Bill Kibbel

If anyone here wants to improve their report writing (and it doesn't matter how well you THINK you already write), listen to anything Jim K. shares on the topic. It's one of the top reasons TIJ is such a valuable resource for me.

I can't think of any logical reason. How old is that house? Split-level era seems kinda young for complete cast iron pipe failure.

I do a lot of litigation support. Unless the case involves severe injury or death, lawsuits usually don't end in anyone really winning, except the lawyers and consultants/experts. Did you select the inspector based on experience/knowledge, or did you rely an the realty agent's suggestion? 1. We don't know the conditions at the time of the inspection. Is there an "imbalance in the" cooling system too? There is usually an exclusion for determining adequacy and uniformity of heat distribution in an inspection. 2. Does the basement in-law suite meet the definition of a habitable space? Does it have the required egress? 3. That sounds absurd. Is the hardwood floor in a shower?

Sharon, in her never-ending internet campaign, is now sending her disciples here. It's likely due to the excellent Google placement of TIJ pages. For those posting here for Sharon's cause, post some proof of your claims or they get deleted.

Really? I'm having trouble finding the 6" requirement in the last 3 editions of the Omaha, NE Municipal Plumbing Code. Can you show me where it is? They have very nice illustrations for fixture placements though. 2010 Omaha Plumbing Code http://www.cityofomaha.org/planning/ima ... 20Code.pdf 2007 Omaha Plumbing Code http://www.cityofomaha.org/planning/ima ... 20Code.pdf 2003 Omaha Plumbing Code http://www.cityofomaha.org/planning/ima ... 20Code.pdf

Where did you find a requirement for "6" of clearance from other fixtures or vanity"?

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Very nice collection, Jerry. I would never be able to part with any books I've collected.

It's a handwriting style of the period. Some folks wrote some 3-letter words like "and" & "the", vertically or canted.

Nothing prohibiting it in the Rules and Guidelines. This forum description states: "Private sale or swap only! Property sold here should be home inspection related. Commercial entities in the business of selling equipment to home inspectors may not sell their wares here."

This was also covered in the discussion on a similar topic (that you started several months ago). https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... C_ID=14644

In this area, galvanized steel pipes for the grounding electrode were quite common. A majority that I see are severely corroded. Many times a gentle wiggle will snap it right off. Click to Enlarge 23.32 KB

I don't think Phillip would have mistaken cement boards for foam.

Prior to the new copper counterflashing installation, the old step & counterflashing was non-professionally patched with roofing cement. Roofing cement is not a primary flashing product - it's a temporary repair at best. Even with the new counterflashing, the roofing cement will fail, crack and leak. The entire flashing system should have been replaced.

It looks like it could be a low voltage switching system. Were there any "rocker" light switches

You say the maintenance man said the elements "looked ok". Did he use a meter? He should have checked the elements by measuring ohms and thermostats by checking voltage. If you rule out elements and thermostats, then it's probably the dip tube.

Dan, I know of several types of wood-destroying fungi. I don't know of any species of mold that doesn't just live on the surface and actually destroys wood. Show us this house-eating mold please.

Is this actually a fireplace, or a "gas-fired decorative appliance"?

Perlite is manufactured in many grades. Some is as fine a powder as factory-made baking flour. The fine stuff is not common for thermal insulation in buildings. It's used for cryogenics and other industrial equipment insulation and filter media. It's also used as a filtering media, including clarifying some wines. Calcium carbonate is another fine white powder used for industrial insulation. It's commonly used for insulating in-ground steam piping systems.

Ounces is the proper measurement for copper sheet. I think that it means 16 oz. copper = one square foot weighs 16 ounces. This translates to .0216" or 23 gauge.

They calls 'em "turf pavers" here.

The vent connector is very long with several elbows. Combine that with the increase in it's dimension, prior to the termination at the vertical chimney flue, is likely the primary cause of the condensation. (Do the horizontal sections slope the right way?) They probably put the sealant and tape on the joints of the vent connector because combustion byproducts, having already cooled before rising up the chimney, were spilling out. A properly installed natural-draft vent system needs nothing added to the joints and nothing leaks out.

Now that the pics are posted, is that vent connector increased in diameter, just before entering the chimney thimble?

Pictures usually don't appear because of spaces in the file name. The white deposits are probably from condensation. It's a sign that combustion byproducts are cooling in the vent connector or in the vertical chimney flue too soon. It can be from a number of reasons. One possibility is that the new furnace output is cooler than the previous, requiring a smaller chimney flue so that the exhaust rises to the top of the chimney before cooling.

The editors are probably going to be a little sensitive about posts containing content from other sources. Google is now aggressively penalizing web sites under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Even if the information from another source is posted without any intent other than to be helpful, sites are regularly being removed from Google's search results.