Les

The mystery was mostly solved after removal of a few tiles and seeing the mortar lines. Jim is absolutely right with his observation about the mortar. now I have about 1400 more foot of tile to remove. Sounding the entire floor indicates there may be as much as 60% improperly set in mortar.

we have run all the mats prior to install and one we dug out from installation. no problems there. The photo is the only one i have right now. it is giving me some clues now that we removed couple of tiles. note the mortar is not making 100% contact and the fiber film over the heat film mat. more photos later

five individual circuits and t-stats. all will come "on" and all will warm floor slightly. these are film type and I have never used them before. thought they would be best for existing old concrete slab installation. I can clearly identify exact areas where the mats are with surface thermometer - gains 10-15 degrees on cold day after operating for 10 days straight. the mats almost never shut off via temp probe and operate 99% of time with no significant gain. main question is what logic is there in a self adhering mat with a textile cover being installed with a 3/8" notch trowel and there by creating a thermal break? will post couple photos later today. all instructions followed by the ceramic guy and the electrical guys. both are old time friends and great tradespeople.

had several hundred foot of ceramic tile installed on an uninsulated concrete slab here in Michigan. five zones of floor heating electric film under tile. none of them work. i had contractor remove several tiles that were over mat/film and he had installed them with a latex mod mortar, notched 3/8" directly on top of mat. there is no electrical issues (all new and triple checked for continuity). best gain I can get after 10days of operation is plus five degrees .l any ideas?

pretty clear it needs attention and repair.

I prefer Douglas Fir.

Jim, many were built this way to begin with. There are quite a few that were built with just an excavation in the center, the house framed up and later the initial hole was expanded to include furnace, etc. Ours are like yours in that there is no perimeter footings. We also call the interior wall a bench.

That is what I call them too. Here in Michigan we often call them, incorrectly, a Michigan Basement. There really is no set definition for Michigan Basement and was thinking maybe others call them something similar. Most of ours were constructed just this way, especially in metro areas. .

How would you describe this basement in your report. Not the condition, rather the type. thanks!

anecdotally, we have had that happen to us three times; led disks. They will fool you. here it is a requirement for lighting at all entry/exit.

thanks for the information. However, I think we have to be mindful about the topic. Insurance coverage and legal indemnification are not synonymous. I am sure you agree that everyone must read and understand what their coverage is and establish a good working relationship with there insurer. Thanks for your input on this board, we all have learned "stuff" from your participation!

we typically see the stainless banded ones in direct burial. We call them ferncos regardless.

Thanks Stephanie. that was an educational post!

you can use regular lawn weed and feed.

I don't worry about the romaine lettuce. My main worry is the white powder when opening emails!

Hey John, I agree with Bill, but would have no problem broaching the orifice. You know what I learned from your post? I spell orifice wrong 99% of the time!

I also give general ranges. I really do try to get it "right", but sometimes miss the total by hundreds or thousands of dollars. For example - the house has a negative grade. I report it. I tell them it can be a week end project for you or it could be 8-900 dollars. they get a landscape artist and it costs 4,000 dollars. But, they had more done than my minimalist estimate. I and other inspectors in my company have never had serious blowback from giving estimates. My least favorite is water heaters. Around here they can be from 800 to 4000 on any given day. If I really don't know the price range of a furnace, I should brush up on my inspector skill set.

Denny, I would not use it. But I am old and, like Chad, have an aversion to falling. Biggest field issue I have with inspectors is their use of ladders. Always too horizontal.

house not so good. does not look to be in very good condition, but you can fix anything with enough money. You will need some money to fix that one. Get a real inspector.

Pretty much the same as Jim K's experience. Have not used them for several years. I also used medical glass slides epoxied across crack - broken = movement. What that means is what ever you want it to mean.

Marc, you win the day for that post.

nice job! radio is more difficult than one would think. you sound like a million bucks!

You might have a new career in entertainment.

Rob, your post reminds me of an old girlfriend.

I concur with Jim and Bill. Fix leak. Spray with Concrobium, not bleach. Fix hole. Get on with life.