RobC

I've had this discussion with numerous trades and I always ask this question. Is the vent terminating and/or exhausting to the exterior of the building? The vent pipe should be continuous and connected to the outdoors without excessive bends, openings etc. In other words the conditioned air should not leak inside the building whether it be attic or joist space and it should be vented expeditiously. 4", 4 feet or a slight untaped joint is enough to disqualify the installation as appropriate. The vent is NOT vented to the exterior and should be repaired to prevent moisture related damage. Scott, I don't mean to appear that I'm ganging up on you, it's just that I wouldn't want to give a new inspector reading this the impression that venting anything in an attic space is appropriate. From last week; the people moved in before XMas. Download Attachment: ApplianceCV.jpg 37.53 KB

"On the other hand, if the condition isn't causing a problem, why fix it?" Because we never know the history of the home and the occupancy could change. Moisture loads can change drastically between a retired 'snowbird' occupying the home 6 months of the year, and the new buyers with full time jobs and 3 teenage daughters. Section 303.3 was developed for a very good reason; I wouldn't mess with it IMHO

Mike, Copper gas lines were unheard of, just a few years ago. But, as the processing improved, copper lines became acceptable and I see more and more of them in new construction. The term you're looking for is soft copper not rolled. We use 'K'copper for underground application. So to answer your question "on personal thoughts concerning the use of 1/2 inch rolled Copper to supply Natural gas to a water heater." The only concern I would have is impact damage and the protection thereof. Soft copper is just that - soft and needs protection. My other thought is that it needs to be identified as a 'natural gas' line and not confused as a water line. We use a black print on yellow label affixed at each end of the tubing with an additional one in the middle. Having said all that, I would recommend consulting your AHJ. Present day natural gas supply has improved greatly in recent years and you'll find copper acceptable in many markets.

What brand is this furnace? and Is the photo correct?

Criminal - Is what I would call it This kind of behavior victimizes innocent home owners and their children who will suffer future unexpected health and financial expenses. The other concern is the financial impact on our society as banks are forced to reclaim their property when homeowners find themself abandoning their unhabitable homes. There was one incidence here whereby the mold in the home was so advanced that it was eventually moved off its foundation and burned. It would seem that we have perpetuated a new industry. At great expense, we train people, we train dogs and we build specialized instrumentation and tools to detect the stuff while the simple solution is ignored. At the Big O store yesterday, I tripped over a rather large pallet of gallon sized bottles of mold remedy stuff. In fact there was two large pallets strategically located around the store along with individual gallon jugs in the cleaning aisle. I guess all that remains is to call in the helicopters. Interesting thought They'll throw you in jail for smoking burlap but overlook criminal contractors and builders. Will this nonsense ever end?

This is a brand new entry level home (250k) where a young couple will struggle to make payments for a good portion of the best years of their lives just to find out their dream home has turned into a nightmare. There were numerous other envelope issues... Download Attachment: 1ExtSteps1.JPG 508.01 KB Download Attachment: 3ExtSteps4.JPG 492.06 KB There..that's much better I wonder if the mold detectives will solve this one? Download Attachment: 3BExtSteps3.JPG 63.57 KB

That's good news We can rule out building placement or sub surface activity. Here is something you could do rather inexpensively. 1. Pump out the crawl. 2. Get a garden hose and a bottle of septic system 'leak detector' and test the trough system. Follow the directions on the bottle and simulate a rain storm. I would do one side of the house at a time (with different colors if available), observe the crawl over the next day or so. If that fails (no colored water), then I would turn my attention to lot grading and drainage which I suspect slopes away from the house - yes?! The strategy is quite simple, fix what you can see, trough system (including underground leaders) and grade. If that fails, then I recommend excavating, damproofing, perimeter drainage systems etc. One last thing, try to stay away from complicated mechanical gizmos such as pumps and lifts. Let mother nature do her work-gravity is less expensive and requires no maintenance. So again, you have a square hole in the ground and water is getting in, if it was round you would have a well, this is a basement and square holes are supposed to be dry. Good Luck and let us know how you make out. PS don't stop sending photos-we like pictures[:-slaphap 800x600 at 80KB works well.

Stuman168 Try this http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/down ... rtoys.mspx Click Image resizer- bottom right For the ones on dial up.

Water ingress is a tough one to solve. So where could the water come from? If I was trouble shooting this, I would consult the developer and request a copy of the geological survey, soil test result and grade slip. The grade slip would indicate any geological restrictions that apply. Seepage can come from basically 4 different directions. 1. Bulk - stuff from the sky you need to direct away from the structure proper that require trough systems, flashing (I don't see at every horizontal junction between 2 different exterior finishes), grade differential 1": 1'-0" for the first 6 feet (slope would appear sufficient or greater than). Could the trough system 'perimeter leaders' be leaking? Since clay is in abundance and you don't have to import it, it would be advisable to insure that a clay cap with appropriate slope (in this case it would be the backfill itself) has been installed around the perimeter beneath the topsoil to direct water away from the foundation. 2. Capillary - stuff that rises against the law of gravity. You mention you have a capillary break in the form of gravel, so I guess we can rule that one out. On a different note, I don't see window sills to divert water away from the building face. 3. Vapour/Air movement and diffusion - NA 4. Condensation - NA We could suspect a 5th mechanism in this instance, building placement. We want to stay away from high water tables and underground springs that could affect the building adversely. As Jim suspects, the builder might have made an error or ignored geological surveys. Moisture control, accumulation and removal is an interesting subject and one thing is for sure you need to deal with this soon. Quick question Are you the only owner with seepage in the subdivision?

Mike, I never know enough, the reason I'm always asking questions and periodically hanging out here. Yes, french drains, dry wells with combination laterals make sense for controlling surface run off especially in a high precipitation locale. I can also appreciate the need for residential holding 'areas' to prevent shocking the storm system. I suspect this requirement is prevalent in other high precip jurisdictions. I seldom see dry wells here primarily due to our cold climate and the amount of precipitation we get(16 3/4"/year). What is required by code in AB is a perimeter foundation weeping tile system. The word 'tile' is a misnomer as we use corrugated plastic pipe now, either with sock or plain. There is no requirement for drainage fabric or the pipe socked, however, it must be located adjacent to the strip footing and below the underside of slab level or elevation. Then backfilled with 6-8" of drainage rock, usually(1" washed aggregate). Additionally, vertical connections are required from the perimeter system up to the bottom of the window well grade level usually 8" from the bottom of the window sill. In the past we used to tie into the sanitary service. But with the increase in population , sewage treatment plants became overwhelmed during prolonged rain storms and caused to discharge raw sewage in the river. The newspapers and green people got in the action and you know the rest of the story. Now, we are required by code to connect foundation drainage to the storm service only. BTW, Yes the line is imaginary I think we can agree on this, Drywell - a hole or tank in the ground French drain - a hole or tank with rocks in the ground Gutter system: 1. eaves trough - fascia or built in (Yankee?) 2. downspouts - verticals connected to the troughs 3. leaders - the things you trip over and squash Stuman168 I've just realized that your question has taken us off topic somewhat and I apologize. So to answer your question, Water doesn't belong inside a house unless it is contained and controlled and without repeating what others have so eloquently stated, you should take action before the project continues. I would force a work stop order on the building. Good Luck,

When you say 'french drain' what do you mean? As I understand it, it should look like this Download Attachment: French Drain.JPG 300.54 KB

Buster, I believe your first impression as being a 'total waste of glue and couplings' is correct. Firstly, a plumbing waste trap is a fitting with specific engineering to control waste in a specified manner. There are numerous criteria that must be met. For example, the tail piece and trap arm must be within a certain length. The piping must slope within a certain tolerance usually 1/4": 1'-0", that's to ensure we move solids to their destination point etc. I don't see this installation as meeting any of the above criterias. You are correct "it is a waste..." I particularly like the tight 90 [:-taped]

A reglet it is. A groove for guiding or holding a panel, window sash, or in this case a metal flashing. Kurt is correct a reglet can also be a narrow, flat molding or fillet.

Kurt, Hope this is what you're looking for Download Attachment: StepNBrick_M.JPG 103.42 KB BTW- What do you call the cut made to allow the step flashing into the mortar joint? [:-graduat Download Attachment: StepNStucco_M.JPG 112.6 KB

Wow! Let's get the missing stuff off the plate. Where did the cabinet legs go? AND Where is the sediment (drip) leg pipe? What I see is a leaking water heater at the drain valve. However Mike has a good point. How does the rest of the room look like?

Gregory, Generally speaking the vent connector pipe is the pipe connecting the gas appliance to the flue/chimney. It can either be C' Vent - single wall (6" clearance) B' Vent - double wall (1" clearance) A qualified trades person will not use tape of any kind on the connector or flue because it's not necessary. Here is what I check for on my inspection. Slope Support Screws - 3 (not 2 or 1) EVENLY distributed around the perimeter Clearances Male/Female Connections Seam placement And lastly, (if you want to drive everybody crazy[:-crazy]) I squeeze the vent to make sure it's really C' vent material. Lately, I've noticed the boys are taking shortcuts and using regular heat pipes which is not acceptable. A 4", 28 gauge pipe is really difficult to squeeze and you'll know the difference right away.

I occasionally see foil tape on C' vent material but seldom on B' vent. I would be more concerned about what would appear to be a reversed joint at the draft hood. That might explain the use of the foil tape. Did you observe 3 screws EVENLY distributed at the joints? Do you have any other photos? I suspect the installation is amateur in nature and I would be looking very carefully for other infractions. The second photo is unmistakebly a C' vent but I can't tell from the photo whether it is correctly joined into the B' vent connection and/or screwed. I'm a bit concerned with this Download Attachment: HeatingCVent.jpg 61.64 KB That detail would indicate to me that the joint may also be reversed but I might be wrong. You don't mention this but I'm sure you picked up on the exposed foam insulation.

That's a great idea http://www.certainteed.com/CertainTeed/ ... RidgeAccs/ I suspect the modified bitumen SBS coating allows to form them on various slopes without compromising them. Is Centainteed availabble throughout the US?

Mike, The roofer is not known to me. I’ve contacted a few major roofing suppliers and they’re not aware of any special accessory shingles. It could be specific to Certainteed I’m aware of the (Malarkey) ‘raised’ cap shingle but honestly I’ve never seen it installed. Les, There may be more to your story than your photo but wouldn’t you think a smart roofer would fix that and avoid litigation? Just a thought In my experience, roofers will usually cut field material shingles to make up site cap shingles on site however, if you’ll notice the cap shingles have been cut incorrectly, they need to be cut at a slight angle in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. From my research, the roof would appear to be a 30 year laminated fiberglass shingle NOW, here is the interesting part in all this. Apparently, the cap doesn’t have to be 30 years. It can be 25 years and the manufacturer will warranty the roof just the same. The best three tab shingle available here is 30 years. So, I’m told that a 50 year roof with a 30 year cap is acceptable and the warranty in full force. I find it difficult to believe that one component of a system can be of lesser quality and not affect the overall performance of that system. Any thoughts? Or I am just being too grumpy?

Jim, Ah! I see what went wrong, Brian and I were having a conversation about the Roofing Ridge_M photo, unrelated to the black roof in question and discussing the kind of ridge cap that he typically doesn’t see in his market. I submitted the picture to illustrate the proper application for this kind of roofing material and to show that it can be done. Sorry for confusion. Incidentally, Roofing contractor warranty: 2 years on labor only, that is if they’re still in business. Manufacturer warranty: depreciated over the expected life of the shingle. A while back I discovered several shingles with a manufacturer’s flaw. I called them and was informed that flaws were common at the point where they join two felts together and they would be happy to replace the half dozen shingles at a cost of $100.00 as an administrative charge [:-bigeyes to process the claim. Now, that’s a warrantee for ya! Les, That’s exactly what’s happening here. I installed this roofing on my own home (8:12) 10 years ago and didn’t have any problem. What I’m guessing is that they are no longer bonding the individual plies and as a result the top laminate is not bending with the rest of the shingle. The problem is made worse during cold application. So they've opted to use a cheaper shingle. How do they cap the ridge on your 40 shingle application?

I thought by posting the lone ridge cap photo and comparing the two roofs someone would have noticed the discrepancy. I have to admit as I walked over it several times it never occurred to me to ask the obvious question. Has the roof been covered with the same quality material throughout? The answer is NO. The ridge caps have been cut from a lesser quality, smooth contractor grade shingle, most likely the 15 year variety. So we have a 'Jag' with bald tires. Premium quality roof with contractor grade caps. Another creative way to save a buck. And yes, every house I observed in the circle had the same problem. Incidentally, the next day on a pre possession in another part of the city , I found the same thing. So what's next, I ask? Architectural shingles on the front slope and roll roofing on the rear. So there you have it, one more thing to be on the lookout for.

Brian, The multi colored cap as you call it, is what we call an architectural grade shingle mostly of the 25 year variety (available up to 50 years). Here is how we do it here, Download Attachment: AsphaltRidgeCap.JPG 301.74 KB Your micro inspection is excellent. Now do the macro You're almost there.[^] Jim, The roof is about 6 years old, I'm with you on that one.

Allright then, Let's try this Download Attachment: RoofingRidge_M.jpg 147.89 KB

Na! This is brand new Never heard of it before. AND I might be the only guy that's discovered it. Clue, My conversation with the buyer (from England) You have a Jaguar with bald tires.

That's right Brian, the roof measures 3/4":12 or what we call a flat roof (<2:12) that requires a single ply waterproof membrane. A shedding roof is not allowed in this instance. Mike that's the problem with visual inspections. I observed moisture under the shingles (flashlight pic) that shouldn't have been there and of course we don't know how far up the slope the roof is protected, if it is. Charlie, You might be thinking of a low slope roof (2:12 - 4:12). Use caution here as some manufacturers will reduce the warranties from 30 years to 12 when applied on low slopes with asphalt interlayment. Overall, that was the easy part. I made mention of something else. Any ideas?