resistance than an R38 ceiling. However, I'd guess that only some before and after testing would prove that one way or the other. Their choice is to airseal the house-to-attic ceiling/wall plane and eliminate all attic vents or remove the insulation from the underside of the roof and increase the depth of the insulation on the ceiling. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

As the cost of homeowners insurance goes up, insurers are looking for ways to minimize their own losses. One way they've begun to do this is by conducting their own inspections of policyholders' properties. Might this be an additional revenue source for home inspectors? To read more click here.

Boys will be boys and must have their toys.

Think "Popcorn"

Hi Scott, Not exactly what you wanted to hear, was it? It would probably be a good idea, before you start cutting and gluing again, to go down to the library or the big box and pick up a book on plumping. Rex Cauldwell wrote one called Remodel Plumbing or something like that which is fairly easy to follow. Map out and plan every fitting change first so you don't get into trouble again. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

6 degrees

Here's the latest on this one: ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike