Jay Markanich

On a recent thermal examination of a house I was called on to find the usual - diagnose why rooms are hot and cold, if recent roof repairs stopped further moisture intrusion as intended, and so forth. It went well.

I had a very unusual diagnosis to make also. My client said, "When I am standing at my kitchen sink, I can smell what is going on outdoors. For example, when my neighbor fertilizes his yard, I can smell it almost immediately."

There are many things a thermal image camera can detect, but I have never used it to diagnose fertilizer smells.

But why not try? So I set out to find the problem. Air infiltration was happening somewhere. But where?

Looking above the kitchen sink it wasn't hard to see why.

The sink is located in a 3 foot bump out, with its own double window. That's a pretty common architectural design. But looking above we see why air, and smells, can get in. The left image is of the window and the ceiling above the sink. The right image is the corner of that bump out, over the corner cabinet. The cannister lights and square light over the sink are evident.

The purple area is the ceiling of that bump out. There is no insulation there! That area is 58 degrees F. The outdoor temperature is 55F. There are soffit vents under the gutter just over that window, where air is supposed to get in. It does!

What is in that air will easily filter into the kitchen, through those lights and even through the drywall! Hence, the fertilizer smell.

She said, "Oh, so that's why it gets so hot and cold there when I am at the sink!" Um, yes!

My recommendation: Don't underestimate the power of your home inspector's thermal infrared camera! We inspectors are finding new uses for them every day!

During a thermal infrared inspection today, among other things I was there to investigate, I thought this would be an interesting picture.

This is a thermal image of a high efficiency condensing gas furnace. It is the one you have seen with PVC tubing exiting the unit. They are terrific furnaces. The one pictured here is 6 years old, which makes it the fourth generation. This later generation has worked out all the kinks. They work great.

Many gas furnaces, like my own, have flues which exit through the roof. My furnace loses a lot of its heat through that flue. Of the heat remaining to send through my house, I am gaining only a portion of that. Therefore, a small portion of the dollar I am spending for natural gas is actually converted into heat for my house. My furnace is "85% efficient," but that does not mean I am getting $.85 worth of heat for every dollar I spend on gas.

This unit eliminates the need for the flue that exhausts through the roof because it captures and re-burns that exhaust! So for every dollar spent on natural gas, it is getting nearly a dollar's worth of heat. And the exhaust is so cool, a PVC tube can handle it and you could virtually blow dry your hair with it (well, except for that pesky carbon monoxide presence).

Another terrific advantage it offers is that it brings in fresh air every time the system turns on. It exchanges 10-12% of the air in the house as it works to heat the house. So it is not simply reheating the same stale air.

Today, the outdoor temperature was 56 degrees F during my inspection.

This furnace is working as intended. The purple line just to the left of center is the air intake tube. The vertical yellow line to its right is the exhaust tube. The purple intake is 57.6F, and the yellow exhaust 95.7F. That is really efficient! And pretty cool, too, so to speak...

My recommendation: If you have a gas furnace and are contemplating replacement, look into a high efficiency condensing gas furnace. They are more expensive, to be sure, but very, very efficient. You will notice the difference on your first gas bill!

I have learned not to enter a property without an agent present. I have learned not to be alone with a client during a home inspection without the agent present. During the home inspection, I prefer to have the agent walking around with us and not sitting in the kitchen catching up on text messages.

Why?

Because I have learned that some sellers are desperate enough to do anything to sell the house. In my experience they have gone so far as to try to booby trap my inspection, and lay land mines for me to step on.

There is only one way I can protect myself. Witnesses.

This is my experience in just the last 18 months:

~~ When testing the washing machine the knob simply came off in my hand. Everyone saw it. That wasn't the only appliance broken in the house. The seller placed the knob like that for me to "break," said I had broken it, and that I probably broke all the other things in the house too, so the inspection report was not valid. My client's agent said no and described the experience. The seller went so far as to mail me a receipt for the "repair," for $480! He could buy a new washer for that. I ignored the receipt and did not hear further.

~~ I turned on another washer and we all went upstairs to check it out. Coming back down for my ladder I found the middle level flooded and flooding! Before turning on washers I always check behind to see if the connections are properly made. Only then do I turn it on. This leak was coming from inside and underneath the machine. It flooded the basement too. My client's agent called the other agent, who let this slip, "Oh no! He said he would have that fixed before the inspection!" My position was that I am there to test things. The seller harassed me for two weeks, to no avail, and let it drop. Turns out this had happened before.

~~ Arriving at the house to the buyers anxiously waiting for me in the driveway, they pointed out the chimney on the house, leaning and separated from the house about 6" at the top. We discussed the possible reasons and I put it on the report. I received an angry phone call that night from the seller saying I had gone onto the roof, pushed they chimney over with my legs, "so you would have something to put on the report! I'm suing your A$$!" I said, "Sir, I am strong, but not that strong. Good luck with your lawsuit."

~~ A recent roof repair revealed a carefully finished drywall repair with just joint compound, and a lot of primer and paint. From the attic I could see loads of a "moldy" substance. A basement room similarly smelled very moldy, and I could see a horizontal foundation crack leading from the furnace room toward the direction of that room. There was a similar amount of primer and paint used there. It was noted on the report. My clients bolted. That evening an irate seller called me, said I "cost [him] $350,000," and that he was coming to my house to "let [me] have it!" I told him he didn't want to deal with me and that if he shows up his rights are left in his car. I then immediately called the police to tell them of the threat and told them that in self defense I would use "protective force." (That gave me a phone record of two calls in a row.) The seller never showed up. Good thing!

~~ Some sellers had moving boxes carefully arranged along a concrete block basement wall. That was witnessed and noted on the report. My clients moved in to see a gaping, horizontal foundation crack right where the boxes were. Not good! They called me and an engineer. The sellers said that must have opened up after the inspection. Yeah, right... We said no, and that the crack had been "artfully concealed," which is the legal phraseology for such circumstances. The sellers ended up paying for wall reinforcement (the case didn't get further than that) and my clients were VERY upset, not even wanting the house.

My recommendation: Sometimes people are not honest. Be present with your favorite home inspector during the inspection. You don't want anyone stepping in it.

Old house, new boiler, new flue, new connection to the old chimney. All good.

Except for a couple of things.

First, the hole beneath where the flues connect to the chimney has been filled with mortar.

That is not good.

Second, the new connection to the chimney required that the old connection from the water heater inclines downward. That impedes exhaust drafting.

That is not good, either.

On top of the hip roof, the chimney is on the side of the house. It is very high, too high for most ladders. And dangerous to access from the roof side. It is covered with a flue cap, which is good. But if something inside the flue, like bricks or spalling ceramic flue liner, should become dislodged and fall, how could they ever be removed? That clean-out port was there for a reason. To fill it with mortar is short sighted, at best. It is dangerous at worst.

If enough material should fall, it could conceivably clog the flue and the boiler/water heater's ability to discharge exhaust gases. The resulting back draft into the house could be deadly. It would be deadly over time - carbon monoxide is unkind.

Chipping that mortar out, putting in a new tube to allow easy access and sealing it tightly with a cute cover (tin plate, acorn, pineapple) would be an easy and good fix! And very Colonial!

My recommendation: When you see new installations, it is sometimes hard to know if they are installed correctly. Time to call a home inspector!

It's that time of year again. It's time for:

THE LIST

Specifically, the Fall/Winter Seasonal Chores List. You have to do it anyway, so this gift is for you.

Every year I will be driving home and hear on the news that it will get below freezing during the night. That's the time I usually realize I have not gotten ready for fall or winter. My hose bibs immediately spring to mind. Note: Obviously this is long past true for some of the country. My list is pretty complete, though likely not totally complete. No one ever knows everything. But, I thought it would be helpful to share some of it with you.

* Winterize the exterior hoses. Turn off the interior valves, open the exterior bibs and loose the little cap beside the interior valve to let water drain out.

* Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Replace the batteries if that has not been done in a while.

* Spruce up any disastrous exterior caulking. Be sure to use the right caulk for the right application! Caulking is the cheapest and easiest energy saver. Be sure the caulk is fully dried before it freezes.

* Boilers - check the safety relief valve.

* Steam Boilers - Each month, flush the blow-off valve on the low-water cutoff; test the water feed valves.

* Furnace - replace (or clean) the filters monthly; oil the fans or circulators; manipulate the duct dampers or register covers to divert more hot air downstairs and less up (do not close off air completely to any level or room). Oil furnaces should be checked for back puffing. Ideally, all furnaces should have annual maintenance examinations by a licensed professional.

* Clean moss on the roof - be sure to use something that does not kill the grass or garden shrubbery. A product called "Spray and Forget" is a recent favorite of mine.

* Clean gutters of debris. If your house is near many trees, solid gutter covers are highly recommended.

* Place sticky cricket catchers in the basement and garage.

* Septic system - pump the tank if it is time. If you have two fields this is a good time to divert to the unused field.

* Check your chimneys for creosote and sweep if needed.

* Improve foundation drainage as necessary.

* Test GFI outlets.

* Check the garage door reversing mechanism.

* Gas water heater - drain some water from the bottom valve to remove sediment.

* Open crawl space vents.

* Dryer - clean behind, clean what is possible of the vent inside the wall and check the vent flap outside for lint.

* Private water system - pump air into the tank if the pump turns on often.

* Sprinkler system - if you cannot do it yourself, have your maintenance company by to blow the water out of the lines, disconnecting things where necessary, so that only air is left inside. You don't want your tubing breaking underground over the winter.

* Kitchen - clean dust from behind or under the fridge; clean the range hood fan and replace vent screens; clean disposal (vinegar and baking soda work well, followed by lemon peels).

This is by no means a complete list, but it will serve you well. It works for me!

Preparation is everything. As a guy associated with the Boy Scouts for a long time, I can tell you it is good to "be prepared...!" That may be one of the best mottoes ever written.

My recommendation: Be regular and have foresight! Home maintenance, in the long run, costs about 1% of the value of a home per year. Pay attention to the small stuff, and the big things will take care of themselves.