hausdok

Uh, no, it's fire suppression. I know it's in the IRC and it's been on my radar for years. There's a problem with your answer though. The builders in the state of Washington have been successful here, like they've been in so many other states, in getting the state not to accept the new fire suppression portions of the IRC. I've wanted it here for years. I heard from a fellow in the plumbing components manufacturing business years ago how their firm was gearing up for an expected rush of orders when the IRC finally adopted the fire suppression requirements; and I'd thought that it would be great if we inspectors could add inspection of those systems as a new revenue stream. I'd even begun exploring training opportunities with folks in the field. What I didn't count on was the Building Industry Association of Washington opposing it. If BIAW doesn't want something in this state it usually doesn't happen. It didn't. Until it does, our board - at least in its current makeup - isn't going to require CE for it and isn't going to add inspection of those systems to the state SOP. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, but I'm at a loss to understand why two separate companies that are supposed to be professionals didn't suggest it; put edge vents in just above the gutters and install hip ridge vents in on the hip. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

No idea, Sometimes I see em like that after years, sometimes before the house is sold. Don't know what makes one worse than the others. I used the polish on a friend's fireplace. His was about three years old. It took some elbow grease but the glass polished clean. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

When the sulfur residue is left on the glass long enough it etches the glass. Get some of that polish they use for glass-topped electric ranges and polish the glass to remove the etching. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Those are so far outside the scope of what we do that you shouldn't even waste time worrying about it. Post the picture of the kinked pipe along with a header something like, "Get the fire suppression system checked out" and simply explain that you suspect that the kinked line is an issue for that system but don't know because inspectors aren't trained on those systems; and then move on to the next thing. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I've asked above somewhere; don't remember if you'd answered. Have you had the house screened for meth lab trace? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I agree, Not backdrafting; just spillage. Where are those appliances? Heated or unheated area? Some pretty sharp bends in those vent connectors. Keep in mind the none greater than 45deg except one no greater than 60deg rule. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Les, Thank you, thank you, thank you. Half a shudder just left my spine. Now, if we could just get leeboy to stop invading my privacy and remove that picture of me from his avatar.... ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yep, exactly. Always wondered how they get away with it. OT - OF!!! M.

Don't worry about it. You're not "price fixing," you're finding out how folks in different regions structure their fees. Nothing wrong with that. I didn't see anyone here suggesting that everyone follow the same pricing structure or set fees the same for the same services. Individually, we're super small time operators. We aren't even on the feds' radar. Now, put a bunch of folks together that work in one region who normally compete with one another and catch them agreeing to set their prices the same across the board for the same services and I think you'd have price fixing. Could be wrong...often am; but I don't think anyone here made any attempt to fix any prices - they just offered opinions of what each would charge if the job came to them and answers were all over the map. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Kewl! One of these days I need to go back east and ride along with some of you guys to get a look at stuff like that. I'll never see that out here except on super high-end homes. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

That's pressure-treated PSL, right? Is that even approved for a cantilever that deep where it's obviously going to get wet? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Jeez Rob, I had a house with one of those off of Novelty Hill Rd. in Redmond yesterday. Bank owned - pre-offer. First one I'd seen in years. Maybe you and I did the same house. If not, it's a weird coincidence. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Marc, Shake roofs leach tannic acid onto flashings. Around here, the acid can cause galvanized steel flashings used on these roofs to rust pretty badly so most use pre-painted steel flashings. Sometimes the lead bibs used on plumbing vents around here will get copper colored streaks on them, so I'd assumed that was lead lining that valley. However, now that I look at it more closely I'm not so sure. It looks like it could be copper flashings and valley lining that's turning green; which is what one would expect. It's hard to tell by looking at the photo without actually seeing the roof in person. I suppose if it weren't lead though one of the brethren would have corrected me hours ago, so... ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

What, you've never seen lead sheets before? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Download a copy of the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau's roofing manual here. Staples are permitted but different types are used within 15 miles of salt water than the type you'd use further inland. The staples are backing out because they are too short to reach the roof deck. Here's what the roofing manual says (I've underlined some areas for emphasis): "Staples If you choose to use staples they must be stainless steel Type 316 in locations within fifteen (15) miles of salt water (Ref. Stainless Steel Industry of North America-Wahington, D.C., www.ssina.com). For locations outside of the salt water zone - Type 304 or 316 must be used. Each Certi-label shake or shingle shall be applied with two (2) staples. Staples must be 16 gauge with crowns 7/16" minimum horizontal, maximum 3/4" horizontal to the Certi-label shake or shingle butt. Location/Penetration Fasteners, two (2) per shake or shingle, shall be applied approximately 3/4" from the edge and appoximately 1 1/2" above the exposure line. Fasteners shall be long enough to penetrate into the sheathing at least 3/4" or all the way through. Minimum nail lengths are shown in the fastener chart. Nails and staples must be driven flush with the surface of the Certi-labelTM shake or shingle. Overdriving the fastener can split and/or distort the Certi-label shake or shingle."id="brown"> ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

What's going on? Is she dropping links and then a mod removes the link and she can't seem to get the message?

Hi Les, I know you're elbowing the ASHI guys 'cuz their association warns them of the dire consequences of being indicted for price fixing as a result of talking about price, but not everyone who isn't in ASHI would know or understand that and on the surface it sounds like a diss of all non-ASHI folks. It frustrates me when ASHI guys do that without providing context because we already have far too much organizational dissing going on in this business. Is that enough words? By the way - the avatar? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I guess I'd need to know if it's a pole barn with a steel skin or if it's an all-steel building solidly bolted to a foundation. If it were the latter, it would already be grounded, no? If it's a pole barn with a metal skin wouldn't it make sense to have a lightning rod system to ensure if it gets hit by lightning there is a clear path to ground? I know, Steve; I didn't provide any answer. Hell, how long have you known me on this board? You know 'lectricity ain't by strong suit. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Sounds like an inspector that would a comment like that would assist in the mass hysteria regarding vermiculite. Anytime ones makes a statement like that to a typical, uneducated owner they would certainly make a big deal out of it for no reason. If someone tells someone to get it removed would surely start another "black" mold argument with the seller, buyer and the asbestos abatement contractor. Oh Yeah? Guess I screwed up, 'cuz I haven't scared anyone off a home yet by tellling 'em not to disturb this stuff. Let's see, in two more months I'll have been doing this 16 yeras. How the hell would you know what kind of inspector I am? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Good morning: I have trained hundreds of contractors / energy analysts / auditors throughout the country and my point has always been to make sure any comments in any reports cannot be interpreted in such a manner not to overstate health hazards and base that information on legitimate testing. When one makes a comment of "assuming that it contains asbestos" is irresponsible and when it may CYA it is not accurate and could only cause a hysteria on part of an uneducated potential homeowner. I guess I'm old school enough to remember the many "cry wolf" reports of various building materials and consider statements that "may contain" or "possibly" does not provide anyone with valid, worthwhile information just shows a possible lack of knowledge. Anyway, have a great day all. Well Old School, I'd say you have a problem with reading comprehension. Nowhere above did I say that it "may contain" or "possibly" I said I tell my clients to assume that it does and treat it accordingly. If I see a snake I don't recognize, I'm going to assume that it's poisonous until I know better. I'm not going to panic; I'm just not going to screw around with it. That's what I tell people to do. We could go on like this forever. I could take your comments to mean that your a suckup/soft peddling type of inspector who is afraid of losing future referrals by using language that's "not friendly to the house." Since you want to beef up your bona fides by purporting to have trained "hundreds" of energy auditors, blah, blah, blah, I could also take that to mean that you're one of the numbnuts that's taught so many inspectors to write weak, passive language type reports who have done this profession so much harm. However, since you don't know me, have never worked with me, have never accompanied me on an inspection and couldn't possibly know whether I'm irresponsible or not, nor I you, that would be a wrong assumption on my part. We'll just have to agree to disagree and leave it at that. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

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Hi Jim, Yeah, I've seen the blisters before but I don't think they're indicative of an unusual condition for our neck of the woods. The houses where I've seen them didn't appear to have any moisture issues in interior walls, no warped window casings, no odor, nadda. Old houses, normal vapor drive to the exterior, film-forming paint and you can have a few blisters but there's really no need to ventilate the walls - at least not here. I remember seeing some of the jobs where my Dad went out to investigate wet walls back east. In the winter, vapor would move outward through those old walls, condense on the back of the siding and literally coat the back of the siding with ice. Dad would 'wedge' those walls to make them dry better. Down here in the Western corridor we just don't get that kind of weather. The number of nights a year that temps get low enough to cause that kind of condensation are probably in the single digits. Now, go 45 minutes east up in the Cascades or head out to the Olympia penninsula and you could see entirely different conditions. Oh, by the way, they closed Snoqualmie Pass ten minutes ago 'cuz they've had 11 inches of snow up there since this morning. Down here, we had a little rain. The OP is in Northern California. The last time I drove through that area in mid-winter it was like mid-April is around here. How often do temps go really low there? Isn't that the coastal forest zone? I think he's got walls that are retro-blown and I don't think it's necessary to ventilate them. Maybe I'm the only one that thinks that. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Edit: Oops, strike that. The news just showed a video of I-5 in Arlington, 40 miles north of here. Apparently the snow is coming down heavy there. Nothing here but maybe we'll see some by morning. Hope not, a half inch of snow here paralyzes King County and they start whimpering about the "blizzard" conditions. If we get an inch or more, customers will probably start cancelling inspections because they "can't get there."

Horsehair plaster? OT - OF!!! M.

Agreed, but not here. I used to see siding wedges all the time back east but I've never seen then here and never seen a need for them here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, I don' t know what species of ivy we have here. In fact, I know very little about fauna. I do know though that whatever the stuff here is it definitely damages masonry. I've found the stuff grown through the sides of chimneys as thick as my wrist. I remember one house where it had intertwined itself into the parapet and balustrade of a round brick porch and when the owners cut it away the porch literally collapsed 'cuz the ivy had literally been holding it up. There is another kind of ivy here with smaller leaves with white edges that doesn't seem to harm anything but whatever the dark native stuff is it kicks the little ivy's figurative ass. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike