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Hi Matt, I agree, pegging it directly to a year isn't always needed. However, knowing how to decode various serial numbers can be very useful, particularly when the client is under the impression, based on representations made by the seller, that a furnace is "nearly new" or "only a couple of years old" or has "just been replaced". Also, you can look at some brands of furnaces where a 15 year old one next to a 2 year old one look identical, and, as long as both are clean and have been properly cleaned and adjusted, under ideal conditions see no discernable difference between the old furnace and the new. That's when knowing that code comes in handy. It seems too like the furnace industry changes color schemes about every 20 years. I'm finding various brands here from the 70's that are green, whereas just about everything from the 80's through the 90's is either tan or gray. Except of course, for those danged Thermoflows. Always brown and a 30 year old one in good condition can look exactly like a new one. Even then, if the warranty card or ansi tag aren't present, the serial number doesn't help because you have to call Thermoflow and give them the serial number and they'll tell you the date it was sold, not the date it was manufactured. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

That's the kind of situation where I put things "into perspective." I tell the clients that I think the unit is pretty old, but is not just a case of Dad being in the nursing home. In this case Dad is in the nursing home in the hospice ward, is being fed intravenously, and at this point the doctors are just shrugging their shoulders. I then tell 'em that regardless of the fact that it is still operational, I'll only guaranty it will remain that way until my truck hits the end of the driveway when I leave. Somehow they never fail to understand that message. It drives the zoids nuts! Of course, I never use that description for elderly clients. [:-eyebrow I don't want to have to drive to the emergency room to get a cane extracted from my posterior. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Quick Kevin, Go back to the house and get clearer pictures. Douglas Hansen is probably going to want to use them in his next edition of Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings! Looks like you've got your answer. Now let's hope that the same electrician that perpetrated the foul deed isn't the guy who's called back to investigate it and correct it as necessary. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Because your supposed to put the through-wall flashings at the bottom of the sills and where they'll be above grade. Sometimes they'll be one, two or three courses above the concrete ledge, especially if they intended for the brick to be below-grade so the foundation wouldn't be seen. Here, check out this diagram. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I just opened that in Photodraw and lightened it up to see what it was. Please tell me that isn't a service drop anchored under a gutter with the cables going up into the soffit!?!? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I seem to remember reading about a company a few years ago that came out with plastic weep tubes for walls. Those looked like surgical tubing but had tiny little one-way valves inside that opened outward when more than a very small amount of water accumulated at the base of the veneer and they prevented wind from blowing back into the cavity. Honestly don't know where I read about them, so I can't tell you where to find them. Have you gotten this months JLC yet? There's a really well done cut away drawing of a veneer brick installation there. I did notice that the illustrator mis-labeled the weeps, but they are there nonetheless. It's the kind of picture that one scans, crops, resizes and saves to be used to illustrate the concept of weeps and through-wall flashings to clients and obstinate builders. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Or, We could learn to work together. See the 'CAHPI National Initiative' at: http://www.cahi.ca also the new article on the front page about Georgia ASHI. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi, I agree with much of what Chris says. PEX has been around in Europe for 3 decades and a couple here without any serious issues. The biggest problem I see are plumbers who go out and get certified by the manufacturers to install the stuff and then immediately toss out whatever rules will allow them to save money on the install. For instance, in a brand new house I looked at yesterday which is plumbed with Wirspo Aquapex, I noticed that the stub outs seemed to be pretty loose, almost as if unsupported behind the wall. So, when I got done with the inspection, I walked to one of the neighboring houses in the same development and walked through to see how it's been plumbed. I found that the plumber hadn't allowed any extra length in the form of a side to side run in wall cavities or expansion loops as required by the manufacturer, and, that where the pipe stubs out of walls he didn't use either talons and support plates or Propex drop-ear elbows. To save a few bucks on each install, he omitted the expansion material and used the cheaper common pro-pex elbows instead of the drop-ear elbows and then fastened the Pex to a nearby stud with the plastic pipe clips. So basically, this guy blew off the manufacturer. If/when the install fails a few years down the road, it won't be the plumber that everyone will be blaming, because he'll be pointing his finger at Wirsbo and telling everyone how he'll never use their piece of crap product again. The muni guy should have caught these issues. Trouble there is that the muni guy probably hasn't got a clue how Pex is supposed to be installed. We've got to get better control systems in place for construction. There's no ifs ands or buts about it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Dear Members, TIJ doesn't have a fancy search engine for home inspectors, where we charge you a fee to be listed like other sites (Hmmm, now that's an idea.). However, what we do have is a pretty good links section. Guess what? There's a whole category there for home inspectors' websites, which is broken up by states, and where you can link your company for free. Every little extra bit of exposure to the public will help your bottom line, so take advantage of this free feature. It's easy. Just go to 'Submissions' on the menu bar above and click on 'Add Links.' When the links wizard appears, insert the title of your company; choose 'Home Inspector Web Sites' as your category; plug in your URL and e-mail; Type in a description of your company's link and click 'submit'. That's all there is to it and then you'll have one more links notch in your marketing belt. Oh, by the way, every little bit of exposure helps TIJ too. So, if you feel that TIJ provides a useful resource for home inspectors, how about adding a reciprocal link on your own site to help us out? Doing so will make TIJ a little more visible to search engines and will be greatly appreciated. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and want to wish everyone a safe and productive holiday season. Most of all, thank you all for being loyal members of the TIJ Family. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike O'Handley, Editor

Hi, We go through this every few weeks here. The first thing that you have to understand that the rules given in the codes don't necessarily mean that the installation is going to perform correctly. The next thing is that ten people reading the same code can conceivably come up with ten different interpretations. Although that certainly isn't what's intended, it seems to often be the case. The codes presume two bends of 90 degrees, but state that bends of more than 45 deg. are not allowed, with the exception of one at 60 deg.. Go figure. There's a really good article about proper venting of multiple gas appliances on The Journal of Light Construction Online at the link below. Check it out. It's free. Just click here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

by Matt Michel Tisquantum was a member of the Wampanoag nation. He met John Weymouth, an explorer who taught him English and brought him to Britain. Tisquantum became homesick for Patuxet, his home village. He returned home. After returning home, Tisquantum was captured by a British slaver who raided Patuxet. The slaver sold Tisquantum to the Spanish in the Caribbean. With the help of a Franciscan priest, Tisquantum was able to escape and make his way to Spain and then, England. Tisquantum looked up his old friend, John Weymouth. Weymouth paid for Tisquantum’s passage back to Patuxet. A year after his return, Tisquantum was surprised to see a large group of British encamped near his town. No one knows what Tisquantum thought at the time. We do know he watched and waited. It’s likely he wondered if these were more slavers. Finally, Tisquantum approached the encampment. The Brits were surprised to be greeted by a “savageâ€

Inspectors in California may or may not know about this one: http://www.calshakeclassaction.com/ ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yep OT - OF!!! M.

Oh,...Man!, Kurt says he's stupid! If he's stupid, where's that leave me? I'm gonna go sit in the corner and suck my thumb now. [:-dunce] OT - OF!!! M.

Hi All, I thought this was interesting. Wonder where these guys got the idea to use the Home Inspection business as their learning model? Check out A Man With A Plan ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Gerry, You know, that might be precisely why they are insisting that chartered surveyors that are going to do this work go through additional training - so they can reshape their thinking processes. In one of the newsletter articles, one fellow suggests that they be cross-trained to do valuations in addition to inspections. Another article explained that surveyors and valuers working for mortgage lenders are facing a 60% drop in mortgage valuation business over the next few years, because, apparently, these home condition reports are going to be available to just about anyone who is a stakeholder in the transaction, in order to eliminate the confrontational nature of the business and make things completely transparent. And all of that has to be done on the seller's dime, so the real estate folks are up in arms, claiming that it'll push the price of homes up and cost them. One fellow says that lenders are going to be relying on information contained within the HCR's, combined with their own research and roll-bys to value homes for sale. Then, when you read through the SAVA newsletters, you'll see that the title folks and lenders think that somehow these new home inspectors should be working for them and can't seem to get their mind around the idea that inspectors must be totally objective. It is new ground they are breaking. For instance, in the draft report format there are these two paragraphs: WHAT THIS REPORT WILL TELL YOU This report tells you about the construction and condition of the property on the date it was inspected, being the date shown at the top of each page. It also tells you whether and where further inquiries are needed. It tells you about matters that are considered significant or in need of urgent attention. It also tells you about matters which require further investigation to prevent damage to the fabric of the building or which are a threat to personal safety. WHAT THIS REPORT DOES NOT TELL YOU This report does not tell you the value of the property. You should commission independent advice if you require a valuation. It does not tell you about any minor matters that would not ordinarily have any effect on a buyer's decision to purchase. My guess is that isn't what you were thinking of at all, because you were envisioning their old model. I think it is safe to say it is sort of like our system, but a lite version where only the physical structure, exterior roof and grounds are looked at and the electro mechanical systems are out-of-bounds. Here's a link to a site which describes what the new reports will contain. Here's a link to their new code of conduct and standards. Here's a link to the sample draft report. Here's a link to a page where you can download samples of three sample reports. Take a close look at sample number 3. It reminds me of one or two American narrative type reports I've read. You're right. It is going to be interesting to see how this thing develops between now and full implementation. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I agree with Mark. They can use a PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate) primer to get a very effective one-coat vapor barrier. I'd recommend using cells over any other type of blown-in. Cells itself is a pretty good inhibitor of air movement and is borate treated. So, it not only won't burn, it won't support fungal growth. Sure, it'll settle some over time, but that can be touched up easily and with a good ventilation protocol (good ceiling fans on 24-hour timers with passive thru-wall vents for intake) they'll have less humidity and a warmer, mold-free home. Oh, wait a minute, I'm opposed to mold testing in any form, so I guess I can't qualify as a mold "expert" and should keep my yap shut. [:-taped] ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Those same concerns were brought up over there by agents and lawyers and have been addressed in one of the SAVA (Surveyors and Valuers Accreditation) newsletters. SAVA is one of the firms contracted to administer the accreditation process under ABBE. You can access and the newsletters here and learn more about the entire process by exploring the rest of the SAVA site from here. The problem that we have here in the states is that we second guess everything and are suspicious of everyone else's motives except our own. That ultimately works in favor of those who are responsible for helping to trash our profession. In state after state, people have fought any form of meaningful testing or peer evaluations in favor of grandfathering established inspectors. It is a stalling game. They do it so that while the process is being stalled, they can garner the minimum number of inspections required, so that they too can be grandfathered and slip by any vetting process, as soon as the logjam which they've created clears. It's time to take the bull by the horns and get things back on track again, the way that the people who first formalized this profession envisioned things back in the 70's. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Until now, home inspections in the UK were the exclusive province of members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) specializing in pre-purchase home inspections. All that is about to change, as things begin to heat up since last week's passage of a law that requires accreditation and licensing of all home inspectors, standardizes education requirements and establishes a uniform standard of care, code of ethics and minimum reporting requirements for the profession. Unlike states who've adopted licensing of HI's in the US, there won't be any "grandfathering" of 'established' inspectors in the UK. While members of RICS are presumed to have a leg up over other applicants for the 7,500 to 10,000 inspectors job slots called for, The Awarding Body for the Built Environment (ABBE) has received full authority from the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) to require that all inspectors prove they are qualified to be accredited with a new professional designation for inspectors known as the ABBE Diploma in Home Inspection. This means that even very experienced RICS candidates must submit a resume, verify their education, undergo testing and submit a predetermined number of reports to be reviewed by the accrediting authority, before they receive accreditation and can work in the field. For those without any construction-related background, the career path will be difficult and is going to require approximately 3 years of full-time post-secondary education, in order to reach the minimum education level required to enter the field as an apprentice. Especially unhappy are the Real Estate professionals, who were opposed to the Home Information Packs (HIP's), which, if a 6 month trial in 2006 is successful, by 2007 must contain, among other things, a Home Condition Report (HCR) done by an accredited inspector on every house put up for sale in England and Wales ( Talk about the holy grail! ). For more information, click here.

ATLANTA, Nov 22, 2004 “Is it just me, or is it cold in here? I don’t understand why engineers can put a man on the moon, but they can’t make a room comfortable.â€

Business is tough. You lose work to lower priced competitors left and right. You want to charge more, but you’re afraid. You’re afraid people won’t pay and deep down, you’re afraid your service isn’t even worth what you’re charging now. And yet, you can’t afford to improve. You’re barely making it as it is. You need a dose of positive pricing Positive pricing is setting price levels to support the quality of service you want to give people, that people deserve, and that commands a premium. It’s setting the price levels *in advance* of improving the service and then investing to raise service levels to meet your pricing. Bill’s Dilemma Bill was hired to improve an operation that was slipping. After years of steady increases, the number of sales fell the year before Bill was hired. Five years before Bill showed up, the operation was better than any of its closest competitors. Since then, quality fell to middle of the pack and was now, near the bottom. When the organization met one of its closest competitors head-to-head, it typically lost the battle. Prices were middle of the road. The two competitors with the best overall quality charged over 10% more. The low price competitor, which charged less than half of Bill’s price, also had the lowest quality. Bill immediately made two moves. He hired the best people he could find and he raised prices. He didn’t raise them a little. He raised them a lot. Prices went up 40%. Bill now charged more than any of his competitors. His prices are more than 25% higher than the quality leaders. Performance got worse before it got better. Transactions fell by 5% Bill’s first year and another 7% his second. The most loyal customer group shrank 9%. Some wonder whether Bill’s price increase was a mistake. After all, 40% is a lot to swallow. What good does it do to raise prices if prices are driving away customers? In reality, Bill didn’t have a choice. The people he hired and the other overhead he took on was necessary to improve quality. The price hike was necessary to pay for it. Bill’s price hike didn’t cost him revenue. Yes, the number of sales fell by 7%, but the average sale was worth 40% more. Total revenue jumped by more than 30%. That’s huge. Bill is Bill Byrne, the Athletic Director for Texas A&M. According to the Dallas Morning News, Byrne “has no regrets about raising prices, saying it was necessary to fund an elite athletic department. He believes a winning team will fill the stadium.â€

Don't know what code you were under there 24 years ago, but today 5/16" plywood is permitted on 16 inch centers and 3/8" is permitted on 24 inch centers (IRC 602.10.3 or UBC 2320.11.2-3.) It has to be rated for that type of exposure or it's a no-go. In other words, APA Rated Sheathing Exp 1, APA Rated Sheating Ext, APA Rated Sheathing/Ceiling Deck Exp 1, APA Structural 1 Rated Sheating EXP 1, or APA Structural 1 Rated Sheathing Ext. However, since you didn't say, I'm assuming it's an asphalt composition roof, in which case it has an expected maximum service life of only about 20 years anyway. Based on what I see there and the fact that it's a 24-year old house, I would have simply stated that the roof deck is rotting and the roof, including the sheathing, is at end of service life and must be torn off and replaced. I'd probably also add something like, "replace any rotting rafters" as well. Deferring it to a roofing contractor for full evaluation leaves it open to interpretation. If the homeowner hires the right person, a finding of, "There's nothing wrong here that a few new shingles where it's leaking won't fix," is what the finding will be. Then they'll convince your client that everything will be hunky-dory after a few new shingles, and in the not-too-far-distant future you'll be asked to shell out the cost of a new roof, because your recommendation wasn't strong enough. Though we are supposed to be objective, we are also hired to be our client's advocate. Don't be wishy washy about this kind of stuff or it's gonna bite you hard one day. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Neal, Well, in your case the manufacturer's listing and labeling supercedes the code. Without the manufacturer's specs, it really depends on what code your municipality is using. The IRC says, 25ft. max minus 2-1/2 ft. per 45 degree bend or 5ft. per 90 degrees [iRC 1501.3,2437.c]. The UMC says 14ft. max including two 90 degree bends minus 2ft. per additional 90 degree bend [uMC 504.3.2]. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Chad, Submit your consult fee to The Inspectors Journal aka. Kenmore Residential Services LLC., Kenmore, WA and payable to M. O'Handley. I'll see to it that Steven gets his cut.[:-dev3] ONE TEAM - ONE BITE!!! M.

Me Too, The CPSC has been trying to educate folks to the fact that corrugated metal and plastic outlets from the back of dryers are fire hazards since about 1996 - 1997. CPSC recommend replacing all corrugated outlets with smooth-walled, metal box-vents (Cost about $20. at home centers) and the vent from the outlet the its terminus with smooth-walled metal vents that have been taped with heat-resistant foil, not screwed together, at joints. CPSC found that over a 3-4 year period there were more than 15,000 fires started in the U.S. from lint fires caused by corrugated ducts. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike