Inspectorjoe

Why do you ask? Are you expecting a deluge tomorrow? When I heard the forecast Monday, I went to to block tomorrow off my schedule, but just before I got to it, a 1:30 got booked. At least the house has a nice big, old-fashioned front porch. That makes working in heavy rain a bit more bearable, especially when arriving at the house. I mostly use a cheap vinyl poncho and a baseball cap. Sometimes I just use a big umbrella, especially if it's humid and I don't feel like sweating.

That's a very diplomatic reply, Les. It's good that you beat me to it.

Rob, have you seen the book U-Boat War, by the author of the novel Das Boot, Lothar Gunther Buchheim? While the mission in the movie was fictional, Lt. Werner was not. In real life it was Bucheim, who in 1942, went on a mission in U-96 as an official photographer. The book contains his narration of the trip, along with several hundred photographs. It's absolutely amazing and is one of my favorite books. http://www.amazon.com/U-Boat-War-Lothar ... 0517606712 I found some pictures of the book pages online: http://nester.smugmug.com/Other/U-Boot/ ... &k=WZfdk6r

I guess I could have done an accidental selfie with my reflection in the water, but that might have caused viewers to hit the stop button.

Why would you have both?

Then where did they get their drinking water, Bill?

They did years ago, Marc, but the owner of this one said she uses it to water her flowers. Back when they were in use, cisterns were generally filled with roof runoff from the downspouts. There was a diverter in the downspout feeding the cistern. One branch directed water to the ground. At the beginning of a rain event, runoff was directed to the ground, to keep dirt and debris out of the tank. Once the water was running clean, the water was diverted to the tank. I've done some inspections that had active cisterns, using electric pumps to supply the water. Most were used to fill swimming pools or for irrigation. One was used for the domestic water. The water that came out of the faucets had a greenish tinge. It was disgusting. It was an estate, the seller having died in her 90's. Perhaps she had been chlorinating the water while she was there.

My pleasure, Bill. Two days earlier, as I was telling the buyers that they should secure the lid in place or fill it in, I gave the handle a turn, which normally would either turn with no resistance or be frozen in place. I was surprised to find resistance. When water came out, I had to stifle an 'oh sh*t, it works!' exclamation.

I don't know how common they were in other parts of the country, but when I was growing up in Eastern PA, cistern chain pumps were ubiquitous. I've never seen one in operating condition - until last week. I shot some video of it when I returned to pick up the radon monitor. The seller wasn't supposed to be home (but she was), so I wasn't dressed all that nicely. Facebook video

Two more articles have since been written. The title of this one quite amazing. I seem to have opened a can of worms.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, Gary. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Thanks, Chad. Bill, this may have been the first time I've gone on a weekend. I forgot to mention the show to my wife early enough for her to get a day off from work. The character of it has changed drastically (for the worse) about 10-15 years ago when they added the new buildings. Still, I do look forward to it every year. Kurt, it boggles my mind how the management of such a high-profile, densely populated public building can thumb its nose at basic fire and life safety standards. For years the fire corridor has been used for vehicle storage. The city claims it has no jurisdiction in state owned buildings. I wonder if that's by statute or simply not wanting to step on toes. Click to Enlarge 62.58 KB

This past Saturday, I went to the Pennsylvania Farm Show with my wife, her brother and her 79 year old friend. The Farm Show is often extremely crowded, but that afternoon, conditions were outright dangerous. Thousands of people were packed into a long L-shaped corridor. It was near-gridlock. My wife's friend was nearly knocked down. I didn't see it, because we were somewhat separated, but I was told two young women saw it, and stayed with her until the ordeal was over. I was incensed that management of the state owned and managed facility took no action to alleviate the situation. Yesterday, I sent a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. It was published today. They published it exactly as I wrote it. I can't say the same for a story they wrote about the situation. They got most of what I told the reporter right, but some of the words attributed to me weren't exactly what I said. There is a link to the article at the end of the letter. Letter to the editor

I recently bought my first LED bulb. It replaced a CFL above the kitchen sink, since that light is usually left on 24 hours a day. It uses a fraction of the power the CFL did and the color is indistinguishable from an incandescent bulb. I'm totally sold on LED's.

At least for now, there are a few exceptions to the incandescent ban. These include 3-way, rough service, shatter resistant and appliance bulbs. It looks like this company is exploiting a loophole, but it doesn't make make much economic sense to take advantage of it. Because they have a thicker filament, rough service bulbs give less light than a standard-duty bulb of the same wattage. Plus, they're outrageously expensive at 2.88 (per 100 watt bulb). Add shipping for the minimum order of 12 (to my zip code) and the price per bulb ends up being about $4.00. I think one would have to be a real dimwit to go for that deal.

Right back at ya. Brighter days ahead!

One of the downsides of using the call center is that my first verbal contact with the buyer is usually at the inspection. But the girls know that if they get a bad feeling about someone, they have my blessing to cut them loose.

She said she saw me in a newspaper article. That's strange, because the last article I was featured in was at least four years ago. I can only attribute three inspections to that particular article - I did two for the photographer and one for the photo intern who was working with the photographer.

This had been a very good year - up til October. Then things came to a screeching halt. Things are dead right now. The termite inspector I use said things are dead with all of the inspectors that use him. So I was happy when I got an email from the call center I use, saying someone with a "very, very thick accent" had a few questions to ask me. I called her back, and although I could understand her, I was happy when she asked if she could email the questions to me. "Certainly", I replied. One of the reasons I use the call center is that I hate to talk on the phone. Here is the email: Hello Mr. Joseph Hancaviz, We are a family who plans to buy a single-family house in Easton PA, thus needs a home inspection. May I ask you: 1. how many home inspections have you completed? what year you got your ASHI Certified Inspector certificate? 2. Do you carry general liability insurance, and errors and omissions insurance? 3. if there are any problems found by you during the 1st home inspection, after the seller finish repairing, who will do the 2nd home inspection? you or I should hire another one home inspector? if it's still you, shall I pay you the fee of the 2nd inspection or it's included in the 1st home inspection? 4. As for that house (Square Feet of Living Area: 1725, Year built: 1900), How long will the general home inspection take? 5. What major tools or equipments will you use for the general home inspection? 6. I am interested in the general home inspection and termite inspection and radon inspection, how much will it cost? 7. will you walk to the roof if the inspection is in Dec or Jan? 8. will you check the house has popcorn ceiling which may contain asbestos? 9. may I ask your education background? Have a good day! Thank you very much! I spent about 20 minutes replying to each question in detail, attached a few links to give her more info, then sent it out, happy to do it. This morning, I get this: Hello Mr. Hancaviz, I appreciate very much you answer my questions in detail! Ok, now, I only have one question left: may I see the proof which you have completed Approximately 2,700 home inspections? Thank you! About 30 seconds later, I sent this to her: I don't know what proof I could give you, other than sending you past clients' confidential information. Also, I'm not accustomed to someone questioning my truthfulness. Perhaps another inspection company would better fit your needs. I'm thankful I was forewarned about someone who seemed to have the makings of a 'problem client'. At this point, I wouldn't do that inspection for all the tea in China.

Yeah, I didn't realize the story was four years old when I posted it. That's one incredibly skinny building. Not much margin for error with an engineering screwup.

Foundation? It didn't even look like it had a foundation. All in all, it stayed amazingly intact.

Entire New 13-Story Building Tips Over in Shanghai

This past summer, I did a house that was itself a time capsule. The 3,000 sf 1920 craftsman bungalow was nearly entirely original, including the finishes on the built-in cabinets and every bit of wood trim. It was actually pretty jaw-dropping. The buyers put their accounting practice into it. Luckily they were very aware of what a unique treasure they were becoming the stewards of. The built in icebox with exterior ice delivery door isn't completely original. It was converted to a refrigerator, with the fan/coil/compressor unit put in the basement. Click to Enlarge 31.18 KB[/size=1 Click to Enlarge 40.99 KB Click to Enlarge 61.09 KB The tub was a bit stained, but otherwise, was pretty flawless. The 93 year old faucets had a most unusual feel to them - almost sensuous. I know that sounds strange, but don't know how else to describe it. Click to Enlarge 25.51 KB Click to Enlarge 28.42 KB Click to Enlarge 45.46 KB Click to Enlarge 38.55 KB

Gee, It doesn't seem like I'll be getting any answers from 'Split Block Certified Will'. A while back, there was a Chicago inspector who posted here occasionally who had his own one-man organization. He was supposedly an engineer, so his schtick was say that you should only use a home inspector who is also a professional engineer AND a member of his one-member society. Being the nice guy that I am, I made up a logo for him to use. My offer was apparently declined. It was also removed from here after I posted it. I still have a copy. Maybe it's OK to post if I pixilate part of it. Click to Enlarge 30.27 KB

Looking to satisfy my curiosity, I did some more googling. I came up dry, but did find a related message board post. I find it kind of odd that a 'certified expert' on this issue would post on a message board, his theory about a particular installation, and ask for feedback. Will Decker, "what say you"? Edit: The link doesn't work when I try to make it a hyperlink. Copy and paste it into a browser. nachi.org/forum/f23/next-split-faced-block-problem-86671/