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bothel wa home inspector: This guy should really stick to cars! - 01/25/09 08:19 AM
Right in the very tire tracks of yesterday’s post about old galvanized drain pipes comes today’s post about inevitable repairs to those pipes.
I have seen all manner of attempts at extending the life of these pipes, and the picture below eloquently speaks for most of those attempts.
If the water goes down----what can possibly be wrong with it?
One of the advantages to making plumbing repairs with radiator hoses is that you can get the drain to go anywhere you want it to go.
Can you imagine turning the key to open the … (27 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: Don't let the North Winds blow your house away..... - 12/29/08 09:40 AM
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there was a little town called Runathemill where the Naunows lived.
In Runathemill everything was----how shall I say it? Well----run of the mill. Even the local sawmill was run of the mill. Even the annual Runathemill "fun- run" was----run----of the mill. No one could muster anything past mediocre----even the colorochreprevailed. Everyone lived in ordinary little houses that had the same problems as everyone else's ordinary little houses. No one expected----or suspected anything else. Every once in a while a fierce wind would blow in from the North … (21 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: The "I canduit" conduit! - 11/17/08 10:43 AM
I have done posts in the past about improper wiring to disposals. It is a defect that I see so often that repetition is warranted.
Anyone can go to the Big Orange Tool Box or similar types of home maintenance stores and buy a garbage disposal. How difficult can it be to hook up a disposal?
The part of the installation that I find wrong the most is the electrical hook-up. This is especially true when there is no plug-in type cord, and instead the disposal is "hard-wired." All "hard-wired" means is that the unit can't be … (19 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: Do you have parts that need support? - 11/15/08 10:08 AM
Well support comes in all shapes and sizes. There is moral-support, child-support, spousal-support, support-hose, military-support, and athletic-support-----we can all use a little support here and there. This is about "foundation-support" and how without enough of it, bad things can happen. Not always "REALLY" bad things----as in this case----but perhaps bad enough to make the floors springy or squeak; or for doors to not close properly. In some cases, all it might mean is that all of one's marbles would run to the same place.
Many homes that have crawl spaces have support posts spaced along central carrying beams. These … (59 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: The best way to get stoned in your sleeping bag! - 10/17/08 08:57 AM
Given the current economic state of affairs we are all looking for ways to conserve energy. One very frequently overlooked place of wasted heat is up the chimney.
As light winds move across the top of the chimney a negative pressure is created on the chimney causing it to literally suck heat out of the house. If you open a window or door, or increase the wind speed, the flow is dramatically increased. When the damper is completely missing, as it was in the fireplace pictured above, the waste of heat is continual-----you are literally heating the whole … (22 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: Are you getting better with age? - 09/01/08 09:15 AM
Sooner, later, or too often, inspectors hear, "but it has been that way for a gazillion years, what is the problem?" Well, while some things can get better with age, like friendships, marriage, and Miso----some things just plain don't.
Knob & Tube wiring, while being an excellent method of wiring in its day, is not likely getting any better with age in your attic----especially with Rocky the Squirrel eating the covering off of it. And certainly not with the bathroom receptacle improperly spliced into it----and the two teenage girls trying to dry their hair at the same time.
… (13 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: Do you practice "random acts of helpfulness?" - 07/21/08 10:16 AM
A couple of months ago I was contacted through the Active Rain, Contact Form, by a person with a plea for help resolving a question about some staining of the floor around a toilet . This person had "Googled" the internet and apparently found me----perhaps because of a blog I had done about stains around toilets. They wanted to know my opinion of the causes of this staining, and they sent me this picture.
They told me:
"I've had two plumbers here who say that it cannot be water damage."
Here is my response:
"From … (17 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: How do you know when your Toast is done? - 07/17/08 10:41 AM
For my sweetie it is when the smoke alarm goes off!
But today's blog is about a different kind of "toast."
EVERYONE buying a home wants to know about the roof.
Makes perfect sense----after all, it protects everything else. They want to know how old it is, what condition it is in, how long it is going to last etc.
All types of roofs have a life expectancy which can run (on the low end) from 6-10 years for roll-roofing to over a hundred years for some slate roofs. All of these expectancies can be greatly reduced … (9 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: You are on my turf now! - 07/15/08 10:30 PM
Being a soccer nut, each new artificial turf soccer field that replaces the old dirt fields is welcomed with much excitement. Just a few years ago most of the fields were either grass fields in very poor condition or dirt. The dirt fields were actually preferred in most cases to the grass fields. Before these dirt fields there were the nasty old fields of pulverized brick that would routinely make any part of your body that was unfortunate enough to hit it look like pizza.
The latest of these fields at Twin Ponds Park, in Shoreline, Washington, is about … (10 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: When it comes to floors, how bad is TOO BAD? - 07/12/08 07:36 AM
Sometimes buyers will ask me about the condition of the Kitchen floor (or other rooms for that matter)----and whether the floor needs to be replaced or not.
Most of the time the condition of flooring falls under the realm of "cosmetic" and not the focus of the inspection. Other than noting the "overall" condition I rarely get too involved with the condition of flooring as long as it is "functional" and not going to jump up and smack someone. I will note stains, and trip hazards----like carpet seams that are coming apart, tiles that are loose or splinters that … (20 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: Do I vent----or rant? - 06/24/08 09:14 AM
20 year old homes, with gas furnace heating systems, that have the original furnace, will likely have the original B-vent chimneys as well----if that is the type of venting system used. It can be pretty much universally stated that these 20 year old furnaces will be at the end of their expected life. B-vent has a similar life expectancy and, in my opinion, should be replaced when the furnace is replaced. It often is not as is evidenced by these two pictures.
The next two pictures are of the condition of the pipe on homes where the … (13 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: Holy-moldy Walls Batman----no tiles! - 06/19/08 12:07 PM
Tub/Shower enclosures can be difficult to maintain due to the usual daily exposure to water. Water from showering beats on the tile or other waterproof materials and finds its way through any cracks, unsealed grout, or fixtures into the wall structures. Keeping the tub spout and other wall attachments well sealed is crucial to preventing hidden damage behind the waterproof surfaces. Leaking shower enclosures often lead to moldy and rotten messes in the walls and floors around them.
Given how difficult it can be to achieve and maintain good tub/shower enclosures, it is baffling that anyone would think that … (12 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: But what if I don’t have an electric tooth brush? - 06/14/08 09:03 AM
Can you see what is wrong with this picture? The picture is of my circuit tester plugged into a typical GFCI receptacle----like the ones you probably have in your bathrooms and kitchens----and other places around the interior and exterior of the home.
This is not really a "trick" question----there actually is something wrong in the picture. Don't be fooled by the "read-out" on the tester which would have you believe that the wiring is OK----- because, the wiring is OK. It is the receptacle that is not OK.
This is a good example of why the manufacturer … (19 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: “The Phantom”---Act I - 05/18/08 10:03 AM
Today's post may be a little technical but I will attempt to keep it has down-to-earth as possible because I think it is information that the agents in the Rain may find useful----to help them understand a phenomenon that Inspectors sometimes encounter----especially in older homes.
PHANTOM VOLTAGE
Phantom Voltage or "induced-like voltage" is the result of wire or other metal components that can appear to be energized when they in fact are not. How this works is that when you have ungrounded wiring, like Knob & Tube or older ungrounded romex type wiring in the home and you add … (5 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: Did you know that gas is run to your home in plastic pipes? - 05/02/08 09:32 AM
On more than one occasion I have had buyers ask me what the wire coming out of the ground next the gas meter is---and whether it is "Live" or whether it should be connected to something. On first glance it does look like it ought to be connected to something. I have even heard of other inspectors call this out as a defect that needed "further evaluation" by an electrician. The wire I am talking about can be clearly seen in the following photograph.
This wire is merely a tracer wire that the utility installs so that they can … (3 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: SORRY-----I don’t have time to talk to you! - 04/30/08 09:52 AM
When does the Inspection start?
It starts when the phone rings. From the moment you answer the phone, at least to your potential buyer, the inspection process has begun. Some calls are merely to set a time, but others are because you are being "interviewed" and you don't have the job yet. What you say and how you handle that call are all important in determining whether you are the one that is chosen or not. From a buyer's perspective they are looking for "something" that will set you apart from the other inspectors on their list. You don't want … (10 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: Why is the “toilet lid” always down? - 04/25/08 08:52 AM
I am enjoying remembering my recent sailing adventure.
It only took a week for my sea legs to go away---and that was on calm seas and only a four day trip. (My first soccer game after the trip was interesting to say the least.) From a home inspector's point of view, sailboats like the Zodiac are interesting studies in building (I know----I was supposed to be on vacation---Home inspectors are never really on vacation!)
One of the many things that interested me about the boat was the toilets (yes the masts were real cool too). But think about … (10 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: HOT! Water Heater! - 04/23/08 07:14 PM
I love it when I come up with yet another way to make Barbara and Leslie go scurrying off to check their water heaters. Well beaten paths are easy to follow. Water heaters should be cool to the touch. Now if you put insulation around them, the tank will feel warm between the tank and the insulation after a while. If you hold your hand against the side of the tank long enough it will also feel warm---after a while.
So what does it mean if the water heater feels warm to the touch? (And no, the sun isn't shining on … (18 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: "Little boxes, little boxes, little boxes made of ticky-tacky....." - 04/20/08 09:15 AM
Any inspector will tell you that a large part of what we do is related to electrical concerns. The electrical portion of my reports almost always takes up the most space, and wins the most spots on the Summary of Significant Issues. I like the electrical portion of the inspection because when you find electrical defects you know that you might be saving someone's life. I mean who cares whether the dishwasher has an air gap when there is no GFCI on the whirlbath, or there is a bare hot wire on the aluminum gutter.
On a recent inspection I … (9 comments)
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bothel wa home inspector: Finding the “Better-than-the-average-bear” inspector. - 04/19/08 09:06 AM
Questions one "COULD" ask---to find a "better-than-the-average-bear" inspector:
•1. Do you own and use a 32 foot (or longer) ladder? A negative response would mean they generally don't get on 3 story townhouse roofs---or they have it hung up on the side of their garage and enjoy remembering how they used to climb the darn thing. Or perhaps they are simply working to Inspection Association SOP's.
•2. Do you own and use "corkers?" (spiked shoes for walking on wood roofs)? A negative response to this would mean they don't walk on wood roofs---or don't know what a wood roof is. If they tell you they don't drink wine---this … (38 comments)
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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector
Seattle,
WA
More about me…
Charles Buell Inspections.com
Address: Seattle, Shoreline, Everett, Lynnwood, Bothel, Kirkland, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Edmonds, Renton, King County, 17123 22nd Ave NE, Shoreline (Seattle), WA, 98155
Office Phone: (206) 478-7371
Cell Phone: (206) 478-7371
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