SonOfSwamp

I just told people (orally and in writing) something like this: "You've got rats in your attic. Or maybe mice. Could be snakes, too. Which is not so bad, because they eat the rats and mice. You might want to set out some traps, or hire somebody to set out traps." Re-loft insulation? Naw. Helnaw. "While your rat hunter is up there, you might get him to rake your insulation." WJid="blue">

Amen to that. In this modern age, an inspecting unit can Google up manufacturers' drawings and specs. Such a unit can also call a manufacturer on his cell phone while looking at the gizmo in question and get info straight from the horse's mouth. And even easier, a literate inspecting unit can find building codes on the Internet and use them at will, because they're public domain. We shouldn't be asking tradesmen for advice. Just like we shouldn't be hiding behind the muni codes bubbas. If we're going to be useful to customers, we've got to be smarter than the people who keep us in business by screwing things up... WJid="blue">

They're selling those now. People play vinyl records on them. WJ

Forget the local muni. Go straight to the horse's mouth, and cite the code yourself. It's public domain. IMHO, the HI has to be smarter than the AHJ. That's easy to do. WJid="blue">

Pardon my butting in, but let me gently suggest that you look up the definition of the word, "symbiotic." It doesn't apply to inanimate objects (houses). Humans don't have symbiotic relationships with houses. Hint: the "bio" part is a giveaway. Just doing my little part to remind HIs that we need to be as careful with words as we are with, say, ladders. WJid="blue">

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As I've mentioned before: HIs could benefit by mastering the skillset of a PR person. Possibilities include: Create newsletters with good content, distribute them to RE agents/offices. Don't sell, inform. (When I did this, I tripled my business. Got my biz off the ground.) Don't buy a canned newsletter. They're awful. Buy a long-running ad in a local publication that serves the demographic you want to serve, which presumably is affluent and intelligent people who want to live in the good part of town. If you're an expert, send your CV to lawyers who specialize in building-defects cases. Get on local radio and TV. Try to get a housey column in a local paper. (Warning: HI columns are usually boring and the writers are often ill-informed and fulla folklore. If writing -- and fact-checking -- ain't your thing, don't waste your time.) To make all this work, be sure you're right about all the housey things, and be sure you can communicate effectively, in writing and in person. Be better than everybody else, and charge more than everybody else. In my humble experience, there are more people looking for the best than there are people looking for the cheapest. WJ

We didn't light them. I told customers that I loved them, but I wasn't going to get my face blown off messing around with strangers' pilot lights. I'll leave that to Wile E Coyote or Larry, Darryl and Darryl. True stories: A TN HI burnt up an arm messing around with a water heater pilot. Another TN HI lit up an FP pilot without looking up the flue, where there was a big chunk of styrofoam. Result: Lots of smoke damage and a big red fire engine. Way to go TN HIs... A long-time HVAC man once told me: "If you mess around with gas regularly, you will catch yourself on fire sooner or later. And, Richard Pryor was right: if you're on fire, people will get out of your way." I told customers if they wanted to see the gas burn, get the owner to light the fireplace. I also told customers the above true stories. Made me look smart, I think. I'm amazed that I have to explain this. WJid="blue">

Pardon my jumping in, but why not get the data (mfr., SN, etc.) off the vent and/or FP and call the manufacturer? Or maybe Google the data? That would get your customer first-hand info from the manufacturer, and it would save him from the "qualified fireplace professional," who may charge a couple hundred bucks, and not know more about that FP than the family cat. Worse, the qualified pro might be the seller or RE agent's lackey. Best I recall, there's a data plate on those vents. BTW, best I know, passing the buck doesn't really C your A. In a worst-case scenario, it gets an HI sitting in the witness chair, waiting for the plaintiff's expert to explain that the best course of action would have to been to get info from the mfr. WJid="blue">

Best way to get the correct answer is to call the manufacturer and give them the SN. WJid="blue">

A humble observation: There's never a good reason to write a jumbled description, unless you're just making a jumbled note to yourself. If you intend to convey information to others, you have to take the time to do the job correctly. Messing up the words is like messing up the nails -- things fall apart. WJid="blue">

FWIW, I suggest searching eBay for minimal laptops. I wrote my reports in a Win3.1 program (AmiPro) for about 15 years. Over time, I bought 4 or 5 TI TravelMates at about $50 each, and used them until they fell apart. If the HI is a decent typist, any functional refurb notebook computer, sitting on the kitchen table or counter, will do everything that needs doing. WJ

Well, brother Mike, who runs this joint, is just up the road in Kenmore. And there's Greg DeVault. Greg DeVault DeVault Inspection Service, Inc. 1209 NE 187th St. Shoreline, WA 98155 Phone 206-364-3028

I don't think any naive homeowner could understand anything in the above text. Also, I'm not so sure the logic holds up on the "because the home..." statement. Maybe it's just me, WJid="blue">

For what it's worth, here's my thought: Don't be so eager to tell folks to replace things. Unless the skill level of tradesfolk in your area is well above average, the replacement is likely to cause more trouble than leaving the thing alone. Screwups can be expensive. Clem Labine called it "the mushroom effect." Example: You try to change out one trap, next thing you know you're tearing out all the plumbing... This applies not only to old traps, but to roof flashing, bricklaying, and a whole lot of other things... WJid="blue">

FWIW: 1. I never told a customer to replace an old drum trap, as long as the old drum trap was still working. 2. It's "castor" oil. A caster is a wheel. WJid="blue">

I think the original comedy bit came from Cheech & Chong. It's probably on YouTube. Dave's not here, WJid="blue">

Ditto to the uselessness of pressure testing. I considered customers' worries about "water pressure" to be the simplest thing to explain at an HI job. Just tell 'em to go turn on the faucets, flush the commodes, etc., and watch the flow. Then they'll know how much water they're going to have at each fixture. I had some boilerplate that said something like: "Turn on the shower and flush the commode, then ask yourself this question: 'Could I get the soap out of my hair?'" If the answer is no, call a plumber. WJ

Good thing we didn't step in it. WJid="blue">

That is asbestos. WJ

Sears makes great denim coveralls. Looky here: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_041T2014000P A couple pair will last a crawling man for years. The Tyvek ones fall apart. WJ

Maybe it's just me, but couldn't a savvy HI find these wet spots with, say, a Tramex moisture finder and a decent handheld IR thermometer? I used those cheap(ish) gizmos for 20 years, and best I recall never had a false negative, false positive or complaint. Heck, 90+% of the wet things I saw could've been identified by a one-eyed man on a running horse. I think I've spotted an analogy: Yesterday, on TV, I heard Dave Ramsey explain how it doesn't make sense to spend $150,000 on a college education if you're aiming for a career as a $30K a year social worker. No offense to social workers. It was just a cost/benefit analysis. Anyhow, $500 worth of gizmos met my every water-finding need. WJ

The thing could be a speaking tube. Are there similar openings in areas that servants might have occupied? Swell house. WJ