Yipeee, Nicor gas came out this morning, within an hour after i called. she had her meter reader thing and, no gas leaks anywhere. she ran it all around the range and i even had her stick it right in the oven and hold it there, all readings were, 00. i had the oven on for an hour before she came, she said she doesn't smell gas, she said it's more like a burn off smell. tommmy2007, the servicewoman who just came out from the gas co. said what you said in your reply above, about lighting initially and it doesn't light all at once and some gas goes unburned. i'm soooo happy i finally got this worry over, thanks to all of your great replies, and suggestions. VentaHood will still contact me today and although i may miss his call due to errands that need to be done,(day off), i'll call him back and see if he can teach me to use the exhaust system properly. i may need to put it on full blast before i turn on the oven, or crack that window as suggested. either way, i'll keep you all posted when i speak to him. Thanks a million for everyone's suggestions. Marilyn

Silver Quite interesting reading. I have thought about EX and how he must feel about DD, or any woman that has been in his life. I do understand the conceptual thinking behind the term "limerance". I had a man that I felt that way about once. I never told him, figuring that if he felt anything for me he would approach me. There were a few mixed signals, I thought but he never made an attempt that was something that I knew for sure showed he was interested in me. He had enough chances to do that and he didn't. He thought of me as a friend or sister I guess. Or he would have gone for a little "roll in the hay" if I would have. He even introduced me to a girlfriend that he began dating and ended up getting her pregnant and they later married. Ouch! With EX's past ( if what he has said is true ) he undoubtedly has great fear of rejection. Again, if what he says is true, he wanted my DD to stay with him, build a future with him and he wanted a family with us. There are too many things though that are negatives to the success of their relationship that he is completely out of touch with which makes me think that he has a break with normal thought processes. This is evident with other actions...his extensive lying and his criminal behavior. My DD did not want to marry or have children ( my goodness, she is only 20 ) and he did. Very much in fact. I don't know that she will ever change her mind but he had said that he would rather have had her and no kids than to not have her at all. I don't know that it would have been something he could have easily lived with though. The age difference is something that was too vast....11 years...when dealing with her age group. Had they met when she was in her 30's or 40's or older then it would not have been as big a deal. I am sorry for him when it comes to honest, heartfelt feelings that he might have had for my DD. The fact that he could install such fear ( and continues to do so ) and the fact that he has told so many lies negates all of that though. It sucks to be rejected. Our family histories have a lot to do with whether or not we can process the rejection in a healthy way. Most of us have been and some of us have stepped over a line while dealing with it that we cringe at after having healed a bit. It is important to teach our kids that when they deal with peers or a romantic interest people have a right to reject them. In the long run it is for the best. I don't know how much EX has control over when it comes to his emotions about the breakup. I am sorry that I can't talk to him. It just can't happen. I want him to get help and to go onto have a happy life. More importantly though I want him to leave my DD alone and let her move on. Thanks for the thread and the link Silversword.

Knee jerk reaction...absolutely tell the buyers...however, exactly how will you prove such if he denies it? IÂm curiousÂwhy wasnÂt the buyer present for the inspection? If they had been, he may have been more thorough...if not (which is most likely) they would probably at least have had a clue... Where did they get this guy? To add some fuel to the fire, although thermal imaging is a hot new toy for HI's...there are no established standards yet that have been set by which to measure their "assessment"...so, it can be a dangerous new toy indeed....couple this with the fact that many who utilize such have limited if any training...and the findings are usually worthless...in terms of missing something...or in incorrectly identifying an image. I would therefore require info on his certification, training and documented experience in correctly using thermal imaging before I would think about considering remediating any problem that he might claim the camera identified. Does your state regulate HI's? If so, you may want to take a look to see the regs... In addition, if your buyers ask for anything to be fixed or for any credit, without an independent finding that the problem does exist, I would refuse....then you might be asked why...and you can then explain. Of course,also your service techs findings should be able to bolster your claim of the HI's inadequate performance. Last but not least, most home warranties are not worth the paper they are written upon....and, a professional HI inspection is not about aesthetics... It sounds as if this HI was the bargain basement variety... If you do move forward with these buyers, I would tell them of your concerns, and require that they get a different HI to inspect for purchase...one who they have at least reference checked. In addition, they should make it their business to be present for the inspectionÂso if HI#2 doesnÂt run the waterÂbut then pretends that he didÂthey would know. This HI epitomizes the practice of "drive-by" inspectionÂPerhaps he thinks that his thermal imaging camera will wow everyone so much they wonÂt notice that he does not do his jobÂ...

Thanks everyone for your opinions and questions. This post is LONG, but if I can help someone out there learn from my very expensive lessons, it's worth the read. If you are in the market to buy a home, please read this. Below are my answers to some of the comments to the original post: Ikplatow: My quote just came in the mail today for the double wall insulated liner - cost: $2,214.61. It includes the liner, storm collar, and rain cap. The quote for the woodstove insert installation & bringing that chimney up to code to for the woodstove is: $1,719.68. (Again, this does NOT include a woodstove). These quotes seem way off from your costs. I'm going to have another chimney company come in and give me another quote. Logic: This inspector was recommended to me by my buyer's agent. She has used him in the past, and really trusted him. She also said that he is part of the ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) and since RI doesn't require a license to be a HI, being part of that organization was a bonus. So, I went with him. I didn't check his references. I should have, but I trusted he was responsible. As far as the report, it's a boiler plate report. VERY general. The only recommendation that was worth anything was getting the upstairs bathroom tub drainage pipe realigned, since it wasn't positioned down, and drainage was painfully slow in the tub. Funny thing is, when this was brought up to the Seller as a negotiation point, he said he'd take care of the problem himself. Well, after a few days, and messing around with it, my realtor informed me he changed his mind, and for me to go ahead with getting a plumbing professional quote. He probably saw all the work that needed to be done, or had someone look at it and told him it was a wreck, and decided to leave it alone. Except for the massive amounts of caulking he put down the drain (still don't know why) to help remedy the problem. I had a friend of the family - a plumber - come over and give me a quote on the work - not including having to rip out the ceiling below to access the pipe. He quoted me $1000, and then charged me $1400. And the job didn't include having the entire foyer ceiling, under the bathroom and which included 3 layers of drywall and blueboard over horsehair stuff) ripped out and a new ceiling put in with plaster. The hallway walls had to be stripped of their wallpaper due to the mold. The entire project cost me $5500. To make matters worse, the friend-of-the-family plumber (who is also part owner of this plumbing company) sent another plumber (young kid) out to fix the drainage pipe, and the tech found 12 microleaks in the copper plumbing. He had to rip all that out. I specifically asked him to replace it with PVC. I wasn't home at the time when the kid did the work, and the kid did the work with copper. When I called the company to ask why, he said he only had copper in the truck, no PVC pipe, and that copper was better than PVC anyways, etc. etc. Being the ignorant person I was about these things, I let it go. It's been about 4 weeks and I'm mysteriously having blue stains in my tub, my sink, and my dishes from the dishwasher end up with a mineral crust on them. I called the RI Dept. of Health department that deals with well water, and asked if there were any changes in my neck of the woods, and also described the problem I was having. The official told me that the problem sounded like the new copper pipes were leaching copper into the water since my water is on slightly on the acidic side. I was baffled by this since alot of people have copper pipes and don't have this problem. He stated that the older copper pipes gather a natural "coating" over time that prevents that from happening, but if you have naturally acidic water, it will corrode the new copper pipes faster. I've tried to call my plumber friend about this ordeal several times, written 5 (friendly) emails, and this friend-of-the-family has not returned my emails or phone calls. So, upon the recommendation of friends, I'm going to call and write him one more time telling him I'm having a water quality test done, including that for copper. My water quality test that I had preformed prior to closing on the house came back great...it was slightly on the acidic side, but otherwise potable and no high levels of anything. If the water tests (which I'm having done by a certified, independent state-licensed lab) comes back with high levels of copper, I'm submitting this to his company and demanding that I get the copper pipes taken out and the PVC in as I originally asked for. Yes, I understand now that I should have had chimney inspections done, as well as the mold checked. I took what was listed on the Seller's disclosure as not the red flags it should have been. In addition, a few friends of mine who saw the house with me before I bought it, told me that the "odor" was probably due to pet odors, as previously mentioned by my buyer's agent. They said that all I would have to do is get the hardwoods sanded and poly'd and I'd be fine. The first thing I did before I moved in, was - you guessed it - had the hardwoods sanded & poly'd. $1500 later, the moldy, musky smell was still there. The cracked pipe in the kitchen was NOT obscured by anything. It was an empty under-the-cabinet space. I guess he didn't put his flashlight on the pipe to see it. I didn't know that, I assumed - again - that he looked at it. Nope. Same deal with the knob & tube. Not obscured by anything. The first thing my electrician did when he came in my house was say "how the hell did the inspector miss this???". Plus, another tell tale sign that you've got K&T is by the light switches themselves (which I didn't know at the time). The "clicks" of the switches when you turn them on and off require more effort to push and make a clicking noise, unlike the updated ones. My electrician said that's a dead give-away. Even if my inspector didn't see it, could he have not at least informed me of the possibility that the old house had knob-and-tube wiring? I didn't even know what K&T was until my electrician told me. The things I know now that I wish I knew only 4 months ago... As far as speaking with the HI, I have not yet. I will tomorrow. And there is a reason why. I have taken pictures of everything, just to get several opinions to make sure I wasn't biased and for them to see for themselves what the extent of the problems are. I have been keeping my real estate agent who sold me the house up-to-date on everything. I don't think she quite believed me until I had her over today and showed her the house. She was shocked. I sat down with her and showed her the pictures I took, and again, she was shocked and kept shaking her head in disbelief. She agreed that the K&T and the crack in the kitchen pipe should have been caught. Before I called the HI, I just wanted to make sure I was in the correct perspective on all of this, and she confirmed that I was. So, I'll make the call tomorrow and ask him some questions. In the inspection report, as far as liability, it states: "Inspector's Liability for mistakes or omissions in this inspection report is limited to a refund of the fee paid for this inspection and report." So, I'm going to try and get my $750 of the inspection fee back. And no, he did not supply me with a copy of the inspection agreement before the inspection. I didn't know he had to or else I would have asked. Again, I bought this house alone, with no family around to help me work this out, so I didn't know any better at the time. Just to give you an idea of how lacking this Seller (the doctor) was in terms of his house (and living in it with 4 children), neighbors came over after I moved in to introduce themselves, and offered their help. They told me the previous owner was very neglectful of the property, and that several neighbors complained to him about the foul stench from the raw sewage leaking out onto the street from a pipe in his yard. He had a cesspool up until 2 years ago. Well, the neighbors had to ask him 3 times, with the final time threatening to call the Health Department about this, in order for him to do something. At that time, he finally got a septic system in place of the leaky cesspool. That's just one example of many that I've heard. I won't bore you with the rest. Mariend: I'm going to the town hall tomorrow to see what permits (if any) were pulled for this supposed chimney liner that the Seller said was installed in 2001. Thanks for your suggestion about going on he HGTV site. The chimney company that came out seems on the up-and-up. I checked references on them, and also checked their website to see what professional and ethical organizations they belong to. The tech also states that they have to pull a permit on any chimney work they do. So, they are accountable to do the work correctly. As far as the blockage in the furnace flue, my realtor that came over today to see all the problems stated that the oil company who installed it (who she highly recommended to me) most likely saw the problem, reported it to the Seller, and told them they would have to have a chimney liner put in. Given the cost of chimney liners, it leads one to believe the Seller looked the other way, and hoped to sell it before anyone noticed. I feel confident that after today having my real estate agent over to see all these things, all my documentation, pictures, quotes, etc. I can reasonably ask the HI for my fee back. That's the only thing I can do at this point. I've also called the oil company who installed the furnace, to speak with the gentleman who personally installed the furnace. All the other times I've called (before the discovery of this problem) he was happy to call me back, and even came over on a Saturday morning to explain how my steam system worked. He has been servicing this house for 30 years. But, yet, when I left the message about the ductwork on my furnace and how it was blocked up, I haven't heard back from him. I'll try again tomorrow. Well, I've written a book. In the very least, I hope someone reads all of this, and learns from my mistakes. Thank you all again for your help/advice/comments. It is very well appreciated.