Rob Amaral
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Everything posted by Rob Amaral
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Back in 2007-8, during the 'loan crisis', I'd see hydronic cast iron sectional boilers that 'sat' with no pilot/heat for many months literally rust-themselves-apart and leak at the sections due to sitting cold in summer and sweating (with water in them).... In-use boilers, especially those that double as DHW heat-source tend to 'make it' very well.. .just a thought.. .
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I was 'hard at it' from 1969-1984..let's put it this way, the "The Cars' manager was my manager--twice! (Not all his projects took off!). Then 'life/marriage/kid/career' intervened. I started getting back in the music around 2002 or so.... It's been a great thing.. I started foolin' around with music in 1958. Home inspection saved me though (besides the 'Man upstairs') !
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Been rockin round New England since 1969.... Band I'm in is just about to release an album.. Both 'trades' keep me goin! https://thefathomsofficial.bandcamp.com/album/hard-to-fathom?fbclid=IwY2xjawLyxUdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFLUDIzelhieXo5d2l6SlZwAR72pTZnF-DZaLHB4LV8ULvZKTJmCnqeUzVnFdttEyDsTbWnlnklbiYR36wUng_aem_EKgAAHBamCGiWZ_KR7B6kQ I'm doing a lot of rhythm guitar on this album and playing lead on two tunes I wrote ("Giddy Up" and "The Right One").
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I see furnace-cement like that often at the boiler 'flue' clean-out cover areas often Mike... the application where cast-iron sections meet may indicate a past problem (MAY, may not). Guys tend to 'goop the crap' out of intersections of materials as both a good measure and CYA or just out of plain ignorance... no way to tell (unless you saw SOOT marks near related)... With a lot of these things, the phrase "we cannot predict performance moving forward' is going to include ......
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Cola-colored stains on 'some type of stucco-like exterior finish' (Usually leads to a 'not good' thing). Hopefully this is NOT EIFs. See all the above....
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Builder used to work at a bakery
Rob Amaral replied to Bill Kibbel's topic in Architectural Nightmares and Remuddles
Has the 'essence of Howard, Fine and Howard" fine cabinetmakers... -
Historic Architecture Journals
Rob Amaral replied to Bill Kibbel's topic in Inspecting/Appreciating Old Homes
Great stuff.... -
What country was it made in ?
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ZOTZ DOTZ ! Good One... I too seem to have the same Karma goin on....I don't have a picture but a few weeks back, I found a bootleg bathroom ON THE ROOF of a flat-roof three decker in South Boston (no ceiling, no heat) and the water supply pipes were routed up an in-use brick chimney from 1900 (no liner)... Oy.. The drains were mickey-moused into the apt below....
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Award Winning Historic Home
Rob Amaral replied to Bill Kibbel's topic in Inspecting/Appreciating Old Homes
Great ! -
Thanks for posting....
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Dried sap
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Newly Changed Shims Good or Bad?
Rob Amaral replied to EmperorSunLao's topic in Foundation Systems Forum
Ditto all above... but let it slide...I'd be more concerned about conditions conducive to termites at the entire system under there..... you may want to pro-actively do something about that and let this slide..... -
Silly product... never seen it around BOS (yet)... we have plenty of the 'real stuff'..
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Eaton/Cutler-Hammer AFCI Breaker 'issue'
Rob Amaral replied to Rob Amaral's topic in Electrical Forum
Hm.. -
Did a 2017-era inspection with an Eaton/Cutler-Hammer load-center this week (Apr 2022). Test-tripped the AFCIs and one 'sort of blew up' (arced, material spat out somewhat, etc). - I did not turn it back on, posted a note, made all the proper recommendations etc, but I'm not aware of this happening with any brand of breaker.... Thoughts?? I'm gonna go snooping-around the web for more info..
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Ditto to BK (as usual)..
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Very cool... a 'thermobaric bomb' comes to mind..
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I've seen 'gravity' (no circulator) water-systems from 1920 around Boston for sure...
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Were there remnants of 'fresh-air intake ducts' at the perimeter basement level? We do have some trillionaire-1890's houses around Boston that have remnants of 1st floor level 'fresh-air intake vents' (louvered/screened) at the exterior that bring in fresh air that wafts in over steam radiators placed in 'boxes' just under the first floor.... they were really into 'fresh air' this, 'fresh-air that' back then... I've never seen (yet) what you describe for hydronic.. (Was the system a former 'gravity' circulating water-system?)
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I've been using this tiny drone for many (not all) roof inspections... it's excellent. Only recommended for an inspector how knows what to look for and what they are looking at. Even used it on 'low' roofs with success ... Tough little bird....
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"George Barris/Home Inspector" So.Cal USA
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I ran into the new 'Google' thermostat the other day (insert swear words here).... I'm finding more non-intuitive cooking appliance control panels and such.... Then there is the every-once-in-a-while ground-source heat pump with 'smart wiring' house with the remote control skylight shades and the ceiling fans all remote and of course, you MUST have the drawers that close themselves!! (And of course, every outlet has child-safety protectors, the stove has those child-knobs, etc etc).. "Just like the house I grew up in"..
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That's a cast iron sectional boiler and they can 'go quite a while.. I agree (as usual) with Mr Kibbel. Service guys seem to be wired to the 'replace at 25 ' mantra... it just happened to me here in my own shack with a local (good) guy...
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Another reason to bring magnet..
