Dr. Ed was a most intriguing guy! I became acquainted with him way, way back in the early 2000’s when he was introduced to me through a mutual friend. See, at the time, Dr. Ed had become intrigued by the home inspection profession, and I, in return, was considering bringing on another inspector, as things had been ramping up and I could no longer ignore the upward draft of the business.
I called him Dr. Ed, because on his wall hung a doctorate in English Literature from Syracuse University, which he had earned some 30-years prior, although he’d never put to use in a professional manner. He was about 10 years my senior and was fond of saying things like “Those that can’t do, teach!” Truth is, I believe Ed couldn’t imagine a life spent in front of a stuffy classroom and truly just liked to get his hands dirty.
Ed came to me from the Building Performance Industry, after various careers which included that of a house painter, a general remodeler, and a buyer - seller - maintainer of rental properties. One of the first things he told me was “My track record is this; I usually last about 5 years at any job!” True to his word, within 5 years, Ed had made his mark in our humble industry and had moved on to other interests.
When he first came onboard, I didn’t know much about Building Science, which was still a relatively obscure field, at least from my vantage point. Sure, I knew my share of the “whats”, but very few of the “whys” regarding the science orbiting around and within buildings. In my arrogance, I viewed building scientists as kind of like the nerdy weirdos who always sat in the front row of the classroom back in 8th grade. The back rows were reserved for the hoodlums who smelled like cigarettes and liked to punch people, with the middle of the classroom filled with the rest of us knot heads doing our best to survive the punches and puberty.
I was determined to properly train Ed, so I insisted on his accompanying me on 200 inspections before letting him “solo” and he was agreeable to that. While I was rather Building Science-resistant initially, it wasn’t long before I went from being the instructor to becoming the student. I remember one of the earliest “lessons” I got was when we came across an attic with mold on the underside of the sheathing. We were solo on this vacant-house inspection, so we were able to discuss this openly and in detail. I was insistent that the cause was the lack of ventilation in the soffits and ridge. After all, I (chest puffed out) had attended an AirVent® seminar, and according to the instructor, it was all about ventilation! (Yeah, that same instructor who was also pimping AirVent® products). As I would hear Ed say so many times over the next several years, “It’s not that simple. That’s only a small part of the story”
Dr. Ed went on to explain to me in great detail how there were many different factors in play that created the mold, most importantly, the attic floor was poorly “air sealed”. He taught me about and showed me the “thermal bypasses” (a new one on me) and explained how air moving from the house through the attic floor was warming the underside of the sheathing. He then took me down into the basement and pointed out the open partial-crawl space area that was damp and lacked a vapor barrier. He explained “stack effect” and how the natural upward movement of air from the crawl space through the house eventually ended up in the attic. All this resulted in the collection of moisture on the underside of the sheathing, which greatly influenced the mold growth.
It took me a couple of spins around the block, but in time, I came around, as he opened up this whole fascinating world of Building Science to me. And fascinating, it was!! As time moved on, he taught me about air sealing, he taught me about why indoor air quality issues were so prevalent in houses built during America’s “High-water mark of Crappy Construction” (Thanks for that one, Ed!) between the 70’s through the 90’s, and yes, he drilled into my thick skull the principles of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics! How high pressure always moves to low pressure, and how heat always moves towards cold. He taught me that wet always moves to dry. He went into great detail on how important understanding this relatively obscure law was regarding indoor air quality and its related problems.
He also taught me that when sticking to building codes, one needs to realize that they are not “best-practice” or “gold standard” processes and procedures but are the minimum level of legal specs that must be adhered to. In effect, the “flimsiest acceptable way to perform a given task!” In Dr. Eds words, “building a house to code means you have built the worst possible house without getting thrown in jail!” Exaggeration?? Perhaps, but the point stuck.
He insisted we attend Building Science seminars and workshops whenever they were given, and I, on the other hand contended that we make appearances at national home inspection conferences wherever they may be, and Dan Holohan's boiler training programs whenever we were able. Over time, our association became a very strong and positive learning environment where we both thrived. Ed became a solid home inspector and I, in turn, became a Building Science nerd!
As the years moved onward and life took over, Dr. Ed went on his way and he and I drifted apart, over time losing touch. It was a sad day indeed when I heard that he had passed away years later.
Those days of learning with Ed are in the rear-view mirror and will forever be deep-seated and fond memories for me. Our time together transformed me as a home inspector, not to mention a strong purveyor of building science. Rest easy, Dr. Ed. Know, my friend, that your time here was well served.