shoreline home inspectors: It’s just a stain! - 10/28/10 10:12 AM
Home inspectors will often make comments about conditions that have happened in the past but are not present at the time of inspection. We will note a stain on the ceiling and state that it was not wet at the time of inspection (or that it was wet as the case might be). We will then go on to explain that this stain may be from previous conditions that have since been remedied or that it was caused by something that is seasonal or due to conditions not duplicated at the time of inspection. We might recommend monitoring the area … (15 comments)
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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 makes little clouds in the icy drizzle.
She is almost always at this particular corner and she always waves when I go by---even though I sense that if the car was empty she would still wave.
I do what I can to avoid eye contact---but never succeed in … (14 comments)
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shoreline home inspectors: Wordless Wednesday in Seattle - 04/15/09 08:58 AM
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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 into all the different woods he used and how all the components come apart so that they can be worked on. Way amazing for something that is basically useless. If only we could put this kind of passion into useful things. Can you imagine "world issues" with this attention to … (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 are afraid of may leave the room and yet the fear lives on.
Our fear can be further complicated by diverse opinions of various "authorities." Depending on the "weight" that those authorities carry, we can be further immobilized by our fear.
The media has this kind of power.
… (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 newer dishwashers have "built-in" air gap devices, many jurisdictions require that there be a one built permanently into the drain. This picture shows what a typical counter-top air gap device looks like---but the drain lines have been hooked up backwards and the device acts like a fountain when the dishwasher … (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 use of way-undersized wire to supply power to the disposal. With the availability of information on the internet pertaining to the proper installation of almost anything, it is getting to the point where there is very little excuse for seeing installations like this----yet they still happen. I love the internet … (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 can become very conductive (high metal content---old lead based paint etc). Sometimes receptacles get painted because of the desire to have the receptacles "disappear" into the overall color of the wall. Other times they end of painted because people are just too lazy to properly protect the outlets during painting … (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. Locating them above the doorway keeps them out of the way of stored items and allows for better lighting of the closet as well. In the picture below we see the bulb in contact with a cardboard box. Another issue with these older style porcelain bulb holders is that they … (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 roof or other components of the home. In the picture below, the service wire has come in contact with the metal edge of the flat roof. There is a wear mark on the metal where the wire has worn off the paint. Over time this metal edge will wear off … (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 these have shrink wrap, tape, or snap-on enclosures installed by the utility when they make the connections. It is common for the neutral/ground connection to not be covered (the bare wire that also acts as the support wire from the street). In the picture the lowest connection is the neutral/ground/support-wire … (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 of di-electric unions, replacement of sections of the metal pipe with plastic, in-line water filters etc. Di-electric unions are used to connect pipes of dissimilar metals to prevent corrosion due to electrolysis.
In this first picture we see where there has been a jumper installed across the section of non-conductive … (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 and all metallic systems in the home (metal water supply pipes, metal drain pipes, metal heating pipes, gas pipes etc.) must be "bonded" to the house grounding system. This prevents life threatening shocks to persons touching these systems if the pipes were to become energized for some reason.
In older … (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. The picture below shows the location of the phone company ground installed at a water pipe in the basement----a very typical location. Other locations might be at the meter base outside the home or at the metal conduit of the incoming electrical service to the home. Sometimes these systems are … (5 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 can be damaged. In this case, the iron hanger wire is corroding where it is in contact with the copper pipe. Originally this wire hanger was copper-plated. In the picture one can see the lump of solder where the plumber had soldered the copper coated wire to the pipe. This … (7 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 opener motors are very strong and if the opener is operated with the manual lock engaged the whole mechanism can tear itself off the ceiling causing injury to persons and property.
Some people feel they want the "extra" security by maintaining the manual lock, unaware of the potential safety hazard … (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. All wiring has specific ratings as to where it can be installed and under what conditions. Any wiring inside the interior of the home has to be adequately protected from mechanical damage. In the picture below we see wiring that is NOT adequately protected and can easily be damaged by … (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 the time it isn't even about the goal but the route to the goal. The pass from a team mate, the lucky bounce, the soft touch, or the assist to enable your team mate to get their goal is what makes the game so worthwhile. Are we seeing a parallel … (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 (don't want to know enough about snakes to know the difference) was dead----although very smelly. This particular snake was someone's escaped pet. I would hate to be hugged to death in a crawl space and not be able to reach my cell phone. The crawl space is also where all … (6 comments)
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