Who’s right?

The short answer is, both of us might be wrong, and both of us might be right.

Corrosion is just one of the issues in this electrical panel.

Let’s take an example: a corroded electrical panel, like the one to the right. To a home inspector, corrosion means water, and water and electricity don’t play well together. We will call for repair or replacement of the panel. When the electrician shows up, they could very well look at the panel and say, “Yes, there’s corrosion, but it’s not that bad and I don’t think it needs to be replaced.”

Now what?

The best thing to do in this situation is to ask the contractor to declare in writing that the particular system does not have a defect and is safe to operate as is. This declaration should be on the company letterhead, complete with license number and full company information. If this is provided, then the responsibility and liability for the system is now the contractor’s. If they are not willing to provide a written declaration, you could probably take that to indicate they aren’t confident in its safe operation either.

How wrong is wrong?

There is also “okay” and “the way it should be.” Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) are a good example. They were not required in kitchens until 1987, but we always recommend them because they could save your life. We do see “time capsule” houses, with original kitchens and bathrooms, and the argument could be made that, since everything is original, and it was correct when built, we shouldn’t call out the lack of GFCIs as a defect. Swapping out a receptacle for a GFCI costs about $20; not having them where they could save someone’s life makes no sense, even if it is ‘okay.’

Get it in writing

There’s an old saying in the corporate world: “If it’s not in writing, it never happened.” Verbal assurances are worthless. Sometimes when confronted with a request to “please put that in writing on your letterhead for me,” contractors will backpedal and come back with, “Well…you know, the inspector is technically right; that probably should be fixed.”

If you do get the written assurance, it should go in your files along with other important house documents so you can show it to future buyers, or in case the issue in question does cause a problem down the road.

It appeared to be leading to a buried pipe (which wasn’t in great shape), so I couldn’t tell how far out the water was going, but at least it wasn’t being dumped right next the foundation (which I see far too often).

So far, so good. Then I get to the door to the back deck.

Hmm, why is there condensation on the inside of the glass? Well, maybe the heat is turned up high inside, but I wouldn’t expect that in a vacant house.

I went into the house and started my walk-through, in which I briefly go through the entire house to figure out where things are and what equipment I’ll be needing. When I got to the basement, this is what I found.

Several inches of standing water throughout the basement, with extension cords and other wires totally immersed.

Standing water meant I wasn’t about to go to that electrical panel and see if the power was on, even if all the outlets I checked upstairs weren’t live. There was power to the meter, which meant there could possibly be power to the basement and all those wires hanging in the water.

More equipment threatened by the flood waters. This stuff looked pretty new, too, and it was all carefully raised off the floor. I don’t usually see this type of equipment raised off a floor… unless the owner suspects there may be problems.

Why was this basement flooded?

See the vertical pipe in the corner? It’s leading from the sump crock to the outlet outside. It was obviously not functioning as designed.

I called the listing agent to let her know about the flooded basement, and she told me that the sellers knew the sump pump was broken and were going to fix it. But there was just a little water, she said. Unfortunately, the last time she had visited the property was about a week prior to my inspection. It really does not take long for water to do damage if the control systems aren’t working right.

This could have been prevented.

A functioning sump pump is essential, especially in areas with a high water table (as this property is). Sump pumps have a serviceable life of as little as 5 years if they are in near-constant use; for houses with just a little bit of water in the crock every now and then they can last as long as 12 years or so. But with this kind of equipment it’s important not to wait until they fail, because failure can mean destruction of other systems of the home, not to mention personal property.

If you know your sump pump is operating frequently, you should definitely have a battery backup pump for power outages. In cases like the house I inspected, where the water table is high and the sump pump is absolutely necessary to avoid a flooded basement, it is also a good idea to have a backup generator available to keep it running. If the house is often empty (it’s either a second home, or the occupant travels frequently), a generator that automatically starts when the power is lost would be ideal. I would also recommend having a spare sump pump handy, in case the pump decides to fail at 3:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

It’s important to keep the sump crock free of debris that could clog the pump. Also, keep it accessible! You don’t want to have to move heavy furniture or boxes of belongings when you have a problem and need to get to the pump quickly.

Want to know more about how we inspect basements, or about home inspections in general? Just give us a call!

Why do you need a Vapor Barrier?

Many things affect the humidity level in a house. But did you know that the occupants themselves are a major source of moisture? A person can generate an average of about five pounds of moisture just through breathing and perspiration. The National Institute of Science and Technology estimates that the typical family of four produces two to three gallons of water vapor a day! That moisture is suspended in the air and can damage the surfaces and structure of the home, unless it is controlled through the proper use of vapor barriers.

Air Barrier vs. Vapor Barrier

In new construction, you’ll often see a house wrapped in something that looks like paper, just before the siding is installed. This is an air barrier, and is designed to prevent air leaks that can make a house feel drafty. The vapor barrier is installed on the inside of the wall, just under the drywall layer.

Some insulation batts have a vapor barrier on one side; this side should always be facing the “warm side.” Although Maryland has a temperate climate, and houses here use cooling more than heating, we are still considered to be primarily a “heating” climate, which means the interior of the home is usually warmer than the outside air (the annual average temperature is 55.1 degrees Fahrenheit). During the winter, many houses also add extra humidity to the air with central humidifier systems, so there is even more moisture to with, while in summer, dehumidifiers kick in to remove the excess humidity. In places like Arizona, which is primarily a “cooling” climate, a vapor barrier would be installed on the outside of the wall.

The main function of the vapor barrier is to prevent moisture from entering the wall cavity, condensing, and causing damage to the structure. If it is installed incorrectly, it can trap moisture in the walls, making them a breeding ground for mold and mildew.

Proper Installation is Key

We’ll often go into crawl spaces and see insulation carefully installed in the spaces between the first floor joists, with the paper covering facing the crawl space. This is incorrect! The paper covering acts as the vapor barrier and must be installed against the floor, so it is facing the “warm” side. This is especially important in crawl spaces, as a crawl space with a dirt floor can contribute several gallons per day of moisture to the house environment!

During a home inspection, we will look for signs of vapor barriers. If they are installed correctly, they can be difficult to see!

I suspected that these could be termite tubes; something you don’t want to see on any house. My client had not ordered a termite inspection, so I recommended that he call for one ASAP. Luckily, the company he called could send someone while I was still on site doing my inspection, so I would be able to have my suspicions confirmed.

The house had an on-grade basement entry in the back, and this is what I saw inside the basement door:

Really not good. This appears to be a pile of frass, which is the waste left by wood-destroying insects. And this was on the rear of the house, adjacent to the side with the suspected termite tubes.

Again, I would leave it to the experts to determine exactly what this was. In the meantime, I continued inspecting the basement.

The ceiling in the area below the front door had staining that would be consistent with water intrusion, and then there was this line of odd bumps hanging down. Upon closer inspection…

Stalactites? Indoors? No… Termite tubes.

The termite inspector arrived an hour later and confirmed my findings. The conclusion is that the termites had chewed their way along the joist, and when they encountered the drywall, they just kept going, building their normal tubes as they went.

Because termites are not active during cold weather, there were no live termites to be found. But this property will need extensive destructive investigation to determine the extent of the infestation. This means removing drywall, insulation and any other covering materials to expose the damaged wood and tubes, and to keep removing material until the limit of the infestation can be determined. In the case of severe infestation, this could involve ripping out much of the drywall in a home. Once the affected area is identified, remediation and repair can begin to ensure that the infestation is properly removed and the damaged structural members reinforced.

Permits are, in essence, “Permission to build/Continue a project.” Having a permit means that someone from the Authority having Jurisdiction (AHJ), usually a county planning board, has looked at the plans and determined that what you are having done is appropriate, safe and correct and that what has been done is what you said was going to be done. Typically the cost for a permit for a small project is minimal: a few hundred dollars at most.

The risk of NOT getting a permit is two-fold. If the AHJ catches you during construction without a permit, they can issue a stop work order AND make you remove all of the work already done and start over with permits. The Contractor will lose their license (if they had one), be subject to a fine and be barred from doing work in the area again. Once the work is completed, the homeowner is almost in the clear…almost. If there is a problem with unpermitted work, their homeowners insurance carrier may not cover that work. For example, if the property has an unpermitted kitchen upgrade, and the wiring in that kitchen causes a fire, the insurance company could deny the claim on the grounds that the work was done without a permit. And when they go to SELL the property, an inspector MAY flag the unpermitted work. There is no such thing as an “as-built” (after the fact) permit in most localities, unless you open up the walls/floors and can SHOW the inspector the work has been completed properly.

If you are doing any new electrical work (such as adding a new circuit), new plumbing work (such adding a sink or bathroom not already roughed in) or any structural work (adding a window or an addition), you will need permits. When in doubt, contact your county permit office and ask. And if you are having such work done and the contractor doesn’t want to pull permits, find another contractor!

Actually, no it’s not. This is an example of a poorly-installed dishwasher. I suspected the knockout to the garbage disposal had not been removed when the dishwasher drain was put in place. This happens more often than you might think! It’s also why we test dishwashers during our inspections.

Our home has an oil-fired boiler. Yes, we do usually get it cleaned and tuned every year. But this year, we had neglected to get one scheduled. So on Christmas day, it decided that it wasn’t going to work. There was plenty of oil (been down THAT road before!) and it was starting fine, but it wouldn’t stay running. I won’t bore you with lots of diagnostics that I went through, having learned by watching our furnace guy do them over the last 20 years. Watching it being done does not make me an expert, but this was an emergency on Christmas Day, and paying holiday rates didn’t sound appealing. So I dug out the tools, the Nitrile gloves, and tried not to break anything.

I got it apart and gratefully saw an obvious “well, there’s your problem” type of issue. In this case the burner head was coated in grime/soot/debris and other gunk (which is why you need a tune up every year). For some reason the past year of use had left its mark.

After good cleaning with carb cleaner, it turned colors, back to the nice shiny metal it should have been. I put everything back together, crossed my fingers, and it started up and KEPT running. Yeah! It turned out the safety features were shutting the furnace down because of all the debris on the burner head.

There are two morals to this story. First, get your oil furnace cleaned & tuned EVERY year, near heating season, and second, be curious about how your house works, “just in case”.  Sometimes you won’t be able to call the plumber, electrician, heating guy until tomorrow, and you just might be able to get it working enough to make it through a (cold) night. The difference between an emergency call on Christmas Day and “first available” can be BIG MONEY.

*Unless it’s our own home, of course. In Maryland, a home inspector is not permitted to perform ANY work on a property within 12 months of having inspected it. If your inspector offers to do repairs, they are breaking the law.

This year, the conference was held in lovely, warm freezing Las Vegas, Nevada. Seriously, the temperatures were bone-chilling: nights in the low 20s and daytime highs in the 30s. Luckily, the conference kept us so busy that there was very little time to get outside and subject ourselves to the cold.

The conference was held at Bally’s, right on the strip. The picture above is the view from our 11th-floor hotel room. To the left is the gargantuan Caesar’s Palace. At the upper right is the Mirage, and at center right is Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall, which is actually slated to be closed in a few weeks for a complete redo.

Most of the conference was devoted to taking classes. There were 45 in all, two hours each, spread out over three days. We had our choice of so many great classes, it was hard to choose! Choices included:

• Heating Systems: Inspecting New and Old
• All About Attics
• Inspecting Decks, Stairs and Hand Rails
• Basic and Advanced Electrical Inspections
• Asphalt Shingle Roof Inspections
• Concrete Block Foundation Defects: Recognition, Causes & Cures
• Heat Pumps: Air-to-Air and Geothermal

I was even one of the presenters, doing a two-hour session on the Business Management track on the importance of Social Media and how Home Inspectors can implement it.

There were about 100 people in the audience, and the reception was overall quite positive. I’m going to submit the class again for next year’s conference, after I make some tweaks to it (and, of course, update it for the latest social media strategies!).

In addition to classes, there was also a large vendor hall, where attendees could learn about new tools and services. It was also constantly abuzz with home inspectors swapping stories and pictures. Really, you get two home inspectors in a room together and they will always start telling their horror stories!

At the annual Business Meeting, Bob (4th from left) joined the rest of the Board of Directors to be sworn in for his second year on the board. He’s now starting the second year of his three-year term.

But it wasn’t all work…

Once the conference was over, we stayed in Vegas for a few extra days to enjoy ourselves. Fortunately, the cold snap ended just in time; by Thursday the weather was clear and warm, and we had a great time meandering up and down the Strip, taking in the sights.

Some highlights:

This huge “cherry tree” had an enormous animatronic snake, to mark the upcoming Chinese New Year and the Year of the Snake.

The Flamingo hotel had an atrium filled with flamingos (of course), along with other exotic birds. We got to speak with their caretaker, and were pleased to learn that the wildlife habitat there is fully accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, and they are even part of the international Species Survival Plan.

And the food! This is a “S’Mores Concoction” from Max Brenners, and it was fabulous. We also got to sample the legendary buffets that Vegas is famous for. We also took in a few exhibits, including one on Leonardo DaVinci, and the “Mob Attraction,” which chronicles the history of organized crime and its involvement in the Las Vegas casino industry.

Alas, all good things come to an end, and it was time to go back home. We got one last wonderful look at the Strip (along with a fabulous view of the Grand Canyon).

If your home inspector doesn’t take classes like these, you should be asking whether that home inspector is really looking out for your best interests! We are eager to put our education to work for our clients, so give us a call!

Here’s what we found in the crawl space under the “new” section of the house (probably added in the 1950s, with no visible permits).

At first we thought these were supply lines for a hydronic heating system, but no; these were the domestic water supply pipes. Burying copper pipes is a serious defect; moisture in the soil leads to corrosion and any leaking is invisible. There is already a lot of corrosion on these supply pipes.

Pulling back a little, we can now see a mish-mash of drain pipes, with mixed pipe materials, an S-trap, and a bowed drain pipe

Mixing PVC (white plastic) and ABS (black plastic) pipes is allowed as long as the connection is not glued. Several of the joints here have the approved Fernco connectors, but the end of the S-trap has a glued joint. There is no approved glue that will work on both types of pipe.

You can see the S-trap in the center right of the picture. These traps are not allowed because they tend to suck the water out of the trap, allowing sewer gases to get into the house. A P-trap is needed here.

The drain pipe is also bowed, which prevents proper drainage. Drain lines need to slope steadily downward 1/4″ per foot.

Then there were just the weird things, like this faucet installed in a drain pipe. We couldn’t figure out what prompted such a strange configuration!

The interior of the house held more corrosion and bad drains. Here’s one of the upstairs bathrooms.

The supply pipes had been painted over, but the corrosion was so heavy that the paint was simply flaking away. You can see the spot of green on the floor; these pipes will need to be replaced.

Here, too, is an S-trap. The horizontal portion of a trap needs to be at least twice as long as the diameter of the pipe, to prevent siphoning the water and allowing gases to enter the room.

A peek under the kitchen sink revealed pipes so corroded we suspect that trying to shut off the water would result in the pipe simply crumbling to pieces. The floor of the cabinet had also been completely destroyed by past leaks.

In short, the plumbing system in this house will require a complete overhaul, and perhaps even total replacement.

Up next: the electrical system!

When I arrived, I saw a charming house, originally built in the 1880s. Bob was in back with the clients, and he pointed me to the crawl space entrance. “Just take a look,” he said.

This crawl space was under the rear portion of the house, and may have been original (it had the same stone foundation and timber beams). These deteriorating bricks were trying valiantly to hold up the structure, but their battle was clearly nearing an end.

There was a walk-up basement under the front portion of the house, and that’s where we found this:

The (corroded) metal support column is not only not fastened to the wood block; it has started to compress the wood and had sunk into the block by about a quarter inch. This post was in the middle of the basement floor.

In the house, there were many indicators that the house had undergone movement.

This corner was at the intersection of the front and rear sections of the house. The floor was so uneven in spots as to be a trip hazard.

This door was directly under the corner shown in the above picture. The door could no longer be opened more than shown here due to binding at the ceiling. Again, this could be an indicator of structural movement.

Many of the structural components of the house had also been damaged by wood-destroying organisms. There was extensive evidence of an infestation in the basement, and even the attic beam shown here was deteriorating.

We recommended an evaluation by a structural engineer and a qualified pest control company, but by this time the clients had already decided to pass on the house.

Up next: The plumbing and electric systems!