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Anybody that knows me, knows I'm a runner.
Not a particularly fast one. Nor very elegant.
But I run. It puts me in my "happy" place, so much so that my wife won't discuss anything important with me until I've run a couple or six miles.
I also hike and occassionally bike. And, in John Ratey's book Spark, I find that I have done more good things for myself than I ever could have imagined. The latest brain science is reporting that not only is exercise good for your body, it's even better for your mind.
Apparently, exercise (pretty much anything cardio from running to Dance Dance Revolution) will reduce stress, sharpen your ability to focus, boost long-term memory and make you happy.
It's a little different than most of the business or motivational books you might read but worth the time.
Now back to our regularly schedule inspection stuff.
A great post by Russel on getting timely info on recalls plus ideas on how to use it for marketing. Long but worth the effort.
Via Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector (Russel Ray, Property Consultant):
 With Halloween behind us but Thanksgiving and Christmas knocking on our doors, it's time for a reminder about recalled products, safety, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Be the most knowledgeable Realtor, home inspector, mortgage lender, etc., in your service area and impress your family, friends, and business associates by knowing about recalls and safety concerns before they hear it on the news. I'll teach you how.
For those who are not familiar with the CPSC, they are the ones charged with protecting the public from lead paint, hazardous toys, unsafe appliances, and the like.
There are literally thousands of recalls and safety concerns that have been released since the Consumer Product Safety Commission began operating in 1973, and they all are listed. I recommend that you subscribe to all CPSC press releases. This will alert you to all recalls and safety concerns in all categories. Simply
Remember that not every recall makes the news or your local paper. But you'll think it is pretty substantial when you or a loved one suffers property damage, personal injury, or death.
Following is a detailed tutorial on how you can check on recalled products for your home and then sign up for the CPSC notices of recalled products. You can get notices before your neighbors hear about them on the nightly news.
First, make a list of your appliances: refrigerator, dishwasher, water heater, range, washer, dryer, etc. Then write down the manufacturer name, the model number, and the serial number. You should already have it for insurance purposes, but if you don't, well, we're getting two things done at once. We're multitasking!
Remember, though, that the very nature of numbers and letters means that numbers or letters might not have been read correctly. For example, the letter “O” and the number “0” can look the same, as can the letter “l” and the number “1.” Also remember to record spaces and dashes and any preprinted letters and numbers. It is possible to conduct research with only partial information, such as the manufacturer’s name and the type of appliance, but further evaluation might be required by a manufacturer’s representative or other specialist familiar with the equipment involved.
Now just follow the steps below.
- Connect your Internet browser to the CPSC web site: http://www.cpsc.gov and then click on “Recalls and Product Safety News.”
- Up pops a new window, “Recalls and Product Safety News,” where you can find recent recalls or recalls by month and year, product type, company, product description, or product category, such as toys, household products, outdoor products, etc. Product type, for example, will show you all the dishwashers.
- Let’s do it. Click on “Product Type.”
- Up pops a screen “Find Recalled Products by Product Type.” Over at the right you’ll see “Optional.”
- Let’s do a search on Kenmore dishwashers since I know there was a recall issued on February 25, 2005. In the “Optional” box, type the first three letters of dishwasher, “dis,” and click on “Simplify search.”
- The left side of the window is refreshed to show you all the product types that include the three letters “dis.” There are six categories shown. Click on “Dishwashers” and then click on “Find.”
- Up pops a window “Results of Your Search.” You should see thirteen lines (as of 11/11/09); the eleventh line is Kenmore (yellow arrow). However, look at the date of the recall: February 15, 1993. Remember in Step #5 that I told you I knew there was a Kenmore recall on February 25, 2005? This is why I don’t use the “Product Type” category. In using the “Product Type” category, you will have to read all twelve of those dishwasher recall documents to make sure you haven’t missed any Kenmore recalls. Kenmore currently is manufactured by Whirlpool corporation, so the fifth line (as of 11/11/09), “Whirlpool Corporation Recall of Dishwashers (February 25, 2005; Revised April 8, 2005)” is the one we want (blue arrow).
- Click on that line, and a new screen pops up, “NEWS from CPSC.” Scroll down and you’ll see that Whirlpool and Kenmore brands are involved. So you can see that if you just rely on headlines, your search could be faulty. Same thing with your local newspaper headlines. It’s important that you know that brand names are not necessarily manufacturer names.
- Let me show you a better way that will give you all the information you need even if you don't know the manufactured. Click on your browser’s “back” button once and then click on "Conduct a New Search."
- Now click on "Back to Recalls Page" at the bottom of your screen.
- Now click on “Find Recalls by:” “Company.”
- Up pops the “Find Recalled Products by Company” page; looks very similar to the screen shot in Step 6.
- Under “Optional”, type the first three letters of Kenmore, “ken,” click on “Simplify Search.”
- The screen is refreshed to show you all the companies that include the three letters “ken” in their names.
- Click on “Kenmore” and then click on “FIND”.
- The screen is refreshed to show “Results of Your Search.” You should see 30 lines (as of 11/11/09) of products that Kenmore has recalled. Note that the headlines show “Kenmore” in only eight of them yet you know that all 30 have the word “Kenmore” somewhere in the text of the recall notice. Therefore, just look for the ones that have “dishwasher” in the headline since you know that our search on “Kenmore,” coupled with “dishwasher” gives you what you want.
- The list is in reverse chronological order, and you'll see that there are only four dishwasher headlines: May 16, 2007; February 25, 2005; May 29, 1996; and February 15, 1993. Now you can check your dishwasher's model and serial numbers to see if it was involved in one of the recalls.
- Now, to complete our task, let’s go back to the CPSC home page. Click on your browser's "back" button once and then click on "Conduct a New Search," just like in Step 9. Then click on "Back to Recalls Page" like we did in Step 10.
- Now click on “Join our recall notification list.”
- Type your email address in the box.
- There are many subscription choices, including subscribing to recalls involving only selected products, e.g., infant/child products, sports and recreation products, outdoor products, household products, and specialty products. I recommend subscribing to “All CPSC press releases, including recalls (list name: releases),” which is the second choice (red arrow). Click on the radio button (yellow arrow) and then click on subscribe (green arrow).
By subscribing to all press releases, you’ll get not only recall notices but great safety information, too. You'll never miss anything, regardless of how insignificant it might seem and regardless of whether or not the recall makes the evening news or the pages of your local newspaper.
- As long as your email address is active, you’ll never miss a recall or safety concern notice, and the nice thing is that the CPSC encourages you to spread their recall notices and safety information far and wide, so you can use them to keep in touch with your prospects and clients, and even use them in your marketing campaigns. What coule be better than FREE marketing materials?
- Lastly, go back and check on your own appliances from that list you made at the very beginning.
If you have any questions about anything, feel free to contact me.
Please feel free to re-blog this to give it as wide a distribution as possible and help save lives and property.
♫♫☼☼♪♪☼☼♫♫
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My friend (and one of the folks that got me singing in the rain in the first place), Lori Cofer, has a post up on Orangeburg Pipe (member's only). She has most of the basics right (good job, Lori!) and I thought I would fill in some history.
Orangeburg Pipe (or bituminious fiber pipe for the code nerds out there) made it's first appearance in the 1860's in Boston where it was used for an experimental water delivery pipe. By all accounts, the experiment was a success and the water service was used until 1927.
The pipe is constructed from a combination of cellulose and asbestos fibers (what a wonderful and versitile material asbestos was!) saturated with a bituminious compound. In place of bituminious, think coal-tar. The joints were made of similar material and did not have any joint sealant.
That lack of sealant makes Orangeburg very susceptible to tree roots. It also doesn't handle pressure well. Sewer lines are gravity lines and here the material found a home in residential construction.
Demand for Orangeburg Pipe grew rapidly in late 1940's through the 1960's. It was cheaper than metal pipes and easier to cut and handle than clay.
The anticipated lifespan is about 50 years. We're at the end of the cycle for this product. It was phased out in the late 60 and early 70's in favor PVC piping.
Since Orangeburg Pipe was used primarily underground, it's particularly difficult to identify. Home inspectors don't dig up sewer lines for verification. All we can work with is educated suspicions and suggest follow up efforts by the plumbers.
The last time I checked with the fire marshal, it was acceptable to abandon old unused oil tanks in place. A permit was required and there are some other considerations:
• The owner may be required, by the lender and buyer, to have the soil beneath the tank tested. Because getting soil samples from underneath an underground tank is difficult, this may cost more than removing the tank.
• The tank must be pumped out and cleaned before it is decommissioned in place. All oil, rinse water, and sludge must be disposed of properly.
• A tank that has been fi lled in place will be difficult to remove at a later date.
Once you have made the decision to abandon in place and have the necessary permits, it's time the tank was filled with an inert, solid material to prevent the tank from:
Shifting in high ground water.
Caving in as it deteriorates.
Filling with vapors.
Inert materials such as sand, gravel, or a weak cement slurry are used to fill tanks.
Each type of fill has advantages and disadvantages. Check them out before deciding which is right for your situation. Semifluid materials, like foam or cement slurry, that are injected into the tank do a better job of filling than sand or gravel. Gravel is usually avoided as the voids provide space for future liquids but is capable of anchoring the tank.
For more info, contact the Whitman County Fire Marshall.
The inspector shall "Report any evidence that indicates the possible presence of an underground storage tank. "
Part of the process with having the inspectors go through a licensing process is that we now have more consistency in the reports that get generated. That quote above right from the new Washington State Standards of Practice for licensed home inspectors.
Tracking these down can be tough though. Underground tanks were often placed by the side of the home and, in the forty or fifty years since they were used, those areas were converted to flower beds or shrubbery.
Normally, I'll look for a vent for the tank or the fill tube - though I had one newer house in Pullman that had a fill tube (it was even marked "Heating Oil" on the cap) with a house that never had an oil furnace.
The other place that needs to be checked is the area around the furnace. Is there an old copper line, probably crimped? If so, where does it go? Through the foundation wall? If it's there, I need to trace it as far as I can. Having an old oil tank isn't a disaster for the transaction (though it doesn't help). Most can be safely de-commissioned.
I don't call for engineering review often with foundation cracks. When I first started inspecting homes, I had several agents complaining about home inspectors (imagine that!) that would over-emphasize concrete cracks. In some cases, the agents were right. One of the advantages of being code-certified (I was a certified Special Inspector in Reinforced Concrete, Pre-Stressed/Post-Tension Concrete, Struct. Masonry, Struct. Steel) is that I had a chance to work alot with the material and do a lot of testing.
So when I do call for engineering review, I rarely get the agent complaining that I'm going overboard. I tell my clients, "I would rather you have the engineer tell you I'm over-reacting than find out in three years the problem has gotten much worse." Everybody (except sellers) is comfortable with this.
So when I see something like the pictures below, no one gets terribly upset. They've been prepped for the next step and know where the process is headed even if we don't know the actual end point. 
I get clients chuckling at the inspection because I have a line in the agreement that states that they will read the report. They think I'm joking.
Then I get a phone call from a client that I did an inspection for in August. He has issues with his furnace. Well, okay.
But I marked it as 40 years old (Lennox G8 - it's a beast but they still die sometime), called out a HUGE gas leak (my detector went off upstairs!) and called a probable cracked heat exchanger. It was marked defective in multiple areas. Recommended a full written evaluation by a HVAC contractor.
I know why he got surprised. I know I shouldn't be.
But sometimes I just want to shriek, "Did you READ the report!?"
End of rant
Neve str pull on Superman's cape.
A couple that were clients of mine when they purchased their home in Pullman had a company install a wood stove in the family room. Since we had some roof leaks initially, they were cautious about putting another hole through their roof and asked me to follow up.
I like to be neighborly (we have time for it out here - you don't even say hello to an acquaintance unless you have 20 minutes to get caught up) so I did a courtesy check for them.
It wasn't any better in the attic. None of the support brackets had been installed nor the clips to attach to the sheathing. It was also in contact with combustible materials.
So I gave my clients the bad news that the contractor had complete goofed it up and suggested that they contact him to get it corrected per the manufacturer's specifications - which he had left with them making it very handy to point out all the things he did wrong.
That appearently didn't go well so the couple contacted the buidling department. The Building Official came for a visit.
The contractor show up on site with him. And then proceeded to argue with the Building Official that installing it correctly wasn't necessary, it was overkill, it didn't really need to be done.
Wish I had been there. Pullman Wa has a good building department and I think that Greg Colvig does a terrific job as the Building Official but he doesn't tolerate a whole lot of stupidity.
My clients apparently enjoyed the show. And their wood stove and roof were fixed, correctly this time.
Sometimes, all it takes is one quick pass through the house and you know you've got a doozy on your hands.
In this house, I made it to the closet in the converted garage. It a bad picture but it was a cramped space. I ended up writing a book just on the stuff in this closet.
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Paul Duffau
Moscow,
ID
More about me…
National Property Inspections in SE Washington
Address: PO Box 95, Asotin, WA, 99402
Office Phone: (866) 556-2218
Cell Phone: (208) 596-1489
Email Me
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