Scottpat

I don't know; but I do know that just across the river in Vicksburg MS., levels as high as 20 pCi/L were found a few times. It has to do more with the rock formations in the area. Vicksburg has some limestone and a bunch of clay and silt. If you have natural rock formations in your area then you stand a good chance of having radon. If you have clay and silt then your chances are much lower.

I have noticed that price shopper calls have dropped over the past few months. Coincidentally the number of licensed inspectors in our state has dropped from around 1100 down to around 400 over the past two years. I still get the curious caller from time to time and it is what it is. I give them my price and if they say "I have to call you back", I don't worry or even think about it. Truth be known I think some of the price callers are other home inspectors checking to see what others are charging.

I picked a CRM up in a home yesterday and the test showed 39 pCi/L. The owner is in hospice with lung cancer and her husband died 10 years ago from lung cancer. I was told that neither smoked, the husband was a barber and had his 4 chair barbershop in the walk-out basement and the wife was a stay at home mom. They owned the home for 40 years. Who knows why or how they both got lung cancer, is it just coincidental?

I see that sometimes but have always assumed that it meant a defective vacuum break device. Marc That might be and it is what I have always thought, but I bet it happens on almost every home I try to test the water pressure on.

That also looks like a radon mitigation job the way it is all sealed.

That link does have some useful information but I would also take some of it with a gain of salt. If you look at the source of the information for each section you will notice that with many of them the source organizations product is listed as outlasting the others. A good example are ceramic tiles lasting a lifetime and granite countertops 20+ years.

On my home I have combo frost free and vacuum breaker bibs. I have noticed that when I try to test the water pressure from a bib and it has a vacuum breaker device or bib on it that the water sprays out the attached vacuum breaker or the top of the bib. Am I alone with this or have others had the same problem?

So, what exactly are we looking at, Scott? Fungi? Scrap material? I guess, I'm unclear on what surface or material to hone in on. Is the right surface inner duct material that is so dirty it's now gray? Is the darker gray portions of the scrap fungi? Help... Marc, got some of it. Sorry for not being more clear with the picture. This was the return plenum and you are looking in the duct toward the unit. The light colors are just construction dirt(drywall dust). The yellow is pieces of the fiberglass ductboard that were leftover. The entire return was a mess. Some of the ductboard was even torn by I think the alarm company when they routed their lines through the duct. No mold yet.

This is one reason I do not like duct board. I found this in a home that was about 10 months old during a 1 year warranty inspection. Click to Enlarge 58.69 KB

I do pretty much the same as Erby. In fact at this morning inspection I picked up the CRM that I placed late Monday and the home had a rip roaring 42! In the basement was a piece of rock that the builder poured the foundation over and around! It should make for a fun mitigation on this one!

Michael, just ask yourself this question: How does testing for mold help your client? Now think about this: If you see mold or smell mold then why test for it? Now another thing to ponder: All of the major labs (EMSL, AeroTech) do not recommend "blind" testing in their protocols. In other words, if you do not see mold or smell mold then they do not recommend testing for it.. I have an inspection in a couple of hours and my client was asking about mold testing and if I did it. I told the client that if I found mold or conditions for mold that I have a person who is an IAQ specialist that I will recommend and set him up with if he wants testing. He was happy with this because I also saved him about $400 in mold testing, at this time. DDMG Charter member...

I think it was Katen who coined a phrase that I use often; "Unconventional things tend to perform in unconventional ways"!

Yes, it can be a problem. Now if they used a paint that is designed for stucco it should be OK. My bet is that they used common exterior latex or acrylic based paint as it is cheaper than paint for stucco. Common paint changes the permeability of the stucco. What can happen is that the paint can bubble and flake off the paint and the stucco with it. This comes from moisture trying to move to the outside from the interior of the wall system. Now, this may never happen but it is a common problem with painted stucco. I do not know of a way that it can be removed without messing up the stucco.

Don't forget that urine, aka. Cat Pee is very "hygroscopic", the salts n the dried urine attract moisture and kind of reconstitutes it! This is why the odor is so hard to get rid of. I was called a few years ago by an apartment complex owner who had a very similar issue and I ended up learning more about animal and human urine than I ever really wanted to know! They ended up removing the bottom 4' of drywall and even had to remove and replace some of the wall studs that were soaked with cat pee. Do not use a Kilz type product, it did not work on this unit. After the floor was cleaned with a light acid solution (they used white vinegar) they sealed the concrete with an epoxy floor sealant. The same stuff you use on a garage floor. Last I heard it was working just fine and they had no cat pee odor. The reason for removing the drywall was that when a cat pees it is sometimes sprayed by male cats and it ends up on the walls as well as the floor. This is a link to my blog where I wrote about one of the worst homes I have ever found with cat pee..... http://activerain.com/blogsview/530273/ ... th-a-view-

For some reason this little find at this mornings inspection reminded me of Yellowstone Park... Click to Enlarge 52.71 KB

I thought the date was in 2014. Starting with the 100w in 2012 and ending with the 40w in 2014. I wonder what kind of bulbs will be used in ovens, microwaves, freezers, etc.... Affordable CFL's and LED's do not do very well in extreame temps. What is SSL?

If the builder has constructed the deck according the the plans & specs, he has a right to be pissed. So far, this sounds like the architect failed to provide adequate details. I don't suppose this project was big enough for there to have been submittals? - Jim Katen, Oregon I have a real funny feeling that the architect is in the builders office and possibly a relative. I have yet to see anything that identifies who the architect is other than what the builder is saying. No submittals that I have been made aware of.

1: Unless the thinset application is perfect with no voids, water will find its way into voids between the tile and the Hydroban. When it's cold out, the water will freeze and tiles will pop loose. 2: If there are any imperfections in the installation of the Hydroban, it will leak. The mud bed and the felt will do nothing to stop the leaks. 3: The installers *will* screw up the brick veneer/deck flashing. In order for there to be any chance of avoiding a screw up, the architect should provide a real detail of this area. 4: Is there another detail showing how guardrails will be integrated? - Jim Katen, Oregon Jim, I agree 100% with what you have posted. I pretty much expressed the same when I spoke with the owner and builder. Right now they are waiting on a revised diagram from the architect that is suppose to include the guardrail and how it is to be installed. This whole thing is a mess and now the builder is so pissed at me because the owner has refused to advance any money(they are paying cash) for the next draw unless this is corrected.

Yes and no as for the finished room. I have learned that it is being built as an enclosed space that will be open to the outdoors? Apparently the owners have changed the plans to make the space below this area basically a screened in room that will have windows that can be pulled down to enclose the space. It will have it's own HVAC (Small LG Ductless heat pump system). I have expressed the same concern with the flashing and drainage plane at the rear wall.

What chapters have been dismantled? I know of a several that are pretty dysfunctional due to the lack of membership participation, but I have not heard of any that have been dismantled by National.

I get several jobs a year simply because of my affiliation with ASHI. Why? I guess it has to do with the public perception that is based on the PR that ASHI has done over the years. Good or bad, I'll stay with it. As for associations not having any value in a licensed state? That is hogwash! Just the friendships that are built with other local inspectors is well worth the price of admission.

After about two weeks of delays this is what was sent to me yesterday by the builder. This is the balcony waterproofing diagram/design that was created by an architect for this home. Download Attachment: Tile Membrane Detail Edge.pdf 181.52 KB

Would that not be the same test that is required for your state HI license in VA??

I have discovered that the CFL's that are packed 3-4 to a package that are sold for around $10 at Lowes or HD do not last as long as the ones that are packaged individually and cost around $5 -$7 each. As with most everything you get what you pay for! We started to buy GE or Sylvania "Daylight" for the areas we wanted the brightest white light. The "Daylight" color really does make a difference and the light is pretty natural, like daylight! Another thing I discovered is that the CFL's do not like the cold. I put them in our garage and back patio light and in the winter they take about 3-5 minutes to get up to speed and produce a good amount of light. Once it hits around 15f they might not even come on at times.

I agree, we already have them in most of the major light fixtures we use.