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Bill Kibbel

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Everything posted by Bill Kibbel

  1. Bill Kibbel
    It's called a shit-shower-shave.
  2. Bill Kibbel
    Not in my experience. The SOPs usually have "required to inspect" and "must describe" lists. There's lots of items I inspect that aren't listed in the report, if there's no issue with that item. It would only detract from folks focusing on the important stuff.
  3. Bill Kibbel
    In my experience, they're not that rare. They're still readily available in copper and can be ordered in brass and galvanized. Back when the one in the pic was installed, it was called a cross-over bend. Today they're called a full cross-over or cross-over coupling.
  4. Bill Kibbel
    I think you didn't keep up with your daily dose of TIJ: https://inspectorsjournal.com/forum/top ... C_ID=13446
  5. Bill Kibbel
    I think the problem begins with the design. Architects that seem to have cross-gableitus don't ever show a detail to get water out of valleys. The contractors just make it like the picture. Add Fall leaves, some ice and melting snow and it's a rotting mess in just a couple years.
  6. Bill Kibbel
    Nice work, but it's negated by that Zippo lighter where a firplace should be.
  7. Bill Kibbel
    They're called ferrocement roofing panels. How old is the building?
  8. Bill Kibbel
    It's a double sanitary tee (and it's on its side). I see them quite frequently, like when 2 horizontal drains transition to vertical. A "cross" tee is a bit different: Click to Enlarge 4.7 KB
  9. Bill Kibbel
    What did it taste like? A little TIJ humor thanks to this post:
  10. Bill Kibbel
    Over the years, I've heard from quite a few inspectors that tried the folder advertising. I don't recall anyone ever mentioning getting any inspections at all from it. I do recall them mentioning that it was never even a real estate company putting together the folders. It's an outside company selling the ads, printing and handing out the folders. The brokers and agents don't have anything to do with it.
  11. Bill Kibbel
    What's a strike? I've never heard that term used for any part of electrical systems.
  12. Bill Kibbel
    I'd merely be guessing. Bill K's the man to ask. I doubt it would be slate in 1799 - more likely shakes? Bill?... I do believe that's the original roof framing though. Unless a building is in/near Peach Bottom in York County, PA there are no 18th century buildings that originally had slate. The earliest slate was commercially available was the mid 1840s. Shakes were also never used on 17th-18th century homes. Wood shingles were always dressed (shaved smooth with a draw knife), unless someone was building a temporary shelter. Shakes weren't used untill the late 19th century, specifically for their rustic look.
  13. Bill Kibbel
    It really looks like a treadle used to pump a blacksmiths bellows. I think the dressed stone is salvaged, but the fireplace itself is more recent the mid 1800s.
  14. Bill Kibbel
    I inspected a property earler this month, where one of the buildings was (still is) an early post office. Click to Enlarge 68.36 KB Click to Enlarge 44.27 KB
  15. Bill Kibbel
    Trim it to 4 short sentences. I don't think normal folks would follow the detailed explanation or read past your 3rd sentence. "I'm a home home inspector and notice stuff that's wrong with houses. When I walk my dog by your house, it's obvious your furnace exhaust is really messed up and it could be dangerous to you and your family. At the very least, it could ruin your expensive furnace. I strongly suggest you have an experienced heating contractor look at it right away and get it fixed. Call me if you or your heating contractor have any questions. Regards, Your concerned neighbor, Richard the inspector".
  16. Bill Kibbel
    It's an "overhead system" of hot water heating. While it's not the most common type of gravity heating, it's not that unusual. Let me know if you'd like more detail. Click to Enlarge 18.56 KB
  17. Bill Kibbel
    Ever see real estate listings advertised on TV? It's always horrible, low-budget slideshows with awful graphics produced by the local cable company. Not this one.
  18. Bill Kibbel
    Keep checking Craigslist. If you spot something, we could set up a sting. It could hurt a whole lot more than a sting though.
  19. Bill Kibbel
    Yes. I'd recommend it. There's also some offsets at the flue tile joints. Some sweeps here insist that a chimney be relined or even rebuilt if there is more than 1/8'' offset. They also insist the same if there is more than a 1/16" gap in the mortar of any joints. I have to warn my clients about what some sweeps will say to sell a liner or chimney rebuild.
  20. Bill Kibbel
    I know it was covered in 2000.
  21. Bill Kibbel
    All Ruud installation instructions I have read, including the two I have here in a file state: "All horizontal piping must slope upward a minimum of 1/4 inch per foot of run so that condensate drains toward the furnace". In your pictured installation, I am assuming the vent that extends through the floor below the furnace will transition to horizontal before exiting a wall. That section of horizontal pipe can't possibly ensure "that condensate drains toward the furnace".
  22. Bill Kibbel
    Scented oils.
  23. Bill Kibbel
    That's plumbing in an unconditioned space without freeze protection. I've read most of the manufacturer's installation instructions. There should be a drain piped to an appropriate location. They also usually recommend a water filter. The pressure relief valve discharge should be piped to an approved drain as well. Most manufacturer's want the steam generator as close as possible to, and below the level of, the steam head. In fact, they usually want a pitch from the steam head back to the generator.
  24. Bill Kibbel
    good luck finding that cover plate! What? You've never seen Leviton Decora outlets?
  25. Bill Kibbel
    Did it have the acetal plastic insert fittings? These have had a majority of the failures. Second is improperly crimped rings. Even if it doesn't, when reselling the home, it may be a big issue.
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