Bobby Ryon

Kilt (with no bloomers) and some of those cool knee socks. No wonder there's always snickering around the base of the ladder when entering/exiting the attic.

You guys are taking this to the extreme. Aluminum foil on your windows is all you need.

Chad: Your cousin ended up a little better than this..... When I used to work for one of the local fire departments, we got a call one summer afternoon to a reported house fire. A neighbor saw "thick black smoke" and called 911. Upon arrival, the first unit reported only smoke from the chimney and cancelled the rest of the response. Inside were two teens that heard there was big money in scrap copper. They had stolen several spools of cable from construction sites and were burning the insulation off in the fireplace. I think all they netted out of their operation was restitution and the opportunity to pick up trash along the highway for a few weekends.

Dryer vent exhaust 14 inches from heat pump condensor unit. I think the architect owns an HVAC maintenance company. Download Attachment: DryerVentHPCondensor.jpg 74.53 KB

Please e-mail me a beer and I'm in too.

Donald: The ones I've seen have had brackets with hooks instead of nails. The brackets have a flat surface for nailing to the decking and two nail like hooks sticking out with the ends bent up to hold the shingle through predrilled holes. Almost every asbestos cement shingle roof I see has been damaged by homeowners and other people unfamiliar with the roof walking on the tiles or from fallen tree limbs. As brittle and easily cracked as these tiles are, I'm surprised we don't hear of more people falling off these roofs. btw....All that I have seen have been installed on steeply pitched roofs. If the hips and valleys aren't damaged, they seem to hold up pretty well, despite the moss growth.

It's like tomorrow on "Ground Hog Day". SSDD. I've got one in Air Force engineering school in Gulfport. Another that just became an expert driver when he turned 16 a couple of months ago and one sleeping in her crib. Yep. It's tomorrow and I love it.

Welcome aboard Mark. Glad to have you.

Hey Scott: How did you go about determining whether or not to use IR imaging? Was it specified by your client? And how would you find someone to hire that has IR equipment when you need it? Thanks....Bobby

Like my ol' Pappy used to say "Just fiddle fartin' around". Of course you can alter the weather alert to suit any geographic area. When I received it by email, I didn't know my leg was being pulled until it had been completely dislocated.

With all the news on TV lately about the sub zero weather and snow that the East Coast and upstate NY areas are experiencing, we shouldn't forget that Southern California has its share of devastating weather also. I've attached a photo illustrating the excessive damage caused to a home from a West Coast storm that passed through the Los Angeles area during the last couple of days. It really makes you cherish what you have, and reminds us not to take life for granted!!! Warning: The attached picture is quite graphic and may not be suitable for younger inspectors. Download Attachment: Severe_Storm_Damage.jpg 45.87 KB

Yeah. What Chad said except post a picture of both.

I feel the pain.... A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from a client whom I performed a buyers inspection for last November. In the attic of this 98 year old home, I had noted several open electrical splices made outside covered and secured boxes, etc. The home's electrical system had been upgraded from K&T to a modern 200 amp service when the previous owners moved in. Anyhoo, the client was "just leting me know" that her "electrican" had been in the attic and noticed several "open electrical splices and that the wiring for all the overhead lighting was spliced into the still active K&T". She said she was concerned about the costs of having the wiring redone in the attic since she had told her insurance company of the new 200 amp service. She asked if I knew why the Sellers had lied on their disclosure form and how I could have missed such an obvious problem. I asked if any repairs had been made and when she said no, I made an appointment to come out the next day. When I got there, a handyman guy that had been doing some repairs was there as well. Come to find out, there was no active K&T in the attic, the handyman was the "electrician" who wasn't really an electrician, the buyer's agent hadn't completed an inspection addendum to the contract addressing anything in my original report, I don't think the clients or the agent even read the report. btw....When I asked the handyman for one of his business cards he said "I don't use no cards in by business. I never saw the need." Going into it I was worried that I had missed something obvious and would be lucky to get out of it by refunding the inspection fee and not getting sued. What I found out was that people that don't know what they're talking about can cause some some serious stress and wasted time. I wasted a couple of hours learning this lesson.

Trampoline stores sell them too.

I like to have a blender with me at all times. Really an electric screwdriver is about all you need aside from various battery powered tools like a moisture meter, laser pointer thermometer, gas leak detector, etc.

Hey Ron: I thought I had been missing something all along or had just never run into that type of unit. Thanks....Bobby I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy. (self inflicted positive reinforcement)

Ron: Vapor and liquid lines the same size on heat pumps? About 80% of the HVACs I see are heat pumps and I've never seen lines the same size. Do you have more info? Bobby

Ellen: I didn't do it, I swear. I've only done one inspection for a legislator and it had a sewer connection. The State Representative wanted a place to stay in Tallahassee during committee meetings and session and did not want to stay in a hotel. The place was a real winner if you know what I mean. He must have gotten a really good price! btw....I did not get that letter from FABI but I don't do them anyway. Bobby

Not HI related but I thought this was kind of fun. I'm easily amused. Check on your dialect and see if you might have crossed over to the "other side"! Simply click on the correct answer. As you go, the quiz will automatically interpret each answer to show you what your answer implies about you. When you are done, press Compute My Score. Your score will be calculated as a percentage: 0% is pure Yankee and 100% is pure Dixie. http://www.chuckchamblee.com/dom/fun/ya ... e_quiz.htm

Mark and George: I've seen it too. Both in garages and interior closet based furnaces/water heaters. I don't guess there was a wall in the garage making this a mechanical room?

I always tell people that other than a visual inspection of the areas containing the tank(s) and drainfield(s), I can't really offer them much in the way of a septic system inspection. I don't use any dyes. I have enough problems not damaging people's houses without adding dye into the equation. I do try and locate the tank(s) with a 3/8 inch 4 foot piece of rebar to show the client where it is and I check the tank and drainfield areas last to see if there is any water percolating up after running the dishwasher and plumbing fixtures. If the house has been vacant, I don't expect to find anything. I generally tell the client they should ask the Seller when they last had the tank pumped and if they'd be willing to split the cost of having it pumped again so a septic system contractor can inspect it before closing. If they ask me about a septic inspection when they book the inspection, I'll offer to make arrangements for a septic contractor to be there to pump and inspect the system. I don't charge extra for that but I've heard some HI's do.

Nice pair of valves. You don't hear that everyday.

A lot of the 30+ year old homes here had the medicine cabinet, light and outlet combo vanities in the bathrooms. Not uncommon to see one where the vanity and fixtures have been updated and an extension cord is run from a nearby bedroom or hall to the hairdryer on the counter next to the sink.

I like it Kurt. Your new site has a clean look. You might want to put some different pics up for each type of inspection (SF, 2-4 flat, commercial, etc.). My personal preference is that different fonts and font sizes be used sparingly on websites to give to all the pages a consistent look and feel. The font size on your remodeling page is different than the font size on other pages. You might also consider making your email address at the bottom of your pages a "mailto" link that people can click on to send you an email instead of having to copy, paste or write it down. Bobby

Konrad: You no account so and so......