Bill Kibbel

"Asbestos wrapped" ducts - originally connected to a coal-fired octopus furnace.

Plastic slates, aka mud flaps. Curling is very common with the older products. The manufacturers have claimed it's not a defect and is a minor cosmetic issue. A step was added to some installation instructions. The installer should bend each individual slate down at the butt end and corners before installing. I don't think this helped for the long term.

There are 7 or 8 different types or theories of ethics (I can't remember exactly - it was part of a class from about 40 years ago). I think duty-based ethics would apply if you're complying with an industry standard, law or mandate. It would be unethical to operate in a state that specifically prohibits your business. Results-based ethics is another but harder to apply consistently when there are unknowns and vagueness. Consequentialism is defined by the result of the act - a flexible system based on individual circumstances. The more good the act produces, the more right the act becomes. Is performing the inspection going to produce more good results than the potential for bad results? ASHI has a code of ethics that could be applied, as do some state HI regulations, but that requires individual interpretation. The language is usually contains something like avoid situations that may cause harm or make our profession look bad.

Every piece of pressure treated LVL I've seen that us over 10 years old has significant rot. Pressure treating LVL post-manufacture didn't work.

Desotoroofers and Rooferscarrollton is the same person - link-dropping.

I fully agree with you, Rob. I'm kinda disgusted with the actions of some inspectors here and their pitiful attempt at justification to continue business as usual. I had another long conversation with a client this morning. This one said he would supply a gown, gloves and mask (he's an MD), forego any paperwork/report and pay cash so there would be no record that I was there. Some real estate "professionals" are also ignoring the mandate, go begging for inspections and then go find someone that will play along.

Asphalt coated kraft paper. The coating is on the other side of the paper but some penetrates through.

Don't put a footing drain where there's no footing. "Waterproofing" contractors have caused major failures to many stone and brick foundations. I get called in as the expert witness. The clay pipe is for the original gravity drain. It no longer functions as originally intended, but illustrates that the builder expected water in the basement and gave it a path out. https://historicbldgs.com/stonefoundations.html

Thanks to journalist and author Jim Morrison (whose work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Boston Business Journal, Forbes.com and hundreds of publications across the country) for the following: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rochester, NY (January 27, 2020)—Inspector Central is holding its first-ever Home Inspector Road Show March 20-22, 2020 at the iconic Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center in Buffalo, NY This is not a typical home inspector conference. The speakers each have decades of study and field experience. You will leave this conference with practical knowledge you can put to use on your next inspection. But don’t expect three days of dry lectures, these guys like to have a little fun when they’ve got an audience in front of them. The three-day conference offers 24 CEUs and features three nationally-well-known expert home inspectors: Bill Kibbel, Jim Katen and Chad Fabry. The Hotel Henry is a National Historic Landmark just 15 minutes from the airport and a two-hour flight from most major airports in the Northeast. Buffalo is the second-largest city in NY and just 20 miles from Niagara Falls, so your spouse will have plenty to see and do while you’re in class. In fact, you might want to plan to stay an extra day or two (and bring your passport). Don’t scramble to find some locally thrown-together class at the last minute when you license is up for renewal. Spend three days with some seasoned home inspection veterans. You’ll learn a lot, have some laughs, and come home with two years’ worth of CEUs. Add in the war stories you’ll hear being swapped over meals, and there is no better home inspection education value anywhere. Register now and save $78! The course is NY, NJ, PA, MA, MD, VA, ASHI, I-NACHI, and CAHPI-approved accredited continuing education. Inspector Central is the premier multi-state approved education provider for Home Inspection Continuing Education in New York. Owner and lead instructor Chad Fabry has been building, renovating and inspecting residential and commercial buildings since the latter half of the 20th century.

I hadn't ever considered that there was a lucrative market for counterfeit thermal insulation. If you suspect he made it in his shed and managed to spray it on, there's a couple ways to check the possibility of it being treated. Take a match to it or see if it helps clear up a yeast infection.

Wet-spray cellulose is occasionally used in CMU commercial buildings here. Haven't seen it in a residence yet. Properly applied, it adheres very well. It's borate treated and has a class 1 fire rating. Usually contains a high percentage of recycled material. In these parts, I'd rather see insulation on the foundation and perimeter of the floor structure than between joists.

I just go to copper.org and find the copper tubing for fuel gas distribution installation guide. The tubing manufacturers usually refer to that guide.

It's quite likely algae. It's common in cooling towers here throughout the summer. The same algae grows in my pond. I don't think that identifying the Latin name of the stuff is as important as proper cleaning, maintenance, shutdown procedure and water treatment. I have specific advice I can send you, if you'd like.

Read 'em again. Pay attention to the wording in the sections labeled Advertising and Link Guidelines.