Bill Kibbel

Brian Wrote: "Have any ads run anywhere? TV, magazines, newspapers?" Chapters were asked to submit a grant approval form to National last month that includes proposed activities and budget. My Chapter is just waiting for the check and when received, we will immediately begin our marketing strategy. BTW, every cent of our budget is being spent to target the consumer.

From my copy of the installation instructions: "A MANABLOC system, which has valves on all of the outlet ports, does not require stop valves at the fixtures. However, the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) may require stop valves at some fixtures". rfarrel, Manabloc is a central water distribution manifold for use with PEX lines. It was designed from the concept of electric distribution panels with seperate hot and cold home runs to each fixture.

Thanks for the responses guys. Mr. Captain, Here we have a drain valve after the tank, but before the main shut off. The listing agent turned out to be the selling agent at my afternoon inspection today. He said that the installer is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Hey Kurt. Yes, flow was fine 'till cut in. At the moment the pump kicked on flow stopped and pressure dropped to zero.

The pump is a three-quarter h/p new this year. the hydropneumatic tank and pump control switch were replaced at the same time. The pump would cut-in at 30 psi, but then immediately the pressure would drop to almost zero and flow would completely stop to any fixture. I would have to shut off fixtures for the pressure to build up and eventually the pump would cut off at 50 psi. I did this for 6 cycles and even attached my own gauge with the same results each time. The seller claims there is a filter built into the pump and it automatically backwashes every 45 minutes. A large majority of the inspections I get have submerged pumps and I have never had this happen, nor have I heard of a filter at the pump with auto backwash. Even if there is some type of filter, I can't imagine this is supposed to happen. Does anyone have any idea what might be going on. Any ideas or theories would be appreciated.

The broker is perpetuating a myth that I have also heard numerous times. They are commonly called a "Tory Chimney", and are found almost exclusively in eastern Mass. There is no documentation to indicate any chimneys were painted until the early 20th century. No one knows why this particular decoration became popular. Jim, Wouldn't "Pre-Colonial Homes" refer to shelters constructed by the Native Americans before we came over and screwed everything up?

It's called a saddle tee, made of galvanized iron. Not so fast. This fitting is quite common here for old gas lighting and is still manufactured and commonly used for outdoor grills. Type K, Type L & ACR copper tubing are still permitted nationally. Type GAS is the only cu permitted in Canada. In my experience, individual municipalities and utility companies have banned any use of cu for ng fuel distribution.

Jimmy, I don't know what the Puritans did up there, but in my region almost every home built before 1830, not in an established city or town, has the facade facing exactly south. My last home, constructed in 1690, was built with the north side into a hill and the more exposed facade facing south. This maximizes the natural light (and some passive solar). The street is on the uphill side or back of the home. It is in an historic village and the lane was there prior to the home being built.

Aaron, In the eastern part of the state, a majority of the older slate roofs do not have any ridge cap or cresting and saddled ridges are even more rare. Most slate roofs here have a "comb ridge" which the combing slates on the north or east side are laid to extend 1\4" to 1" over the other side. There is often a narrow gap that allows daylight to enter, but very little rain, unless wind driven. The frequency of water entry usually only produces some staining, but little damage, compared to a perpetual leak further down the collection surface of a roof. I have seen non professional repairs with roof cement to this type of gap, some even applied from the interior! If the gap is significant, then I would lean towards Mike's opinion that something is missing.

Looking at the unused draft hood, it appears that the flue connector is too large for the new unit. I would assume that if the hood is supplied, the manufacturer expects it to be used. If you got the model #, we can probably get the installation specs. I contacted GE in the past about an unrelated issue with the "Smart Water" line and they were quite responsive. I was told this line is exclusive to Home Depot and they are usually D-I-Y installed, or installed by HD's "Home Services" and improper installation voids the warranty.

Terence wrote: "In the basement of older homes, 1930, 20 & older they used a red clay/brick style material for the walls. What is the correct name of this material." It is called "structural terra cotta" and was most commonly used between 1890 and 1930. It is unglazed and often vertically grooved to allow for plaster to be applied on interior surfaces and stucco to adhere on the exterior. The interior of basements are the only locations it is left exposed except for one Mediterranean revival home I inspected where it was left uncoated on the entire exterior. I'm guessing either the original owner liked the textured look of the grooves and stopped the builder from applying the stucco, or they ran out of funds. It was manufactured by the same process as other terra cotta building materials except it was not glazed. I have never encountered a major structural failure and have only observed minor fractures, probably from handling. ...so I would assume that the runoff from cars would just soak into the ground. Correct terminology for this (besides floor drain?) -Floor Drain.

I've only seen radiant heat for suspended floors installed with manufacturer supplied clips or hanger brackets that attach directly to the subfloor, never to the joists or trusses. The cavity created by the insulation must be way too deep as well. As others have stated: That can't be right.

Brian, Electric baseboard typically requires a 6" clearance to curtains, furnishings, electric cords, etc. I don't like to see outlets directly above them. On some occasions, I've seen some baked lamp wire insulation.

Jeff, there are 2 issues. 1. Point of discharge should be above the eave of the roof. 2. Point of discharge should be ten feet or more from any window, door, or other opening that is less than two feet below the exhaust point. The distance from the point of discharge to openings may be measured either directly between the two points or be the sum of measurements made around intervening obstacles. I suggest obtaining a copy of the EPA's publication: Radon Mitigation Standards.

Rock wool is made from slag, waste from the production of iron and steel and some traces of mining waste. Although I've heard it too, I've never seen any documentation that it contains asbestos. In the late 40's, a spray-on insulation composed of asbestos and rock wool was developed to protect the steel structure of office towers from failing in a fire. In my area, some homes near a ship building yard had some loose insulation that could be mistaken for rock wool. This white, wooly material had very high asbestos fiber counts. Workers at the ship yard would take this stuff home and fill their attics with it. Naval ships were loaded with it.

I received the following e-mail today. I hope someone may have some experience with this that I can pass along to this guy. "I am considering dismantling an older home (1830) from Georgia to Virginia. The home is threat of being demolished and I would like to save it. Moving it to the Leesburg Va area. I have never done anything like this and wanted to ask if anyone knew of any resources or suggestions in order to do this correctly. Any help would be greatly appreciated." -DK

This is great Mike! Thanks. And thank you for the exposure for HBIA. While reading one of Mike's posts, my three and a half year old son saw his avatar and said "Look Dad, it's a superhero!" I'm thinkin' he might be right.

Brian wrote: "you need to write us a book" When I get too tired to crawl around under old farmhouses, that will be my retirement project. If you can make it East, I have a pretty informative presentation that I am asked to do at some Chapter seminars. Brian wrote: "Bill, what's your opinion of that magazine (OHJ) as an inspector?" I haven't read it for over a decade. From what I recall, it contained good tips for d-i-y homeowners. (Plaster patching, refinishing floors, epoxy repairs, etc.) I would occasionally refer to their Guide to Suppliers. "Are there any other mags out there you would recommend?" I haven't read much lately. Some of the Preservation Briefs from Historic Preservation Services are good reading. http://www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/briefs/presbhom.htm For more advanced topics, the Association for Preservation Technology has the "APT Bulletin". http://www.apti.org/pubs/publications.htm I was a member of the National Trust for a while and received some good publications and discounts on books. http://www.nationaltrust.org/

Brian, It's Bill. The only articles that are on the internet are at the "Old House Web" and are directed to homeowners. http://oldhouseweb.com/stories/How-To/H ... Inspector/

Brian, This is an old "drum trap". These traps have a greater sealing capacity than the "P" trap and pass large amounts of water quickly. Download Attachment: drumtrap.JPG 31.62 KB

Donald, It is definitely an asbestos shingle roof laid in the French Method. Hips & ridges should be covered with a "ridge roll". Many are not. This material was formed by rolling into sheets and stamping out the shape of the shingle. Dry pigments were rolled onto the surface of the shingles to imitate natural slate colors. They're all grayish white now from surface erosion and fading. I have the specs for architects from the Asbestos Shingle, Slate and Sheathing Co. of Ambler PA that manufactured this material. Johns Manville also sold this stuff but it all still came from the same manufacturer. Check this out: http://inspecthistoric.org/asbestosshingle.htm

Attending an APT conference satisfies one of the requirements for membership in The Historic Building Inspectors Assoc., provided the subjects are similar to some of the past workshops. Examples: "Wood Preservation, Masonry Restoration, Assessing Historic Structures, Structural Engineering for Older Buildings, structural triage for historic buildings, mitigating the impact of unsympathetic repairs." Workshops like "conservation of heritage submarines" would not qualify. Doug, Kurt & Brian, Same sex marriage is not a requirement for membership, but we don't discriminate either.

Just to enhance David's description, click on the following to view illustrations of reversing valves. http://www.acda.com.au/revalve.gif (Most are black) http://www.janazzo.com/images/elite11_main.jpg (#3 is the location of the valve)

Brian, That's a great idea. I never did like the candidate label though. Let's call it "Aspirant". As far as a members forum, we plan on setting up an online group soon and we will welcome you and any other inspector interested in learning more and educating homebuyers about preserving our architectural heritage. Until then, here are other resources that may be helpful: http://inspecthistoric.org/resource.htm Scroll down to Technical Resources. Or visit our historic homes info at: http://www.geocities.com/asiedydd/

Brian, Finding books on historic building techniques that cover any specific region is difficult. A large majority of nationally published books focus on traditions found only in New England. In my little service area, there are historic Swedish, Dutch, English and German buildings, all with their own characteristics and building techniques. The best printed sources that I have found helpful all came from out-of-print/used book stores or libraries. Local authors, historic societies and colleges have published books, papers and studies that can't be found at Barnes & Noble. Another valuable resource for me was getting involved with local historic sites and districts. Seeing meticulously restored and documented buildings first hand gave me additional technical knowledge and also enriched my appreciation and dedication to historic preservation. Even if you don't get involved, just touring some restored/preserved old buildings will increase your knowledge of local historic architecture and building techniques. The tour guides are always surprised when you ask to see the basement and attic!