Jim Morrison

Actually, Terry, it was high school. Lucky for me those records have been permanently sealed. Mike, I'd fight the devil himself for you, and that's no lie. But if you think I'm going to go toe to toe with your wife on your account, you're crazier than any of us ever figured.

Guess what? Vomit does the same thing. Don't ask me how I know. I just do.

I don't think that paint is your problem. I haven't looked it up in a long time, but you can google yourself up a bathroom fan sizing chart. Just measure the cubic feet of your bathroom and buy the appropriately sized fan. Until then, I'd leave the bathroom door open when I showered, if possible and check to make sure that your vent hose is properly connected and unblocked.

I didn't bother to read the original post or any of the responses, but any estimate of HI's complaining for fewer than 200 hours at a time seem woefully underestimated to me.

I think most people would understand 'eccentric'. There may be a more accurate term, but depending on who your audience is, they mightn't understand it.

Wow. I'm leaving for 5 days in DC with the wife & kids on Wednesday and wish we had a couple of months to see all of the cool stuff there is within an hour or so's drive of the city. Very nice photos, Mike. Thanks for sharing.

Can we talk about porn instead?

I don't know that Radon is appreciably higher in MA than anywhere else. As far as I know, if you want to know how much Radon there is in any particular home, you simply have to test. I do sell the test kits, but only because some clients expect it. I don't push it, either. Because the science on this issue is inconclusive (and likely always will be), I have mixed feelings about it The unanswerable question (beaten to death in previous threads) is: How harmful is typical residential exposure to Radon?

Radon testing is questionable, yes. Snake oil? No.

Yes DDMG is fictional. It stands for: Don't Do Mold Guy. I forget who coined it, but it might have been Jerry Peck. Mike, the bottom line is this: You don't want to be that guy. Mold testing is just the latest line of Snake Oil that HI's are selling. It'll pass and get replaced with something else. Stay away from the slippery slope. It isn't a revenue stream, it's a ripoff.

Say it again, somebody!

I'm inspired. Next time someone asks I'm going to tell them I'm 175 pounds of twisted steel & sex appeal.

That's part of why I went Mac. Nobody writes viruses for Macs, but even if they did, Mac' OS's are more secure than Windows anyway.

Sure, I've had it a few times. Not often.

At the risk of angering someone who's a decidedly respected member here, the O/C part of me feels compelled to point out the fact that it was Hippocrates who is credited with that "...do no harm" saying, not Pythagoras. Pythagoras was the A squared plus B squared = C squared guy. I had composed a snide remark when I saw that because I believed as you do. But before posting it, I did some research and found that Pythagoras was a lot more than a math guy and Hippocrates never actually said the "do no harm" thing that's commonly attributed to him. So I let Morrison survive unscathed. For all I know, Pythagoras *did* say that at some point. - Jim Katen, Oregon Thank you Kevin for your kind correction. I appreciate it. You are correct. I meant Hippocrates, not Pythagoras. Katen, you are a kind and merciful god. Jimmy

'Before I speak, I have something to say': Whoops! I think you beat me to the punch on my last post. In any event, I'd respond to your post with my personal bastardization of the immortal words of Groucho Marx: 'I wouldn't join any HI org that'd be willing to have me.' Jimmy

Nor should it necessarily be the case with ASHI. Depending on ASHI's current goals and philosophy, they may very well be better off without me and maybe some others. Part of the complex reason I didn't feel compelled to re-up is: Several years ago, the ASHI BOD made the decision that they wanted to be the biggest HI org in the universe, and not necessarily the best. It was a complicated gamble and it remains to be seen whether or not that was the right call. When I went to my first ASHI meeting (The national convention in Chicago, Jan. 1989), I was taken with how bright and unassailably ethical the folks I met were, not how large the group was. Today, the (market and consequently, ASHI's) emphasis has clearly shifted, but that shift puts some of ASHI's goals at odds with my own. No blood, no foul. We parted as friends and whenever noobs ask me, I tell them that ASHI is the only HI org I'd consider joining. Still, it would be dishonest if I didn't say that their promoting Mold Testing didn't bristle the hairs on the back of my neck. Choosing an HI org is a lot like choosing a religion to me: it really doesn't matter. Like Pythagoras, I say: First, do no harm. Most of the rest is details.

Jeez, It never occurred to me that the 2/3 of us who don't choose to participate in interorganizational squabbling and ego flogging were a bunch of unprofessional ner-do-wells. I'm going to go out in the woods now and have a good cry at what an awful unprofessional person I've become. Jimmy, care to join me? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Wait, Mike, 'twould seem there's another option: We could attain Aaron's peerage by membership in NACHI as well. Wish I'd known that a few years back when they were offering me free membership. Shoot, I know an inspector who hasn't spent more than 5 minutes on their bulletin board in his whole life, and they offered him the Presidency of the whole danged club a few months back! Lamentably, I don't think that option is open to either of us. I was a member of ASHI national and ASHI NE until I left the field a few years ago. I received a tremendous amount from my many years of membership. When I got back into home inspections not quite 2 years ago, I just never got around to rejoining. I was increasingly heavily involved at the chapter level toward the end, so I suppose that burnout may have something to do with that. I'm not anti-ASHI and don't know anything about the current controversy. I still strongly believe that ASHI is -far and away- the best HI org out there, and it is the only one I would join if I were so inclined. I'm just trying life on the outside these days and all I can tell you is: the water's fine.

I will say that I learned a ton at ASHI, made some great friends, and grew a lot as a person and as an inspector. It's just that times changed, the RE market changed, & I changed. Now I'm on the outside and have no regrets. That's just one man's experience.

None.

That describes my grandfather perfectly. He worked most of his adult life in the Navy Yard about 1/4 mile from where I now live and his house (now owned by one of his sons) has always had remarkably low heating bills. Unfortunately, he died from mesothelioma in 1978. FWIW Robert, the stuff in your photos sure looks like asbestos to me.

Well said. Personally, I bled ASHI red for 15 years or so, but since I left a few years back, I've never looked back.

Please excuse my ignorance, but I haven't been paying attention to HI orgs for the past few years. Who are the dynamic duo?

Ditto

The pieces were as large as about 5/8 inch I'd guess, but it definitely wasn't UFFI. Rob- Not Meffa, but Hamilton. Jimmy