Mike Lamb

Check out The Brick Industry for excellent notes on brick walls and their detailing. Your local code may also spell out flashing details pretty clearly. While weeps are important and often neglected at lintels, with what you are describing, I'd go along with Kurt and assume improper flashing is the big problem here. Weeps and flashing are not the same thimg. You might need a pro to carefully remove some bricks to see what's causing the mess. If the flashing is goofed or missing, I would hold the builder responsible. http://www.gobrick.com/html/frmset_thnt.htm

You'll have to explain that better to me. Sounds like communism. Anyway, some people are just better at some things than others and I don't believe you can or should dumb down the things you are more proficient at. Communism? I don't get it. Equally proficient in all areas: I think we do a disservice to folks if we do what's been described here on the water heaters and then simply fire the furnace, look at the flames, and call 'er good. If you're going to examine one thing exhaustively, why wouldn't you apply that same ethic to everything else? And just having a better comfort level or knowledge in one area over another isn't a good reason. I don't know. . . maybe a judge and jury would agree with that also. Some of the EW's might chime in on that. I see your point but I think you are considering this from the perspective of an EW and not from an inspector like me who is out there doing the flawed and uneven best I can for my client at a given space and time. Sometimes I go overboard. Sometimes I only meet the minimum required. Maybe an HI had a complaint about an element failure in a water heater and he or she just doesn’t want that complaint again. So they over compensate as they see fit. Will this same inspector amprobe all the heating elements of an electric furnace? Probably not. Will they examine every electrical outlet in the house? I hope not. An example for me is some years back I had a complaint about window defects. I now open and close, and look carefully at every window in the house as long as I can do it without a mess. Some houses have 40 windows or more but I still check each one carefully. I once inspected a house that boasted 99 windows. I know I didn’t look at all of them but came close. I do not want a complaint ever again about windows. I’m sure many would consider this excessive but I really don’t care. "Equally proficient in all areas: I think we do a disservice to folks if we do what's been described here on the water heaters and then simply fire the furnace, look at the flames, and call 'er good. " Sounds like a,“dumb down,â€

You'll have to explain that better to me. Sounds like communism. Anyway, some people are just better at some things than others and I don't believe you can or should dumb down the things you are more proficient at.

Early 60's. Great furnace with those pain in the ass hammock filters.

Travismoshier, Did you take pictures of the exterior of the chimney? Was it experiencing problems? Brick and mortar failure? Efflorescence? Did this serve a fireplace? How about vent problems near the furnace or water heater? Staining at the vent sleeves, etc.? How did the chimney look in the attic? Was the furnace newly installed? Was the the chimney newly pointed or repaired? Chad, the chimney flue in your photo had some exterior problems? Or was it a newer construction?

I consider higher ridge, roof pitch, roof volume and what's flashed down under to determine which valley gets cuts second or first. So it's alot of surmising for me. I would not bitch about the valley cuts in the photo without a wet reason.

I don't believe that is true. Can you name one. A reference?

I guess you are looking for disclaimers. I don't have them for chimneys or heat exchangers. I've always felt that if I can't see it, I can't see it, and that would be enough protection from liability. I may be wrong. You say you don't want them in every report but only when they apply. I suppose that would be when there is a chimney or a heat exchanger, right? Anyway, I have a disclaimer for fireplaces and it goes like this: Æ’Ã Your home inspector does NOT light fires of any kind. The seller or their agents should demonstrate the operability of fireplaces. It is also recommended that a licensed chimney sweep perform an NFPA Level II inspection which may require fishing a camera up the chimney to see what the condition of the liner is. This is beyond what your inspector does. While I disclaim this for fireplaces, if I understand the NFPA correctly, ALL chimneys should have a Level II inspection when a property changes hands and not just fireplace chimneys.

I don't think it's in the IRC and I don't ever remember seeing anything or anyone "requiring," it. However, I also recommend veg be cut away from the house. 12" minimum sounds good to me. Vegetation will trap moisture against the house and trapped moisture is always bad. Siding can be damaged, moisture can migrate into the house from this source, etc. This paper about home moisture problems from Oregon State University may be a credible source for your recommendation: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo ... ec1437.pdf Under, "Symptoms and solutions for home moisture problems" is Blocked exterior circulation. The solution calls for cutting vegetation away from the house. Check out pages 3 and 6.

From Amerivent Installation & Assembly Instructions: 2. AmeriVent Gas Vent is suitable for installation inside or outside. However,the sizing tables in NFPA 54 are for vents not exposed to the outdoors below the roof line. Outside vents could reduce venting action; therefore, such installations are not recommended. In the event outside venting is necessary, vents should be sized as close to maximum capacity as possible. Whenever possible, outside vents should be enclosed inside a chase that maintains the minimum one (1) inch clearance to combustibles. Appliances served by an outside vent must have an adequate air supply to balance inside and outside air pressure to reduce the possibility of reverse venting action. I'm sure outside temps would have a lot to do with this.

I like Joe's. It says what's wrong with the power to the door opener, AND what's wrong with using extension cords for anything but temporary use as well. In very few words.

Image Insert: 65.76 KB You ever try to show a kid how a rotary phone works? Talk about a look of sheer incredulous astonishment. "It took that long to dial a number? You're kidding me, right?" The horror. How about those big, mean-ass tongs the ice man would use to carry that honkin block of ice to the kitchen ice box? Hate to get those around your skull. I've personally only heard about such things from my great, great grandpa and Mike O.

It does not have to be underground. And if it's pitched OK, why would it freeze? Anyway, it looks OK to me. Yes, it's ugly.

Ledgers should be outlawed as a primary support. Code should call for column and beam support within 2' of the building to which the deck is attached.

Are all Zinsco panels and circuit breakers under suspicion of failure? This 1969 Zinsco panel had breakers labeled UND LAB INC. if I read correctly. Image Insert: 52.73 KB Image Insert: 64.35 KB

I see homes and say, "God, why can't I live like this? Where do they get the money?," and I see homes where I say, "God, I'm glad I have what I have."

Tiger Brand is in PA. http://www.tigerbrandjackpost.com/ I have called them before and they were very nice and helpful. That post in your picture can probably carry over 14,000 lbs.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/150501 from 8/11/08

Thresholds never require caulk; they require pan flashings. OT - OF!!! M. Besides the sill flashing, applying a sealant (caulk) is also needed.

Where can you go (on-line?) to determine if a house is on an underground stream? I have had people tell me that they have an underground stream that runs through their yard but I have never thought to ask how they would know such a thing. I have also suspected high water beneath particular homes where the surrounding homes are not affected.

Edison and the Electric Chair: Under pressure of the limitations of DC curent, and in an attempt to discredit George (Tesla) Westinghouse’s AC system as unsafe, Thomas Edison (prompted by the U.S. govt.) researched AC current as a great way to kill someone, and encouraged Westinghouse and his AC system to create the electric chair. He thought this would be bad p.r. for G.W. and scare the public from AC. It did not. It is the mark of our best American inventors to also be great capitalists, i.e., squash the competition. Thomas Edison is an American. http://inventors.about.com/od/hstartinv ... _Chair.htm

Bridgeport, so there is alot to choose from. The house was empty.

You can try these sites. http://www.duravent.com/docs/instruct/shbook.pdf http://www.americanmetalproducts.com/ve ... ctions.pdf

I inspected a home yesterday where every double-hung window had a quarter (25 cents) on top of the sash. Sounds like a superstition. Any ideas? I know some Catholics bury a St. Joseph statue in the back yard upside down to help sell their homes.

Around here these are usually added to combat all-gravity drains and their sewer back-ups. The overhead system can be done in a basement like the diagram below or outside in the yard. The few I have seen outside had real heavy steel lids over the pits that I could get off with a pry bar. Download Attachment: Overhead Sewer Illustration.doc 467.97 KB