Jerry Simon

Lower switch/recept box attaches to a j-box above using a pivot-type stem thingy, like a ceiling fan. Anyone know anything about this, why it might be used? Click to Enlarge 25.68 KB

Ya know, when the client and/or seller can Google FPE and read for days, how much weight would such a letter carry for your client? I'll tell ya how much; zip, zero, nadda. (But you already know that.)

Savannah is a beautiful city. Fly me down and I'll check for you.

Angle iron bolted along the bottom flange to the foundation, bolted though the upper flange to the bottom of each floor joist.

I just hung up, as you probably would have. Maybe 10-20 years ago I would have replied.

Look at the flame in the left heat exchanger compartment. Seller had furnace tech out to check. Furnace tech called me today, and asked (snidely) if I was the *home inspector*. After acknowledging such, I asked who I had the pleasure of speaking with. He replied "what's your f****ing problem". Click to Enlarge 39.68 KB

I heard the masonry retaining walls along the river in Savannah were built out of ship ballast. . .

Your website uses the words "Us" & "We" quite a bit, yet you only tell us of Dutch. Why don't you talk about the others in your company? Why do the first couple paragraphs of your home page seem like they're worded to make real estate salespeople comfortable with you?

We've all got the stories. "Flue gas condensate leakage can damage the furnace components; get it fixed A.S.A.P." Client pissed-off 'cause furnace zonked the week she moved in, and I didn't tell her it would happen so quickly. . .

Sounds pretty simple to me. Why didn't we think of that? Cheap, too. The gutters are already there, and landscaping that foot and a half wide alley, couldn't possibly cost that much. Simple? I think not. What about that technical stuff about a downspout being a vertical part of a roof gutter? My head hurts just trying to fathom such. . .

Well, yeah, all that design money into our roof gutter systems. . .

Chicago construction = Moronic

You're fine. No worries. Wait a sec, you didn't buy this place yet, did you? Uh Oh. . . Call Kurt Mitenbuler www.chicagohomeprimer.com 847-910-1298

Anyone else think this sounds eerily like a *John Bubber* thread?

That's what he said, "strange one (1)". Maybe the fine spray vaporized the odorous gas better than the flushing toilet. I have a valid excuse for bad smells - allergies, constant sneezing, can't smell nuthin. [] I think the vaporizing might be the explanation. Try running water there with the shower head removed.

Is it green on both sides?

That is the same as saying the higher the levels of radiation were exposed too the safer we are. Not at all, IMHO. But I won't argue the point. This article mentions numerous times that studies show the higher the radon levels, the less the risk of cancer. http://www.forensic-applications.com/radon/radon.html#Radon And Risk Just one of many such article statements. . . "A later study 10 (referred to as the Cohen Study), which is one of the largest studies, incorporated about 33% of the counties in the U.S. and looked at the issue of the linear, no-threshold dose-risk relationship used by the EPA. In this study, a least squares linear regression of lung cancer rates vs. mean radon levels gave a negative correlation between death and exposure levels. In other words, the higher the radon level in the county, the lower the death rate from lung cancer was for the community. The result was not due to questionable interpretation of shaky statistics; each of the studies showed a negative correlation with slopes of not less than seven standard deviations (and sometimes greater than 10 standard deviations) greater than zero." (Regardless of what one may think of Caoimhin P. Connell Forensic Industrial Hygienist)

Isn't there a school of thought that says the higher the radon level, the less the risk? (Really; I recall reading some such years ago.)

I suppose that's good, as the unit should be blowing cold air in, not out.

Sorry. Semantics. Marc NP. I do find it hard to believe though, that a stinkin' rotten Cajun-rube like yourself ain't never been sued at least a few dozen times.

"Jerry, I've never been sued. The number of 'incidents' I can count on the fingers of one hand. I'm overly cautious perhaps and zealous in representing my buyers." If you re-read my post, hopefully you'll see I didn't mean, at all, to imply you yourself were ever sued. . .

I believe that covers it quite well. I also believe Marc is assuming one is already in court, having already been sued, and he's assuming one will be found guilty of missing something because he should have exceeded standards and found the defect ('cause he exceeded standards in other areas). That said, I don't think anyone can produce case law on such. . .

During my first five years or so, I felt that finding defects was much more important than the communication of same. Heck, my client was usually with me, saw what I saw, and I felt that was good enough. However, my writing/report was a mish-mash of inspector-speak drivel. I now give them equal weight; finding, then reporting.

The cracking is either a result of brick expansion (though such normally produces a near-vertical crack), or from foundation movement below. Either way, patch the crack if it bothers you, and go have an adult beverage if you're so inclined. I suspect it's from foundation movement, though, and such movement usually continues as soil moisture content changes. That said, the rate of movement is usually akin to icing sliding off a cake; takes years & years.

I believe he means flue gases are condensing in the attic flue section in cold weather, and the moisture is bleeding out of the attic section flue pipe joints. In most cases, join the club; normal, and doesn't always cause problems. If the leakage is severe enough (and one has to judge by the degree of flue staining/water marks on drywall below/related leakage down at the furnace area), then one can construct an insulated chase in the attic around the flue pipe; this will help keep the flue warm in cold weather and promote a complete flue gas draft.