Bill Kibbel

Coincidence - I'm preparing for a seminar and I happen to have a file of pictures open with some examples. Click to Enlarge 63.7Â KB Click to Enlarge 53.78Â KB Click to Enlarge 81.18Â KB Click to Enlarge 77.74Â KB Click to Enlarge 87.31 KB Do you want any of wood?

Mike's the top guy for cutting through all the mold hysteria nonsense and actually offers spot-on advice about moisture issues. Some folks seeking "advice" jump on message boards only looking for reinforcement of their own opinion, particularly when they've already decided that others are to blame and they feel they've been wronged. These types will never consider views from experienced experts if it doesn't support their mission. I sometimes won't listen to what I don't want to hear too. And, it's Mr. Arrogant Negativity's forum. I try not to insult the host, but I've been known to irritate other guests.

If I tried to set our water heater below 130°F or put in any temperature limiting device, my wife would taser my ass.

Structural terra cotta, unless it is intended to be exposed to the exterior (like silo tile), isn't vitrified. Terra cotta conduit was vitrified, but was never manufactured to be used as a building material. Obviously it has and has performed quite well. I've read that it was probably used in foundations and buildings in Chicago more than elsewhere. There's a rural area in South Jersey, near where much of the conduit was manufactured, where a large collection of different buildings were constructed with surplus and reject conduit. Click to Enlarge 24.09 KB Click to Enlarge 28.21 KB Click to Enlarge 29.19 KB

Is that newer plywood decking? If the answer is yes, whatever made those trails did so when it was nothing but bare rafters exposed to the sky.

We just use consecutive numbers. Today I'm doing 66095. There's no need to include all the information in the file name. We can find any report in our database instantly, by either entering the clients name, the address or the date.

1962 For Rheem furnaces manufactured before 1974, the first 2 digits in the serial # are the year. Don't you have the furnace age chart that Mike's put so much work into?

I've frequently done what Jim has illustrated in his picture but, there would be an addition, with a low slope roof just below the 12/12 gable roof, to stop my rapid descent. I don't do that crap, with only my ladder strapped to the gutter to stop me, anymore.

The only foam insulation that I've heard of that is blue is one of the BASF Chemical's products. I think it's called "Wall-Tite" or something similar.

You sure about the installation date? It really looks like UFFI. I've never seen icynene fill though - only sprayed-on.

use the search box on the "Home" page.

I doubt that. It just doesn't match the site at equityinspections.com. I can't quite figure out what PR-USA is, but my money is on the piece being written by someone on the Indian subcontinent to promote or, more likely, practice their English writing skills. We've had some of those here. You might be right, but a visit to his blog revealed this on the main page:"As utility cost rise everyone is looking for was to save on their energy bills. The internet, the daily paper and magazines all have tips for reducing your energy usage and expenses. These little bits of energy saving insight are great advice, but are no substitute for a professional energy audit".

On the other side of this coin, there are several home inspectors that are excellent writers, who get paid for their regular contributions to publications.

If I see "---" in the display, it's not set to the correct mode.

We dictate our reports onto a digital recorder. Then they're e-mailed to our typists (software!). Sure there's a "per report" cost, but the clients are paying for it. A majority of my inspections are 200-300 year-old farms and commercial buildings over 100 years old. I spend about 30-45 minutes on each report. Old, single family homes are about 20 minutes.

What he quoted was specific to NY.

I have a folding 18" ruler in my clipboard for most things (tread depth, risers, etc.). My knee (a perfect 4" sphere) is fine for measuring spindle spacing. Ceiling fan height is an easy call without a tape measure. I'll bring a tape measure upstairs if the bedroom EE&RO sizes look like they're going to be a close call.

Yeah but tool belt or no, I bet you really impress the clients with those bell bottoms[] Tom Since I've added 3 inches to my waist since the '70s, the old bells won't fit anymore. I still have the same cheesy mustache though.

For 25 years, we've made it a point to try to look like professional building consultants, not Schneider. Fetch the tools as you need 'em. Click to Enlarge 12.4 KB

Next time, use a thermometer that measures air temperature. Also, get an anemometer to determine if air flow is the problem, or just temp. drop.

Do you want to pay for membership to this site? NO? Then show some respect for our sponsors.

They were bought by GHC Specialty Brands, owners of Gemplers, McFeelys and Lab Safety Products.

That's a good price actually - have you used this company in the past? Never heard of them. They've been sponsors of TIJ for years - stop by the front page sometime. I've purchased quite a lot of products from them - many before they become sponsors here. If you don't see something specific, just ask. The prices are always excellent. I was thrilled when HI-Essentials came on the scene. P. E. has an obscene mark-up and their customer service sucks. They charged another customer's orders to my credit card and refused to correct it. They said it's my problem and I have to collect it from that customer myself! They finally fixed it, only after I threatened to pay them a personal visit. [:-dog]

It gives a home the same charming character as a Tupperware lid. http://www.oldhouseweb.com/how-to-advic ... ding.shtml

I don't think it's defective materials - There wouldn't be a consistent pattern. Something happened to the siding after it was installed. I'd be curious about the possibility of sun reflection/magnification from something nearby. A more likely possibility, because it looks like a spray pattern, is something very hot or caustic spewed onto the wall (napalm?)