In-Depth

Pray for a big hailstorm.

I'm happy with my Flir E6

OK, here's the follow up. Mfg rep, builder, roofer all looked at it. All agreed it looked like crap, but the general consensus was it wasn't going to affect the performance of the shingles.

Thanks Les. This is just one of those things that bug me-not being able to give someone a definitive answer. In the end, I told them there was a problem with the roof and punted it to evaluation by a qualified roofer. The house is less than 10 years old, so maybe they can do a warranty claim with the builder-good luck with that! I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

They were the fakey "laminated" shingles-they were the same thickness throughout. I told the client they might get some replacement shingles from the manufacturer, but they would still have to pay for tearoff and installation. Otherwise, they might get 15 years out of them instead of the usual 20-25.

This is the original 3-tab roof on a 2008 built house. My first thought stepping off the ladder was Wow, this roof looks like crap! Extensive premature wear/granule loss and hairline cracking at all sides. My thought is defective shingles. Agree? What do you do about it? The pics don't look as bad as it did in person Click to Enlarge 18.64 KB Click to Enlarge 24.89 KB Click to Enlarge 20.65 KB Click to Enlarge 18.28 KB Click to Enlarge 23.94 KB

Right there is a band name!

I agree-they suck. I guess the definition of tamper-resistant includes plugging stuff in.

I hear ya on the finger jointed junk! I do a lot of work in an area near the Minneapolis airport and in the late 90's/early 00's the airport commission paid for houses to be soundproofed, including new windows. Now, I'm seeing tons of rot at the lower trim and sills of these replacement windows. The sashes are fine, it the sills and lower brickmold that are going. Jim

I like Frog Toggs. Cheap, effective and squish up small. I use them for fishing as well. Frog Toggs

Oh, and when I refer to it as a toy, that's due to the goofy grin on my face when I'm flying it! It's pretty cool!

It's definately tricky in the wind! Yesterday was windy, and I took it out on a frozen lake so I could practice without any obstructions. It was getting blown around pretty good. It self-corrects, but has more trouble holding a steady hover. It also tilts more nose down into the wind, and the camera can't quite point up enough to compensate. Flying it higher helped with the camera angle. I don't think I would bust it out on an inspection if it's windy. There have been some reported fly-aways prior to a software update. I wrote my phone number and "Reward if found" on it with a sharpie. It has a "return to home" feature while flying, and the phone app has a locate feature as well. Both rely on GPS, but you have to calibrate it before flying so it knows where home is and make sure the GPS has satellite lock before flying it. Calibrating it involves flipping a switch back and forth, then rotating the bird until the lights change color. It only takes about a minute. I'm not getting rid of my ladder by any means, this is just another option for when the ladder isn't tall enough, the roof is steep or complex, etc. I still like to see things up close with my own eyes. I attached a lame still photo from yesterday. I'll take a still of my chimney and post it later. It's cold and windy again today. Jim Click to Enlarge 38.63 KB

You are right, but as my confidence in my flying gets better, I should be able to get closer. I didn't feel like climbing up there to retrieve the bird if I got a little too close! This thing uses GPS, so it holds a hover amazingly well! They claim 25 minute flight times, and I've been getting 15 minutes easily in the cold. Jim

Exactly, this is my own house and the roof is steeper than I'm comfortable on. I've always wondered what the top of my chimney looked like, since I see so many bad ones. So far the still images look good, but with the snow it's been hard to get detail. I'm not necessarily expecting to be able to see hail damage or fine details, but we will see.

$1200 Plus another $60 in props learning to fly it!

So i picked up one of these around the 1st of the year and have been practicing my flying skills. Phantom 2 Vision Here is a unedited video I shot the other day: Any shaking and swerving is due to my (lack of) flying skills! This thing is pretty kewl and easy to fly(with a little practice) and stable. I do some big houses and this is another tool in the toybox to get a better look at roofs and chimneys.

Thanks for the replies all. I don't see a lot of this material up here- a couple of times a year, and usually with the copper or brass fittings. Here's my line of thinking- Is it functioning as intended? Yes Is there a potential for problems? Yes This is the not the only material that can have problems due to water quality. After all, copper can be subject to pinhole or other leaks due to poor water quality, so would your recommendation be to replace it? My main question: If it's held up this long, is it less likely to be problematic? Seems like most of the issues with this piping showed up early in its life. Below is a quote from the Inspectapedia website(where most of my knowledge of this issue comes from) "By 2010 it would be uncommon to find problematic plastic piping in buildings as we expect that where leaks were a problem, they have in many if not most installations, been discovered and repaired by now." Another quote from Inspectapedia-"Failure of the actual polybutylene piping also seems relatively uncommon." That's what lead to my comment about replacing the fittings, which are the weak link. Also, I meant replace the accessible fittings, but I did a poor job of saying that. Anyone with any 1st hand knowledge or experience with this stuff continuing to have failure issues?

Did a 1985 townhouse with mainly Pb piping and plastic fittings. No evidence of past or current leakage at the visible piping and fittings, no replaced piping or fittings, no obviously patched walls or ceiling at other areas. Is there a point where this stuff is ok? If it was going to fail, would it have been in the first 5 or 10 years? Obviously I want to let the client know there is a potential for an issue. What do you think of this comment: Marginal- The water supply piping in this home is primarily polybutylene(PB) plastic with plastic fittings. Early generations of this piping were prone to leakage, mostly at the plastic fittings used. While there was no visibly apparent evidence of past or current failure, most of the water supply piping is hidden behind finished walls and ceilings. You should continue to monitor for evidence of water leakage due to failed fittings or piping. The plastic fittings can be replaced with more reliable copper fittings. Consult a qualified plumber for bids. Jim

I'd be interested in 1 or 2 of the 1027. Can you post your contact info? Jim

Here's my comment: Marginal- There is no house wrap/water resistant barrier installed under the vinyl siding. While not a building requirement at the time the house was constructed, installing house wrap is considered best building practice and helps prevent moisture intrusion and air leakage/infiltration. Vinyl siding is not water-proof and is not designed to prevent water intrusion. Water intrusion behind the siding may result in rot and decay of the exterior sheathing, which could lead to moisture intrusion in the wall cavities. I checked under the siding at 3 or 4 accessible areas and no deterioration of the sheathing was visible, but that does not mean there is no deterioration anywhere. Installing house wrap after the fact will require stripping the siding completely and may not be practical. I recommend regular checking of the sheathing condition under the siding near doors and windows, as well as drainage points and areas of roof run-off, as these areas can be the most problematic as far as moisture intrusion. Probably too wordy, but people get the point. I tell them to hope for a hail storm that hits all sides of the house! Jim

Here's a press release the state of minnesota sent out about this. radiant barriers Basically, they are worthless in a northern climate. Jim

I'd be interested in the Tramex. What do you need for it? Jim

Les, you are right but I am what I am Popeye? []

Nope, dog.

The dog was lifting its leg on the A/C. But you probably already knew that. Jim