Bill Kibbel

I have a copy of a mid 1960s ad for Bond-Bord. "It is individual boards bonded together for extra strength and sealed on both sides with 42-lb waterproof building paper". Were they 2' x 16' panels?

That's a calibrated pressure relief valve that was very likely installed for thermal expansion control. Expansion tanks (containment expansion control) are one method. Water release is the other method of thermal expansion control. There's also a toilet ball-cock fill valve with a relief valve, a ball valve with relief valve and a hose bib with relief valve, that can be used.

IRC: Chimneys shall extend at least 2' higher then any portion of a building within 10'. NFPA: ...and extend above any portion of any structure by at least the distance specified in...

It's a Honeywell aquastat with manual reset. There's an immersion sensor bulb behind it. It's usually installed to limit or regulate the temperature of boilers, but I've also seen them used in ducts in very large forced-air heating systems.

York puts the date right on the tag in a corner. Look at the number after the MFD (Manufacture Date).

County (and maybe some state) health departments usually specify the flow rate required for new private wells. The IRC specifies flow rates in gpm for each fixture (there's a table). The flow rate can vary significantly at the various fixtures in the home. Checking the flow rate at a tub spout will give a significantly different result than at a lav with aerator (with maybe even a water-saver insert). To properly test the flow rate of a well pump, it needs to be measured prior to any devices or fixtures. Homeowners often assume a flow rate is synonymous with well yield or recovery.

Furnace - heats air Boiler - heats water Now it's clear that the burners are within 18" of the floor. See if the installer put his company's sticker on the boiler jacket. New Yorker installation instructions specifically state not to install their boilers where gasoline and any other flammable vapors or liquids are used/stored. Who puts boilers in garages in North Jersey?

You pretty much described most basements I'm in, except for the concrete floor thing. The ones that have had concrete poured to cap the soil, never have any gravel or "river rock" for drainage. Most don't have the fancy pit liner - just buckets or small trash cans. Nobody freaks about it. It's a century old, stone-lined hole in the ground. They're not planning to finish it with a bar, game room and home theatre.

All kinds of stupidness happened in there. The feed to this building is probably only 120v. The jumper is installed to feed both bus bars with 120v (same leg). As far as I know, the same rules apply for all outbuildings on a residential property. Just keep up with the changing bonding and grounding method requirements. For horse barns, there are specific needs to keep the animals from damaging electrical components and specific needs to keep electrical components from damaging animals.

Mike, How do they staple the flanges when installing batts AFTER the drywall?

Kohler makes one. I've seen a few. They all had the valve assembly directly below the strainer cup. Are you sure the cable you saw went to the trap?

I find that condition in attics frequently, when the basement or crawlspace below the home is damp/wet.

Just AAV-it (assuming it isn't the only vent for the entire system).

I've seen many that are inspection pipes. Maybe one's over the inlet baffle, one's over the cross-over baffle and one's over the outlet baffle.

Again, how long are you leaving your flashlight on? Do you have your light on all the time? Turn it on, check something, turn it off. Repeat. What am I doing differently from you? If your doing 4-5 inspections on single charge of the Ultra Stinger, were in separate galaxies. I do everything similar to what Brandon described, but I also try to see almost every square inch of joists, beams, rafters, sills, under subflooring, under roof decking, etc. and the light is always necessary. Also, most of my residential inspections include the primary house with multiple additions. So a couple attics, 1-2 basements, multiple crawlspaces are common. Then I need a fresh light for the outbuildings.

The vent termination clearance minimum is determined by the manufacturer of the appliance. That particular stove likely requires a minimum clearance below an unvented soffit of 11". That type of stove will require very specific adjustments by the installer, that are dictated by the vent configuration. The items needing specific settings are the intake restrictor, exhaust restrictor, diffuser and possibly even the installation of additional intake dampers. The correct restrictor, damper and diffuser settings are needed to control the flow of intake air and exhaust gases. I try to get the manufacturer's name and model, then obtain and review the installation instructions before issuing my report. I've never had problems finding them and they often reveal more than one installation issue that the client really needs to know about and have corrected.

Do you leave your flashlight on for the entire 2-3 hours? How many minutes per inspection do you normally have your flashlight on? I can usually get 4-5 inspections out my ultra stinger. I do use a seperate flashlight for the crawlspace. I've never made it through even half an inspection with an Ultra Stinger.

Don't you read our chapter's newsletter? I just included that info in last weeks issue.

In southeastern PA & central NJ, I see 1 in about 800 or 900 installed in conduit.

It'll be interesting to watch this unfold. The fact that the material is regularly subject to 3rd party testing (Underwriters Laboratories, American Society for Testing and Materials, American Water Works Association, etc.) and the lack of reported failures (they supply 60% of PVC pressure pipe) makes me wonder if there really is a serious issue. Look at the states and municipalities joining the suit. It seems they're suing because they think the pipes will fail. I'm getting the scent of financially hurtin' state and local governments using our countries famous "jackpot justice" system. I predict there will be a settlement but none of the money will be spent on replacing JM's PVC.

If the outside diameter is 6" or more, it's called a round trap. It's usually installed for kitchen sinks, pantry/scullery sinks and wash-trays, specifically to intercept grease.

Here: http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief05.htm

How did you get you hand in that pic if you were driving? There's an excellent preservation brief on the preservation of historic adobe buildings, from the Heritage Preservation Services Division of the National Park Service.

A remediation company that does their own testing? That should set off alarms and red flags a-wavin'. Why, after several knowledgeable folks give you warnings, do you regularly post responses with endorsements that seem like late-night commercials? When I Google your precious mitigation company, why do I find very similar posts on other message boards that also frequently sound like commercials?

If the Feng Shui home inspector wasn't enough to embarrass you out of the HI business - here's another one for you: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/febr ... /ophir.php You can scare your clients into buying another an add-on service, just like the mold-is-gold inspectors. "You want to know as much about your potential investment as you possibly can. This way, you can make as informed a decision as possible." "This specialized inspection service isn't just for buyers, though. Sellers, beware! You too may have some explaining to do, should you not follow your inclination to see that your property is void of unwanted guests. 'You don't want buyers coming back and saying you never warned them about the house's past'."