Jim Katen

They're using the EMT as the equipment grounding conductor. 

If it's a condensing furnace, the switch should shut that off as well. 

Actually, the place was relatively rodent free (for Portland, which should really be called "the city of rats.") 

I'm certain that urine was not at play here. 

The whole area was very damp. You can see a bloom of green mold at the upper left side of the 1st picture. However, I saw nothing to suggest any other corrosive substances. 

I'm not sure why leakage of current would matter? 

Maybe the mohel was already there and the chimney hasn't had time to heal yet. 

I've never seen this before. The MC cable was secured to a basement wall with some very attractive metallic & velvet wallpaper sandwiched between the two. The cable sheath just dissolved into a white crust. My best guess is that this is the result of galvanic corrosion, where the metal in the wallpaper acted as a cathode to the cable sheath, which acted as an anode. Any other ideas? 

What did you say? 

5 hours ago, John Kogel said:

I have seen similar where a masonry flue liner would seem to be supporting the upper section while the lower section settled. In one case where I knew the owner, we filled the gap with fresh mortar and made sure the liner was intact and tight. Nothing bad happened that time, but the crack was more of a fine line.

For yours, it looks like a repair job for an experienced professional mason.

That would be caused by settlement of the chimney pad, or expansion of the steel liner possibly, not storm related, IMO.

I once owned a house where that happened. The terra cotta liners were supporting the upper section of the chimney. I never patched it, just left it like that. For all I know it's still like that. 

15 hours ago, Ras2049 said:

It's hilarious damn near every house I've been in in the past 20 years that is older than 2000 ish  has a socket fuse generally in the garage I've been a contractor for 25 years do some research and you'll see what they're for and why they are there good luck ....😄

I'm not sure why it's funny (if you've actually read this thread). Why don't you just tell us? 

18 hours ago, plummen said:

High humidity?

We have tons of outdoor panels here in Oregon where there's plenty of high humidity for about half the year. But the only time I see corrosion like this is if the house is near the coast or if there's some kind of contaminant in the air. 

17 hours ago, plummen said:

Why is a dryer connected to a 50a recept to begin with?

Was the inspection sticker actually for the dryer hookup,or was it hacked together after the inspection was done?

Every pre-1978 dryer receptacle in my area is wired with a 40-amp breaker, #8 cable, and a 50-amp range receptacle. (Except for those where they used larger aluminum wire.)  All I can figure is that pre-1978 dryers called for 40 amp breakers. It's standard practice to use a 50-amp receptacle with a 40-amp breaker. 

As a home inspector, when I run across these (at least a few times a week), I recommend swapping out the 40-amp breaker for a 30-amp breaker to comply with the requirements of 21st century dryers, and to swap out the 50-amp receptacle for a 30-amp receptacle, to match the breaker. (I don't generally recommend upgrading to 4 wires unless it looks like it would be really easy to do so.) 

10 hours ago, JJY said:

I did a mold inspection is because mold is found under the bathroom sink and seller says there was a minor leaking issue and claims it was fixed. That's how everything began. They have removed the sink as the treatment. I retest just to ensure mold has been cleaned up since I know nothing about mold. But now the result after treatment is not as dramatically drop as I expect. Inspector says they need to remove the drywall. But the Seller tells me removing drywall won't change anything. So honestly I don't know what kind of result I should see as an evidence of "clean up" if the testing result will be the same. any further suggestion?

It should be easy enough to tell whether or not the sink still leaks. If it doesn't and if the drywall below it *looks* fine and smells fine, then don't worry about it. Stop harassing the poor little Curvularias. Without moisture they won't continue to grow and their spores will eventually dissipate. 

Hi JJY, 

Believe it or not, there are no acceptable or unacceptable levels of any kind of mold in a house. Interpretation of these kinds of measurements is all based on myth, hearsay, & fantasy. 

Unless you're actually experiencing a problem, testing air for mold spores is a pointless waste of time & money. The only ones who benefit from it are the inspector and the mold lab. Within the profession, this is pretty much well known and people like you are seen as patsies.  

Do you see mold? 

Do you smell mold? 

If the answer to these questions is yes, figure out what caused the mold, eliminate the cause, and clean up the mold. (Mold is *always* a symptom of a water problem.) Then have a coke & a smile, and go on with your life. 

If the answer to these questions is no, then forget all about the imaginary mold, have a coke & a smile, and go on with your life.

OK, Aaron. Here's the ladder for you: 

I finally got around to looking, and it has no brand or manufacturer name on it. No country of origin. No model number. Just "Electronic Digital Caliper" and "Carbon Fiber Composite Digital Caliper." I got it from Amazon several years ago just so that I could use it in live electrical panels. I think it cost $8. Interestingly, it's in perfect agreement with my expensive metal Starett calipers - and it's easier to read. Of course, there's some flex in the carbon fiber, so you have to be very gentle when taking readings, but otherwise it's been a great tool. 

Challenge accepted in 36 words: 

Serious concerns include non-viable floor framing, major heating and air conditioning problems, too many roof layers, no crawlspace access, and inadequate attic access.  I can't perform a diligent review without access to these critical areas. 

Lesson learned: Prepositions can be a huge waste of words. 

So what's an overloaded roof cover? 

2 hours ago, Jim Baird said:

The inspection found many major items of serious concern regarding the structural viability of the building floor system, major and unforeseeable problems with restoration of a central heating and air system, extreme roof cover overloads on about half the roof area, coupled with very restricted and/or unavailable access to attic portions, along with a completely inaccessible crawlspace, all conditions together disqualifying the property as the subject of a diligent review by any kind of inspector or contractor.

My reaction: 

It's a little too much for a single sentence. 

I don't know what you mean by "roof overloads." 

Attic portions? 

The last phrase doesn't quite ring true because there's probably "some kind of" inspector or contractor who could perform a diligent review. 

I'd write: 

Items of serious concern include a non-viable flooring system, major problems with the heating and air conditioning system, extreme failures of about half the roof, no access to the crawlspace, and inadequate access to the attic.  I can't perform a diligent review of this property without having access to these critical areas. 

10 hours ago, pbgvdad said:

1.  Several 2”x12”x16’ floor joists under a corner bedroom are showing signs of cracking and the floor is squawking in a 26 year old home.  This seems to have begun or to have accelerated within the past 6 months or so.  There is no sign of basement block wall cracking under the corner bedroom where the cracking joists are located.  There are also no signs of plaster damage to walls or ceiling in the bedroom.  The door from the bedroom to the adjacent bathroom started to hit the bathroom plank tile floor about a year ago.  The only “heavy” load is a dense foam queen size mattress where an elderly 200 lb. person sleeps.  What could be causing the joists to fail?

2.  I want to jack the joists level and sister the worst joist with a 2”x12”x12’ board which will span the support on top of the outer block wall and a basement load bearing wall.  I plan to use a few bolts and adhesive to hold the sister joist in place against the damaged joist, then nail them together before the adhesive dries.  I want to nail from the sister side to help drive the joists together.  However, the original joists are spaced at 16”, so the space between the sister joist and the next joist is only 13”  [16 - (2x 1-1/2)].  Since the framing nail guns I am considering are taller than 13” (more like 13-1/2”), is it acceptable to nail the joists together with the gun slid between the joists so the 3” nails are driven at an angle?  

2x12 joists on 16" centers spanning 16' should not be cracking unless you've got elephants dancing on them. The dragging door is not important here. 

What makes you think that the joists are cracking? Do you have pictures? Do you know what checking is? 

My gut tells me that you're trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist. 

If you drive the nails in at an angle, it will not draw the joists together, but hold them apart. You'd need to clamp them together first, then drive the nails at an angle. Alternatively, google "palm nailer." 

21 hours ago, Slamina said:

Can anyone please tell me how a landlord can get away with not making the essential repairs to my HAVAC system that’s full of the old fiberglass duct board that’s absolutely disgustingly filthy with tons of bacteria filth imbedded in the fiberglass that’s wet extremely moldy and the fiberglass is totally ripped up into small pieces so the fiberglass particles and filth are coming out of every single air conditioner and heat vent in my rented mobile home in Harrison Twsp Michigan. After multiple emails with multiple photos and inspection reports from 3 certified heating/ cooling companies she has emaild me back after every attempt I’ve made to repair these essential issues that she absolutely will not do anything to fix these severely dangerous issues that are making me extremely ill and effecting my ability to breathe to the point I’ve had the fire department paramedics over here 3 times and have spent most of the day in the Er to be diagnosed with a severe bacterial infection in my lungs! She also refuses to send maintenance over to repair the windows that the levers to open them are rusted shut making it impossible for me to open and access fresh air/ventilation! I can’t run my central air conditioning unit that’s written in my lease as a necessity to my health due to a Copd (not from smoking) and my severe allergic asthma to dust mites/mold etc. because if I do it allows the disgusting filthy bacteria filled fiberglass particles into the air and directly into my lungs body and all over my personal belongings including on the food I eat/ water I drink and it’s now effecting tge health and well being of my cats too. I’ve been actively searching for another place to live since the first time she refused to fix these issues that dates back to May of 2020- Now August 21, 2020 . Thank you I appreciate any and all help/ suggestions/advice I can get! 😪🤧🥵🥱😷🤮😫🤬‼️ 

Slamina, 

Here's the problem that everyone else won't tell you: When people read a post like this, they think that you're a crazy person and they tend to dismiss you. I'll bet a dollar that's why you're not getting any traction with the landlord. 

Bottom line, Erby's response was right on the money. If this place is killing you, why are you still there? There have to be other options in your area. A rational person doesn't just sit there and suffer through this stuff, waiting for help from a landlord. 

Good observation, but you can't go by the rule markings in this view. The front section of the digital display has some thickness, so with the camera slightly to the right, there's some parallax error. I zeroed out the digital reading before measuring it. It should be pretty darn accurate. If I were to move the camera to the left, it would show .65 on the rule as well. 

Actually, here's a previous attempt at a photo where the lighting was messed up. The camera is even further to the right and the parallax is slightly greater. 

Is there a provision for make-up air or is the fan just churning? 

Perhaps it's just an Oregon thing, but timers or humidistats have been required on bathroom exhaust fans for a least two code cycles. 

2 hours ago, Tom Breslawski said:

1/4 inch hardware cloth.

For large openings. 

For small openings, stainless steel wool works great. The mice will not chew on it because it makes their fillings hurt. 

From another Eaton panel (the example in Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings is also an Eaton panel) earlier this week. This hole, at .65" is slightly larger than 5/8". 

My guess is that a mouse would have to be pretty darn motivated  to get through this hole.