hausdok

Was it Jim Katen who recently posted something like: "Those who can't teach, those who can't teach, teach home inspections," or something like that? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

I dunno, It gave me enough info. If it's 20°F outside and I'm feeling cold air coming from the ducts, I'm going to be convinced that the emergency heat isn't coming on and I'm going to be calling a tech to get the hell out there and get me some heat, stat (Pun intended). ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, I tell them to simply assume that it contains asbestos; but that as long as it's kept encapsulated under latex paint it shouldn't be an issue. I ask 'em if they'll be taking it down. If they answer in the affirmative, I tell 'em to make sure that when they do that they have it done by a pro or take appropriate precautions not to breath dust from the stuff or allow it to spread to other parts of the house. The overwhelming majority of folks don't get freaked out by it; however, I remember one lady about twelve years ago, or maybe it was longer than that, who feinted. As soon as I mentioned that she should assume that it contained asbestos, she started holding her breath. Instead of leaving the room, she decided to hang around and hear my entire spiel. Well, you all know how long-winded I can be....kerplunk! Uh oh! After she was revived and I pointed out to her that holding her breath wouldn't have helped anyway 'cuz she'd been breathing asbestos her entire life she calmed down,....sort of. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Kinda looks like the bottom end of a thingy we found in our barn when I was a kid. My dad said it was for making corn meal. It suppose it could be a clothes wringer though. and that white stuff is soap residue that built up on the side of the thing. I can imagine some poor lady sitting there scrubbing stuff on a washboard and then feeding it up through that thing to somewhere else. Oh! How about a mop wringer? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Some kind of limestone? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

You and my dad are the only two people I've ever "heard" use the word daub. He would especially like your solution, I think! Huh, I write it in reports all the time. It makes more sense than saying plunk or goop. Marc, if you dig deep enough here, you might be able to find photos of a collapsed house where roofers had piled all of their shingles up along the ridge in preparation for a roof job. If you find it, print it out and the next time you see a job where some horse's ass with teeth did that, stick copies in their windshields. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Psst, Don't tell anyone, but there might have been a S. Uist Leprechaun that saw that post and used his magical charm to transform the original link to something more relevant. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

That's what I'm sayin. How 'bout the elbow? B vent. Click to Enlarge 39.33 KB Yeah, definitely a B vent and a real good illustration of why it should have a cleanout leg like the Duravent diagrams show. Did you find them OK? Any inspector that would argue that vent is OK needs to get the hell out of the business, walk down to Burgerwopper and apply for a job where he's qualified. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

This morning's Seattle paper had an article about how the Girl Scouts were taking plastic to increase their cookie sales. The photo on the front page showed an Intuit device similar to that thing. Info is here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Mike, The salt-based accelerator theory is interesting, because this complex did go up during the fall through winter months on a very wet/windy plateau; however, if it were caused by an accelerator, wouldn't it show up everywhere? Look at the photos; with the exception of that tall house with the entire gable end effloresced, all of the walls with overhead cover provided by porch roofs and bumpouts are free of efflorescence. Here's a view from the non-weather side of the building containing the unit I inspected. No efflorescence at all. I have a hard time believing that a salt-based accelerator wouldn't show up everywhere. Click to Enlarge 44.33 KB ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Folks need a crown, I don't tell 'em to dick around with goop; knock the thing off and lay up a new and better crown. I usually include the article below as am attachment. Click to Enlarge 127.64 KB Click to Enlarge 139.8 KB Click to Enlarge 177.53 KB ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Thought you guy would get a kick out of seeing this. This is new construction. I think I know, but I'd like to hear what folks think caused this and why. It should make for a good discussion. Click to Enlarge 64.5 KB Click to Enlarge 59.01 KB Click to Enlarge 54.67 KB Click to Enlarge 53.87 KB Click to Enlarge 52 KB Click to Enlarge 55.61 KB Click to Enlarge 64.36 KB Click to Enlarge 54.99 KB Click to Enlarge 57.06 KB Click to Enlarge 93.22 KB Click to Enlarge 57.84 KB ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Go to the Duravent site: http://www.duravent.com/docs/product/L204_Mar2011.pdf On page 9 of the installation manual it states: DuraVent does not recommend installation of B-Vent Pipe on the outside wall of a building, particularly in cold climates. If it is necessary to do this, enclose the outside portion of the system in a chase, as shown in Figure 11. Consult the Local Authority prior to construction. Note that the enclosure requires an access door for inspection and maintenance purposes. It is accompanied by a drawing showing the vent enclosed in a chase with a cleanout. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Check out the B-vent manufacturer website. I'm pretty sure that portion that comes out of the wall and goes up must have a cleanout at the bottom of the elbow and has to be enclosed in a chase until it at least clears the roofline. Might be wrong. If I am, someone here will climb all up in my face and embarrass me by my ignorance. That's OK, it's how we learn best here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

My Dad had a Buderus. It was a wonderful piece of equipment. The Viessmann's that I've seen on high-end homes have all been works of art. Not so much a work of art - a three year old home I did a couple of days ago. The heat source is a Rinnai tankless water heater and it's augmented by a little 4-gallong chinese made on-demand water heater. Built on a slab and heated entirely with in-floor radiant heat. Very confusing configuration. I've looked at lots of these systems but never had one that seemed so cobbled together. I finally referred the guy to Northwest Mechanical. Those guys are rock stars in the radiant heating field. If they endorse it, fine; if not, he'd better take their advice. Click to Enlarge 34.68 KB ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Come visit. You'll find lots. OT - OT!!! M.

Jim Simmons just sent me a response to some questions on the thread. I had a request to point out the issues for a few people so I put together a word file that has the pictures and the issues pointed out. I know some of you understand and may not need the clarification (feel free to delete it), but for others it may be helpful. By the way I also give any of you the right to forward it to someone that might be able to benefit from it, or to use it on web sites. I left the pictures full size so you should be able to open them to get a closer look. Jim P. Simmons Mr. Electric I've attached the document he sent me below. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Download Attachment: MainPanel IssuesForJimSimmonsPost.doc 1434.05 KB

Hi All, I'd completely forgotten about this post. Ironically, the Masonry Veneer Manufacturer's Association released its first best practices guide just a couple of months before Jim's initial post. They've since updated it - in June 2009 - I think. Many of the preferences that Jim had in his first few posts above have been incorporated into this guide. You can read and download a web version complete with drawings here. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Ugh, That's a mental image I really didn't need to start the day off with. You're one sick puppy. OT - OF!!! M.

I see Mr. Saunders is displaying his usual reading comprehension problem again. OT - OF!!! M.

Hi Jim, That's a good point, but nobody is interested in hooking anyone who is clearly making an honest effort to do a good job. Blatant disregard for the basics, when one has to prove that one at least knows the basics to be licensed here, is something that shouldn't be tolerated. If this person holds a license, he or she would have needed to pass the NHIE and I think you'd be hard pressed to believe that person had at least opened this cover to take a peek inside as part of the inspection. I've often said that the aim of licensing is to protect the consumer. It should be to ensure that those who say they can do a job, prove that they can do it competently, and then, if it becomes evident that someone isn't doing the job competently, to ensure that person either goes back and gets training to get up to speed on what's needed to the job competently or force that person out of the profession before someone gets hurt. I think that's a fair expectation for us to have; since I know that consumers expect competency - not what this buyer obviously got. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike P.S. I've been wondering all morning if this "inspector" is actually someone who is licensed or if this is one of the 40+ so-called "inspectors" that are certified to do HUD Section 8 inspections in the state who don't hold an inspector's license that Ms. Myers at DOL told me about yesterday.

Under our state's laws, the Director, Department of Licensing has the power to discipline inspectors for failing to abide by the SOP. The SOP requires that at a minimum the inspector remove the deadfront cover and look inside. I don't think he or she'd be able to convince anyone that the cover had been removed to inspect the interior. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The idea is to recline and relax, Kurt; not bend over and stick your butt directly over the rocks of those heaters. Jeesh, I'm amazed I have to tell you this.[:-banghea ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Just to let all of you know, our state's home inspector's board took a look at this issue and has determined that anyone doing these whatever-HUD-chooses-to-call-them is practicing home inspections and must be licensed in Washington State. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, Some interesting photos sent to me by Jim Simmons - user name Mr. Electric. Jim wrote: According to Jim, he was asked to look at the job by a contractor he occasionally works with. He was asked to look at the only two issues that the home inspector had noted - no flexible metallic conduit on the water cable conductors and no heater in one of the bedroom. He took it upon himself to at least look in the panel before adding a heater; that's when he found what you see in the photos below. Besides the electrical stuff, there isn't any discharge tube on the T & P valve and there isn't any seismic restraint on the tank. Don't know if the "inspector" noticed these issues or not. When stuff like this, which a supposedly competent and licensed home inspector had already inspected, gets discovered by a real pro it's embarrassing as hell; and, as someone who's busted his tail for 15 years to try and raise the bar in this state, it's pretty discouraging. [:-banghea I hope Jim can find out who this yahoo was, 'cuz if he does the inspector is going to get a call from Department of Licensing. Grrrr, days that start like this make me crazy. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Click to Enlarge 34.54 KB Click to Enlarge 59.26 KB Click to Enlarge 56.49 KB Click to Enlarge 43.63 KB Click to Enlarge 33.52 KB