shoreline home inspectors: The Pail Princess! - 11/26/09 08:15 AM
She sits on a red, white & blue green five gallon bucket that says, “drywall-compound.”
Most of the fingers on her gloves are missing and frayed.
She wears an army-green trash-bag raincoat that is big enough to cover all but her Nike sneakers.
Her breathing … (14 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Wordless Wednesday in Seattle - 04/15/09 08:58 AM
… (22 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Wordless Wednesday in Seattle - 11/19/08 09:09 AM
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shoreline home inspectors: Have a nice trip---better luck next fall! - 08/28/08 01:48 PM
At a recent inspection I was reminded of this incredible useless machine this guy named Del built. By cranking a handle, all kinds of different operations were affected. If you haven't seen this Youtube clip, it is well worth watching all the way through to the end, because he goes … (8 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Beware of Having Sex on Granite Countertops! - 07/31/08 10:46 PM
To paraphrase FDR, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." While not specifically voiced in relation to the topic of today's blog, it is a phrase that can be applied to anything in our lives that we fear. Fear can become so monstrous, that the thing we … (28 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Would you like a Waterfall in your kitchen? - 01/31/08 05:24 PM
I am sure most of you have noticed the little (usually) chrome cap mounted on the kitchen sink or counter-top----the dishwasher air gap device. This device is designed to prevent dirty water from being sucked back into the dishwasher which would obviously create an "unhealthy" condition. While some of the … (4 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: I KNEW I could get it running! - 01/16/08 08:11 AM
One of my favorite "homeowner" wiring jobs was this disposal that was wired with phone wire. This demonstrates one of the problems with electrical installations in general----there are many ways to make things function and yet the wiring can be wrong and dangerous.
Many are not as obvious as this … (4 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Painted receptacles - 01/14/08 12:47 PM
On yesterday's inspection I was reminded of a common electrical issue---painted receptacles. Receptacles should NOT be painted. When they are painted the surface of the receptacle from prong-to-prong can become "conductive" and internal components can be adversely affected by the paint. And, depending on the components in the paint, the paint … (3 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Closet fire hazards - 01/12/08 11:28 AM
A lot of older homes still have porcelain bulb holders in them. Too often they are located such that stored items can come in contact with the bulb----creating a fire hazard. These old bulb holders should be replaced with fixtures approved for closet installation. Fixtures with florescent bulbs are common. … (9 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: When do I have to be careful? - 01/11/08 08:41 AM
This is a continuation of the theme started in the previous blog: "Electrocution hazard." It is very important that proper clearances be maintained for the electrical service wire coming to the home from the street. Trees need to be kept cut back and the service wires should not contact the … (7 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Electrocution hazard. - 01/11/08 08:34 AM
Inspectors find all kinds of electrical issues during an inspection. Some can cause fires while others lead to electrical shocks. Few of these issues rival the shock hazard of uncovered utility company splices. In the picture below the splices are the silver colored connectors with all the little indentations. Normally … (2 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Continuity of Electrial Bonding---shock hazards! - 01/10/08 08:56 AM
As previously discussed in the blog: Plumbers aren't Electricians, I mentioned that the continuity of the metal piping systems in the home is important and that replacement of sections of the pipe with plastic can result in loss of continuity. Examples of ways that continuity can be broken are: installation … (0 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Plumbers are NOT electricians - 01/10/08 08:38 AM
One of the consequences of over specialization is that in areas where disciplines overlap things may be omitted. One example of this is the bonding of metal systems to the electrical grounding system in the home. Without getting overly technical regarding "grounding" and "bonding," every home has a grounding system … (9 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Water pipes make a good ground? - 01/09/08 10:16 AM
Low voltage utilities (like cable, security, and phone) ground their systems to the Home's electrical system ground. While the low voltage electrical components of these systems are NOT typically inspected according to most Standards of Practice, I do like to verify location and appropriateness of the grounding of these systems. … (4 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Electrolysis for Plumbers! - 01/07/08 03:43 PM
There are many components in the home that are damaged by "electrolysis." One type is pictured here. Electrolysis happens when dissimilar metals come in contact with each other (it makes the manufacture of aluminum and hydrogen fuel cells possible---among other things). If there is enough of a charge the metals … (6 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Can you lock your garage overhead door? - 01/06/08 11:02 AM
Overhead garage-door-opener installation is another one of those items that homeowners frequently think they can install themselves. I suppose if the installation instructions are followed very carefully they can, but very often I find the door's manual locking mechanism still functional----sometimes locked when I am about to test it. These … (7 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Exposed Wiring----electical safety hazard. - 01/05/08 12:11 PM
Frequently as inspectors we find electrical wiring that is "subject to mechanical damage." This is wiring that because of the way it is installed or the type of wiring that is installed can be damaged by mechanical means. That includes: being "whacked" by vacuum cleaners and "chewed on" by pets. … (1 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: When is a goal not a goal? - 01/03/08 04:21 PM
Setting goals for the New Year is very common----unfortunately for this old soccer player my best goal is the goal itself. To see that ball fly into the net past a bemused and befuddled goal keeper is the ultimate! Sometimes the simpler the goal---the more gratifying the goal. Most of … (1 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: More SNAKES! - 01/03/08 01:59 AM
Crawl spaces can be pretty inhospitable places. There is all too often the possibility of electrocution, raw sewage, rats, raccoons, dust laden with asbestos and harmful pathogens, flooding, collapsing wells and septic tanks, chemicals from Pest Control Operators, collapsing structural elements, and in some areas----SNAKES. I was glad this python/boa … (6 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Coffee, Tea or........ - 01/02/08 09:57 AM
Following the theme of my last blog about Whirlpool Baths, another issue that can sometimes gross out the buyer is when the sink faucet delivers "coffee" instead of water. This condition is usually a sign that the home has older galvanized type pipes and the fixture hasn't been used in … (1 comments)
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