John Dirks Jr

I cant see the rest of the gutter system underneath but based on your description I have a picture in mind. Perhaps they should just remove this upper piece all together and use a diverter strip to direct the water from the upper portion into the lower gutter. That sure is a strange looking way to do it. There had to be an easier way, don't you think? How long is this upper piece that you pictured?

Lets just set the RE's aside for now. How about lenders and investors? How much of the HI market comes from their end? I figure it would be easy enough to find contact info for lenders in the yellow pages and the like. What about investors? How would a new inspector like me find the right kind of people in my area to solicit?

I have binoculars also and I will use them if I cannot walk a roof. Many times a good indication of roof performance can also be found via attics. What power binoculars do you all use? Mine are Minolta 7 X 35. I was thinking I may be better off with stronger ones. What do you think?

I plan on getting up on any roof that is walkable. I will drag up a 6' aluminum if it will help me get a better look at something. I will look down the flue and then still recommend the Level II inspection be done. I do appreciate the suggestion of mentioning the NFPA recommendation. I may just find some documents and print them them up for hand out on the subject. I have been planning on compiling a folder full of various handouts to be peeled out where applicable.

Could they be european or other put in place to accommodate travelers who would have brought along smaller personal appliances? Maybe this was a bed and breakfast in the past? Just wild guess....

I have a question on the propane tanks. You see the diagram that Bill posted above and it shows the distances from various parts of the house. According to the diagram you see the 125 gallon tank should not be closer than 5' from a crawl space opening. If there are two separate 125 gal tanks sitting directly side by side each other, do the same tolerances apply?

Cool, I started this thread a month and a half ago. I considered it dead and then all the sudden its active. How many times when you are on a roof do you find yourself needing just a slight boost up in order to be able to look closely at a chimney crown or down a flue? Do you prop a small ladder to the chimney and step up to have a better look?

What if you have a masonry chimney that only serves gas appliances and will never be used for anything else, do you hold that chimney to the 10-3-2 rule strictly? The reason I ask is some areas allow B vents serving gas or oil appliances to terminate at 2 feet above the roofline. So if a vent connector from a gas appliance connects to a masonry chimney, what's the difference from having B vent all the way out?

Man that is a tough one. Do you realize how many different variables are associated with trying to make a guess at that? Not only the number of variables but also the fact that many of the variables are always changing. The record of utility bills will give one some real information.

Mike, Thanks for setting me straight on my incorrect statement. I don't know where I came up with it. I would much rather corrected then be allowed to bask in ignorance. I appreciate your time.

I thought the point of having ridge vent was heat rises. With the vent at the upper most part of the structure, all the of the heat can escape. The soffit in turn allows cooler air in to replace the hotter that vents out the top. Some may think this makes a loss of overall heat for the structure in the winter. Wrong. It actually helps. The colder attic air keeps the ceiling cooler which pushes down the warmer house air in a sort of barrier.

Interesting. I have never heard of it. In AC mode, does the blower send the air that gets heated by the condenser up the vent out of the structure? Is the blower at the same time somehow creating distribution airflow?

Wow, Kurt and Walter at somewhat of odds on this one. I respect the words of both of these veterans of the HI world so much that now Im confused. Has this thread itself become wishy-washy?

Would it be a failure in a refractory wall? That would allow that kind of direct heat onto the case wouldn't it?

I would not go as far as to say your comments were out of order. I will say you went beyond a line and you did not have to. You know that, otherwise you would not have posted the issue here. Its on your conscience. You put yourself outside of your own comfort zone. Your comments are the kinds of things I would see myself saying to a family member but not a client. In the end, from my standpoint, it's really hard for me to comment specifically without knowing all the nitty gritty details. What kind of problems? A bunch of little stuff, big stuff and so on. I personally would leave the suggestions to negotiate up to the RE. That's their territory. Do the inspection, produce and deliver the report and be done with it. The rest is outside of your boundaries.

Or is it the ridge vent that is too close to the chimney?

Also, the flues should not be so close to each other. There should be a row of brick between them. (wythe) I am very curious as to when the 10-2-3 rule came into effect. Anyone know what year? If the chimney was built prior to that rule then perhaps it could be approached as a suggested upgrade rather than a defect. My point being that newer codes are not usually enforced upon retroactively. I see many chimneys in my area on older homes that do not meet the 10-2-3 rule. I am trying to find an option to calling them all defective.

The white is PVC. PVC is used for venting high efficiency furnaces. Was it a high efficiency furnace with two vent pipes? One pipe is for combustion air intake and the other is for exhaust. If this is what you saw then the material used (PVC) is standard for the application and is ok.

I think it's a good idea to check the pressure, especially to make sure it's not to high. High readings could indicate a water heater problem even when you test the pressure on a cold side hose bib. If the thermostat for the water heater is not shutting down the burner or element, the water can heat beyond a safe point and thus the pressure in the heater and throughout the supply system can be increased by the overheated water. Take high line pressure to begin with and then add that to a malfunctioning water heater thermostat and the risk of someone getting burned by a TPR valve release is increased. Gauges are cheap and the test takes about 30 seconds. Why not just do it? BTW, I also test and report on the temperature of the hot water at the fixture nearest to the water heater.

Definitely separate the two like Chris said. You could conclude a similar comment with something like this; "I did not find anything that would suggest why a patch was needed so I cannot give the reason for it. The current owner may have the answer". I think its important when we really don't know, say so. The tricky thing is figuring out how to say "I don't know" in a knowledgeable way and still try to provide information and direction to the client.

If the integrity of the soil is effected it can effect the structure. The loads from piers and footings are dispersed into the soil in a conical shape. Soil that is loosened next to a load point can be a problem since the cone of compression is made weaker by the rodents excavating. Rodents or not, loose and poorly compacted soil is not good. It is hard to make a call without actually seeing it like you did. You don't really have the ability in the normal scope of a home inspection to determine the extent that the soil has been effected. I realize what I have said could be considered a stretch. The bottom line is, if you believe what you saw could have a negative effect, it should be reported.

What was the diameter of the flexible ducts? Also, you mentioned that it wasn't insulated in the basement. Many basements are air conditioned/heated along with the rest of the house and you did not mention if this one was or not. If the basement is "conditioned", the ducts do not need insulation.

I havn't carried mulch yet. I did haul away tons of rotten logs and bagged leaves out of my yard though. No exaggeration either...tons. 12 or 15 loads at least. I was very careful not to mess up the paint.

I know. The sad part is I no longer own the vette. Sold it on ebay. Got $12,600. I bought the Dakota on ebay. It was located in Nebraska. I flew out there and drove it home. I bought a radar detector just for the trip. I was rolling 80mph most of the way. I made good time but burned a good bit of gas. The Dakota is a nice ride with a Magnum 360ci. The Vette was not practical for the family. On the other hand the Dakota is with its 4 doors. You can spontaneously load up the wife and kids, cruise the boulavard and still turn heads while yur at it. Download Attachment: DAK.JPG 64.83 KB

While we are on the subject of cars, here is me in my 73 Stingray at Ciecil County Dragway on Vette Day. I won a big trophy for top eliminator in my class that day running consistant 13.20's in the 1/4. Download Attachment: VETTE7.jpg 66.16 KB On another day I got a free photo mailed to me. Here I am going thru the speed cam traps in Washington DC. Wait a minute, that pic wasnt free, it cost me $50 for 56mph in a 45 zone. Download Attachment: freepic.jpg 229.48 KB