hausdok

Uh, Beggin' yer pardon, Sir, but unless I've fallen off of a pumpkin truck, I believe the less than 75% of vertical references the total horizontal run of pipe vs. the total vertical rise of pipe. If they've got 15-20ft. of chimneystack and flue from the point where that enters the chimney, that little 2ft. isn't going to be anything to worry about. OT - OF!!! M.

Gosh! Do you think? OT - OF!!! M.

For those who are interested, the Fine Homebuilding Bookstore is having a 50% off sale right now. For more information, go here: http://e.taunton.com/a/hBGVF4KAri9gpBJ0 ... D5/offer-4 OT - OF!!! M.

I'm not in New York, but I think they're trying to slip something under the door there with the word "systems." Just my suspicious nature, I suppose, but it looks to me like they're counting on you to focus on the structural and completely miss the implication of "systems". A house's "systems" include the roof systems, guttering systems, downspout systems, in-ground drainage systems, heating system, electrical system, air conditioning system, exterior cladding systems, framing systems, foundation system, landscaping and drainage systems, etc.. If that passes, every time a home inspector writes a report, he or she will, technically, be violating the law unless he or she is an engineer. It's like here in Washington State. They've written the pest law in such a way that a home inspector can't do a home inspection to any reasonable standard without technically breaking the law if he or she doesn't hold a pest inspector's license. The question is - will the state enforce that, or will they ignore it and wait until a home inspector screws up a structural call, or something else, and then fine the sh** out of the inspector and hang 'im out to dry? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Okay, I think you're missing some components. I just blew one of those photos way up and toyed around with the brightness and contrast to get it clearer and it doesn't look right. In that last photo, those metal pieces at either side only extend part of the way from top to bottom. There's also a small projection at the bottom center. I think that there's a valance with glass that's supposed to cover those side pieces and that little thingy at the bottom activates a microswitch that's supposed to shut the thing down if the glass isn't in place. Could be wrong - have been before - but this one doesn't look right. Did you look in the cavity below it for any paperwork or the instruction plate. If the instruction plate is there, it might have a precaution on it that says something like, "Caution: Do not operate this fireplace without the glass in place," or some such. Go down to your local gas fireplace dealer and show them the photos and have them look it up. There's one here locally, and their service desk has an amazing array of books and manuals on these things. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, I see them all the time, but I can't remember ever seeing one without glass sides. They usually have a temperature-activated flue damper that doesn't open for a few minutes, so they generate a little bit of CO when they're first fired up. Once the damper heats up and opens, they're fine. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, Maybe they got it confused with the requirement for a gas vent entering a masonry stack to be not less than 12" above the bottom of the chimneystack flue. If you read it in CodeCheck and don't think about it for a second, you can get the impression that "the bottom" means the bottom of the connector at the draft diverter, when it actually means at the bottom of the stack. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Not helping!

Hi Mark, The problem with Sears furnaces is the darned things are manufactured by different manufacturer's at different times, although the Hobart brand was pretty consistent with Sears for a lot of years. I could go out on a limb and guess that it's April of 1971, because some companies first began using coded serial numbers in 1970. For instance Chrysler and Day-Night both used a number followed by a letter to designate the year (0=1970, 1=1971, 2=1972, etc.), so if either of them had been manufacturing for Sears at the time, that might work. But that's literally a shot in the dark without anything to back it up. Have you tried calling Sears or going to their website? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Correct. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, If you are going to attach a picture, make sure that you resize it to less than 100Kb and save it as a .jpg file. Then ensure that the name of the photo doesn't have any spaces or special symbols in it. In other words, no apostrophe's, no asterists, etc. House photo will not work but HousePhoto will. House Photo (1) will not work but House_Photo_2 will. Got it? Lastly, if you are using netscape or Firefox, browse to the picture, upload it into the pop-up and then copy the url to the photo out of the window and paste it into your post, because Netscape and Firefox won't do it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Bob, it actually does search past the heading. In fact, the search engine is set up in default mode to search the entire message. However, if you have someting related to the subject in the title, you don't have to try and figure out which posts out of hundreds you want to look at. Search for roof in entire message for any date and you'll see what I mean. There's a lot of stuff in there and a whole lot of it is unrelated to roofs because the search engine will grab anything where the letters r..f. are included in that order - even something with kangaroo fool in the text would get picked up. So, make it easier on everyone by including something in the title that applies to the gist of the message. OT - OF!!! M.

Or, B4U Close Home Inspections does not research or report on product recalls. For information about product recalls, check the Consumer Products Safety Commision's website at: www.recalls.gov It's easier to remember. OT - OF!!! M.

Exactly right, Gary, Putting the subject line "Excellent Article" will only net the person searching results if he or she is looking for "Excellent Roofing" or "Roofing Article". Not many of us use those kinds of key words, do we? By putting the word "reroof" in one title and "flashing" in the other, I fixed it so that anyone looking for the words, roofs, reroof, roofing or flashing would find those posts. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Gary, Thanks for that. As an alternative to going out and hunting down the mag, folks can also reach that article online by clicking here. However, if they are not already a FHB online subscriber, they won't be able to get to it unless they sign up for membership. Membership is $39.95 a year - just a couple dollars more a year than a print subscription - so they won't have to trek down to the market to pick up the mag, or worry that the mailman will bogart an issue and they'll end up calling to have another copy sent 3 months late. To sign up for an online subscription to Fine Homebuilding Online, click here.

In the 8th issue of The Building Envelope Forum, Steven B. Loeb, a lawyer that specializes in construction law, mediation, arbitration and public bid law, discusses mold and the impact on the construction industry. To read more, click here.

As a result of plenty of problems with new homes in New Zealand, the home inspection business there is flourishing. Since the government has refused to regulate inspectors and require licensing there, the profession has opted to regulate itself. A new association is forming and nationwide standards of practice and a code of ethics are being developed. To read more, click here. And there's more here.

Hi Randy, Sorry if I got it wrong. Guess I should have used the word "Proposed" there. However, I'd inferred from the articles that are linked that 1) Accavitti is currently in the process of having legislation written that he intends to introduce as a bill to license inspectors, that 2) your association hopes that "legislation sponsored by State Rep. Frank Accavitti Jr. of Macomb County and now being drafted will prevent real-estate agents, sellers, mortgage lenders, mortgage brokers and others from attempting to influence an inspector." When that immediately follows a statement that quotes you - "Massachusetts has one of the best laws," he said, "because it prohibits a seller’s real-estate agent from recommending a specific home inspector" - combined with, "Aldering and other independent inspectors believe that independence is critical for any Michigan law regulating home inspectors, " one is lead to believe by the reporter that Accavitti's draft bill somehow will emulate the Massachusetts model and that you guys are in favor of it. That just goes to show that a reporter can make an article lean just about any way that he/she wants. Doesn't it? Then there was this two days ago that, though unattributed, also leads the reader to infer that's what's going on. FWIW, I agree with your position. We have a coalition out here in Washington State that's made up of independents and folks from ASHI, NAHI, NACHI, AII, AHIA, WSPCA and WHIA that is taking a similar position. We don't necessarily want licensing, but if it's going to come, the group favors essentially all of the same points that, according to these articles, your group does. Unfortunately, what our group or you group suggests to the pols isn't necessarily what the pols will actually try to do, is it? In our case, the pols sponsoring legislation strung the group along, leading them to believe that they were actually listening, and then at the 11th hour they introduced something substantially different than what the group thought they would introduce, stating that all "stakeholders" had been consulted, leading everyone at the senate hearing to believe that the coalition, among others, endorsed that version. Then, when the group spoke up in opposition to it as written, the same legislators turned around when it moved to the house and told the house committee chair that the coalition "doesn't know what they want," which was an outright lie. It got punted to a sunrise review and a decision to bring it up for a vote is due in December. Sure hope he's listening to your group's point of view and isn't playing you. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

"Call Roto-Rooter, That's the Name! And away goes trouble, down the drain! Roto-Rooter!"

An article by Kevin Corcoran in the June/July issue of Metal Roofing Magazine explains how hurricanes have resulted in significant code changes in areas routinely impacted by hurricanes. To read more click here. Editor's note: This is another handy free subscription to have. Especially if you are in an area where you routinely see metal roofs.

In this article in the May 2007 issue of Walls & Ceilings Magazine, Mark Fowler, architectural consultant for the Northwest Wall & Ceiling Bureau (NWCB), explains why referencing the correct standards used for window flashing methods is key to limiting a contractor's liability and enhancing an inspector's understanding of how windows are supposed to be flashed. To read more, click here.

In this article in the May 2007 issue of Walls & Ceilings Magazine (You really should subscribe to this magazine - it's free.), Dave Olson, a technical services manager for Fortifiber Building Systems Group, explains the pros and cons and best application practices for self-adhesive vs. nail-on window flashing methods. To read more, click here.

In still another article from the May 2007 issue of Walls & Ceilings Magazine, Kieth Soltner AIA and Mark Fowler CSI, explain why the latest construction methodology fads are not necessarily the greatest and why it's important to not ignore lessons of the past. To read more, click here. For more articles about HPBE (high performance building envelope) design click here. Editor's Note: Not to be a nag or anything, but you really, really, really should subscribe to this magazine - it's FREE-FREE-FREE - and never an issue goes by where there isn't something in it that will help to enhance a home inspectors ability to read a home. Alternatively, if you don't want to have to deal with the paper every month, at least visit their website regularly.

Well, After studying it, here's my wild-ass-guess (WAG). I think it's an automatic alarm/lighting system and the knob adjusts the volume of the alarm. If there's a fire, it's supposed to wake the dead with its wail (the slots let the sound out) and it turns on a light that's supposed to be plugged into it, to guide folks through the smoke. So, how's that for an imagination? If you think that's wild, you should have seen the pixies flying around in the bushes outside of my window a few minutes ago. [:-spin] ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Thank Kyle, That's great. Now, if only all of the hundreds of folks bogarting those various cheat sheets out there were to do that we might be able to come up with a pretty comprehensive single document and put it in the downloads section for everyone to use. Oh, by the way, I've got to get around to updating the water heater serial number decoder, because AO Smith Water Heaters has gobbled up State, Reliance, Maytag, American and GSW since I first published that. (Grrrr, leave it to some kajillion dollar corporation to make more work for me.). OT - OF!!! M.