AHI in AR

A simple union? That's no fun. I'm wondering why I've never seen one in 11 years of inspecting. And given that there was plenty of odd plumbing in this home, I'm assuming that the owner bought his supplies at one of the big box stores. I haven't seen one of these there either. Anyway, thanks for the quick response, Bill.

Found in a home with a lot of creative plumbing. What is the ribbed cylindrical thingie? If it matters, this was the kitchen sink drain. Click to Enlarge 46.85 KB

I can't add anything better than what's already been said. My sincere congratulations.

As I said to start off, these types of roofs are pretty rare here also. However, I have seen clay tiles and this was not clay. I have no photos because the worn areas were generally ridges only clearly visible from 2nd floor windows. The windows were painted shut so I couldn't open them for a shot, and the glass was too dirty to shoot through. But I could clearly see concrete-colored small aggregate where the green coating was gone.

You guys are too harsh. A drop ceiling hides all sins. Right? Right?? And an 8" CMU foundation that has shifted less than 4" is OK. After all, there is still over half the original bearing surface to carry the load. Should be adequate! Seriously, though, Phillip. I hope you charge more for these inspections since they're worth it. Then again, the entertainment value derived from seeing some of this stuff is worth a little something...

Hi John, I appreciate your particularly lucid and informative posts, but I'm confused. Your profile says that you're from Bridgeport, Connecticut, yet when I go to your web site (which requires a Korean language pack to view properly) I see that you're from Atlanta, Georgia. On that web site, there are two inspectors, neither of whom is named John Opwin. Is your profile in error? - Jim Katen, Oregon "particularly lucid and informative posts" Now THAT'S funny. BTW, Jim...thanks for your much earlier reply to my original question. It was not only lucid but helpful to boot.

I would respectfully point out that it's easy to diminish the importance of insulation in attics in hot climates in the summer time. A lot of people get into the habit of thinking that heat will only rise. That's not seeing the whole picture. While hot AIR rises, heat as a substance will always seek equilibrium; it will always move from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration. Hot summertime attic air will affect temps in the living areas below it. Insulating the attic is useful in hot climates also.

My money is on seepage through the brick...even if it looks OK. Especially if the joints are raked, not tooled. Could also be poor flashing details.

Ummmm, Jim... So what stopped your descent? Gutter? Homeowner stupidly standing below the soffitt? Grappling hook hurled at the last minute? Inquiring minds want to know.

As Tom alluded to, you don't want to underestimate the effects of low-E glass. I suspect that the reflective coating on this glass is a big reason that this sort of heat damage occurs. If you get the angle just right, even on a cold winter day you will feel like you are standing in front of a heat lamp when sunlight reflects off a window with low-E glass. (Disclaimer: a cold winter day around here is still typically above 20°. But even with that, I would bet that you would find similar results in a colder climate.)

I did an inspection on an 82-year-old home today with concrete roof tiles. Originally, they had some sort of green colored coating on them. However, in some areas the coating had worn off exposing the aggregate. My concern is that they are now more porous and freeze thaw damage or acid rain damage may be a greater issue. This sort of roofing material is extremely rare around here. Most homes this age with tile roofs have a clay tile. What would you guys who have experience with this material say about this?

I have a Fenix TK 11 and love it. Ironically, I had recently switched to an Ultra Stinger after years of Maglights before I discovered the Fenix. Unfortunately, now I'll have to check out the LD 20. Curse you, Brad!

I have seen recent replacement Stab-Lok type breakers made in China. How's that for confidence inspiring...a Chinese clone of a defective original!

Call me a curmudgeon if it makes you happy, but I've always called it an escutcheon and always will. That's what it is! Frankly, I'm damned tired of being told that I should (in effect) "dumb down" reports to cater to the least educated among my clients. As I see it, escutcheon is a useful word not only applied to plumbing trim. Come on now...would it kill a buyer to Google the word if they are not familiar with it? Even that would be optional...after all, there is (presumably) a photo in the report that shows the part in question. Sheesh...

That's the igniter for explosives placed there by the owner in the event of non-payment by the buyer/tenant.* *Or if it's a grow-op and it's getting raided. Seriously though...a larger "establishing shot" would be helpful. This looks like an exterior sidewalk or similar. Any chance there's some sort of pump under that concrete to get rid of excess water?

I've never feared reprisal from your wife.

If the flame is blue with the glass doors in place as designed, it is getting the correct amount of oxygen. Blue indicates clean combustion. If you want a larger flame, most units have a control valve underneath the bottom of the firebox that adjusts the amount of gas fed to the flames. Turn that up if you want a larger flame. My experience with this type of unit is that they generally don't produce really large flames no matter what. They're not designed to do that.

All the gas double sided fireplaces I am familiar with are designed for sealed use only. In other words, you can't remove one side of the glass front during use; they are fixed in place except when removed for cleaning. (Admittedly, I haven't seen all brands.) Clearly, the glass panel on the front side in the photo is a fixed panel since it's one piece. There is a built in air inlet. Unless that was not installed, you should have no problems getting air and using it as intended with both glass panels installed. As you stated, the unit works fine until a side is opened. There's no need to modify the manufacturer's system, and to do so would not be a good idea. I'd return the system to the configuration the mfr. requires. I can't tell what the attic shot reveals. That looks more like an insulation shield than a vent modification. More info would help.

I don't recall seeing a FPE Stab-Lok panel in a home quite that recent, but that's not to say that it wasn't an older panel (possibly unused) installed in the home. Nonetheless, the Stab-Lok series breaker is the issue, not the age. In fact, they were installed in earlier panels under different names such as No-Ark. But I suspect you know it's a problem already--regardless of the presumed age.

Well, I guess when you get 80+ years out of the original roof you can afford a one-off custom roof! Seriously, though, you gotta give kudos to the contractor for tackling the challenge and designing a system to do a job that neither they - nor anyone else within recent decades - had done.

Now that's funny, I don't care who ya are. (Apologies to Larry The Cable Guy.) Now...how do ya modify the cat to detect a bootleg ground?

Yep. As well as other climbing plants at times.

It's an expansion valve.

You are still a bad, bad man. The fires of perdition await you. Wanna tell us about the Halloween candy you stole? hehehehehe

Nah. I'd wait 'em out and when they emerged, I'd smack 'em with a hammer. - Jim Katen, Oregon After 82 years, I'm sure they would emerge very slowly...with tiny little canes and walkers.