fire code: Without A Stamp How Do You Know It's FRT Plywood? - 06/12/14 07:22 PM
Without a stamp how do you know it's FRT plywood?
Fire Retardant Treated plywood is required as roof sheathing fire protection between abutting houses - duplex, condo, or townhouse.  It is commonly called "FRT plywood."
You can tell the brand and quality by viewing a stamp.  The stamp needs to be visible, by code.  Each plywood manufacturer has its own stamp.  One manufacturer's stamp is red, so it is hard to miss.
The fire-coded stamp must be present so it is visible from the attic space and can be viewed by the local jurisdictional authority to insure it is FRT and … (9 comments)

fire code: Can Fiberglass Insulation Burn? - 09/18/13 07:31 PM
I know, it's the age-old question:  can fiberglass insulation burn?
Not really, but there is a caution! 
There are many kinds of chimney vents - masonry and metal. 
One particular type is called a "Type B vent."  A Type B vent utilizes two different tubes - an interior tube which carries the heat and a surrounding tube which does not touch the interior tube. 
The separation allows for the dissipation of heat so that what outer ring touches would not get too warm.
It is a safety feature.  This Type B vent is used for gas appliances (furnaces and fireplaces), … (43 comments)

fire code: I Don't Know When The HVAC Duct Code Changed For Garages - 04/30/13 08:00 PM
Sometimes I run across things on a pre-drywall inspection that is new, and it's how I learn that this or that is the new wave.  I don't know when the HVAC duct code changed for garages, but in the past this was not allowed.
All of the ducts passing through the garage were flexible ducts.
I had never seen this before.
In the past they have had to be metal or some fire-rated board material.
Wondering if they were metal encased in insulation and plastic I went to the beginning and they are flexible ducts throughout.

Certainly the area will … (26 comments)

 
Jay Markanich, Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia (Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC)

Jay Markanich

Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Bristow, VA

More about me…

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC

Address: Bristow VA 20136

Office: (703) 330-6388

Mobile: (703) 585-7560

An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.


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