John Kogel

Sorry but 3 feet puts the stove out in the middle of the room, like an old cast iron pot belly. These new stoves are shielded I tell you. The manufacturers have been testing them for 30 years or more. If there is a danger at 18", somebody, a Ralph Nader type, would be screaming to the world about it.

When I bought my present home, a T-lock shingle was blown off so that a strip of OSB was visible about 4" X 1/2". That's right, no underlay. I could see the grey OSB there and expected some damage. This is OSB from 1990. When I stripped the roof I was surprised to see the only indication of the lost shingle was that narrow strip of weathered grey wood. No leak, no rot. It was ...miraculous!

The stove could be pulled forward a few inches. Maybe it was forward originally. They really should get rid of the carpet. A metal heat shield could be installed to guard the PVC pipe. I would say no it won't pass as is and it needs an inspection certificate for insurance purposes. I advise them to correct the installation first, and then have it inspected. Those stoves get very hot on top, but don't forget the sides and back are brick-lined and shielded with extra baffles.

Tell us more about the house. I see the floor joists are trusses, so it is newer, maybe a Modular home? 1) Mid-summer, I am picturing your air conditioner is dripping water into a dirty pan and that moisture is dripping on the floor near that pipe. Check the base of your Air Conditioner. 2) No AC? Could there be a water leak? Water might be picking up crud from the walls and floor before finding its way out thru that hole. I think you will need to access the flooring beside that pipe. Call a competent handyman. If the builder of the home is available he could have some idea of where water could be coming in from. 3) A Modular home would have a seam right down the middle that could leak.. How's is the weather? Hailstorms, wind , rain? 4) Jim sees a dark stain below where the trim line is. We sees it too. That drywall should be cut away and replaced after the leaking is fixed. Call a Handyman.

Molasses is dark brown and sticky and water soluble. So it must be molasses. []

It could be roof tar, if someone used roof patch material to seal the plumbing vent and the summer heat is melting it.

I can't guess. What will become of the old slates? There must still be life left in a lot of that roof, no?

Hey Barry, good choice but why would you want to do the report at the kitchen counter or bring it home? You can do the whole report laying in the dirt with your iPad. [] Click to Enlarge 61.33 KB A interactive video report with music sounds like fun. My house today could use some background music. Like being followed by a client with a video camera? That was a fun film, like when I turn back and go 'Hey, watch out for the dog poop here, oops." []

Sounds pretty simple to me. Why didn't we think of that? Cheap, too. The gutters are already there, and landscaping that foot and a half wide alley, couldn't possibly cost that much. Simple? I think not. What about that technical stuff about a downspout being a vertical part of a roof gutter? My head hurts just trying to fathom such. . . Sounds like a canned response. Probably a program that searches for keywords and answers with useless irrelevant information. So how do we know your comment is real? [] Mike suggests cutting the eave back and I concur, or do I concurr? Hey Mark, don't go away. We need to hear about HI in Aus, where the termites build mud skyscrapers just for the heck of it. Are there really 10 or 11 types of termite down under? You see a lot of metal roofs? Do you walk them? Is expansive clay a problem? And shouldn't those downspouts empty into a cistern? Waste not, want not. []

I am sure Aaron has a good program for iPad because it is set up to take data from an SD card and it can print or send a PDF file. Those are good features. Aaron, I could not work the way I do now with an iPad or any tablet. I already mentioned the p[icture-taking issues. I'm sure I can fumble thru a cracker box house on the iPad if all the comments are suitable and I don't click any wrong tabs. But the laptop does that too, on a large monitor. I can enter all the text parts really quick, then drag in the pics I want. The programs all slow down when they are loaded with pics. Don't tell me your program does not slow down. On a POS house, the report takes 3 times longer because there are always unique discoveries. Those comments are not in the template. How do I say "A cat has perished in the crawlspace under the back porch. I could not find how it got in there but there are claw marks from it trying to get out. Hire a young man to put the carcase in a bag so that it can be disposed of." Would I have to tap that in with one finger on the iPad? No, thanks.

Here's another one. Add pics as you go, sure, get 30 or 40 pics in the program and watch .... it ...... slowww..... dowwwwnnnn. []

Right. The tablet has some shortcomings but the younger gen are more adaptable, maybe. I was 25 feet up on the ladder yesterday with my point and shoot camera in a belt pouch. That requires taking pics one hand for the camera and one hand for me. Safety. Then I got into the attic and took 7 or 8 pics in the pitch black, that requires a flash for a full view of the corners. Again, one hand on the camers, one on a rafter. Then I got a shot behind the dryer and one behind the water heater and so on. Barry, there are a half dozen good software programs that make the report looks nice. Try a couple of trials and see what suits you best.

The above mentioned program is for iPad only. You take all your pics and complete the report on an iPad and I'm sure it is good. An old guy with 15 years of doing it the hard way might prefer camera and a laptop. I know I do. []

Bring the drain bed closer by laying perforated pipe in a level trench filled with drain rock. 20 or 30 feet back towards the house like that, then your pipe from the house is that much shorter.

Why try it if Mycroft said so? []

The circuit board is a mini computer. It will tell the pump what to do. My AM job, an old Kenmore workhorse had a broken spring on the soap door. PM, the 8 month old LG had the front cover off, waiting for a new circuit board to arrive. []

Tell them try the pressure pump option. If it's not needed, it can be turned off.

I was thinking the vinyl siding house was built against that roof edge, so it would be their problem. But how did they get fastenrs into the siding? And what were the roofers thinking? Not our problem? []

I imagine the best reason for the rule would be to avoid an accidental disconnection of a neutral or grounding wire. The connections should all be visible when you take one cover off.

Three sentences. Marc Three is OK, per Jim, the one added sentence to explain that I can't see behind the stucco where the trouble would be. You got that but I would change "I didn't see rot" to "damage". Stucco doesn't rot.

Ok I am with you there, but I would want to replace 'deem and implement' 'water intrusion pevention' Sorry, but that won't fly with some of my clients. Lost them there. [] "There is some surface staining on the stucco from runoff, but I could not determine if moisture has leaked in behind the stucco and the housewrap. Moisture trapped behind the stucco can cause damage to the wood sheathing and framing. If this is a concern, have a qualifed stucco inspector use specialized equipment to inspect the sheathing for damage behind the stucco."

1) Call for replacement of the red wire? 2) Call for white paint or tape? 3) Apply a piece of white tape and say nothing? 4) Apply nothing and say nothing? A mini-poll for y'all. []

Need a stucco disclaimer. 2 sentences that says there may be rot, but i can't see it. Can anybody improve this basic disclaimer below? This is a visual inspection only. For a complete Stucco inspection of wall cavities, etc., consult a stucco inspector. Consult with? Contact?

I would call for definite replacement of the galvanized. They would have a hard time getting insurance with galvy pipes up here. Something I thought of is that there could be a plugged up pressure regulator, with the outside tap ahead of the regulator.

Maybe you could work on the fuel consumption or burn your own alcohol. Click to Enlarge 13.37 KB