Where The Heart Is Home Inspection

An inspector's job. So, several times recently and many times in the past, I come across some confusion about what a Home Inspector does. Building Inspector duties are not what we do. These are two separate roles, completely. Home Inspectors are not "code" inspectors. That's the job of a Building Inspector. That is what they do. They work for regulators of an area, approving new construction or modifications of systems by permit. Yes, we are expected to know and report clear ...violations. However, our job as a Home Inspector is to look at deficiencies and problems with how all of the systems are performing and interacting. I recently inspected homes of several sellers who have been General Contractors or tradesmen. Commonly, they assume that our role is similar to a Building Inspector. In addition, tradesmen who have done work in a home will also assume that is what we do. It's not. I look at homes that are new construction, all the way back to over a century old. I look at the evolution of a home over the decades and what's been done and how the systems have changed and are performing, whether by permit or not. Is it working or not, and how can it be improved? Think of it this way: Building Inspectors are driven by code. Home and Property Inspectors are driven by performance.

Another water heater post! Here's what happens when a plumber or homeowner doesn't use a dialectic fitting at water heater connections. The picture is of a 5 year old water heater from 2 weeks ago. This will also be inside the pipe. Galvanized steel connected to copper. Use a 3" dialectic fitting or coupling.

Two days ago I drove by a home where they had a cleaning service working on their moss on the roof. He was pressure spraying the roof. DO NOT do this or allow anyone else to. There are other methods that don't damage the roof. I inspected a home recently with heavy damage from pressure washing. It was a 15 year old roof and needed to be replaced. This was not just from me, but from consultation with roofers. It should have lasted another 15-20+ years.... So much surface had been removed that it was down to bare and shredded fibreglas all over. These pictures are samples.

This is the correct method of plumbing hot and cold connections at a water heater. At least 18" of copper piping before the PEX. 90% of plumbers know this and plumb as you see. Some do not. Some use 4-5" or no copper at all. Here is the reason. It is not about the heat coming from a gas or propane water heater exhaust. It goes for both electric and combustion fueled heaters. The manufacturers of PEX released a bulletin years back which became Uniform Plumbing Code. They stat...ed that their product, PEX piping, fails under pressure at 180 degrees. A TPRV releases at 210 degrees. The result would be a hot mess if your thermostat fails, the tank overheats, and the PEX fails before the TPRV has a chance to do it's job. Check your water heater. Is it properly plumbed?

Cute findings (among others) in a 2 year old home today. Thinking of skipping an inspection on a new construction? After seeing thousands of homes, I know that every single home has a list. 1) Upper laundry dryer duct vented into the utility room. No dedicated duct to the exterior. 2) Very common, bathroom exhaust fan duct disconnected from the roof vent. Inadequate fasteners.... 3) Loose connection at the smoke/CO detector, non-functional.