hausdok

The structural pest control board in any state only holds sway over pest guys. Unless there is a law in your state that specifically says that nobody except a licensed pest guy can call something a termite, I wouldn't worry about it. Arizona has a law that governs home inspectors. Is there anything in the home inspector licensing law that says that you cannot under any circumstance identify any insects, rot, etc., unless you have a pest operator's license? If so, then you might have violated. Imagine a contractor replacing a deck, seeing a rotten rim joist that's also infested with termites. Is it also illegal for that contractor to say, "Hey, lookie here; this rim joist is rotten and full of termites. I have to fix this?" Betcha there's no law against that; just like there's probably no law that says you can't report what you see. Now, if you were charging a fee to do a pest inspection, and weren't licensed, I think that would be a horse of a different color, because then you'd be holding yourself out as a qualified pest inspector and would be charging money for it. That probably is illegal. Just my opinion. Worth only the price charged. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

She's got homeowner's insurance. It will pay for the damage to the interior of her home but not for the roof repair. The roof rep needs to go back to his boss and say, "Hey Boss, Joey over there screwed the pooch and we need to step up to the plate," not try to slough it off on you. OT - OF!!! M.

I'm not sure I'm following this. The guy who installed that cover is saying that the roof doesn't have enough pitch and he would never have installed a cover on one without sufficient pitch - yet he did; or is this another roofer who is saying that? S'funny how the home inspector always should have discovered it. You saw a patched roof and reported it. For all you knew, whoever patched it was supposed to be competent. Unfortunately, you didn't know who that person was at the time of the inspection; so you couldn't call him and talk to him, and your crystal ball was broken at the time. So you reported it to the client. The client had a flat roof, swore she'd never have another, yet, when you told her that roof had been patched, she never bothered to have a roof guy come out to proffer an opinion, even knowing that the roof had already been repaired. So, did she somehow have the idea that a home inspection substitutes for a homeowners warranty, because that's what it sounds like. $30,000? Not in a million years. She's bluffing. I think she's got a bid to repair the roof and the guy who's going to fix it is going to do it for your inspection fee or less. She's just figured out how to get it done for free is all. The roofer who's making the noise is trying to get himself a roof job. If he can't get the whole thing, he'll patch it without a warranty for your inspection fee. I could be wrong - have been lots of times - but I bet I'm in the ballpark. Then again, maybe I'm just a natural born cynic. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Who reads it? You can memorize that much stuff in about an hour - not the code cites, but the parameters - and when you write it up you look up the relevant cite. OT - OF!!! M.

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... IC_ID=4662

Whoa, easy there, Big Fella, I don't even belong in the same category with Katen, Mitenbuler or VanAlstine; so don't worry about what I'd say. OT - OF!!! M.

This is a cheat sheet I put together from CodeCheck West years ago: - Excavation free of debris and roots IRC 408.4/506.2 - Pipe penetrations must be sleeved IRC 2603.5 - Beam connections 1/2-in. air space on 3 sides IRC 323.1 - Bottom of sill 8in to earth IRC 323.1 - Sill Material treated or naturally decay resistant IRC 323.1 - Anchor bolts are 1/2-in min max 6-ft. spaceing IRC 403.1.6 - Anchor bolts within 12-in. of end of sills IRC IRC 403.1.6 - Anchor bolts 4-ft. oc for 2-story IRC 403.1.6.1 - All formboards removed IRC 408.4 - Ventilation 1 sq.ft./150 sq.ft. of underfloor area IRC 408.1 - Vent openings within 3ft. (as practical) of corners IRC 408.1 - Vents <3ft of property line OK IRC 302.2X2 - Access Openings min 18-in X 24-in no mechanical equipment IRC 408.3 - Access Openings min 22-in X 30-in if mechanical equipment present IRC 1305.1.4 - I-joists big holes in middle, 1-1/2-inch hole OK anywhere on web, small holes on ends IRC 502.8.1 - Double joists under parallel bearing walls IRC 502.4 - Pre-fab I-joists per manuf. specs IRC 502.1.4 - Untreated wood to soil clearance: Joists min. 18 in., Beams min 12 in. IRC 323.1 - Cripple wall < 14-in. sheathed or solidly blocked IRC 602.9 - Cripple wall > 14-in. braced as first story +15%, 18ft. maximum spacing IRC 602.10.2 - Joist bearing on concrete min. 3-in. IRC 502.6 - Joist bearing on wood plates min. 1-1/2-in IRC 502.6 - Joist lap min. 3in and 3 10d nails IRC 502.6.1 - Joists blocked at all supports and blocked or nailed at ends IRC 502.7 - Joists >2 X 12 blocked or bridged at 8ft. on center IRC 502.7.1 Invest about $100 in every CodeCheck available and create your own cheat sheets for every portion of the report that you'll be doing. Get a copy of the IRC. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yikes, I just re-read that article. Hope Bonnie doesn't see it or she's going to fail me just on principle. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Randy, Looks like granule-coated modbit. Is that right? I'm guessing there was a repair done there. If it's bonded properly and there aren't any leaks or lifting laps, I'd note the repair in the report and move on to the next item. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I know some guys who took the old ASHI test years ago and took the NHIE exam after it came out. I was told that the difference is like night and day. Since I wasn't around to take the old ASHI test back "in the day" I don't know how accurate that statement is, but it's beem my understanding that whenever EBPHI redoes the test that they've invited people from other organizations to take part in the process. I've heard that AII, NAHI, ASHI and NACHI guys have all been invited to participate, but that NACHI refused to send anyone. Can anyone (Scott or Joe?) speak to the accuracy of that or is that just another product of the inspector rumor mill. Come'on Noel, I know you lurk out there. How about jumping in on this one? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I don't bother to check pressure anymore. There are too many variables that can alter the results and trying to explain these each time just eats up too much time. I'm more interested in ensuring that there's plenty of water volume to support someone taking a shower at the same time that the washing machine and dishwasher are running and someone decides to brush their teeth, than I am in seeing what the pressure is. There are areas of Seattle where water pressure is so low that if the builder uses the smallest diameter allowed by code the house will have deplorable water volume. On the other hand, in those same neighborhoods, if the builder uses a larger supply line from the meter into the house the volume in the home will be wonderful in spite of the low pressure in the street. Conversely, you can have a neighborhood with high water pressure; but if the house you're inspecting has occluded lines, the fixtures will perform like there's only 20 lbs of pressure. What I do now is look to see how the hydrants are marked. If they're all green, I know that pressure in the street is 60 psi or better. So, if volume sucks at the house it's going to be the fault of an old occluded supply from the meter to the house or occluded/restricted lines in the home. If a hydrant has a yellow cap or nose on it, I know that it will have between 40 and 60 psi and will still provide adequate volume in homes with a new 3/4 inch line or 1-inch older line that's not occluded, as long as the interior lines have been replaced, but it will suck with an old 3/4 inch line or occluded 1-inch supply line - even when the interior supply lines have been replaced. If it has a red nose or hat, I know that pressure will be below 40 psi, in which case any supply line from the meter to the house that's less than 1-inch, or an older occluded 1-inch line, will probably not provide satisfactory volume, even if the home has been completely re-plumbed; but a 1-1/4 inch main line coming into a new building will provide plenty of volume regardless of the fact that there's less than 40psi in the street. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Reminderid="size6"> Eastern Washington Inspectors !!!id="size6"> The second sunrise review hearing per ESSB 5778 is in Wenatchee TOMORROW id="size6"> State of Washingtonid="size5">id="green">Department of LicensingPO Box 9020 Olympia, Washington 98507 ALL WASHINGTON STATE HOME INSPECTORS !!!id="green">id="size5"> YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING The Department of Licensing (DOL) would like to invite you to attend A second public hearing being held pertaining to the Home Inspector profession. The purpose of this hearing will be to provide an opportunity for interested individuals and organizations east of the Cascades to provide testimony regarding possible regulation of the profession. This hearing is being conducted per ESSB 5788, which requires public hearings to be hosted by DOL during a study of the Home Inspector profession. WHEREWashington State Department of Transportation (DOT)Office Conference Room1551 North Wenatchee AvenueWenatchee, WA 98801(Click here to download and print a map to the Wenatchee hearing location.) WHENJuly 11th, 20071:00 PM to 5 PM WHO TO CONTACTBruce ChunnResearch and Planning OfficeDepartment of Licensing1125 Washington St. SEPO Box 9030Olympia, WA 98507-9030Mail Stop 48027Phone (360) 902-0119Email: bchunn@dol.wa.gov THANK YOU VERY MUCH WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE HEARING

No objection, as long as he keeps it basic. The other one about causal stresses in a nuclear reactor plant was just way too far over our (Well, at least mine) heads to remain. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Jerry, I didn't miss that when you submitted it Jerry, but you have to take your turn in the gueue for that home page display. There are about 20 pictures waiting to go in there ahead of you. One of these days, we're going to fix that danged photo gallery. I've broken it up into different categories, roofing, exteriors, etc.. but for some reason it's fighting me and won't let me upload right now. We'll get this thing built eventually. One brick, a little mortar, one brick, a little mortar, one brick, a little....... ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Brian, Could you describe your "impeller pump thingy" please? Size, shape, color, etc. OT - OF!!! M.

Yes, Mike & Rose did a nice job with that. It's light years beyond the search engine that originally came with this software. OT - OF!!! M.

You truly are an evil man, Joe; putting that in front of us on our first day of the weight-off competition. I'm sending Whose Mama Been Floggin a postcard with directions, so elcadidid can go blow up your hot tub. OT - OF!!! M.

m.s.j., I don't know whether you've figured it out yet, but this is a site used by professional home inspectors. You're not likely to find very many here who're prepared to discuss electrical theory at the level of those who participate in the discussions on your website. Home inspectors, in general, don't need to have such an in-depth understanding of electrical issues as the questions posed on your website. There are some exceptions. A small number of inspectors are former engineers or electricians; one I know of is even an ex-rocket scientist, but most of us have only a rudimentary understanding of electricity - about on the level of what one learns in a high school science class. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike O'Handley, Editor

You'll enjoy these collections of home inspector discovered nightmares at This Old House Online. Just click here

Hi Scott, Well, what Phillip describes happening to him used to happen a lot to me and my co-workers on holidays when I was a cop. We'd get phone calls from folks asking us to stop by and help them finish off the stuff they had left over, or someone would walk in the PMO with a huge pile of food and leave it for the shift. OT - OF!!! M.

Okay, I've been packing on all of my last-minute junk today. I just came back from Kidd's with a huge mushroom burger, a malt, fried onions and some mushrooms. I'm guessing there's about 1500 calories in this meal and I probably did close to 3,000 earlier today. That'll be the last time I get to pig-out for the next 55 days. Tomorrow I have to get down to some serious diet and exercise. I'm gonna leave you dudes in the dust!....tomorrow that is. Ummmm, buuurrrrrgggeeer; muuussssshrrrooms, oonioooonnnnnn rriinnnngggggggsssss, maaaallllllt....Urp!!! OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Yeah, he'd mentioned in his first post that it was a chiller. I thought that this part was interesting: The reason it intriqued me is because, while I was doing my google search, I discovered that a fellow named Kritzer has a US patent on a very unique HVAC heat transfer method. I didn't bother to read all of the particulars, although I thought it might be the same Kritzer fellow named above. Maybe this is one of his devices. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi,.....ctgo4it (Do you have a name? Names are so much nicer to respond to.) You are correct, but I was responding to his question about the line feeding the GFCI, which is upstream of the GFCI. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Walter, I look at the screen. Hell, if I looked at the keyboard, I wouldn't know here to find anything. I know exactly where the G and the H keys are. Once I place my hands on either side of those, I just take off. One thing I really wish I could train myself to do, though, is to use the shortcut keys the way you do. I still only know a couple. There should be a shortcut key typing course like the Mavis Beacon course, so that old farts like myself can learn that stuff and wean ourselves away from the mouse. OT - OF!!! M.

I'm pretty sure it's Combinex but I couldn't find anything in Google for that. OT - OF!!! M.