Jerry Simon

Sure, if you want to perhaps vent the furnace fumes back into the house through the dryer vent, and perhaps killing everyone in the house. (As WJ would say....mirth.) Jerry....also in Crystal Lake, who don't want to read about such in my town.

How can one be an ASHI member and not follow their SOP? Ain't it sort of a requirement? My contract says I follow both IL & ASHI standards (and I do).

What does one do to properly inspect an electronic air cleaner/furnace filter? Can one get zapped if they're not careful?

It may only count as one, but damnit, it's two circuits. The fact that it originates from the same over current device is all good , but by that theory, everything originating from that bus is one circuit. I read carefully what the NEC says a circuit is; I've been working w/ electrical circuits my entire adult life... they're circuitous, they have a beginning and an end and in the case of a double lugged breaker, there are two beginnings and two ends. Why is it one circuit? One beginning...

I don't believe it's possible to have more than one circuit on a breaker. - Jim Katen, Oregon I believe that's correct. Even a legit double-tap is one circuit, is it not?

How 'bout "Have a so & so check this and have it repaired/replaced as/if necessay."

Such phrases are oft found in my reports. "The xyz is cracked. I'm not worried about it; the crack has been time-tested and shows no signs of on-going movement. You should know, though, that if it worsens, it will have to be fixed and this will cost quite a bit of money. Will it worsen? I don't know; only time will tell." If I tell them to monitor, what, do they pull up a chair? I think most of us know the difference between normal cracks/stuff and bad, evil cracks/stuff. I don't sweat normal cracks/stuff.

Jim...I think you use, or have used, Cramerware. Would Picture Drop be worth it to complement IR? Thanks.

Walter ain't saying he's never missed a problem by not walking roofs; he knows the odds. He's just proud of his perfect ("no complaint") record. A great many of us take pride in the fact that we've saved our clients thousands and thousands of dollars by finding defects only visible from up on the roof. Binoculars can't see blind sides of deteriorating chimneys, down into chimneys with missing chunks of flues, down into clogged or rusted-through plumbing vent stacks, clogged/leaking dead-end valleys, etc. But we all know that.

The wood has to acclimate itself to the moisture/humidity levels in the house. Too wet and installed, the wood will shrink and large gaps form in between the boards (most common in new const). Too dry & installed, they'll swell and cup (rare in my experience).

If the cupping is from a recent spill such as a sink over-flow, and not due to a continuous moisture source, they will lay back down once dry (and that could take months). Saw this all too often in new construction. Trade would spill something, or a window was left open during rainfall, and the super would have the resulting water-damaged, cupped boards sanded smooth to "fix" the cupping. Afterwards, when dry, instead of the boards going back to flat, the boards would *crown*. I ran a builder's cust serv dept for years, and I had many such crowned floors replaced as a warranty item, usually two or three months after they were sanded-smooth.

I don't believe plumbers in greater Chicagoland pressure-test the waste lines. I've never seen it done, and as a super, I've seen hundreds & hundreds of houses built. I could be wrong about that, but sure would explain why at least half the new construction I inspect has at least one plumbing waste line leak...usually seen dripping from the ceiling drywall after running all fixtures for a bit. I've also never seen a temporary vent cap, during or post construction. I agree, though...vent blockage. As Jim suggested, could even be a critter.

A bit of background. I inspected this house two years ago...brand new at the time. I opened the main sewer cleanout and saw a lot of standing water; the underground sewer line had a belly in it, and the builder had to replace. More on that later. Today, Client calls and wants me to find the cause of sewer gases coming in the house. Comes in the first floor laundry room, and comes out of just one of the two master bath sinks, same in the level above the laundry room. He knows it's coming from the overflow in the master sink. Tapes up the overflow hole, runs water, and nothing...no tape, obvious stench out of the overflow hole when water is run. He thinks the smell is also coming out of the clothes washer purge line riser pipe. The bath and the laundry share the same plumbing vent stack. Stack blockage? If so, why does only one of two master bath sinks smell? Easiest route? And, getting back to the bellied underground pipe, he opens it up today to check for perhaps another belly, and sewer gas comes spewing out under pressure. He said it was like opening a shaken bottle of soda pop. Ideas? Thanks so much.

Actually, Word saves the default for that session only. The next time you open Word you have to do that all over again. Not if you save it to a template. The picture thingy? I don't know. As I say, I was just messing around. But in Mark's IR, completely word-based software, pictures are permanently formatted, and I'll bet ya a shiny nickel he could tell us how to do it ('course, then he'd have to kill us).

What could cause this black, soot-like staining around a heating Image Insert: 165.64 KBsupply register? Gas forced air furnace, and the heat exchanger was a bit corroded, but otherwise okay. Thanks much.

What is the name for this cone-like roof structure? Thanks much. Image Insert: 156.15 KB

Thanks Jerry, I didn't think IR allowed a default line and circle formatting. I need to research this. It's not IR that does it, it's a Word function, and since IR is in Word... Right click on the arrow, circle, or whatever, click on format autoshape, format to your liking, then right click again and click on format autoshape default. Then your arrow will always be a certain size or color or whatever. Just messing around for a minute and it seems like that's how you also format pictures and save the formats...right click on picture insert window, set and save defaults; picture size, layout, position, whatever.

Jerry, are you asking Mark Cramer if this might work on IR? Did you get a response or check it out? Thanks, Hi Jim, Mark's software already does the consistent picture formatting thingy, the consistent arrow and circle formatting thingy, and more, and his software is completely MS Word-based. Takes someone much more well-versed in Word than I am to tell one how to do the consistent picture formatting thingy, though (like Mark).

You guys be great...thanks.

What's a *safe* stair tread width, or what does the IRC say about such. Thanks so much. Found some today I know are too narrow (7").

Uhmmm...Mark C?

Some di-hards I know are driving down to Cinci this weekend to see a couple final games. You may get a job or two out of this over the weekend, buddy.

The manufacturer's tech rep will almost always back the roofer. - Jim Katen, Oregon Uhmmm...on the one hand, you imply the manufacturer will blame the installer. On the next, you imply the manufacturer will side with the installer. I'm so confused...

Good Rex? Bad Rex? Nope...Train Rex (Looks like ya might get that ten-spotback.)

Exposed nail heads corrode and will likely allow leakage, someday. Call the shingle manufacturer for backup to show the *roofer*. (Uhmm...or, just ask Bob.)