Charlie R

You may be able to drive solid blocking between the rafters to straighten them out, doesn't always work, but sometimes you get lucky. The blocking would then keep them from rotating if you can get the blocking in place.

Is that a GEC coming off the bottom of the grounding bar that is attached to the backside of the panel? I believe I see a thicker copper line at that location.

"Just remember you must include them at present on the inspection report." That is a good idea but why do you say "must" include? Is this something that is required by your inspection standards? And no, I do not charge for any ride alongs, but I don't take anyone, only people that i think are serious about getting into the profession.

Call around to all the other home inspectors, go to organization meetings if possible, you are looking for a successful inspector who is thinking of getting out of the business in a year or so. Ask him if you can ride along and sit on his shoulder during a few inspections, meet people, but do all this with the idea that you will pay him for his company name, phone number, and website when he does retire. If you are lucky, you will meet up with someone who will agree to that and also send you their overflow and that can get you started. Your reputation for doing a good job will get you more work than anything else, so ask people to rate you on whatever website they can rate you on - Angies List, Yadzooks, Yelp, Google pages, etc. Good luck, it is tough to get started.

Look at using a foil covering product such as "Tempshield BB-STD107 Double Bubble Foil Reflective Insulation" over the unfaced insulation.

I believe you may be getting water behind the siding at some point further up on the wall, possibly even at the roof line, and the stain is where the water is exiting to the outside of the siding. If you can get in the attic, look for any signs of a roof leak at that gable end, possibly water streaks down the inside of the gable wall, etc. Water may be getting in at the side of the top or side of the window and spreading out as it runs down the wall. At the bottom edge of the last piece of siding under that stain is there any additional staining on the foundation wall? I assume you have looked for any water damage on the interior wall, especially over the window.

All of the surge protectors I have seen are to be installed on a separate double pole breaker by the manufacture's installation instructions. I am not saying that all are like that, just all that I have seen.

I have been using a Samsung for years, and am thinking of getting something newer. What is it you really like about the Google phone? TIA

I have had the Surface 4 w/4 for about a year, no issues at all, runs everything fine, no battery issues, lasts about 5 hours off the charger.

I carry both E&O and GL, 1 mil is what contractors ask for to do pre-drywall here.

A photo of my ladder anti-slide for decks. It doubles for testing garage door anti-entrapment. Only time I fell was getting down and the ladder feet slipped back on the deck, dropped me one story to the deck and cracked a vertebra in my back. Not fun. Click to Enlarge 37.17 KB

Could you stick your digital camera down in the duct to get any pictures? I did one once like that because of cooler air flow and found standing water in the duct. Recommended they get someone in with a sewer line camera to look and sure enough, the ducts were broken open. Also, that is a great way fro radon to get in a slab home.

There should be a water supply line to the heat coil and a water return line. Usually, both of those lines have cut-off valves to stop the water flow to the heat coil. Make sure both are turned off, that way no heated water is going anywhere but to domestic use. Obviously, when you want heat, you need to turn them back on. There is a small pump on the fan coil unit and the unit may be circulating heated water even when the A/C coil is being used, and the two systems can be fighting each other.

Over the top, using a LG Revolution, clamped to gutter.

NOTE: This topic is split from "Member Intro" forum - Moderator Welcome to the profession and the forum, stay safe.

I agree with Bill, my home was built in 1969 with copper supply and drains, and I have about half the joints looking like your photo.

Yes, it is could be an answer depending on your electric supply, or if the gas unit is that old, you could also replace it with a tankless gas unit that would have a separate exhaust. https://rinnai.us/tankless-water-heater

Or get an electric water heater

My point is that "we" cannot improve our profession on the whole, we can only improve ourselves and help other inspectors who want to be better. Are there poor home inspectors in Louisiana? How will you make all of them be better home inspectors?

Echoing Scott P, tell them you want your money back on the one you paid for. You are in Illinois, correct? You can file a complaint. Won't help you but will cause them some heart burn. I hear about poor home inspections all the time and it is this type of thing that makes States go to licensing. With licensing, more regulation will come, but slowly. We, the profession, just do not have the ability to raise the bar, although many of us wish we could, and this is what allows government to come in and set the standards. We say "well, market pressure and bad reputations will take care of the bad inspectors" but the bad inspections that they do before they go out of business will justify government oversight. Heck, we can't even agree, as a profession, to run all the dang dishwashers so how can we make the entire profession any better? All we can do is help the inspectors who ask for help, try to improve ourselves each day.

From what I can see, I would like to have the furnace running for a few minutes, the water heater not, and see if I am getting any back-draft at the water heater hood. Certainly looks like a possibility. Any soot at the hood, or other discoloration, or rusting?

I have been with the InspectorPro program (Citadel Insurance Services, LC) for more than a few years, rate keeps going down as the years go by. I'm happy.

I had a client call me once, she had settled on the home, got her home owners insurance. Then she got a letter stating that their "inspector" had come out and observed that all the roof shingles were curled, she need to get a new roof. She's mad at me. So I go the report file, pull all the photos I took up on the roof (roof was about five years old), shows every shingle on the roof, all are fine. I wrote a letter for her to send to the insurance company, with the photos, asking them to have their "inspector" mark the photos as to where the shingles were curled. Two weeks later she gets a thank you letter from the insurance for "taking care of the roof problem so promptly."

Don't walk away, run.

Really? No footer under the foundation wall? If I thought that, then I would write it up to have someone determine if there is a footer or not since it is an assumption there is no footer. Verify first, then repair if needed.