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Hi Stacy, It seems like there are more than a few "issues" you have found. Does your municipality have building/property inspectors? If people are getting sick in this building, some authority should be notified. Getting the city involved usually gets things done; but each municipality is different...

It is also wise to plug into a ceiling outlet. Just in case the opener breaks away it has a good chance to unplug itself so it doesn't flop around on the floor. I made that recommendation recently on a house that had a detached garage with an opener and a light on an extension cord from the house. I almost gave the Do-It-Yourself-er a little credit, 'cause at least he used outdoor grade extension cord. I should say; I made that recommendation for a ceiling outlet, along with having the garage properly wired. And installing a new opener with proper safety measures. The one I inspected was old, it had a simulated wood grain label.

Note to anybody not a Bear fan: Don't worry folks it's almost over. In less than a week Super Bowl XLI. The past week of media coverage has turned this into a Tony Dungy/Lovie Smith lovefest. So they use to coach together; who cares. Lets just play some football!!! I guess theres no Colts Fans here.

I wonder what kind of bargaining and negotiating went down when Kit Anstey bought his house. I bet he Weaseled some nice old couple out of a few thousand dollars. I would like to see somebody try to get a little something for a roof that's guaranteed for 25 years and the shingles start to crack or curl in 15 years. "...and Anstey, and others argue that, in most cases replacement isn't necessary." I guess they teach Roofing 101 in Penn realtor's seminars.

Since your asking our opinion: I can't see pulling air either from the attic or the roof into the return air system. Wouldn't this lower the efficiency of the furnace? In fact I would never use air from the attic for anything but exhaust air. Around this region it seems like fresh air intakes and balanced air exhaust are all located in the basement/crawlspace. The better designed systems like the heat recovery systems do have ducts in the attic, but the ventilator unit is the basement. You might also want to inform your readers; that for the most part air make-up units are designed for each individual system. Just like anything else now a days, if you get a "Jack of All/Master of None" type of guy to install, the efficiency can be greatly compromised.

That picture on the right looks like a Polish Damper, (Not to offend anyone) Use to see that in boiler/mechanical rooms in the Chicago area. A 6" vent 90, extends into a 5-gallon bucket. Believe it or not, but the cold air stays in the bucket. Eastern European Ingenuity...

Good insight. Last November I inspected a house for a couple who was selling their 2-bedroom townhouse, and looking for a 4 bedroom. They were very unhappy with their first agent. They told me, that agent emphasized that an inspection would only slow up the process, especially in their case. (At the time they were expecting twins.) Long story short; they were very satisfied that they dumped that agent, waited until the delivery of the twins and moved into a house they were interested in the first place. (The house I inspected) The first agent wouldn't even show them that house. From what they had told me, made me think about this. I can see an agent not up-front making a recommendation for an inspection for a new construction, house for sale "as is", or just lack of knowledge/experience. But recommending "NOT" having an inspection is not in the best interest to anybody (except themselves). BTW- They were so satisfied, they sent me a Christmas card.

This question has been brewing for a while now. Do Realtors recommend inspections? Or is it the client themselves who ask about an inspection. I've been talking to some inspectors lately, both seasoned veterans, and newbies, and it seems like they are are just unsure about this. Now I have a couple of close family friends, who are realtors and they claim they almost always recommend their clients to have an inspection. "ALMOST ALWAYS"- How should you take that? But I get this feeling that Realtors in general still consider Inspectors as Deal-Breakers. At least for me, Realtors are my main source for leads, so I shouldn't generalize all of them, as Inspector Haters, but I'm wondering if anyone else had some more insight.

Sorry all Saints fans. Still was a good game. I was sweating a little bit in the 3rd Quarter. Drew Brees is the real deal, and I would hate to contend with him and this Saints team next year. Congrats to the Colts also. This looks like it's going to be an exciting Super Bowl. GO BEARS!!!

In regards to the damp insulation: Possible mold should be an issue here. Came across this PDF from The North American Insulation Manufactures Association. There are recommendations form FEMA, and EPA concerning wet insulation. (On page 2) http://www.naima.org/pages/resources/li ... /BI483.PDF

I would report Poor Workmanship, which should be re-configured. Now if it was a gas line, that's another story...

When talking about recessed lighting: Wet Approval means outside. For a shower you need Shower Approved Trim work & Housings. Check this link: http://www.lightingfacts.com/recessed.html

About Grossman; a lot of people (unfortunately myself included) think you can tell what kind of game Grossman is going to have by the first drive. He's either on or way off. His game last week was overshadowed by the lack of run defense. They could not stop Alexander. Some say because they were too pre-occupied trying to cause a fumble, instead of straight tackling. Now they have 2 backs to contend with. I hope they focus on fundamentals instead of heroics in practice this week. As for Colts or Pats???? It would be nice to have another chance at NE, after Da Bears take care of the Saints (hee hee hee)!!! But I agree with your dislike of dynasties. Starting to warm up the grill for some homemade sausages; a little pre-game feast. Frank

Well Brian G. less than 48 hours until kickoff, and it looks like there might be snow Sunday morning. They say Da Bears by 2-1/2, that's about right. I have a felling it's going to be a low scoring game. Go Bears, Frank

As Terence stated, there are many styles on the market. Some just drip, and others work on a float switch. One thing I would look for and report is a shut-off valve of some kind. And if I actually found it, I would recommend to the client to test it, and possibly labeling it. This link is a typical trap primer. http://www.siouxchief.com/PDF/ct01trap.pdf

That Seahawks pick was pure luck. Although I'm pretty sure about the Eagles & New England. I always had a feeling I would never be psychic! Frank P.

Good calls except for the Seahawks. I feel this game is going to feature a team turning things around. And as I flipped the coin it came up tails- Seahawks.

Around my area there is a developer building, what some people might consider "Starter Houses." They have a way of cutting the price by a few nickles & dimes by cutting some big corners: The most obvious is the attached garage only having drywall on the walls which connect to the house. My grandfather always told us: "If your going to do a job, do it right." If your going to build a house, build a complete one.

Still in my first year of inspecting, is it normally slow this time of year? I've been getting a lot of things done during this spring like El Nino Winter, but I just agreed to help my brother-in-law paint his garage this weekend, and I hate painting. I've been marketing warranty inspections this past week(flyers & mailings); just trying to stay occupied. What are some other ways to stir-up business in times like these?

Talking about the shower wands which are attached to the shower arm; I recently made a recommendation to replace/remove shower wand, due to hygiene. I joked with my client by comparing it to a toothbrush. You don't know where it's been, and probably don't want to know. I think this is the cross contamination a home buyer would be more concerned about.

Are those Black Iron nipples sticking out of the WH?

It seems like most outdoor hose bibs I see with out vacuum breakers are usually pretty beat up that I usually recommend a new fixture all together. Such as the handles are broken or missing; or they are leaking; or don't work at all.

Hey Kurt, When I was up there still doing construction, we building new condos in 1999 on the North Side. We had a situation where the TPR discharge would have to have more than 2 elbows so we used a straight pipe into a pan, then piped the pan's drain to a floor drain. At that time the City's Inspector made us change from a plastic pan to a Galvanized pan. That was the first time I had ever seen a WH Pan. I have a lot of family still building up there and they use WH pans every now and then especially for nasty rehab condo jobs. As far as I know they are still required to use galvanized pans, even for residential, I guess that's just a Chicago Thang...

That's as big drop. I wonder why?

I've recently seen some Exterior Grade Gypsum Board that is 7/16 inch thick; I guess they are to cheap to give them a 1/2 inch of sheathing, of any kind.