Steven Hockstein

I often see this condition but for extra safety they have a glass bulb full of liquid that is held in place by solder that will melt and allow the bulb to drop on the floor, break, and the liquid will put out the fire (NOT!). I always wondered what chemical is in these bulbs and if it is dangerous.

If you can't enter and inspect an area because of limited access or if you have safety concerns you should be OK as long as you explain why you did not enter the area in your report. You should also itemize the things that you typically inspect in the inaccessible area and let your client know that there may be problems that were not found. For example, if you can't get into an attic you should report that you could not determine the adequacy of insulation, ventilation, roof framing, etc.. within the scope of the inspection because the attic was not accessible. I also offer to return and inspect the area if it is made accessible to me prior to closing. Unless the building is very close or I can go there when I have another job nearby, I charge an extra fee to return to the house. Of course you can still be sued if there is a problem that was not found. You will have a better chance of defending yourself if you are clear in your report. Additionally, if your client does not ask you to come back you can argue that it was their decision not to have the inaccessible area inspected even after you warned them of what you could have missed.

It may not be a safety issue, but it certainly is an issue. Without an adequate return air path, the thing won't work properly. The utility room has to have at least one very large opening in the wall or door. Or the door can be undercut -- at about the level of your knees. If the room is tight, there'll be no appreciable flow through the ducts and the coils will likely overheat. With luck, it'll short cycle on high limit. Without luck, it'll burn itself out. - Jim Katen, Oregon Jim, You are absolutely right. I should have been more clear. You need air to be able to flow back into the room for the air to circulate through the building. I was focusing on a situation where there is an open return close to the furnace and causes fumes to be pulled down the flue. This can happen even if there is an open return in a room with return ventilation provided. Many residential HVAC contractors estimate the air flow through the system and never really calculate the actually CFM requirements.

Since the system is totally electric, the open return is not an issue. When the system uses gas, propane, or oil as a heating fuel this is a dangerous condition if the open return results in negative pressure in the utility area and pulls fumes from the chimney (and into the living area).

Over the last 22 years I have been in at least a dozen houses that have signs of a past mjor flood and there are no signs of water problems from the exterior. Almost every time the owner tells the story of the broken washer hose. I am sure that this does not happen to anyone twice because it is a horrible experience. I recommend that my clients upgrade their shut-off controls to the level controls or one of the new automatic shut-off devices. Stainless steel braided hoses are also a good upgrade. If you read most washer owner's manuals they recommend turning the water valves off when the washer is not in use. I report it as a defect if the washer water shut-off controls are not easily accessible.

No, it is definitely a negative venting system.

I never encountered this condition in the past and after what I discovered in my research I did not want to go down the path of guessing the cause of the gurgling. There are too many variables and since the pit cover was sealed, removing the cover goes beyond my inspection limits because it would tread on altering the radon mitigation system and that could open a whole new layer of problems for me. I did my job--found the defect- reported that it was a problem- made recommendation to get it corrected.

Thanks for the response. After a little more research I came to the same conclusion as you. I recommended that it be corrected.

I inspected a house the other day and there is a radon ventilation system connected through the sealed sump pit cover. There has been a lot of rain recently and there was a lot of gurgling as the air was being pulled through the water in the pit. Should I report this as a defect or just note this unusual condition?

I never did get a documented response from the seller. I feel that I did my job in finding the problem, reporting the conditions including possible reasons for the paint, and recommended that my client obtain any available documents. More recently, in one of my trade magazines there was an article about radiant paint barriers for attics and the results of studies that showed energy savings.Maybe the seller was actually telling the truth!

No problem. You can't scare me. I love to critique other people's work.

Sounds like you need an architect [:-bouncy]

Mike, Can you please add NJALPHI (New Jersey Association of Licensed Professional Home Inspectors) to your list. NJALPHI.com Thanks.

Jim, I specifically exclude architectural work from my home inspection work and offer an "Architectural Inspection" for an additional fee. I am very careful not to give architectural opinions in my home inspection work because I expose myself to added liability. My clients sign an agreement that explains the difference between the two types of inspections that I offer. Obviously the architectural inspection is a lot more money and requires much more time. In response to your question, there is no single answer, but the sags are usually caused by inadequate collar ties and/or undersized rafters. If the shingles are in decent shape and unless the sags are substantial I would recommend stablilizing the roof structure to prevent further movement. This can be accomplished through the addition of collar ties, knee walls (if the ceilings can support the load), or girders (purlins) under the rafters to reduce the span (properly sized and posted down to appropriate bearing points). When the next roof layer is needed, I would address the sags and consider structure replacement as part of the shingle replacement. This is a similar approach to the way we handled the FRT plywood sheating problems. If the sags are really bad, I would recommend to strip and replace the roof structure. Steve

I drive a 2004 Ford Explorer XLT. It works for me as both an Architect and Home Inspector. Traded in my 1998 Explorer for this one. I am disappointed that the mileage on the new one is about 4 MPG less than the old one. It does ride much nicer than the old one. I think the image for me driving a vehicle from an American Company is important because I deal with a lot of union tradesmen in the field. I keep the folding ladders and tools concealed under the cover in the back. Most importantly, the trucks have been dependable for me and the nearby dealer gives me a free loaner vehicle when the truck is in for routine maintenance.

Yesterday I saw something in an attic that confused me. I am eager for input on this issue. The house was built in the early 1970's. The 2 x 6 rafters are overspanned, and substantially sagged. I am going to report this as a structural problem that needs correction. The part that confuses me is that in the attic, the rafters and sheathing are all painted white. I sometimes see this when there has been a fire and it is part of the repair work but the owner stated that there has never been a fire and I did not see any other signs of a past fire. The owner told me that someone sold him this paint job because they convinced him that if the framing was painted white in the attic it would reflect the heat and reduce build-up. It sounds like a crock of sh** to me. My guess is that there is/was mildew and/or mold that has been concealed with paint. Some of the plywood is slightly sagged between the rafters, but the roof is really sagged at the rafters due to their size and span. The roof was replaced two years ago. Gable vents and a thermostatically controlled power vent were installed. The real estate agent stated that the roofer assured the homeowner that the roof structure was sound. I did not believe her and questioned what are the roofer's qualififications to determine the soundness of a roof, especially when the first roof layer was not even removed to examine the sheathing. She could not answer me. Any comments? How would you suggest I report this? Thanks

Best of luck to all involved!!!

Here is what I wrote-report will be sent tomorrow. Critique is welcomed. Imitation wood composite siding is fair in general. There are a few damages and blemishes. Some of the edges are deteriorated, especially along the bottoms where they are exposed to constant moisture (adjacent to the rear entry platform and along the right side where the siding is close to the soil). There may be additional concealed damage. The specific manufacturer of the material was not determined as part of this inspection. It is important to note that there have been numerous claims regarding the failure of composite siding products. We recommend that a qualified siding contactor/expert be consulted about this home to determine if there are any class action cases specific to this siding and what are the costs involved with replacement. The cost of siding replacement should be anticipated in the near future.

I inspected a 1985 Contemporary ranch house and there was imitation vertical wood siding installed. I have never seen this material before and need some help in identification. I don't have any photos but the material is a pressed fiberboard product with stamped graining. It appears to be pre-finished. Some of the edges are deteriorating and I was wondering if this product was involved in class action litigation like the claboard materials. Lastly, if anyone has good CYA boilerplate about this issue, sharing would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.

Another approach is to ask for receipts for the purchase and installation of the equipment and copies of building permits. In my area, building permits are required for the installation of new furnaces, boilers, and water heaters. I bet the seller has a great story about how his "Friend" the contractor installed them for cash and he did not get any paperwork (or a similar tale). On occasion, people install used equipment and are telling the truth when they say that the boiler was installed 5 years ago. The just leave out the part that the boiler was 15 years old when it was installed!

The NJ-ALPHI website is finally up and running thanks to the hard work of our volunteer webmaster. The site can be found at http://www.njalphi.com. Our next meeting will be held on July 6th.

What about the added weight? I would be concerned about the slates, asphalt shingles and snow load.

My parents taught me that there are actually three sides to most stories, the two opposing sides and the truth!

Sounds like someone messed up on the window spec or installation. Is there room to raise the window? Can the window be pulled and replaced with a shorter window? I have never seen a window sill behind a sink at the same level as the countertop in a new house. In the houses that we design, we typically spec a 3'-5" high window unit above the sink if the head height is 6'-8". With a 36" counter height, it allows for a 3" clearance between the countertop and window.

Even if there is no attic, a 1" air space is currently required between insulation and roof sheathing. Without destructive investigation, you cannot know what the current air space is between the insulation and sheathing. My experience is that a 40 year old house roof was not adequately ventilated when built and there are likely to be concealed problems such as rot, mildew, and/or mold. You asked what are the ventilation requirements, not what were they when the house was built. I would not refer to current code requirements, just good construction practice and potential problems caused by inadequate ventilation. Just CYA and write about the possible concealed problems that may not be discovered within the scope of your inspection.