Rob Amaral

Keep it simple. Think Albert King, not Eddie Van Halen. Less is more.

Not that it was an issue in this problem, but an oversized furnace can also short-cycle.

I would put a moisture meter on that siding before I would recommend sealing it. If it has moisture retention occurring when sealed, it's a problem.

No but there is a payback, etc, etc. Give them a call. They are very eager to discuss this with anyone.

Some guys around here (Medfield, MA) are bolted-into that system with Honda. It is a slow start up, but will take off. http://www.freewatt.com/ I've had a few long talks with one of the principals. Very interesting.

"Vent" pipe should be same diameter as the furnace exhaust vent. It isn't in this photo. That can lead to poor or marginal venting. As for the roofing job leading to this, perhaps you had your attic ventilation improved and that has lead to a colder attic and that could lead to colder vent in the attic and you hit the tipping-point to where the condensate shows up?

OK Erby. I guess my post was more of the 'what's the point?' in nature (re-age). Your final comment about probably being best to replace it was kind of radical, no? Cleaning...yeah. Replace..? Why?

Did you check inside the combustion chamber? Check the refractory liner? Looks like they've had positive pressure at the viewport in the past. Did you check the vent connection, chimney flue, etc?

BK is probably right. Very common on Cape Cod (MA). To prevent toilet tank from sweating in damp summer air.

"Skillers' Pants (with the built-in removable knee pads). (We use them every day in crawl or out). They are 'the way to go'.. Standard poly coverall (any brand) over those. Tyvek huge hooded suit (over all that). Rubber gloves (if necessary) Mask (filter respirator, etc if necessary) Belt with a pouch for a camera Sneakers I drag in a tarp if necessary. PS-Don't go in if: -Bees are present -Animals are present (obviously) -Water is on the 'floor' -You can't turn and get out fast -Haz materials are present (or possibly present). -Wires are dangling unterminated all over the place.. Think: If I have a heart attack in here, can FD get me out without having one? If not, don't go in. Go to plan 2: "Install a proper series of access hatches at proper locations". Pretty much covers it..

Holds the paint very well...usually..

Jimmy me lad... Ye have no idea what ye mate here has learned around here these parts in these last 20+ years me lad... Some day I'll tell ye.. Ye be livin' in an area of 'gravel mining' me lad with some interestin' side effects don' ye know... An don' ye be tellin' me you don' think me know what I talk 'bout, eh?

I've seen it a lot. These leaks start out microscopic, slowly advance. Minerals in the water and the corrosion can work together to seal them. I saw some 1980's water pipes (copper) with huge crusty blooms of mineral flowering just a couple of weeks ago. Moral of this story is 'don't scrape the scab'..

OK... I had to bite. Anybody out there know why 'Quonset Huts" are called that?

Cops had to do an investigation. Listing agent/owner had to get over there, etc, etc.

Why would anyone even think of using EIFS in WA? Jeepizz..

My 2P inspection in a town N of Boston was terminated after about 5 minutes. We found the front door had been kicked-in, most copper tubing for water and hydronic heat 'surgically removed' by theives. Sign of the times.. The place had been vacant..

Jim's right (as usual..) Kimsul... See it a lot.

BTW, after a while, you'll get to recognize the pest by the poop.. not kidding. And the smell.. (if you aren't a smoker).

Looks like a trapped squirrel or squirrels... I've seen it before.

The return is the big-open hole AND the louvered-doors to the closet. I see stuff like this a lot in some condos. As long as they have a proper filter installed so that it is not bypassed and as long as they keep louvered doors there, 'it works'... Not great.. but it works... Would I suggest someone design a system this way? Nope...

One thing that realtors, clients and a lot of electricians tend to forget is that 'problems sometimes only show up during a ground fault, surge or other overcurrent situation". Sure, the panel looks fine, the poor connections on those equipment grounds look fine, the FP panel looks OK, etc. That's because 'there hasn't been an accident... YET" I use the air-bag analogy with electrical issues. "The air bags are here, but they are known to sometimes fail in an accident" (FPE). "You have the airbags, but they are not connected properly according to the manufacturer's specs" (Poor equipment ground connections). "You have a Toyota airbag in this Ford panel" (wrong-brand breakers in panels that don't accommodate them...the extreme cases..). Use the airbag and they get it. Go on and on into the world of invisible electricity, they glaze-over and defer to the 'master electrician' locally or the local AHJ inspector. I also tell them that the panel manufacturers and equipment manufacturers employ electrical engineers... Electricians are the 'plumbers' of the electrical distribution world.. Not to beat them up, but that is the way it goes. IMO, this country carps about the lack of white-collar education out there.. Forget that... Let's get the blue-collar trades people up a notch. Junky work is going in all the time now..

A friend of mine checked in on his aging Ma a few weeks ago. She was 'in the oven' with the darn thing toppled-over onto her. No tip brackets.. She was cleaning it. Reason #0892098234098349084 to recommend stuff..

Looks like lightning to me. My house got hit when I was a kid and the damage was similar. It doesn't always cause a char folks.

I'm with Mike-O on this one. Did you see any lumber stamp on the framing anywhere? Frame has probably shrunken due to not being kiln-dried (or perhaps was stored in a damp environment prior to use or something).