So, what is this particular defect I found during this home inspection? It is an extremely silly defect, that could lead to thousands of dollars in repairs down the road. Take a look at the image below and see if you can figure out what happened here. It is quite obvious, in most peoples' minds. So, with all the evidence left behind at the scene of the crime, we should be able to make a fairly sound judgement here. Exhibit A: We have a grate from a grill laying against the building. Now why would one of these be laying around, unless, well, unless there used to be a grill in this location? We are getting close to solving the mystery here. Exhibit B: Notice the gas piping coming out of the wall. The only reason to have one of these coming out of the wall, in my opinion, would be to service a gas grill. We are almost there. Exhibit C: Obviously the melted siding is evidence of some type of damage, and by the other evidence, we can make the connection, that this damage was more than likely caused by a gas grill in the area. In my opinion, mystery solved. Now we just need to see how extensive the damage really is. Now, having an area to do your grilling is really nice, and one of the things that homeowners enjoy doing. However, this should be done in area that will not cause damage to the home, or pose a safety threat to the occupants. Keep your grill an adequate distance from the home, to prevent heat transfer, and avoid damage like we have in the photo above. There are also indirect damage factors to take into account with this situation. The siding has obviously been damaged. Is it now functioning as it was originally intended? In all honesty, probably not. This area is now prone to water damage, insect infestation, and other possible damage. Just imagine a hard driving rain slamming up against that wall. Do you think the damaged area will totally prevent water from intrusion? Yes, most vinyl siding is designed to let some water in and exit through the weep holes, but this may actually hold water in once it has entered. Now if the water remains in there, we could see other damage surface months down the road. Lets take a look at what some side effects of this situation could possibly be. Say we do get water intrusion into this wall of the home. Now, since the wall is not functioning properly, water ends up pooling in this area of the wall. This will most likely lead to insulation damage, at a minimum. Once the insulation is completely saturated, we could see damage to studs and framing members in this section of the wall. Visible drywall damage may also be noticed if the situation is not remedied soon enough. Another factor to consider is the moisture in this area can quickly turn to mold. This mold will remain in the wall cavity and grow on the framing members, the insulation, and the drywall in this area. If left uncontrolled, this mold can spread, working its way throughout this area and can cause very severe damage to the structural integrity of this home. My best advice to home owners, when you fire up the grill, make sure it is a safe distance from the home to avoid a hazardous situation. If you want to store your grill right next to your home, let it cool down before storing it. Your grill remains quite hot, for quite a while after you are done using it. Even without a flame present, the coals are still emitting heat and can cause damage to your home.
My wife and I would like to let everyone know that our first child, a son, was born this past Monday. He is very, happy, healthy, and strong. We cannot express the deep happiness and love that we feel for our child. We would like to thank everyone that has sent us well wishes, and have been supporting us on our way to this point. Thank you all very much, and we will keep everyone posted, and hopefully we get at least one picture of him on here soon. It has just been a very busy few days, as I am sure most of you know from having experienced this for yourselves.
Thank you all, and welcome to the world my son!!
These few small items can drastically reduce the heating costs, as well as cooling, associated with your home. The key is to reduce air leakage from the envelope of the home. By reducing the amount of air leakage, you are holding in the warm air longer, thus reducing the need for your furnace to have to heat the air in your home as often. Obviously, if the furnace is not running as often, the cost to heat your home will be less.
Below are five simple items that you can due to reduce your energy costs associated with your home. In addition to these items, having a complete home inspection performed will help you recognized deficiencies in your home. By doing this you can make a game plan to better insulate your home, or make repairs that will save you money on energy costs in the future.
How long do you spend in the shower? Do you get in there, do your business, and hop out? Or, are you the type to get in their, let the warm water relax you, and just generally hang out in there? We are all different, so our habits are bound to be different as well.
I was recently asked during a home inspection why I had the shower running in the bathroom while I was inspecting the kitchen. This is a practice I have gotten into while performing every home inspection. Not so when I first started out. But you tend to learn things as you progress, and this is one item I have learned from my fellow home inspectors.
Think about it, most home inspectors will run the shower or tub while they are in the bathroom only. Or worse, only while they are looking at the tub or shower stall. So they run the water for maybe two minutes at the most in that scenario. I think most of us can agree that out typical shower lasts longer than two minutes, right?
Now, if we run the shower for a longer period of time, we gives those possible leaks some time to show themselves. Some leaks will not be there after two minutes, but rather will reveal themselves after 5 or 10 minutes. Now, the home inspector that shut the water off after a minute or two will not find that leak and could find himself in trouble. Some clients won't care that you only ran the water for two minutes, but why didn't you see that leaking? See where I am going with this?
By taking a bit more time and using a little more water, we increase our chance of finding those possible leaks that could prove to be a problem for someone else down the road. Trust me, my clients and the current homeowners appreciate this method. This method has actually gained me home inspections from sellers that would be buying a new home.
If the water is run for a longer period, you will have a better chance of discovering leaks once you enter the area underneath the shower, basement or crawlspace. The leaks will be much easier to spot, because there should be more water volume, and will stick out a little more than just a small trickle, or worse, nothing at all.
This is a practice that I firmly believe in as a home inspector. So homeowners, please don't get down on that home inspector that the buyer hired because you think he is using too much water. We are just trying to provide the best service we can to our client. Instead, ask him for a card, and book him for your next home inspection.
Do you have something in your line of work that drives you absolutely bonkers? As a home inspector, there are a few items that I find during routine home inspections that just make me wonder what some people are thinking. I am sure you all know what I am talking about. That one thing that you see at work every day that you know is wrong, but no one says anything about and it never changes. Think about it for a moment, it happens every day. We see something that is not right, maybe dangerous, and do nothing to change the situation.
As a home inspector, my bonkers button lately has been the temperature pressure relief valve(TPRV) for water heater tanks, and their pipe extensions. I guess my problem is more with the extensions than the TPRV itself. At least the TPRV is present during my home inspection. But I can't seem to find an extension for one anywhere. I have looked everywhere, I just can' seem to find one during a home inspection.
I know, I know, most of you are thinking what is this crazy home inspector talking about now. Take a moment to vizualize your water heater. Do you have it in your mind. Do you see the tube coming out the side or the top that looks like it will just run water all over your floor? Yeah, I didn't think so. That is because it has become so commonplace not to have the proper extension on the TPRV. This can be a very dangerous situation if you happen to be near your water heater and this valve needs to release pressure. The water could possibly scald you, or with these being at or near eye level, spray water all over your face, which could result in eye injury or worse.
Take a look at this picture below. This is what I typically find during a home inspection. This is improper installation and could cause the homeowner or occupant bodily harm. This is a picture of the TPRV on a water heater. This is only the valve.
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Now, can you imaging standing eye level with that valve as it discharges water at a very high pressure? You probably don't want to be in the way when that comes gushing out. By having the proper extension on the TPRV you can avoid a possibly dangerous situation. It is a very cheap installation as well, which is another reason this bothers me so much. I think to install an extension on your water heater, it will cost you less than $15. Yes, less than $15. Money well spent according to this home inspector.
Now, if we take a look at the next picture, we will see what a proper extension on a water heater looks like. The extension on this water heater is a side mount. That is it, the copper tubing on the right side of the water heater tank.The extension should terminate within 6" of the floor. It also needs to terminate into the open atmosphere, so not into a sealed tank or such. Ideally, this should also terminate in the same room as the water heater. The extension pipe for the TPRV also should not be threaded on the end that will terminate at the floor. This way it cannot be capped off, which would make it useless, and create an even more dangerous situation. The material that the extension can be made from will vary from area to area according to their standard building codes. Your local builders or code officials can give you this information for your particular area.
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Notice the pipe is not capped off, we can even see a hint of corrosion build up on the pipe. Now, if the pressure or temperature inside the tank becomes too great, the valve will open. Instead of the hot water pointing directly at someones eyes or head area, the spray is directed towards the floor. With this set up, injures that could occur if you are nearby during a discharge will be much less extreme than if there was no pipe installed.
This is just one of the situations that drive me bonkers as a home inspector. The next time you need to replace your water heater, and you do it yourself, please get the supplies for the extension as well. For less than $15, you could be avoiding a very serious injury to yourself or others.
I hope you enjoyed my venting about TPRV on your water heater. Come back and check for more home inspection related articles.
I focus on attention to detail in working with homebuyers and realtors. While every home may not be perfect for everyone, it IS perfect for someone.
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