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Fine, then at least let's get it right. It's not like the center of the earth and gravity. We will not run out of gravity. The anode and cathode of a battery are separated by a nonconductor. The ONLY path is the one supplied by a conductor between the poles. Once the anode has been sacrificed (no more e-) then it is dead. The earth won't run out of sacrificial gravitons (at least that's the theory) so elevator travel is safe.

Pruned myself.[]

Yeah Randy, I've made a fortune from the HFH projects I've worked on over the years. You should get in on the big scam. Insulting the many thousands who have invested pools of sweat equity is more annoying than the sentence fragments. Whose poster boy we now know.(sic)

No argument with any of the above. I don't want such a training manual (although I own it). There is too much shallow knowledge out there already, and such a text propagates information without knowledge. I know, it's great for the six-week courses. But the six-week courses are yet another problem! Shallow knowledge is the source of all HI folklore (IMO). Look at Katen's list. Simple questions scratch the surface, making the surface look entirely different. Too many are attracted to this work who do not want to see beneath the surface. They love folklore and will proudly share it with their grandkids.

Phillip, Don't fret. That's a common misconception. You surely don't have to reverse a motor's rotation to reverse air-flow - you need only change the pitch of the blade. It is intuitive (but wrong) to believe turning a blade upside-down reverses the blade's pitch. I look forward to the release - August - of Hofstadter's "Masters of Deception". The mind is easily teased into believing wrong things.

Kurt, No, I've never seen such a thing. I'd like to know more about the structure that supports such weight. This wasn't a residential structure was it? Any pics? Except for the Habitat houses I build, most of my field experience is commercial construction. That's why I got the BS in Building Science - to go industrial. I have learned so much about residential inspection from the likes of you, Katen, Mike, Les, Walter and others. Like Les, I feel there is way too much testosterone, but I guess that's the price of admission. Anyway, tell me more, please.

So, It's not just me. Thanks WJ

[:-banghea[:-crazy]

Jim, That's a great link. Wish I'da pointed him in that direction. [:-tong2] Gary (My turn to be a smart ass)

John, That's always a good resource. I have also learned about slate 'peripherals' from this site: http://www.jenkinsslate.com/ Perhaps I shouldn't presume that you have already searched TIJ and found Kibbel's excellent article, "Slate Roofs From Beginning to End" (ALWAYS search the TIJ forums.) The first thing I would do is confirm that it is real slate and not synthetic. I wouldn't want to pay that price! Also, the slate's origin is important in determining quality.

I agree, Mike. And I'll be paying attention to the 'final answer' I'm sure we will get soon - right tbird?

I think we'll just have to see what he comes back with. I'm not sure what's indigenous to AZ. Daubers do build as you say, Kurt, but they begin with a single row. Later, if they feel like it, they will add another row adjacent to the previous one. Sometimes it's just the one row for a long time.

Looks like mud daubers to me. They used to clog airplane pitot tubes in New Orleans. Sometimes you didn't know about it until you see no airspeed indication as you're on your takeoff roll. "Aborting takeoff."

Lewis, good link - thanks! And Les is right again. If everyone was as helpful and sincere as him, this industry would be in much better shape. I'm swearing off the big associations and going independent. See?-->http://www.inspectbuffalo.com/Hibiz.aspx

Hey Chad, Aren't you supposed to be outside working? You got beautiful weather for it. [:-snorkel BTW: email me if you need extra muscle. If I can, I'll come help.

In a perfect world, everything Carson said would be true. If HI credentials were consistently representative of high ethical and educational standards, then a buyer would trust the seller's report. That is the world I would like to see. But for now... back to the real world.[:-weepn]

Way cool, Kurt. That Marvin is good peeps. I wonder how much it cost to get that thing working after being abused for so long.

Caoimhín, Nice to hear from you again. I understand that the air samples people ask for (and get) are a waste of time. An expert I have spoken with says that the air samples are very precise, but not accurate. Readings can vary several orders of magnitude in just a couple of minutes. BUT, my expert friend says home inspectors have an opportunity to provide a service by sampling suspicious areas correctly with tape. He says that our knowledge of buildings and where moisture is likely to be a broblem gives us an advantage. This friend is not your average Joe, and he has me thinking that mold sampling should not be dismissed too quickly. (Air sampling for mold - yes, dismiss that.) What's your take on this???

Hi Kurt, I'll concede to your Chicago knowledge. We get a fair amount of what you describe in Buffalo too, but the home usually has a vinyl siding rather than an original cement fiber. No pic - no tell.

Hi Larry, Yeah, you're describing cladding, not flashing. Cladding is a trim covering that reduces maintenance. Flashing is a completely different animal - its purpose is to guide water safely away from building materials that don't play well with water (e.g., wood). Ideally, you should see some aluminum or perhaps a foil tape around the window (and under the siding) to protect it from the elements. (OR as Mike said earlier, the window may provide splines to guide water away. I don't know what material your windows are made of.) If there is no such flashing or tape, then something needs to be done. But without a picture, it's not wise to suggest exactly what should be done. A poor job of caulking the space will just trap water and make things worse. So, that's about all I can offer. Need pics.

Hi Larry, I believe you are talking about aluminum clad trim. I like to see caulk between the cladding and the window.

So, Clayton! You see from this thread that it's easy to get a variety of answers from good people. Get used to it. There are geographic, experiential, and philosophical differences that often make a single answer impracticable. Lacking consistent rigorous training and testing, this 'profession' offers the consumer great risk. An inspector with experience and knowledge of building systems, materials and workmanship offers the best value of any real estate transaction. Inspectors without that knowledge and experience don't.

Kurt, I'm intrigued. What makes you stop at one gallon or six? What makes you keep going after three gallons? I carry a gallon milk jug for testing floor drains, but I don't go beyond one gallon. I keep a hose in the Jeep, but often can't use it for one reason or another.

Welcome Clayton, There are two types of home inspection. A standard home inspection costs roughly 2-5 hundred dollars. Its effectiveness is determined by the experience and knowledge of a generalist. (That experience and knowledge varies much more than it should.) An exhaustive, technical inspection costs roughly 3-5 thousand dollars. It's effectiveness is determined by the experience and knowledge of several specialists. An experienced home inspector performing a standard home inspection finds many signs/indicators of common issues. In your example, if the drain has been plugged for a long time, then there should be some sign of water stains or rings around the drain. There may be a smell coming from the drain. There may be other drainage issues that cause an inspector to be concerned about the floor drain. Shining a flashlight into the drain may or may not indicate a problem. Pouring a gallon of water down the drain might not indicate a problem either. In the absence of any sign of a drainage issue anywhere in the home, a standard home inspection is likely to miss this problem. We cannot see through things. An important part of your course should be about setting client expectations. Don't base you inspection on any SoP's - you should exceed all of those.

Joe, Understood. I enjoy these discussions because specialists like you bring more depth to a particular subject, and I learn stuff while I'm looking things up. For example, 'rainproof' and 'raintight' - my intuition would have placed 'rainproof' as the more stringent term, but it turns out that 'raintight' is more stringent than 'rainproof'. Love to learn! Thanks for your info! I hope you understood that I didn't want people to assume that things were automatically bad because they saw some sort of locknut. I think we've gotten past that now.[] And best of luck in your current work.