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Hi, I doubt that this deterioration has occurred just since the 1997 reroof; it's probably been occurring since the first cover began leaking at the perimeter. My experience says probably since at least the late 60's. Every one of those 2 by 4 roof members will have some rot in them. What you can't see is the incipient rot. Incipient rot occurs in the early stages of infestation. The wood will look and feel solid and appear to be rot-free but it isn't. Incipient rot extends ahead of the intermediate and advanced rot stages; so, if you are seeing intermediate rot and advanced rot in the ends of those members, you need to conclude that incipient rot has moved a substantial distance inward. If it reaches the connection between the roof members and the top of the wall framing, it can extend into the walls as well. The good news is that between rains when the wood dries out the rot goes dormant and this can slow its progression signficantly. The bad news is - it rains a lot here. The other bad news is that dampwood termites and carpenter ants love that kind of construction. I agree with David: it's probably pretty poorly insulated. These usually have a layer of heavy cellulose material beneath the cover. I wouldn't exactly call it "insulation" - wadding seems a more appropriate term but I don't know what it's actually called. This material usually begins a couple of feet inboard of the perimeter so that the area at the perimeter can function as a gutter of sorts. Personally, I wouldn't dink around with it; I'd tear the entire cover off, remove the eaves overhang at the wall plate, drill and insert Impel Rods in the whole thing) to kill the incipient rot; install a series of deep rafters on top of what's there, install insulation, install a deck and fascia, tapered foam on top for drainage, a new cover and gutters and then install a frieze, sheating and strip vents on the underside of the overhang. That's me; others would probably approach it differently. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Yeah, I think it came up when discussing buses in service panels. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

gas' [] OT - OF!!! M.

Yep, I'm reminded of it every time I look at the new wallpaper on the site. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

The house is tight. The jumper duct is a fresh air intake. I agree with Garet, those usually have an actuator wired to a 24-hour timer that opens/closes a damper to bring in fresh outside air. Was there a 24-hour timer on the HVAC unit, in the laundry or in a utility closet somewhere? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Blair, Is the person that they are loaning to the same person that hired you to inspect the building or has the building been signed and now they are trying to pawn off a 9-month old report on a buyer without paying for it? I'd call them up and ask them what it is they are trying to do; and then, depending on how they'd answered, I might contact my attorney before I decided to sign anything. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Heck Mike, I think the background is just one photo, so to have a collage we have to sort of put everything onto one basic slide. You're a photo guy. You probably know how to do that better than we do. Shall we all shower your email with a bunch of home inspection shots for you to form into one collage? Better yet, maybe you've got one of those killer sylized pictures you'd like to see up here as the background. Maybe it can be posted with a "Background by Mike Lamb" or something. I don't really know, 'cuz I have no idea how this stuff works, but maybe that could be done. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

John, Sometimes it's best in this forum environment to defer to the "local" guys. Your comments are probably on the money for your area, but have you ever been to Bloomington, Indiana? The frost line where you and I are probably extends only about a foot below the surface. I'm pretty sure it extends about four feet below the surface in that region. That means a crawlspace there is an icebox - why do you suppose they prefer basements in that part of the world? Lots of unpleasant things can occur in a crawlspace when winter ground temperatures are what they are in Indiana. Where you and I can get away with insulation on the underside of the floors over crawlspace in our region, in that region they find themselves needing to insulate the walls of the crawlspace just to be able to keep heat in homes. It's something to keep in mind when tossing out an opinion where an uniformed non-inspector or non-contractor might misconstrue what you've said. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

There's lots of iron and lead in the strata in New York State, that's for sure. You can clean it with an acid solution but the stain will eventually return. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hmm, Just curious. Does anyone else suddenly feel like he's lying in a cold and dank crawlspace or a tunnel in a mountain staring at a piece of paper taped to the foundation walls? I dunno, Mike; it might have been great pre-halloween but now it's sort of, well, creepy. I don't like to be reminded of what I have to face several times a week. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Michael Napadow used to call folks and discuss their needs. Then he hung up the phone and took their money. Don't know who Mike Napadow is? Search this site for "napadow." There's nothing wrong with being cautious; it beats being scammed. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi, Well, he sort of can. For a sealed crawlspace, if you have an unobstructed vent from the interior into the crawlspace at either end of the home, you will get naturally occurring convection and the air in the crawl will be conditioned. The rule-of-thumb requirement for combustion air is going to be 50 cubic feet per 1,000 Btu/Hr and by placing the proper size vents in that floor membrane and essentially making that crawlspace part of the conditioned interior, he might derive sufficient volume - between the total volume of air in the crawl and that in the house - to satisfy the combustion air requirement. However, there are a couple of problems. The vents need to be located where they'll get plenty of air all the time and you wouldn't want to do this if the crawlspaces aren't isolated from one another because now any smoke, fumes and odors can pass easily from one unit to the next. I'm betting the guys in the middle will see their heating bills go way down and those in the end units will see them go up. Same thing in summer when the AC is used. To do it, he has no choice but to build separating walls between units under the home, place sufficiently-sized vents in each unit in areas where they'll be unobstructed and have plenty of air, and he'll have to install well insulated fresh air intake ducting from each of those utility rooms to the outside. It would make more sense to simply install intake ducting to the utility rooms and then seal the crawl and not open it to the interior. If he does a good job air sealing the crawlspace, insulating the exterior walls, tightly insulating all of the ducting and piping that passes through there and then carefully seals the barrier, he might end up with a very snug and dry box. Or not. Even if he did all of those things perfectly, there's the question of vapor diffusion. Without the ability to circulate air in there and to make that area part of the conditioned space of the home, vapor diffusion could definitely be an issue. Then there is the question of quality of work. Getting someone to do all of this correctly while lying on his or her back in a dark hole requires a huge leap of faith. Unless he's right there watching his workers closely, and they understand how every element has to work together in order for this to work, and are themselves dedicated to seeing it work, you know they're going to be taking shortcuts when the boss isn't looking. I agree with Kurt; he needs an HVAC engineer in there that understands the dynamics of sealed crawlspaces to show him what to do, or he's going to create more problems than he's going to fix. Tell him to go here and study his butt off and then ask himself if he feels lucky. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Guys, Thanks for the input. This has given me a lot to think about. Sure wish I could get these manufacturers to agree to a comparison test for a couple of weeks. Douglas, that's the first I'd seen of the Inspector III. I'd seen the Inspector II but I'd never gotten to play with one. Have you? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Squirrel (rat) nest attempt. Maybe a bird.Yeah, I assumed as much; but around here the spark arrestors don't have any openings large enough for birds, bats, rats or squirrels to pass through. I'm trying to figure out how that debris got inside of that screen. OT - OF!!! M.

http://www.idealindustries.com/media/pd ... notice.pdf http://www.idealindustries.com/media/pd ... _guide.pdf http://www.idealindustries.com/media/pd ... esting.pdf OT - OF!!! M.

Yes, good job; however, how did all of that debris get inside of the spark arrester anyway? Unless there's a hole there large enough for a bird or rat to pass through while carrying a piece of debris, either they installed it over the top of the debris or someone intentionally took it off and then stuffed that flue with debris. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi Kurt, I just edited that post; I'd forgotten that there were two new deals that needed to be added. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Kenmore, WA - November 11, 2010 Fluke Corporation has extended and expanded its IR promotion through to the end of the year. From now until December 31st, purchasers of Fluke Thermal Imagers are eligible for one of three free accessory gift packages. Package #1 - Purchasers of a Fluke Ti32 or TiR32 are eligible to choose from one (1) of four (4) free accessory/training value packs; each valued at more than $900. Option 1: A telephoto infrared lens kit. Option 2: A wide-angle infrared lens kit. Option 3: A TI accessory/training kit A - The kit includes the following items: An Introduction to Thermography Principles book A TI car charger TI Visor A tripod mounted base Three (3) on-line training modules conducted by The Snell Group* A bronze instrument care plan(third year warranty extension) Option 4: A TI accessory/training kit B - The kit includes the following items: An Introduction to Thermography Principles book A TI car charger A TI visor A tripod mounting base A $600 credit toward a Snell Level 1 training class* *Training is provided by Fluke training partner, The Snell Group. For access to complete training schedule go to www.thesnellgroup.com. Download the Fluke Thermal Imaging Value Pack Flyer (pdf.) Download the Fluke Thermal Imaging Value Pack Rebate Form (pdf.) Packages 2 and 3 are especially relevant to building inspectors, energy auditors and HVAC professionals. These packages apply to those who purchase a Fluke TiR or a TiR Thermal Imager. Package #2 - Buy a Fluke TiR Thermal Imager and receive: A Fluke 971 Temperature Humidity Meter, plus A Fluke 411D Laser Distance Meter, plus Fluke Thermal Imaging Visor (Total package value $399) Package #3 - Buy a Fluke TiR1 Thermal Imager and receive: A Fluke 922 Airflow Meter/Micromanometer, plus A Fluke 971 Temperature Humidity Meter, plus A Fluke 411D Laser Distance Meter, plus Fluke Thermal Imaging Visor (Total package value $878) Download the rebate form to redeem (.pdf).

Kenmore, WA - November 11, 2010 Amprobe Test Tools of Everett washington has launched a serious competitor to Ideal Industries' SureTest family of circuitry testers - the Amprobe INSP-3 Wiring Inspector Tester. Click to Enlarge According to Amprobe's literature, the Amprobe INSP-3 Wiring Inspector Tester is designed to verify building wiring compliance to electrical code, especially voltage drop under load and inspectors can used this device to identify issues with splices, connections and conductor quality crucial to safety and performance of the electrical system. Priced at about $80 of what one pays now for a discounted SureTest 61-164 or 61-165, this is an appealing alternative to the offering from Ideal Industries. For the Amprobe Insp-3 data sheet, click here. To review the Insp-3 Instruction manual, click here. Characteristics: Testing efficiency - relevant test data (voltage, voltage drop, hot and neutral voltage drop, voltage with load, ground impedance) is presented on a single large display to save operator time - no scrolling or switching screens needed Verifies if wiring is tested for load carrying ability that it meets electrical code recommendations for voltage drop under load Meter detects faulty wiring in need of repair without removing outlets cover plates, or panel covers: Faulty splices and connections, Incorrect wiring, Undersized wiring, Faulty GFCIs, Faulty or incorrectly wired AFCIs, Incorrect line voltage and Poor ground quality. User selectable 0, 10, 15 and 20 amps loads to verify performance of the electrical system. Incorrect wiring or voltage drop test failure is clearly indicated by flashing screen Will not trip circuit breakers or blow fuses during the test Tests GFCI and AFCI operations Checks ground quality for safety and ability to support sensitive electronic equipment Measures fault currents Saves money and time by eliminating guess work Includes:Instruction Manual Amprobe INSP-3 Wiring Inspector Tester Specifications: Load Constant - 0, 10, 15 or 20 AMP simulation regardless of line voltage Operating Voltage - 95-140 VAC plus/minus 2 percent, plus/minus 2 digits GFI Trip - 6.0 mA nominal to trip GFI, 30 mA to trip RCD AFCI Trip - Up to 8, 120 AMP pulses within 1/2 second period

Hi All, My venerable old SureTest ST-1D is beginning to really show it's age. The plastic cover for the LED cracked and flaked off long ago, just about all of the printing is worn off and it looks like it's been sent through a rock polisher a few times. I'm afraid it's not going to be very much longer before I have to retire her. On a quest for a new tester, I checked out the Ideal site today to survey the new models and found that, in addition to the SureTest 61-164 and 61-165, which are the testers that I guess Ideal came up with to replace the ST-1D, I found a smaller, less expensive model called the SureTest Mini Arc Branch Circuit Tester - the 61-059. Looking at this smaller tester and checking its features, I'm not so sure that I really need to invest in something like the 61-164 or 61-165 to do what we do. After all, as all of us SureTest owners know, some of the features we have available to us on these testers were, for our purposes, superfluous and almost never, if ever, got used. Looking at the 61-059, it looks like it's small enough that it can probably fit into a hard shell digital camera case, it's not much more than half the price of the ST-1D equivalents, it can determine proper polarity and grounding, can be used to test GFCI's and AFCI's and even to determined whether there is a shared neutral on an AFCI - something that can cause them to trip. On the con side, it doesn't display voltage - although it will identify an over-voltage condition, voltage drop under 15 or 20-amp loads, voltage ground to neutral, ground impedance or identify false grounds. Most of these others I'm rarely concerned with anyway but the ability to spot false grounds did come in pretty handy. I'm wondering how many of you out there are already using the Mini-Arc Circuit Tester after having used the larger more complicated SureTest devices, and how well you like it it. Comments anyone? SureTest Models 61-164 & 61-165 Click to View Features •Arc Fault Tester •Tests AFCIs for proper operation •Tests for shared neutrals •High accuracies •Measures voltage drop under full load (12A, 15A, 20A load tests) •True RMS •Line Voltage •Peak Voltage •Frequency •Ground to neutral voltage •Ground Impedance •Hot and neutral conductor impedances •Identifies proper wiring in 3-wire receptacles •Identifies false (bootleg) grounds •Tests GFCIs and EPDs for proper operation •Conducts testing without disturbing sensitive loads •Verified isolated grounds (with 61-176 adapter) Ideal Electrical Tester 61-059 Click to View Features •Tests AFCIs for proper operation •Tests GFCIs for proper operation •Tests for shared neutrals •Verifies wiring configuration •Compact size fits comfortably in pocket •1-year warranty

Hi David, I really don't know. I've edited the post and added some additional information plus links to the brochure and to the instruction manual.

Hi, Yes, that's true. Right now, one can get a Flir bottom-of-the-line thermal imager for just a tad over $1300 but their picture-in-picture technology, which so many thermophiles here maintain is essential for a good home inspection report, is not available for less than $4495 msrp from Fluke or $4995 msrp from Flir. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Kenmore, WA - November 11, 2010 Ideal Industries, makers of the popular SureTestâ„¢ series of electrical circuit testing equipment used by many inspectors, has a new thermal imaging camera. The Ideal 61-844 HeatSeekerâ„¢ isn't as sexy looking an imager as the Fluke and Flir heavyweights on the market and it's manual focus; but I've been able to find it on sale with a price as low as just under $3300. The Heatseekerâ„¢ has blended picture technology - the feature called "In-Fusion" by Fluke and "Picture-in-Picture" by FLIR - at a price about a grand less than the least expensive Fluke or Flir imagers with that feature standard. The unit can take up to 1,000 digital photos and has voice notation capability so that the inspector can describe exactly what he or she is seeing, in order to further clarify the photo. It just might be a minor contender. Check out the Heatseekerâ„¢ video. Check out the Heatseekerâ„¢brochure Check out the Heatseekerâ„¢ Instruction Manual Ideal 61-844 Specifications: • Measurement Range: 14° F to 660° F • Accuracy: +/-2% or 4° F • Laser: Class II • Battery Life: 6 hours Click to Enlarge Includes: • Thermal Imager • USB Cable • Camera Handle • Carrying Case • Power Supply • ThermalVision PC Software Features: • Easy-to-use maintenance monitoring tool • Auto hot/cold tracker • Image blending of thermal and digital • Hottest/coldest temperatures displayed instantly on live screen • Built-in LED illuminator • High and low temperature alarms • Troubleshoot potential problems quickly • Mark images with text and voice annotation • Tripod mountable

Yeah, that'd probably look sort of brownish. OT - OF!!! M.

That's not exactly correct; JH says that face nailing should "only be used where required for high wind areas and must not be used in conjunction with blind nailing." Isn't the color plus primer a light brownish color? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike