MMustola

My friend is faced with a choice between a Goodman or Armstrong furnace. If the stats on each model are equal and he is comparing apples to apples, which furnace do you think is better in terms of quality and dependability?

No screws, they snap together

My bother inlaw is a self employeed sign painter. He still buys and uses lead paint today. It's certinly unlikey to find lead paint in a newer home but not out of the question. People bring stuff home every day from their jobs and use it in their homes.

Like Les, I do a lot of inspections with no power. These are always bank or HUD owned properties, they simply will not turn the power on. I charge the same as I would when the power is on and charge a re-inspection for a return trip which rarely happens. For the buyers, Learning as much as they can without power is better than learning nothing at all about the condition of the house. I feel the same way as Mike, I am selling my time and knowledge and am happy to help the client anyway I can.

I would check the funace, water heater, ect. to make sure they are set up for propane, look at the rating plate. Also, how is the genertaor vented? It's not meant to be installed indoors. I know of no kits that would allow you to properly vent it into a chimney or flue pipe.

I agree with Les, They are common in Michigan. I know it looks goofy but it is an approved vent connector. We nomally see them on older units.

I have several little giants. The first one I bought in 1993 and have used it every day since then. The bottom rubber feet wore out and little giant sent me new ones at no charge. The newer ladder's have a braces added at the back side to keep the outer channels from speading. These braces are in the way and can pinch your hands or fingers, so I cut them off (I know it was not smart) but my old ladder never needed them and I could see no other design changes.

He's out of business now Les, thank god. He also checked heat exchangers by punching a hole in the duct above the furnace and used a garden spayer to soak the heat exchager, then he looked for water bleeding through cracks.

Try this company. It think it is called D&T Tools. I may have the name wrong but the number is correct. Their number is 800-521-6893. They have a catalog with all types of septic system tools.

I have been burned in the past like most of you. I still agree to be paid out of the closing but only if the client gives me a valid credit card as a back up. If a check is not issued out of the closing I process the credit card. If they have no money and no credit card than I do not want there business

I could not open your picture but what you are describing is a siphon activated back up sump pump. They work very well. City water is sent though a venturi ( just like a duel line jet pump on a well ) creating negative pressure that then pulls the sump water out with the city water. The discharge is usually the same pipe that discharges the primary electric pump. Battery pump with only last a few hours, but as long as the city supply is still pressurized you are in business.

The dark stains at those locations are from a leaky cold air return system. Some wall cavities are being depressurized and pulling air in. The soot may be from candles or a gas fireplace, or maybe just plain dirt. If this only showed up after a new furnace was installed it's possible that the new furnace has a much larger blower than the old one. Is the furnace to big from the size of the house? Is there a balance between the registers and cold air returns? This is where I would start looking.

In my area my attic accesses are small hatches in bedroom closet ceilings. There have been many times when there was a firearm leaning against the closet wall. I don't know if they were loaded because I will not handle them, put a ladder over them, or go around them. I document in the report then I could not inspect the attic because of the dangerous condition that existed. I will go back to inspect it later when then the seller removes the firearm, but I charge for the second trip. Once there was a loaded hand gun left on the bedroom night table. It was a revolver so I could tell it was loaded for 10 feet away. I am amazed that some people would leave there house in such a dangerous condition.

I have 13 years worth of old inspection reports that are taking up valuable space. I was thinking of scanning them and storing them electronically. Does anyone else do this? What file format would be best? It would has to be a format that was not dependent on a particular type of software. It would be nice to open them years later if I had to. How long do other people keep the old reports and contract on file? Do you think keeping a scanned copy of the contract is as good as the original?

In Michigan we get a lot of snow. I inspect close to a hundred homes a winter when the roof are not visible do to snow cover. I document the fact that the roof was not visible and take a digital photo for our files. I do not offer to come back for a re-inspect. The snow may stay on the roof for weeks or a month at a time. Contingencies have long since expired by the time the snow melts. On the rare occasion a client whats me to look at the roof in the spring, I will do it at no charge as long as I can do it at my convenience. We charge if they want an appointment.

Is that panel outside. It does not look like a panel rated for weather exposure. It's very rare to have a service panel outside is Michigan. I know in some states it is common.

Don't worry, I did not take the comments personally. I respect Kurt's opinions. This forum is a very valuable resorce and I just want to express my views. I like to think I can "take it as well as dish it out". If I was afraid of a few barbs I would keep my comments to myself.

Where do you draw the line regarding the scope of your inspections? We all know that if you stuck to the ASHI standards it would be a poor inspection, so most inspectors exceed this scope to meet the minimum acceptable "standard of care" in your area. For example: the standards don't require you to walk on roofs, but if you don't, and most others inspectors do, then you will not have a defensible position in court if you miss something. We all exceed the standards everyday. My point is that it is very easy to cross the line. There are many parties involved in a real estate transaction. Inspectors, Realtors, Attorney's, mortgage company's, and Tile company's we all have a scope of the transaction that is our responsibility. If you feel comfortable reviewing legal documents for your client and giving them advice, than fine. Condo by-laws are legal documents. Because I think it is best to recommend that the client have them reviewed by a attorney does not make me a functional moron. Most inspectors get upset with other's like agents or appraisors encroach on our responsibilities. We should also be respectful of other peoples professions. Finally, I don't understand the comment that was made that It's not right to recommend that the client verify something. Everyday Inspectors recommend that something be done. Many times we recommend the something needs further evaluation like by and engineer or a mold expert. Whats wrong with recommending that the client verify who will be responsible for something.

I think it is to far out of the scope of a Home Inspection to review condo documents and advise the client as to their meaning. This sounds like lawyer work. I feel My job is to find the defect and then advise the client that they should verify who would be responsible for the repairs and cost. All condo are different. I have seen cases where there was a bad roof but the condo association did not have enough reserves so the unit owners were billed for the full cost of the roof. The only time I will review documents for the client is if there was a repair made and the clients asks my to look at the receipt to give an opinion weather or not it was the right type of repair.

It's common to see wire splices in a replacement panel. The existing wires are often not long enough to reach the breakers in a larger panel. There is no problem with it. I never heard the term gutter tap before but the grounding conductor should not be spliced.

I had a similar thing happen. A house that I inspected burned down and the insurance company suspected a furnace in a second story closet was at fault. My client wanted another copy of the report sent to them so they could give it to the insurance company. I reminded the client that the report warned them about the improperly wired and vented furnace and if they did nothing to address it, the insurance company might find them partially at fault. They decided to tell the insurance company that the report was destroyed in the fire and could not be replaced.

I was once pulled into a law suit regarding a room in a basement. The house was listed as a three bedroom home but the third bedroom was in the basement. The buyer wanted someone to buy the house back from them because it was not what it was represented to be. They had other issues besides the third bedroom none of which involed items in the home inspection. They filed suit against the seller, both realtors, both brokers, and myself. In my report I wrote that the window was not the proper size for a bedroom egress and it should not be considered a bedroom. It cost me 2 thousand dollars in legal fees to file a motion to be removed from the suit. I won, but I was still out 2 thousand dollors. That was 6 years ago and the suit still has not been settled. We have a lot of basements in Michigan. It is very common to find illegal bedrooms in them. When I do, I always tell the client in front of the agent that it is improper and dangerous and I tell them the law suit story.

Nitrogen in water is measured is Nitrates or Nitrites. I have never heard of this effecting copper pipes. Nitrates/Nitrites do not effect the pH of water. It can not be seen, smelled, or tasted. Most wells will have some Nitrates/Nitrites in them. The maximum level allowed by the EPA is 10 mg/l. It would be more common in wells near farms or swamps and is caused by decaying organic materials and fertilizers. The most serious health concern is 'blue baby syndrome'

Rob, I saw the same thing in Michigan a few days ago. Same brand furnace. They had installed an induced draft motor some ten feet away from the furnace just before the flue pipe exited the side wall of the garage. It did not look right to right to me but it was an impressive job of installing something wrong. I wish the REZNOR installation manual had been present to see if this was something the manufacture was recommending. How strang to see the same thing 2000 miles apart.

I can not believe that would be legal anywhere. All plumbing fixtures (bathrooms, kitchens, laundry's, utility tubs) must drain to an approved drain which is city sewer or private septic system. If the laundry is draining into an old septic system then you still have two problems. 1, the system is failing, nothing should be coming up to the surface. 2, most cities in my area will not allow you to use this septic system once sewers are available.