nookandcranny

Thanks guys I also searched "propane" in the archives and learned a bit as well. A local propane company's # is now in my phone and I'll give them a ring tomorrow to see what piping is acceptable here.

I'm inspecting a home tomorrow that has propane heat. Since this is not typical of my area, I'm looking for some pointers. Other than checking to see if the furnace has a sticker on it saying it's been converted to propane, anything else I should check for? Type of piping?

Hahaha! Bill, you have a spunky wife. I occasionally don't take "no" for an answer either, I just wait until my husband goes to work. Sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

I'm putting all my chips on the accelerator. A mason I know won't work (for his own company) in the winter because the project will look like crap. He WILL work as a mason for another larger company in the winter because his name's not on the doomed-to-look-like-crap project. There's no way to fix it; the salt will keep leaching out.

This is what I wrote in an addendem to the report: I posted this picture and some other pertinent information on an online inspector’s forum for some other eyes to look at it. The consensus is it is probably an old manual sewage backflow valve. It's probably not functional, and it likely means the sewer backs up (which seems to happen in that part of Amherst when the soil is very soggy). The recommendation is to have a plumber scope the sewer to determine its condition, and then have the plumber advise them on leaving it or removing it. You may want to have it replaced with an updated backflow valve that operates automatically. It would also eliminate the valve stem, replacing it with a clean-out cap. You can view the post and see the contributors by using this link: https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... C_ID=13870

Thanks guys! I'll let him know!

Do you have any suggestions as to what I should say to the client about it? Other than noting its presence (and it happens to be a bit of a trip hazard), I don't know if I should tell him to operate it in the event of backflow.

This is in the basement bathroom of a house built in 1964. Is it a valve shut-off or something? The top, although it has a hex nut on it, has a square stem. It's in a corner, about 2 feet from the foundation wall in one direction, and 4 feet from the other foundation wall. There is a cleanout in the slab about 4 feet away, and the standpipe is maybe 7 feet away. The area has a history of plumbing backing up when the soil is saturated (alot of the area is reclaimed wetlands). Has anyone seen this before? Thanks! Julie Click to Enlarge 13.25 KB

I saw this same issue on a house built in 1960 a couple months ago. The sump pit had several inches of mud in it. The drain tiles were actually clay pipe (tiles) and one was broken (large piece missing). I said I was unable to see how far the damage went, but recommended a qualified person evaluate the damage. My thinking is whenever soil around a structure is being removed, there is a risk of movement, whether the soil is being removed from under the footer or from the side of it. There were foundation cracks visible as well.

Heck no! Chad, you're crazy!

No ANSI number anywhere? Sometimes it's on another plate with the temperature rise info on it.

Hahahaha!

Goodman was one of the brands I distinctly chose to NOT buy; another was Carrier. Sears furnaces are made by Carrier.

I like my Amana, but I've heard a few guys bashing them here, although I don't know why. Honestly, I googled different manufacturers and ruled out the ones that had nasty comments and lawsuits pending against them.

I honestly think that the first time I get shocked will be my last inspection. With all the crazy homeowner wiring I've seen, I think I'll pick up some gloves for my own piece of mind.

I am amazed that more DIYers don't get fried doing "creative" things in their electrical panel.

I took some classes at a community college held in a classroom below such a lab. The crap in the pipes was green! It was kinda creepy to see mazes of it above your head...

Whoa! Future-man! Mike's asking questions in Dec. 2011!

In order to do your scented oil test, you'd have to make sure that no other appliances needing combustion air from inside the home kick on during your test. I'd be less likely to suspect the radon mitigation system because it's pulling air from under the slab, and more likely to suspect the HWT or furnace either creating negative pressure in the basement and sucking from the ash dump, or pulling smoke down their flues.

I think most home inspectors could easily be diagnosed with OCD. Who else goes around LOOKing for problems in someone else's house, turning on EVERY faucet, opening EVERY window... Yeah, we're pretty much nuthouse material.

Alarmist? Nah, you told them that this problem can be easily addressed by someone licensed to do it. Maybe I have a different definition of alarmist: Run away! Run far away! There's no hope for this building; it should be razed. Oh, and by the way, this neighborhood is terrible!

Yeah, I'm a girl, or at least last I checked. I did think of one thing: "tar and gravel" roofing. And that's actually tar, not mastic, right? Anything else?

Absolutely nothing? Ok, so aside from slopped-on tar being a beacon for home inspectors that screams "homeowner fix", I'm wracking my brain trying to think of what a bucket of tar could possibly be used for. Any ideas?

I'm wiping tears from my eyes right now; Mike, your proctologist comment had me laughing so hard I was crying.

After posting this, I checked out the tools advertised on here and was coming to the same conclusion.... I contacted them 2 weeks ago to see if I could still send it back and noone got back to me. Time to try it again.