Marc

I write up every gun nailed architectural shingle I see. I'm don't yet write up 3-tabs that are gun nailed because I haven't seen enough failures to be comfortable with it. I do not break the adhesive bond between successive courses of shingles during an inspection to see what kind of fastener is there, but if I do somehow confirm it, it's written up. It's legitimate because the codes say so, but that shouldn't prevent us home inspectors from having a different opinion. To me, there's no suitable alternative on architectural (laminated strip) shingle roofs to hammer-driven hot dipped roofing nails. I know that a lot of roofing professionals and builders are going to be on the opposite side of the table from me on this issue, but...so what? I don't mind standing alone. I represent the buyer, not them. Marc

The coil nailers themselves are no good for shingle fastening, because you can't hot-dip galvanize them. A childhood friend of mine ask me to examine his 35 year warranty roof that was 14 years old and failing in many places. The dominant failure mode was that the nail shanks were rusted completely through adjacent to the nail heads and large sections of shingled roof finish were sliding out. It was gun nailed, with electro-galvanized nails. I've seen leftover electrogalvanized roofing nails on a new roof that were completely covered with rust. Just my humble opinion, is all. Marc

No sarcasm on that post of mine Cary. It's a regional thing, I guess, but most roofers here nail too high, with the wrong spacing and with the wrong nail (electrogalvanized on a 35 year warranty architectural roof). A one-year old dwelling I inspected last year had several large patches of 3-tabs shingles sliding out from a rear roof surface where there was little line-of-sight from the ground. Nail count was skimpy and far too high to hit the previous course. Wrote off the entire roof, since the failures had begun. Chad, check the back side of a couple brands of 3-tab laminated shingles at the store. They've been permitted by many manufacturers for several years now. The labels that I've seen say that they don't recommend the use of staples but it won't void the warranty either. Marc

A local AHJ told me that the 09' IRC allows them, though I don't have a copy of it yet. Ask Chad. Marc

What knocks me out is that the new ICC codes allow them now, even in the hurricane prone areas of the Louisiana coastline. Over $100 billion in damage from hurricanes Katrina & Rita in 06' and our response is to upgrade to staples? Why this insanity? Marc

John, Was the avatar photo of you taken before you started 'building muscle'? Marc

If you go to a vender and look at the back side of a bundle of shingles, the manufacturer's installation instructions are usually there. It's been years since I last looked at one, but as I recall, the nails should protrude otherwise they may back out after enough fluctuations in the moisture content of the decking. I'm not sure what the instruction is regarding staples. You'd be surprised how many professional roofers never follow or even read these instructions. Marc

Too many engineering hopefuls check their common sense at the door when they enter college. A few keep it with them. Marc

Does anyone understand by what mechanism does an oversized furnace of this manufacturer and model result in a failure of the secondary heat exchanger? Why is there a problem in which it cannot drain the condensate? Marc

I agree with Mike. I won't mention in a report that an engineer's attention is needed unless I see the beginnings of, or what I think is impending, significant failure of the roof/ceiling assembly resulting from 'field modifications' to trusses. The more that I work with engineers, the less that I trust them to come through for the client. 'Field modification' of trusses is very common in my area and my years of working with them points towards one simple truth: The entire roof must be either engineered trusses or compliant with an approved prescriptive method, period. Filling in a roof with bits and pieces of field cut rafter, etc where trusses couldn't be fitted is not proper at all. I write that up every time. Marc

Maybe a one-time event in the past, such as a leak on the pipe, did the damage to the wall, corroded the pipe and was simply never fixed. Marc

Great! Just call everything related to plumbing that's round with a hole in the middle an escutcheon and we have our quietus for this thread. Marc

No evidence of a previous structure that may have on or near that slab before? Marc

Gary, I did the google that you suggested. It reconciles with DavidLord's post near the top of the thread. Marc

I do reconsider the need for the tie sometimes, mostly when I emerge from a muddy crawlspace and there's a little mud on it. Maybe I'll try tyvek instead of coveralls. Pardon the thread drift. Marc

I think that lag is a common characteristic of photoelectric switches. It's actually more of an averaging function than a time delay. It helps avoid lights going off at night during lightning storms. Marc

I don't understand all the excitement over Little Giant. I bought one when I first got started in business and it's too heavy and cumbersome to open/close. I now have 3 ladders laying flat in the 8' bed of my pickup. A 16' extension (the kind without a rope), 6' step and 2' step. The extension is light enough to hold out sideways at arms length and extends fully in 5 seconds with 2 movements of one hand. The only thing I don't carry everyday is my 28' extension for two story access. I got plans to make a headache rack for that. The 16' extension is about $40.00 and I'm on my second one after 7 years of business. First one blew off my headache rack at night on my smaller pickup when I forgot to tie it down. Marc

If you don't install a vent between two traps then the air cannot get behind the first trap. In AC, I sometimes put a 3/4" trap on the condensate line near the evaporator (cooling coil) to keep air from navigating the condensate drain line. If a plumber's trap is also installed on the house's plumbing for the AC condensate line then it's necessary to open the condensate line with a 'T' and a short vertical section of pipe between the two traps, otherwise you won't get the effect you wanted. It may also result in problems and a service call later on. Marc

I tried and googled the dang word but couldn't find the correct spelling. It's bespectacled, Chad! Thanks, Erby

That's what I do. I never call the manufacturer about it because the dang phone never works, but I've bought hundreds of condenser units and when I look at the model number, that two digit # with the zero before it was the actual tonnage that I specified to the dealer. Marc

It's a 36,000 btu/hr, 3 ton. The btu/hr is expressed in units of thousands of btu/hr. There is usually a zero to the left of this two digit specification, which is generally in the middle of the model number. In my experience, there is only one brand of condenser unit in which the tonnage cannot be read from the model number: Carrier. If I see 3036 on a Goodman air handler, I'll take that as meaning that the coil can be fitted with either a 2 1/2 ton or 3 ton piston. But on a condenser unit, if I see 3036, I recognize the 036 as the correct spec of the tonnage. Do keep in mind that you might see something like 037 (37,000 btu/hr) or 041 (41,000 btu/hr). The 37k is marketed as a 3 ton and the 41K as a 3 1/2 ton. As for Carrier, call their service center. Marc

Happy 50th Chad. Welcome to the club! The club of the wise, the bespeckled and the opinionated.[:-party] Marc

I call them photo-electric switches. Commonly used on municipal light poles in my area for dusk/dawn operation. Marc

Half the builders in my area don't even know what counterflashing is. They just give me a stupid look when I mention it. But Bryan is right, the old way of flashing/counterflashing is still the best. Marc

Looks like a good example of "Tribal Construction Methods" Marc