Bill Kibbel

I'm pretty sure it hasn't been painted. That's likely the original glaze.

I've had quite a few. I didn't like anything less than a 50:1 distance to spot ratio, which was the Raytek ST80 XB (Now owned by Fluke, it's the Fluke 68). It costs over $400.00 though. Be sure you use the Home Inspector Essentials banner on the TIJ front page. Tony has THE best prices.

That was my first thought, but: "It was about 8-10 feet above the ground".

Where you're at, you'll want a double-wall insulated flue liner. Check out Simpson DuraVent. The should have it in oval. I've inspected thousands. I've installed 2 on my own homes and they haven't burned down - yet. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and have your work inspected. Top-venting stoves typically don't use a "T". Rear venting usually do. Check the stove manufacturers instructions. Check the stove manufacturers specs for flue size, follow the flue liner manufacturer's installation instructions and then have your work inspected. That will be specified by the stove manufacturer.

cuz there's not much left to look at. I got done early today.

I just discovered we have an "environmental crises" that hits close to home: HERE!

I think it's a minimum of #8 copper if protected, #6 if not and a minimum of #6 aluminum.

I'm not usually one to criticize free stuff and I certainly always, always appreciate Mike's efforts, but I just took a quick 30 second look at one of the chapters. I saw a couple things described and illustrated that I'm pretty sure aren't acceptable installations, even for 1989. I'm sure as I get time to read more, there will be valuable information to absorb, but I wouldn't rely on it as the bible of framing.

That crack is probably from the top of the pipe being reduced in thickness by acidic vapor. The top of all horizontal sections are likely ready to fail. Patching won't buy much time. I see much of that type of cracking patched by Bubba with roofing cement.

I've been getting complaints about the monkey shit, so I'm askin' Santa for one of these: www.scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3038119

Owens-Corning "Prominence" is one.

The q&a columnist is as much of a dumb-ass as the folks asking the question. After "25 years of experience in real estate as a broker, analyst, consultant and expert witness in real estate litigation", he isn't qualified to give advice on legal matters and gets this one wrong. A smart expert witness answers questions that they are qualified to give answers to and defers legal questions to those that can call themselves lawyers. He quotes an excerpt from the PA sellers disclosure act, but the only way these folks would "have a case" would be if they can prove that the builder had a qualified radon test performed, prior to closing.

But then you could post the complaints, opening the door for all us TIJ wack-jobs to reply with our favorite uses-for-a-dead-cat jokes.

Jim W. knows how to turn a negative into a positive (and how to turn piping under positive pressure to negative). This just reminded me that I still hear claims that HIs "aren't permitted to comment on radon mitigation systems, unless they are EPA listed mitigation system installers". I just added 2 docs to the "File Library" for those that are interested. One is the detailed Radon Mitigation Standards and the second is a simple checklist for reviewing the basics of simple, common mitigation systems. Those docs are for systems prior to 2007. The new standard, now cited by the EPA, was developed and published by ASTM. The EPA is supposed to offer a single, free hard copy but they have not replied to my requests. I'm not payin' ASTM for it.

Those cracks look like one of the (several) issues I have found with the C'teed Horizon Shangles. Jason, In our area it's very, very common to find that moisture only condenses under the north-facing roof slope. It's most common in homes that have perpetual moisture problems in the basement/crawlspace.

You did the right thing already - you cited a published, reliable source to back up your findings. The only thing I would have added to your response to this agent would have resulted in a 4" PVC piped radon mitigation system sticking out of his butt. Seriously, any time an agent tries to intimidate me, I use it as an opportunity to illustrate their lack of ethics.

I try to match the font to the most common printer's typeface used during the period that the building was built. For example, text in a report for an early 18th century farm would appear thusly:

Change into dry coveralls.

The deluxe model, in copper:

Well, here's a requirement for the minimum entrance dimensions. Is there any mechanicals, considered an "appliance" under there? How about any plumbing devices that need to be accessible? R408.4 Access. Access shall be provided to all under-floor spaces. Access openings through the floor shall be a minimum of 18 inches by 24 inches. Openings through a perimeter wall shall be not less than 16 inches by 24 inches. When any portion of the through-wall access is belowgrade, an areaway not less than 16 inches by 24 inches shall be provided. The bottom of the areaway shall be below the threshold of the access opening.

While I can't speak for Bill, I think we can be reasonably certain that he's never seen one of these, close up and personal: Download Attachment: Whatzat.jpg 53.4 KB I see them every day. Seems like farmers are growing them in almost every field and pasture around the area. That's why I moved to where I live now. My township has an extra income tax to help fight the spread of that rural carcinoma. I'm in about 5-8 new homes each year, but usually not for regular HI work - only for big-bucks litigation support. I enjoy bitch-slappin' developers for consuming precious open space, then throwing-up crap for huge profits.

Just another converted bank barn, but this one had a restored bit of folk art. The writing above sez: "2000 lbs"!

One out of a couple thousand will actually siphon and it'll tell you it's siphoning. Just ask any plumber that's been at his gig for 3 or more decades (and isn't the type that needs to scare folks into spending more bucks while he's there fixing something else).

Why wouldn't Darren tell them what the manufacturer states in the maintenance instructions? I will admit that the new Honeywell f-series instructions now state to wash the cells in the dishwasher, but not the prefilter screens.