John Kogel

Yeah, guys with vivid imaginations don't qualify. [] I crawled right over a dead dog once. He was squeezed right up against a drain pipe. Then I had to go back the way I came. Another time a dead squirrel was stinking the place up. I mentioned it and said it would dry out pretty quick. Nope, a week later the realtor needed me to map the location of the squirrely cadaver. That was also the last time I saw her too. []

Message from client is 'Check stove flanges'. I see a masonry chimney, a brick hearth with a free-standing woodstove. Am I checking the stove pipe where it connects to the chimney? I know the 3 parts of a woodstove from elementary school. Lifter, leg and poker. Where's her flanges? []

The DW floods the sink trap and being elevated a bit it pushes water up the sink drain. Maybe. It looks good to me. I would call it unconventional and move on.

[:-party]

I am hosed by Netfirms. []

The guy that designed it never had to work on it live, I'll bet. Hey, Denny, if you had counted the breakers first, you could have condemned it with the cover on. []

I would stay off unless something needs a closer look. In that case I try to get a ladder up to the peak so that I can walk the ridge. Or crawl if nobody/s around to laugh at me. [] I had one in January that looked fine from the ladder but there was a wet spot in the attic. I think they screwed up on the ridge capping. The sheets were all full length and the seams were tight.

Kurt, I gather you wrote those examples for this discussion. Your mold comments are repetitious and you used the word 'mess' after telling us not to. [] You have favorite bits of text that you can copy and paste, right? That is my method, even while using various software packages. I have my docs that have standard comments separated by space so they're easy to copy. I try to use one short sentence to describe the issue, then another short sentence to recommend an action. If it is some obscure item. I might include the implication.

I think that merits a video. It's the Yankee beer, runs thru the system like water. []

How would an air admittance valve help? That vertical section after the trap will still siphon out the trap. Marc Not if it is installed correctly. A Tee goes in after the trap. Island sinks have vertical drains and a cheater valve. New construction, it's allowed here. PS, I avoid mentioning sewer in my reports unless it is a sure thing they are on sewer. A few years back my clients discovered their new house had a plugged up septic tank in the back yard. Listing said sewer. I had copied the info into my report as usual. That info was dead wrong. Then I chewed my fingernails for a year when the realtors got hauled into court. Lucky me, my clients asked me to be a witness for their side and I only lost one day out of my life. So, if it is underground, I do not see a reason or obligation to report it.

Just think of it as a glorified moonshine still and you'll do ok. [] Weil-McClain is a good brand of boiler, IMO. The pressure seems to be high, IMO. Maybe the gauge is hooped (faulty). That other control unit looks unreliable. It is all about 40 or 50 years old, and maybe the pipes are even older. The tank up in the ceiling is old school and there is a new pressure tank installed. The prerssure relief valve ought to be replaced for safety. I think the whole installation needs to be serviced by a competent boilerman.

I call out the S-trap, because if I don't, my client's uncle will say I was a clutz for missing it. The drain under the sink is not vented correctly. If problems occur such as clogging or odors, have a plumber install an Air Admittance Valve (AAV) or "cheater valve". I know, not allowed in Chicago, but that works for me here.

Agreed. I think it was Allan Carson said don't use the word 'amateur' in your report. The seller may read that and will take offense. Not that we care much, but why stir up trouble?I never use 'I saw' or 'I observed', wasted words. Similar to Marc and others: "In the SW corner of the crawlspace, several floor joists are supported with inadequate posts and jacks. Wood in contact with soil is vulnerable to rot and insect attack. Have a competent contractor install proper posts on concrete pier blocks where needed to prevent sagging of the floor joists".

Fair, you don't really expect fair around here do you. Fair is no where near as fun. Fair: a 4 letter word that starts with F. []

Seems a bit thin for mod bit seams. The seams seem thin, a bit, for bit. []

Yes, I like that he left the box so the jack can be used again under his next house. [] People do what they have to do and get outa there ASAP. Nobody goes back until something breaks or leaks. Life goes on. Of course the new owners don't want that, so we cry foul. []

Those handsets were heavy as you may recall, Marc. In the 50's we lived in an area with party lines and operators. We had a wooden wall-mount phone with a black handset hanging on one side and a crank on the other. You lifted the handset and cranked to ring up an operator and gave her the number you wanted. Our number was 70L. About 1960-61 we got phones like that one with a dial and a 7 digit number. They built a new telephone office that had no operators AFAIK. It was a square concrete block building with no windows. The old 2-storey telephone office was sold as a private residence.

Outstanding. Marc Black-balled by the battle-ax that runs the office? Maybe not a good thing in the short term when you haven't had much exposure yet. A wiser strategy at first might be Diplomacy (or just plain lying, something they all understand and respect []). Not that I'm any expert.

In my area, or country if you will, there can not be branch wiring in the same conduit as the service entry conductors. I think it may be allowed for AC in the USA. ?

Plaintiffs allege the Viega Brass Fittings are inadequate, defective and are of poor or insufficient quality. Actually they found too much zinc in the brass, and the zinc is now leaching out of the fittings. No little pill can cure their ill. []

No, there is a cable clamp inside that box, unless my laser vision is mistaken. The cables don't move, no need to grommet the hole.

I did insurance jobs for a few months when I was getting into this biz. It is a good way to see if you can find a property and practice at being a real inspector. [] You learn to budget your time. It works for people in the city, but fuel and maintenance will take the joy out of it if you have to travel. I was only asked to take pictures of the exterior and to enter the pictures into an emailed report. I tried not to feel insulted when I got my monthly check.

The best answer, as the OP did here, is to replace it, such as here where some goof used Al to wire his basement. 2 or 3 circuits, not too hard to pull copper in.In late 60's, early 70's house with 6 or more original Al circuits, I recommend having an electrician inspect the wiring at all outlets and fixtures, and have him ensure that all the junctions and connections are tight and safe, complying with safety standards. Then that this electrical service and inspection should be done every 10 years. Then mention that this is an important issue with insurance companies so check with your insurance provider.

That label is pretty clear to me - black iron pipe to the exterior, and the flex can be attached to that. It is not a big hardship for the installer to do what the label says. Thanks for the head's-up! I tend to skim over the long text on the furnace labels. []

Say it has 15 to 20 year shingles on a sloped gable roof. If you have an exact date the house was built, like 1972, then you know the house is 43 years old and the roof you're looking at is either the old second roof or the 3rd roof. If the roof is multiple layers, I count about 25 yrs for Cedar shingles and 15 years for each layer of asphalts. Tear it all off. Newer house, how old is the house? Easy one. []