New to the inspection news
posted on May 10, 2008 12:41:15 pm
Hi all from sunny south Florida. New to the inspectors news. Looking forward to the info. William (Bill) Billings Billings Inspection Services Billings Home Inspections

Door Opener Box
posted on May 10, 2008 12:23:19 pm
I wrote this receptacle up as being inappropriate and needing to be replaced. Note the romex is secured to the ceiling but can't be to this type of receptacle. Did I overreact?

mechanical "animals" video
posted on May 10, 2008 12:13:13 pm
Film clips (http://www.cn20070802.p-client.net/film.html)

Puff Puff
posted on May 10, 2008 11:51:18 am
The house I inspected this morning had no water service ($106 water bill unpaid) and no heat. But the guys living there had enough money for this.

Steam generator
posted on May 10, 2008 10:54:48 am
Is this a valid connection for a steam generator tpr discharge line?

Opinions on block wall foundation
posted on May 09, 2008 10:15:09 pm
I found this block wall foundation today on an inspection. I would like some opinions on what is going on. It is right inside the crawlspace opening, and is about 8 feet long to the first vent. The brick veneer is not attached to the block wall, therefore there are no cracks whatsoever in the veneer anywhere. The finish inside the bedroom right above this seperation has no cracks in it at all but the interior wall door will not close, it hits the door frame at the top and there is a 1/8" crack going straight up from the corner of the door frame. A company last summer put in a vapor barrier and new vents through out the crawl space. It looks to me they removed the bottom run of block at each vent area. Any opinions about what is happening would be appreciated.

New to Area
posted on May 09, 2008 09:54:47 pm
Hi Yall, Yep! I am from Texas, but I have relocated to the Denver Metro area. Wow! now I have to start business up here in the Rockies. This business is so different in Colorado than deal with TREC in Texas. Does anyone have any suggestions on getting business going in a new area where I don't know anyone? I love this site. I just discovered it today.

Duct work
posted on May 09, 2008 09:30:17 pm
I'm running across this more often in new construction;duct installed directly into the back of the the plenum box they say this is ok,but I still have a problem with this any ideas???

Discoloration on ceilings
posted on May 09, 2008 08:14:42 pm
I would like a little help on a recent problem. The interior of the clients home has a dark discoloration showing on every truss and drywall nail. It was checked for mold growth (negative) and the attic is well vented with no problems. Heat is Cadet in-wall units which have been cleaned. Any suggestions?

Painted Attic
posted on May 09, 2008 08:00:07 pm
Hey there lads, Was in a house attic which is painted lime green. Everthing, rafters joists, sheathing. The fiberglass batts appear to have been removed to accomplish this, then a 2-3 mill plastic draped over the joists and insulation re-inserted. First thing comes to mind is post fire painting. Never seen an attic like this. Odd thing is too, this is a steep pitched cedar roof on slats that are over top of OSB. Any offers gents? Rick

Hi to you all
posted on May 09, 2008 07:36:43 pm
I am William Layher from Michigan and I would like to say hello to all of you. I have been an inspector for 10 years and I like this site.

Stone Countertops & Radon
posted on May 09, 2008 02:22:29 pm
I caught the tail end of a news report the night before last that was either detailing or hyping the risks of radon posed by stone countertops. Is this something any of y'all have dealt with, or is the local news (Houston, TX) trying to get ratings? Since I live in a low-risk area relative to radon, I've never thought about before. Wish I'd seen the entire report, but I was engaged in serious mental drift about that time. Jeff

The Last Guy In........
posted on May 09, 2008 02:09:23 pm
With all the foreclosures, are any of y'all seeing more accusations that you are causing damage to houses you inspect? I spent most of the day before yesterday in sometimes heated discussion with 2 realtors and 1 homeowner, all who assumed I was responsible for water damage to their master suite caused by a leaking angle stop. I never operate them for obvious reasons. I check behind handles and on stems for leaks, look for corrosion, etc., but never break them over. I clearly state that fact on my report. Nevertheless, in their opinion, I had to be responsible because it happened the day after I inspected the house, and I had to have operated the stop valve because I'd reported the handle of the one next to it as broken and missing. My response to their accusation is that they had da**ed well better have a photo or video of me turning valves if they wanted me to pay for it. Late that afternoon, I received a voice mail from the seller's agent stating that they found out it was the buyer who had operated the valve after I told him that I don't. no apology, mind you, just a statement that I was not the guy who did it. The repair, fortunately, comes out of the repair allowance agreed to in the contract. Another inspector I talk to frequently just got hit up to replace a laminate floor that homeowners said he damaged during an inspection 6 months ago. The dishwasher overflowed during inspection. He told me that less than a gallon of water was spilled, and he spent about 30 minutes cleaning up and making sure the spillage had stopped. After, he reported it to the seller's realtor. The "damage" was reported by another inspector on an inspection conducted 5 days ago -- nobody said a word in between. Last year, I went into 69 houses (out of 483 total inspections) that I was in the year before. This year, 22 out of 130. Conditions in these houses have usually deteriorated significantly by the second inspection. Usually, the previous buyers could afford the purchase, but not ownership of the house. Could it be that given these circumstances, they look to us as a means of affecting repairs they can't afford to do themselves? Something to think about. Jeff

Decorative mantel inset
posted on May 09, 2008 11:12:49 am
Let me first admit... Fireplaces are not my area! With that said, just looking for an educational moment here... This is a fireplace I saw yesterday in a 1926 home. I am recommending a cleaning and rework of the firebrick in the combustion chamber, although it seems to me that there is an inherent flaw in it's design that might make it difficult to vent. Forgive the possibility that I may not get the correct area names but this is the jist... Just above the insert is this decorative mantel inset and when I look up the smoke chamber I see the lintel for the support of the inset and a very small space between the backside of the inset and the smoke shelf. Is there something "wrong" with this set up or am I making more out of this than necessary? (Not that I've really made anything out of it except a question). Thanks in advance.

Condensate drain to sewer vent
posted on May 09, 2008 10:33:29 am
The heat pump condensate drains into a sewer vent. This is a common configuration in this area (although they usually install a p-trap). Am I correct in calling it out as improper. The p-trap will evaporate during heating use, correct? The manufacture (Ruud) info says not to connect to a closed sewer system. Any feedback is appreciated. Chris