Bill Kibbel

My exact reaction when I read the unsolicited e-mail last night. It contained the exact same inaccurate bullshit as all the other mold-is-gold scams.

I've seen many 18th and some early 19th century homes with mud-and-straw or mud-and-lime applied under the floor between joists as insulation. Random width boards hold the material in place. I've never seen sheet metal. Basements were usually vented year round with no windows in the openings. Spaced horizontal square bars in the openings kept out large critters. I really can't tell from pics what that material is.

I couldn't remember the name of it until I saw Jim K's post. It's "Tiledek". I saw it installed below limestone slabs on a huge balcony floor.

Kurt's got it right. By 1950, Portland cement was being used for almost all scratch coats. The final product is still called plaster.

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So, if it's only allowed to be an underlayment, how do we reconcile it with IRC 905.5? OT - OF!!! M. When I was involved with the case I mentioned, I did some research. The top 2 manufacturers of roll roofing (they make over 90% of it) don't admit to it being manufactured as a primary residential roof covering. Their literature was cleverly worded with statements that the product is ideally suited for sheds, carports, barns or flashing material. Their warranties for the roll roofing lines were only that it is free from manufacturer's defects.

I have never had a problem telling folks that this crap shouldn't have been installed on their house. On a few occasions, I've also been the one to discover roll roofing installed when "rubber roof" was on the invoice. There's a couple large inspection firms that bless this stuff as "common for city homes" and "performs well on low-slopes with an expected life of 15 years". Some of it is only smooth-surfaced roll roofing with a silver coating. When their clients become sellers, they're really pissed when the new buyer's inspector calls it out. I once had a document, from (I think) the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Assoc., that I used in litigation. It basically stated that asphalt roll roofing is intended for underlayment and flashing details on residential buildings. It also stated that mineral-surfaced roll roofing is only used as a primary roof on "secondary use" buildings.

I posted it because of the detailed drawings of proper installation - not 'cuz I like IKO products. Everyone here up to reader version 8? Holy crap - that's even worse! I guess that 'splains all the exposed nails.

Nat. gas operates at a lower pressure than LP, so nat. gas appliance orifices are larger than LP orifices. An LP appliance running on natural gas will likely have very tiny flames.

I just uploaded an excellent guide on flashing details to the TIJ file library. It's now here: https://inspectorsjournal.com/forum/Lin ... oto&id=122

Are you being sarcastic?

Here's a simple diagram that I use to show folks how it works: Click to Enlarge 27.22 KB

Well said, Rob.

I don't know. I wouldn't have the opportunity, or the skill/knowledge, to perform autopsies on failed breakers. Here's a pic I found: Click to Enlarge 29.91 KB

No recall - Not even a Douglas Hansen article. But, there have been many failures. They're manufactured by Murray and several electricians I know have declared them junk. They often insist on replacement when they're called in to do other work. In several cases, a main breaker replacement has turned into a panel replacement as the bus bars were damaged or the breaker welded itself to a bar. "Lights are flickering" is the most common complaint before the breaker fails. I've found some to be very hot and some have turned to a light salmon color, possibly from long-term heat. During the mid '80s, I used to call for replacement of red Murray main breakers, but almost all the electricians called in for the replacement weren't familiar with the problem and declared me an idiot. With no official documentation to back up, I now only advise replacement if I can find a problem, like flickering lights or a very hot breaker.

That's because they're typically only installed on vapor or vacuum systems. It's one of the components an inspector will find to help identify it as a vapor system.

It's perlite. Expanded perlite is graded into different sizes and is separated by screening. The stuff that's 1/4" or less is typically available as an additive for gardening soil and light-weight concrete. There is one grade, that's used almost exclusively for thermal insulation, that can be screened to as large as 1". 5/8" chunks is not unusual for expanded perlite.

How far is it from where the service cable enters the home? Around here, most firefighters are instructed to not attempt to disconnect any power. They contact the utility co. (often this is done automatically). If they can't shut it off remotely, they just pull the meter. No one enters a dwelling to disconnect the power.

I don't recognize that bow front. The gold trim reminds me of older Majestic inserts. What instructions are you looking for? It only has a primary air control and probably a blower speed control. Now that it's a stove insert and not a just a masonry fireplace, you do know there's a different hearth extension requirement?

I think we all need to feel some pain to help us to remember what can happen with double hung windows. Slamming down on fingers and paying for broken glass are both sources for pain.

BW owned York from 1956 until 1986, when YORK International spun off. In 2005, York International was purchased by Johnson Controls. I believe that when your furnace was made, a BW labeled unit was the same coding as one with a York label. There are other items on a furnace where you can find numbers to confirm the date of manufacture.

Looks like it was moved to members only after someone posted this: "I would call this deceptive advertising. the door put on the home does not resemble the door on the home. I'd be embarrassed to take a client there and they point that out" and this: "I don't know what I find more disturbing -- your pride in an actual misrepresentation of a material fact, or the cheering section that developed applauding it. Yikes. I hope no one in our Board is indulging in this sort of thing. Sorry to be the proverbial turd in the punchbowl, but your rationale for misleading consumers, even if it's temporary, doesn't wash with me. I'm probably alone in this dyspepsia. Which is fine. You're not in our MLS, so you're not our problem. Best of luck with the listing, anyway."

I've seen some really terrible and obvious Photoshopped listings. Bright green grass pasted over brown weeds, erased soot stains above a fireplace and blue water pasted over the half-filled, green slime pool, to name a few.

I see folks trying to use charcoal to absorb moisture. What's a return vent doing in a kitchen?

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