James Quarello - ASHI Certified CT Home Inspector

One qualification I make sure to mention to potential energy audit customers is my being a licensed Connecticut home inspector. Energy audits are by definition, at least in Connecticut, home inspections. The difference is what is inspected and for what purpose.

The Connecticut Statue defines a home inspection as the evaluation of two or more components in a home. Therefore anyone doing an energy audit is technically conducting a home inspection and needs to be licensed.

Unfortunately this loop hole is exploited everyday by many contractors of all different types. Sticking with energy audits, hiring a home inspector makes far more sense than using someone who has been trained to perform energy audits based on a software program.

As a home inspector I evaluate homes in depth and detail every day. I am required to take continuing education in order to maintain my license. My level of expertise and knowledge is broader than a narrowly focused specialty contractor.

To make a point look at the first picture, this was found during an energy audit. The two electric wires going into all that insulation are old knob & tube wires. Knob & tube wiring can not be covered by insulation due to an increased risk of fire.

Two things about this discovery; 1) the insulation contractor never said a word about covering these wire with insulation and 2) a utility company auditor never said a word about these wires being covered with insulation.

The second photo shows the area immediately around a water heater flue pipe which is corroded. What does this mean? That the unit is back drafting into the home and expelling CO. This was discovered during an energy audit.

Another aspect of home energy savings is the DIY trend. As a home inspector I see all too many DIY projects that are just plain wrong and in some cases dangerous. Homeowners attempting to save by doing energy improvements themselves should enlist the help of a qualified energy auditor (home inspector) before beginning major work. Sure there are simple projects that anyone can do, but real savings comes from major improvements such as insulation and changing heating & cooling systems.

An audit performed by a knowledgeable professional using energy auditing software can identify exactly what savings opportunities are available. More importantly what small DIY projects the homeowner can perform themselves safely and with good results.

As this heating season is comes upon us don't be lulled into assuming simple DIY projects or some under qualified "auditor" can help save you big money. The first step in improving your homes energy usage should be consulting with a qualified energy professional who is a home inspector.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

Most everyone who is in real estate knows that solid aluminum electrical wire is a potential fire hazard. When it is found during an inspection it is called out as a problem and recommended to be repaired.

On a recent inspection in a very large condominium complex known to be wired with aluminum I found a somewhat curious repair. The unit's electric panel had been by replaced. Judging by the looks of the panel and the presence of two AFCI breakers (top left corner) I would say it was done fairly recently.

Because the electric panel had obviously been replaced I assumed the entire unit had been repaired for the presence of aluminum wire.

You know what they say about assuming.

I decided to open a few outlets and look to see if repairs had been done. The plugs and switches are where problems most often occur with aluminum wire. The wiring eventually can become loose through excessive expansion and contraction which is inherent to aluminum. A loose connection arcs or more to the point sparks and whoosh a fire happens.

When I checked the outlets no repairs were evident. AFCI breakers like the two installed in the top corner afford another layer of protection for aluminum wire, but the connections at the outlets and switches should never the less be repaired.

This electrician only did half the job. Why is anyone's guess. Another electrician will be completing the job before this buyer moves into this unit.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

How many times when you were in school did some ask or the teacher told the class; "Neatness counts on this assignment."

Being neat and clean shows you care about what you do. That you take pride in yourself and more importantly the work you perform. It also has the added benefit of making it easier for someone to look over your work or even to repair it if needed.

Yes I believe neatness counts.

Yet I find almost every day a lack of neatness or pride in workmanship. What's worse often homeowners have paid for a professional to do the work and it hasn't been competently done.

Going into an attic of a new home and finding trash and ruined insulation is not the sign of a skilled tradesman. Sloppy wiring stuffed into a cavity in a remote basement corner is hardly the mark of a prideful professional.

Were these people sleeping in class? Or do they feel that getting the job done is more important than getting it done right. It is hard to really know what is some ones motivation or lack there of.

What I do know is this;

When I see neat work, especially in the details, there are almost always no problems to be discovered. I often take a moment to admire a job well done.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing or CSST for short is a newer type of gas pipe first used around 1988. It's a flexible pipe covered with a plastic sheathing and is very common to see in newer homes. To make the pipe flexible a continuous ridge was designed into the pipe. Which is how the "corrugated" made it's way into the name.

CSST is a great advancement in gas piping. Because it is flexible and available on large spools long continuous pipe runs are possible without the need for connections. Fewer connections mean less potential for leaks.

However a problem with the pipe began to show up some years after the first installations.

Because the pipe is metal it is electrically conductive. What was discovered after some years was that a lightning strike entering the home can disperse through the CSST resulting in holes in the pipe (see picture). The ridges are thought to create electrical arcs and at some point along the path burn a hole through the tubing.

A hole in a homes gas supply piping, as you can imagine, is not a good thing.

Because of this problem a class action suit was brought against 4 of the 6 manufactures of CSST alleging; "that CSST poses an unreasonable risk of fire due to lightning strikes."

The solution has been to electrical bond the CSST to ground. Or more accurately more thoroughly bond the system. Bonding of gas piping was in existence in the National Fuel Gas Code (NFGC) in 1988 (diagram).

The manufactures have now written electrically bonding the CSST into their design and installation manuals. Never the less I do not see CSST electrically bonded during an inspection.

The second to last picture is from a home built in 2005. The picture is of the main gas supply pipe entering the home. There should be a ground wire on this pipe. Additionally in some jurisdictions there should also be a bonding jumper wire at connections which are missing in the last photo.

There is still debate on the requirements of bonding CSST. As an inspector knowing the potential for a fire due to a lack of bonding on a CSST system there is no debate for me. When I find CSST in a home without bonding it is called out as defect with a recommendation to correct.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below:

I do enjoy seeing a nicely landscaped yard. There is something almost intoxicating about pulling up to a home and having my eyes drawn to many different visually pleasing elements. It makes me want to stop and sit a while taking in all the natural beauty around me.

But getting back to reality I have a job to do. My brief moment of admiration is gone as I must forge ahead and look for that which is wrong.

As I was walking around this nice little ranch house not long ago I was drawn in by the park like setting of the yard. Every side of the house was nicely landscaped with various interesting plants and shrubs.

After a few moments of seeing so much vegetation my home inspector's radar begins to blip. There are problems associated with flora and fauna so densely packed against a home. Not to mention what problems those plants may be hiding from my prying eyes.

I begin to look much closer along the edges of the home. Peeking between bushes and pushing aside limbs to see the home behind. I round the corner to the back yard. The plantings are much less dense here with one exception. There is a massive clump of decorative grass in the middle of back wall.

What is up with that?

I approach the thicket and push aside the grassy blades. What do I see? An A/C compressor. Once again homeowners have in the pursuit of beauty harmed the function of an appliance.

I'm quite certain most people do not realize the damage they are causing when trying to beautify an ugly A/C compressor or the eye sore of a furnace in the basement.

This particular compressor was the unfortunate recipient of a double whammy. After hacking my way around to the backside of the unit I discovered the clothes dryer vent directly behind the unit. Nothing like lint to effectively clog the cooling fins. I would think the installer, it was a newer compressor, would have alerted the homeowners to this issue.

I would guesstimate that the compressor was losing 10 - 20 % of its efficiency due to all this congestion.

What's that saying; putting lipstick on a pig. Sometimes you just have to let the pig be a pig.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services click on the links below: