Tom Raymond

I think a picture would go a long way to help us determine what is actually happening. I myself would be more inclined to think the window was leaking. A high performance double hung window should be rated at or near Design Pressure 50. The water intrusion portion of DP50 states no water penetration past the interior surface of the window at 1" of rain per hour with sustained wind loads of 25 miles per hour. We can see wind and rain exceding those levels during a hurricane generated rain event in the Great Lakes region of the country, so I would expect far greater wind and water in Texas. You could have errors in the detailing of the weeps or the flashings, or you might have lower performing windows, or (as I suspect) you had one hell of a rain event that exceded design parameters of the window system. Tom

Well, how about a water heater that is shut off for some time(or set at too low a temp), the lack of back flow prevention, and a significant draw on the water system. If the water in the heater goes stale bacteria will flourish, then all it would take is the opening of a hydrant in the vacinity (for a fire, or the water department flushing lines, or even a broken water main) to draw that contaminated water back into the muni system. Unless the event that caused the back flow purged all the contaminants, very unlikely, bacteria will remain in the muni lines and be distributed very efficiently through out the community. That is why as HI's we write up stuff like hand showers or hoses on utility sink faucets that allow contact with dirty water, and missing back flow prevention (check valves). Tom

I know Randy asked us not go there but.... ...wrap your brains around this one guys, soffit vents cause ice dams. If this caused your head to explode don't blame me, the logic behind this conundrum comes straight from the mind of Joe Lstiburek. If I follow it right, a sunny exposure on a 30 F day will raise the wall temp to around 40 F (even warmer for dark colors), and this warms the air adjacent to the wall which then is boyant enough to rise through the soffit vents where it melts the snow on the roof deck from the bottom up. If the snow on the roof is deep enough to insulate the overhang the melt water running beneath it freezes at the eave, if not, it freezes as soon as the sun goes down. So why do we vent roofs like this? Tom

"You inspectors, you're really something. All you have to do is follow people around and wait for them to make mistakes." Damn! Does that mean we're just like lawyers?[:-banghea

Wow! Richard gets the prize for exceding the SOP today! Tom

Thanks Chad, now my head hurts. Please fax me some aspirin. Tom That makes more sense than the mess you offered[:-bigeyes

Holy Crap! Did you see the list price of that wall mount? I would live with the configuration you proposed before I spent a grand on a toilet. In fact I have a WC in my house that has the flange attached to a close 90, and that still didn't fit so I trimmed half the colar off the 90. After 10 years it still works fine, and this is in the main bath so it gets used frequently. Tom

The proper solution would probably be to install a main disconnect at the meter. And then wire each panel as subs. Tom

If I were on site for six hours I would definately have to field test a toilet[:-bigeyes Tom

I drove by a house the other day that is a shining example of why you would keep vegetation clear, literally. The shrubs had recently been removed, revealing the aluminum siding that had been polished to a chrome like shine from years of contact with the branches. Damn, I wish I had my camera that day. Tom

I grew up in a rambler with a wood stove at one end, well about at the one third point. No one went in the room with the wood stove because it was too hot, and we all slept in long johns because you could see your breath at the other end of the house. When it got really cold we would all camp out on the floor in the living room (next to the room with the wood stove). For this spectacular level of comfort we would spend several weekends cutting and hauling firewood, and several more weekends splitting and stacking firewood. And every day we moved firewood from the garage pile to the inside pile, and once a week we moved firewood from the outside pile to the garage pile. Sounds like the house has all sorts of holes sucking the heat out of it. If there are 100 points of heat loss, one more ain't gonna make a difference. All I'm saying is that if I was going to invest that much time and energy into staying warm, I'd actually want my whole house warm. Tom

Randy, Since no one else suggested it, I will. Why not use the fire place as is and put the wood stove at the other end of the rambler? It will give you more even heat, and installing a new metal chimney will be less messy than bashing out the fireplace damper. Tom

Yeah, when I can do that I do. Most of the stuff I work on is fastened down or is holding something up. If I Have to go to the trouble of removing it, I'll make it new. I'm talkin' 'in situ' Currently I'm restoring a dozen or so large sash and each needs quite a bit of work. Three day sets and a Type A personality... I'm not ready for the lesson in patience yet. 'In situ' is precisely why you prepromote the epoxy. If you can't control the working environment you control the epoxy. Stop by a thrift store and pick up a cheap toaster oven to heat up your mixed epoxy, then add warm filler and you should be able to cut your cure time. Tom

Abatron doesn't offer different hardeners? West has all kinds of hardeners for varied working times and conditions, and they can be combined to create custom properties. You could also try prepromoting your epoxy and/or gently heating your work surface (a light bulb works well) to get more reasonable cure times . Flour isn't that odd a filler, finely ground cellulose fibers just like wood flour, but it tastes better[:-yuck] Commercial fillers are spendy. Tom

I don't believe that is true. Can you name one. A reference? Certainteed and Elk come to mind. There was thread about this just a week or two ago, check their websites for installation requirements. I linked a pdf for Certainteed then. I would be careful to check the local code that applies to that building though, we all know that there are exclusions, variations, and amendments to the code that vary be location. Code requirement or not, it is a pretty stupid detail to omit. Tom Tom

"I have heard arguments that no felt is needed if the area will not be heated." Most shingle manufacturers only require felt for roof pitches 3/12 or lower. Since it will not void the shingle warranty there is no problem unless your specific area requires something different. If it were my roof it would have felt on it. There is probably enough scrap from the main roof to cover the pent, kinda dumb not to put there. Tom Tom

Well Mike, there should be a little goop. If all the joints are caulked it's usually to cover up crappy work. On a corner window I would prefer to see the sill done in two parts, one for each side of the mitre, because there is room for far more overlap and usually (with a skilled tradesmen) results in a cleaner mitre and a crisper corner. If that same sill were one piece, it would only be uncut on the vertical face and there would be very little metal left to lap under the mitre. A quality trim job will also feature metal bent to closely conform to the wood beneath it, laps on both the face and return sides of all joints, and very few if any nails visible on the face of the trim. Tom

It seems to me that an energy audit and a home inspection are pretty similar animals with respect to the investment in equipment and training, marketing, travel costs, time spent on site, and the fact that both clients are expecting a report afterwards. Why then wouldn't you price them similarly? What is the value of your service if it has a commodity price? Eggs, milk and toilet paper are commodities, a professional service is not and should never be. Tom

Cool! Disco siding![] Tom

Kurt, That sounds like Buffalo, NY. The city has dozens of "inspectors" who's sole purpose is to drive around and look for pick up trucks with ladder racks. They call in the address of any house they spot one in front of, and cite the one's without permits. Any project costing $500 or more requires a permit. Tom

Jim That brings up an interesting thought. Ben said that he was renovating this bathroom, perhaps each of these GFCI receptacles were originally in seperate rooms. That has me curious as to how a modern master bath would be wired if say the sink area was seperated from the bath or toilet area, would one GFCI be sufficient or would each area be treated as a seperate room? Tom

Ben, That was hard to follow, but, I would guess that box 1 and 2 are getting power from seperate sources and that the splice in box 1 is to power another receptacle without groundfault protection. I don't want to sound rude but if you couldn't figure that out than you probably do need an electrician. Tom

So just don't tell them it's asbestos, call it "mineral" or "cementitious" siding. With all the fibercement on the market today they'll never know the difference and unless you rescued a condemned property or changed usage from commercial to residential an underwriter isn't going to come look at it anyway. Tom

But what will that get you without the software? (serious question) On a related note, is anyone familiar with BPI, Building Performance Institute? Seems like a lot of hoops to jump through, and crazy expensive. Tom

I was refering to "torpeo" heaters. As for salamanders, just be careful if plan to burn them from both ends[:-slaphap Tom