Mike Lamb

I have seen this before. My guess was the walls were not insulated but I never knew if this was true. Cuiously, the ghosting I saw was also on the west side.

I've been going through old HI photos and noodling around with them with photoshop. This is a vent coming from a basement furnace. I took this last summer. It looks like the vent is going through the gutter which would be a hoot, but as I recall, it came up short. Sigh. Click to Enlarge 119.71 KB

I don't walk all roofs but I always bring a fiddle.

I understand. And as always, thanks for your input.

Mike, you can lecture if you want. And that was a humdinger. A lot of words. However, sound is real and it is measurable. I don’t know why you insist that it isn’t. Even the code books consider it real enough to create a standard for testing. It’s not a poltergeist or mold. “Imagined.â€

I also googled and found a story of a man murdering another tenant because of too much noise.

Hi Mike... What applicable building standards are you referring to with regards to noise? I should have mentioned it was new construction so I am extra sensitive about things that are done wrong from the start. The IRC has standards: APPENDIX K SOUND TRANSMISSION SECTION AK101 GENERAL AK 101.1 General. Wall and floor–ceiling assemblies separating dwelling units shall provide airborne sound insulation for walls, and both airborne and impact sound insulation for floor–ceiling assemblies. SECTION AK102 AIRBORNE SOUND AK102.1 General. Airborne sound insulation for wall and floor–ceiling assemblies shall meet a Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of 45 when tested in accordance with ASTM E 90. SECTION AK103 STRUCTURAL-BORNE SOUND AK103.1 General. Floor/ceiling assemblies between dwelling units or between a dwelling unit and a public or service area within a structure shall have an Impact Insulation Class (IIC) rating of not less than 45 when tested in accordance with ASTM E 492. I also believe the IBC and other standards apply.

During a recent condo inspection, there was a loud thumping of foot traffic from the unit above. What are your opinions re: just reporting what was heard (which was excessive IMO) or recommending a field test of sound transmissions, and whether this floor-ceiling meets applicable building standards?

What Kurt said. Rain barrels. It's way better for the plants. At least around here. Just one google: http://www.lid-stormwater.net/raincist_specs.htm

My impression is this particular forum tries to stay professional top to bottom. Some believe that in a trade forum, the information is the the top, and how you say and spell it, is the bottom. I believe those who particpate regularly here know that poorly written sentences will invite those who enjoy handing out bad info. A flies to shit thing. You see, most idiots can't write a decent sentence, although a few idiots can. There are some smart folks who can't write, but they will have a problem in the HI biz. This board stands above all others (plus the forum lay out is very good) for this reason. What you say and how you say it are equally important. Or at least nearly. While this rankles some, it's worth it and that's the way it is at TIJ. Top drawer, all the way. That's just my impression.

Regarding the staples, I'd want to call the manufacturer myself. This document from Certainteed suggests that it's OK. http://www.ctndl.com/resndlsite/PDF/AllForms.pdf

As always, thanks for your thoughts. This is a good place to come to. My report addendum recommended a framing carpenter and/or a structural engineer take a look, and was more forceful than my field report. Anyway, something is wrong and I'm glad I noticed.

Jim, isn't that single wall venting?

No. Never. And not even a smidge of evidence for me that this is a problem. I will call it out because the manufacturer says it's wrong. I will call it out but it is stupid. An incandescent light bulb in a closet is a huge fire hazard. Not plywood touching a b vent. Somebody must know better, I reckon.

I do some explaining throughout my inspection. One thing I may explain is dampers and how they can be used to try to balance the HVAC better.

Call the AHJ and see if the vent needs an enclosure. It probably does. The clearance to combustible thing is pretty clear. Builder's homes are often the absolute worst in following simple building and mechanical standards. I'd keep these references in your library. http://www.americanmetalproducts.com/ve ... ctions.pdf http://www.duravent.com/docs/instruct/shbook.pdf

I know this may not help but.. A long time ago, a friend of mine told me he bought a 2 flat w/ one furnace and all the ducts to the 2nd flat were dummies. Registers with no ducts. Ouch. How could an HI miss this? Well, this scared me and now when I inspect the HVAC I go to every room heat supply (register or radiator) to see if there is something going on or not. I often find no heat to registers or radiators in some rooms. Or cold air returns in bad places like bathrooms and kitchens. And then there is the very poorly designed Hvac systems that you don't discover until you spend a winter with it.

There was no mold. "On that end of the home, is the space wide open? Like the living room and dining room are open to each other. with no shear walls or walls perpendicular to that outside wall that the chimney is on?" Yes. Exactly. What's your theory?

So, what you do is climb up in there and go on your hands and knees over to that area to look things over. Then when you back out you just fluff the stuff back up behind you. It takes almost no extra time; just a little more effort to get off the ladder and make your way over there and back. Maybe the framing crew had a few too many at lunch that day before they raised those walls and the guy working the level or the guy nailing home the temporary brace was a little off his game. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike So, what you do is climb up in there and go on your hands and knees… Thanks for the crawling instructions, Mike. It takes almost no extra time… Just a little more effort… Then when you back out you just fluff the stuff back up behind you… Um, right. I think you are right that the framing crew may have been drunk. Click to View 82.06 KB

It is a ranch. I thought maybe the chimney chase was built crooked but the inside wall matched up out of plumb. The rest of the house framing looked OK. Getting to that side of the attic was critical but there was about 12" of new celulose blown in so I had to look from the hatch which didn't tell me anything. My gut tells me this is no big deal but leaning walls need some explaining and I just couldn't tell if this is going to be a future problem.

This chimney leans out about 1/2" on a 4' level. Not as bad as the photo suggests but still noticeable. The inside wall had the same lean with some minor drywall cracks. I think the wall was built with a lean. 1964. Adjacent areas did not look stressed out. Anyway, I recommended that a qualified framing carpenter take a look and give an opinion. Would a structural engineer been more appropriate? Click to View 45.14 KB

Not only does, UNWORKMANLIKE, look like the name of a town in Russia, it's also way too many syllables. 3 syllables should be the limit in HI reports and used rarely.

My Dad used to describe crappy work as, "done by a shoe maker."

"Bad workmanship," is better than any of those descriptions. "Amatuer," and "Unconventional," don't describe bad workmanship at all. "Bootleg," to me, means stolen. "Jackleg," might be regional. It's not common to me. I don't think we need to go beyond, "Poor or bad workmanship." I use, "Substandard," a lot or if it's really bad, "Dangerous."

Call the b vent manufacturer with your question. I've never heard "c" vent before. Is the single walled vent in your photo pointed in the right direction? NO. If you had to ask this, I'd say you shouldn't be doing the installation. NOTE: Do not use sheet metal screws at the lock joints of AmeriVent Model E, R, and O Gas Vents. The use of screws is permissible only where mentioned in the installation instructions.