Seattle Home Inspector's Blog

     First of all let me state right up front that my understanding of economics and the current melt down would best be described as somewhere between marginal and margarine.  Based on what I hear other people saying about it----I would gather that I am not alone.

     If there is any “consistency” in what I hear it is that EVERYONE has the “right” answer----or at very least everyone else’s answer can not possibly be right----and most seem to be willing to have their own personal “melt-down” in support of their opinions.  This seems to go beyond the typical rhetoric spewed by political parties----that have their own agendas----and seems to touch something much more personal.   It is usually difficult to have a “bigger view” of things when we are talking about things that appear to be robbing our wallets.

     A common thread that seems to run through these opinions is that most people define their view from a position of LOSS----“WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS?”----or, from a position of WAITING----“HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR US TO GET BACK THERE?”

     The other day I did a post  equating the situation to a 6” balloon that had been blown up to be twice as big as it should be.  Regardless of its 12” size it was still “really” just a 6” balloon----and even more vulnerable than a balloon already is.

     To accept that the current economic climate is a “crisis” we must first accept that the place we have fallen from is some place we should strive to get back to.  Perhaps that place was merely an illusion to begin with.  This goes way beyond the idea of “bubble busting.”  It is almost as if we have succumbed to some sort of collective hypnosis that compels us to actually believe we have lost something.  The concept that anything can “burst” seems flawed to me in itself, and in a way seems like a way to justify our feeling sorry for ourselves for our poor choices or "unluckiness."  After all, if something “actually” falls apart, as opposed to returning to some logical paradigm, it is easier to save face in the light of losing millions in “artificial value.”  Kind of like, since we are all in the same boat, we all sink or swim together.  What this type of thinking does not take into account, in my opinion, is that, “WE HAVE ALL ALWAYS BEEN IN THE SAME BOAT ALL ALONG!”

     I have made LOTS of mistakes in my life and have lost everything (Material things) twice----it is only now that everyone else is loosing everything, that I have come to realize that I never had anything to loose to begin with----that all the money that I have never been able to put away, or invest, has also evaporated for everyone else that did put some away or invested it "wisely."  I always knew that I would never be able to retire, and so I made sure that I always loved what I was doing----now it looks like I will have lots of company in non-retirement.   

     As long as we think that what is “valuable” can be totaled up on an Excel spreadsheet, stored in a garage,  worn to the mall, or put our kids through college, we will always be vulnerable to blowing up the balloon past its intended size.  We don’t need a tea-party to throw off the oppressors that are taking everything away, we need a tea-party to celebrate how rich we are----and everyone is invited.

     So you see the real question does not seem to be, “How can we get back to where we were?”

----but more about, “How can we get back to where we are?”

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

     Locked treasure chests--and even long lost ordinary trunks & briefcases----have always fascinated people, and most people would admit to unwarranted curiosity and unrealistic expectations as to what might be inside them. 

     Money is probably the first thing that most people think of. 

     Or perhaps old love letters? 

     Directions to another hidden chest? 

     False teeth? 

     Stuff I never inhaled? 

     A lock from baby's first hair cut?

     The REAL will of Howard Hughes?

     My Luv Bug has such a chest---well not really a chest so much as a tiny metal jewelry box.  If you didn’t know the scale, you might think it was huge----it is actually only about 5” long.

     The problem?-----there was no Key. 

     The other night she asked me if I knew anyone that might be able to make a key for it----a nice Brass Key----like the box & lock.  I said I would give it a try.

     First I had to go buy a piece of 3/8” diameter brass rod----not the kind of thing one can find at the Big Orange Toolbox.  Of course the shortest piece I could find was 36” long (I only needed a two inch piece)-----and I had to drive 15 miles round trip to get it.  So eight dollars and an hour later I am back home and hunkered down in my workshop.

     It is amazing what you can attempt to do with a hacksaw, a pair of vice-grips, a belt sander, and some sand paper----no duct tape in sight.

     The next few pictures will take you sequentially through the steps to the finished key.   

     This is my first try at the basic shape of the key----and where the belt sander comes in.  Unfortunately my first attempt was too short, so I had to make a second one (good thing I had plenty of rod).  The second try looked just like this next picture---except longer.

     Here the "key blank" is starting to look more like what it is supposed to look like.

     Of course every key has to have a hole----how else is it not going to get lost again.

     Now for the sandpaper to get rid of the rough edges.

    The key does fit in the lock---how did that happen?

     With every treasure-chest opening adventure (remember the safe on Titanic?) there comes.......

....the “moment of truth.”

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

     The Shoreline, Washington chapter of the Local Carpenter Ant Union has a brand new headquarters. 

     The union hall sports a shiny metal roof with natural cedar siding----in an all natural setting.  Rooted in the traditions of NW logging, and in conjunction with the local Bird Watchers Society and the Shoreline Arts Council, the structure was designed with many bird houses and galleries throughout.

     What is truly unique about this building is the "look" of having NO windows!  The remarkable, "look-just-like-whatever-siding-you-happen-to-be-using-type-glass" is expected to revolutionize building design----allowing us to have entire cities that look just like forests.

     The day I visited, there were many Carpenters on site busily completing last minute details.  Everyone was getting antsy with the grand opening only days away.

     About all that remained was for the grounds crews to recycle the sawdust piling up around the entrances to the building----kind of a pain in the frass---but all in a days work for the grounds crew, which took their “green mandate” very seriously.

     It’s all just compost anyway.

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

Do you have a Wireless Mouse?    

     I am sure this is one mouse that wishes he was “wireless”---if he can wish at all.  This little guy was probably doing OK roaming around inside this electrical panel until he touched two wires that were on different “poles.”  Mice, like all mammals, are not designed to BE 240 volt appliances and death would have been instantaneous.

     This little guy, in spite of being quite dead, still represents a health safety hazard.  (I am assuming "he" is a “he” because something like 99% of all electricians are guys----and why else would he be in the electric panel?  Women do make mistakes regarding things they are clueless about----can’t believe I thought that out loud, but messing with things electrical seems to be primarily the domain of Mice and Men.)  This particular mouse is a White Footed Deer Mouse, and as such is a known vector for Hantavirus. 

     While instances of Hantavirus are quite rare, these critters and their feces/urine must be handled with a fair amount of respect due to possible health concerns---no matter how remote.

     They are generally considered to be more of a problem in rural areas.  The primary approach to protection from exposure to Hantavirus is geared toward keeping mice out of the house----and out of electrical panels.

      Let’s leave fooling around with electricity to the “stupid”----not the “ignorant.”

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

     What the heck is a Johnson Tee?

     Most people are familiar with the air gap device that is present at the kitchen sink that prevents drainage water from flowing back into the dishwasher (nice thought).  When they are plumbed backwards they make nice little fountains into the sink.

     There is another method of venting the dishwasher that, while a little less common, does the same thing----the “Johnson Tee.”  These things have been around for a long time----at least 1976 when I built my first house.  With this method of venting you won’t find the washer drain connected to the disposal or drain under the kitchen sink the way it would be with the countertop air gap.  It leaves a much cleaner look and doesn’t use up the extra hole in the sink---which can then be used for something else---like a soap dispenser, a hot water tap or a push button vacuum switch for the disposal.

     With the Johnson Tee, the drain and washer connections are all behind the dishwasher and inside the wall cavity. The actual vent portion is at the exterior of the home (although sometimes it might be found on the backsplash).  This is what the assembly looks like inside the wall before the wall finish is installed.  Note near the very bottom of the picture is where the drain from the washer will hook to. 

     At the top is where the Tee portion goes through the wall to the exterior and will have a finish cap installed that looks like the one in this next picture.

     Like the countertop type air gap device, if you see water or foam coming out of the cap it is an indication of problems with the dishwasher drain and a plumber should be called to make repairs.  The biggest problem that the Johnson Tee encounters is that the holes at the exterior get painted over----which prevents proper function----so the holes must be maintained open.  Another thing that is common is that the test caps get left in place and never properly finished. 

     This can be remedied by simply drilling a few small holes in the cap or by cutting the cap off and installing the more decorative type pictured above.

     So make sure your house is wearing its Johnson Tee properly.

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

     HVAC Technicians bug  me.

     Believe me when I say that I wish I could put down my broad brush of criticism----but I can’t---and I have tried. 

     Of course your HVAC service person would never have to be painted with my broad brush.

     It is very common to call for servicing of heating equipment in the context of the home inspection.  I am perpetually amazed at what “servicing” means to these guys.  I have had to become much more “proactive” in specifying exactly what I want included in “servicing”----otherwise things rarely look much different “later” than they did “before.”

     For example, did you know that it is “unusual” for servicing to include checking for carbon monoxide?

     Or that it does not include vacuuming dirt and debris out of the interior of the furnace compartment?

     That it does not include inspection of the interior and exterior of the furnace venting?

     Lets take a typical furnace that has not been serviced for a while and the inspector notices large amounts of white “condensate” all over the vent connectors, inside the furnace compartment and perhaps all over the floor.  The combustion by-products of a gas furnace are made up of slightly acidic moisture.  Under normal furnace operation this particulate is vented to the exterior of the home.  For various reasons it can condense inside the vent and drip out of the pipe connections and back into the furnace or onto the floor---leading to corrosion of furnace components and/or the venting system itself.  Here are a couple of pictures of what this condensate looks like.

     If the HVAC Service Person comes in and services the unit and leaves all of this condensate in place how is anyone coming later going to make any kind of reasonable statements about its presence.  We would be foolish to assume that it means nothing just because there is a sticker on the furnace that states it was serviced yesterday.

     There can be lots of causes of the presence of condensate at furnace components and almost all of them are not good----hence the reason inspectors will call for the furnace to be serviced.

     It just feels really weird to call for servicing when it was just serviced yesterday----or even a month ago.

     The next two vent pipe pictures were taken in the attic.  The vent pipe is for a furnace that had a service record that showed “annual” servicing.  It takes a long time for vent pipes to get to this sorry state----a lot longer than a year. 

    Why wouldn’t checking this pipe---both inside and out---be a routine part of every furnace servicing?

     I have seen bees completely block a vent during the summer when the furnace is not being used and then the furnace does not vent properly when fired up in the fall.

     I am done venting now----so is the furnace.

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

     Is the walkway that leads visitors to your front door “welcoming” or is it a law suit waiting to happen?

     Homeowners love to get “creative” when it comes to making decorative walkways and patios.  What they often forget is to think about the safety of these surfaces.  Combinations of interesting looking materials can result in conditions that could lead to trips and falls----especially when trying to negotiate the walkway in the dark.

     Ones first impression of the walkway in the picture below is, “Wow----that is cool!”  Well at least that is what I thought, when I saw it in the listing photos and couldn’t see the all important details.

     When faced with the task of actually using the walkway, one can imagine it might be better to have no walkway at all. 

     Walkways should be without uneven surfaces----and should not have trip hazards.

     When it comes to creating safe walkways, form should follow function----before entertaining notions more “artsy-fartsy.”

Charles Buell     

Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

     A while back someone made a comment on one of my posts that I could, “turn anything into a blog post.”

     Today’s post is at attempt to test that concept a bit.

   “Coffee Cups.”

    You read that right.

      I want to know if you----like me----have a favorite coffee cup.  Like me, you probably have a lot of coffee cups to choose from in your cupboard, and most of us have one particular cup we choose when you just have to have the right one in those times of “crisis” or when you want the “mood” to be just right.  You have brewed that perfect cup of coffee or tea and there is ONLY one particular cup that is worthy.

    Would you fess-up to it in public, if what I am saying is true?

     Sometimes different occasions call for different cups as well.  For example when I am getting caffeinated on the way to a soccer game I usually pick a “soccer cup.”

     When I am thinking about my grandchildren (and in this case my granddaughter) I like this one:

     But all around, my favorite is this one:

     This is the one that I will actually mourn the day the handle falls off---or worse yet breaks (I would never think of discarding it just because the handle fell off).  The thing that makes this cup special is that I have no clue why it is special----all the others have great reasons---this one just touches something unknown----a reason all its own.

     So what does yours look like?

Charles Buell

      Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, WA

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

     There is a lot of talk about the gazilliontrillion dollars of value that we all have lost since the balloon burst----which translates into things not being worth what they used to be worth.

     I can not help anyone feel any better about this.

     I may be able to offer a point of view that will allow an “opening” for one to deal better with the way things ARE---or at least accept the way things are.

     If I take a nice 6” diameter balloon and blow it up to 6” in diameter, I end up with a nice 6” balloon.  Now let’s take that same balloon and blow it up with a lot of “hot-air” to 12” in diameter.  What I then have is an over-inflated 6” balloon----but nonetheless still a 6” balloon.  Who is responsible for the misperception that it is a 12” balloon?

     I think the same person that now realizes that it is actually just a 6” balloon after all, is the same person that was responsible for the illusion/delusion in the first place.

     If even a regular old fashioned 6” diameter balloon is vulnerable to the pins and needles of life, what are we to think of 12” diameter balloons?  And who put the hydrogen in it anyway?

     POP!

Charles Buell

Seattle Home Inspectors, Charles Buell Inspections Inc, Seattle, Wa

PS:  In other totally unrelated matters:    

     Some things aren’t meant to be any easier than they are.

Click on the Rose to check out:  AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.