As a Washington State licensed home and structural pest inspector, a standard part of my bathroom inspection protocol is to test whether or not the commode (a.k.a. water closet, toilet, throne, lavatory, latrine, john or potty) is properly secured to the floor. 

On a recent inspection in Sequim, WA, I found a loose water closet in the master bathroom. At first glance, the flooring around the toilet looked okay-that is, it wasn't discolored. However, after taking a closer look, I noticed the floor directly around the base of the throne did have a bit of a wave to it. A quick swipe of my moisture meter began to confirm my suspicion that the lavatory might be leaking at the wax seal and that the subfloor around the base of the latrine was wet under the vinyl flooring material.

My suspicions were completely confirmed when I inspected the drain pipe under the john from the crawlspace. As you can see from the photos below, the wax ring is leaking enough "yuck" to create a small puddle on the vapor barrier.

At this point, I recommend a licensed plumber and/or contractor remove the potty, and then further evaluate the flooring and substructure materials below it to determine the extent of the damages and what repairs need to be made.

This is a great example of why it's a good idea to have regular maintenance inspections on your home. After all, how often do you go down below your home to look for potential problems?

Inspecting older homes is always interesting. It seems I inevitably come across original construction, repairs or remodels that make me scratch my head. While inspecting a "super cute 1940's home" in Port Angeles today, I came across an interior staircase with a few safety issues.

First off, the stairs had no handrail on the room side. While this may or may not have been allowed when the home was built, this is a pretty big safety concern, especially for small children.

Secondly, the ends of the graspable handrail installed on the wall side of the stairs did not terminate into the wall. This is a common finding in older homes and the concern is that someone coming down the stairs might snag their clothing and cause them to fall.

Lastly, the light installed at the top of the stairs did not have switches at the top and bottom of the stairs to control it. Instead, it appeared that you had to screw in the light bulb to turn it on after you climbed the stairs or before you went down them (taking care not to singe your fingertips). Either way you would be using the stairs without the light being on.

All of the above are safety concerns and I recommended to my clients that they install a proper handrail on the room side of the stairs and install switches for the light. I then suggested they modify the installed handrail so that it terminated into the wall. It just makes sense... at least to me.

ASHI, through its education subsidiary ASHI Education Inc. (AEI), is pleased to offer this specialized 3-day training opportunity which is being offered in conjunction with the ASHI Western Washington Chapter. Commercial inspections offer an excellent diversification path for home inspectors.

When and Where?
This 3-day course will be offered December 6-7-8, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. each day. Each day's session will conclude at 5:00 p.m. Course completion will be recognized with a certificate.

The course will be held at the Shoreline Community Center in the Aurora Room. The address is 18560 1st Ave. NE, Shoreline, WA 98155. Cost of the course is $1,395 for WW Chapter members, $1,495 for other ASHI members, and $1,695 for non-ASHI members.  To register for this course:

• Click here to register and pay by credit card

• Click here to register and pay by check

Click here for Commercial Building Inspection Course Information.

Who is Carson Dunlop Weldon?
Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates Ltd. (CDW) is a consulting engineering firm that specializes in commercial building inspections and training. They are an affiliate company of Carson Dunlop & Associates Ltd. They perform approximately 500 to 600 commercial building inspections annually. They currently offer their 3-day commercial inspection training program several times per year at locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Their website is www.CDWengineering.com.

Why Commercial Inspection?
The 3-day commercial inspection training program has been prepared specifically with home inspectors in mind. The course has been delivered for over 10 years and is intended to teach home inspectors how to diversify into the discipline of commercial inspections. The program is approved for 24 ASHI CE Credits (and 24 NAHI CEUs if offered at a joint training opportunity).

Following the scope set out in the ASTM Standard E2018, the course takes the attendees through all major building systems to provide them with an understanding of how commercial systems operate and how they are different than residential systems. While the course is weighted more on technical topics, various business issues, including who the clients are, why they want the service and the different commercial related services available, are also covered.

One of the most praised aspects of the course is the field exercises. CDW arranges to take the attendees through commercial buildings (typically at the hotel or venue where the course is held) and give them hands-on experience with commercial structures and systems.

Included with the course is a textbook prepared specifically for this purpose. The textbook includes illustrations, sample proposals and reports.

The primary instructor is Richard Weldon, P.Eng., LEED AP. Richard has over 20 years of experience with commercial inspections. Richard has also made presentations about commercial buildings and inspections to various real estate organizations throughout North America.

We all know the health risks associated with breathing high levels of mold, formaldehyde, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in our homes and businesses. Headaches, allergies, and asthma are just a few of the side-effects they can cause or exacerbate. As a result, many home buyers around the country are starting to request Indoor Air Quality audits in addition to their regular home inspections. 

Up until now, there's been no convenient, cost-effective way to offer these services to home buyers and sellers on the North Olympic Peninsula. However, I'm excited to announce that I've recently partnered with Prism Analytical Technologies, Inc. to begin using their state-of-the-art Home Air Check^TM Professional test. The test, which can be done separately or bundled together with a home or pest inspection, measures the levels of VOCs, Mold VOCs (the chemicals emitted from actively growing mold), and Formaldehyde of the air inside a home or business, providing the client with an accurate, affordable assessment of their air's quality.

For more information about the Indoor Air Quality test or the other services I offer, please visit my web site at www.AldrichsHomeInspections.com or feel free to contact me directly.

 

I personally experienced something not too long ago that reminded me just how precious life is and also how short it can be-I fell from a roof and broke my back on April 8^th. Immediately after I fell, as I was trying to sit still so I wouldn't do anymore damage, I literally saw my life flash before my eyes. I thought of the past (growing up with my two brothers, my parents 25^th wedding anniversary, meeting my wife, our wedding), the present (I might be paralyzed) and of the future (possibly not being able to pick up my children, work or do any of the things I really enjoy). If you haven't had such an experience, you should consider yourself very fortunate. 

Luckily I wasn't paralyzed and will make a full recovery in the coming months, but the experience was life changing. Not a day goes by that I don't think about the ladder slipping out from under me and how much worse it could have been. I think about what I did wrong, how it happened so fast that I had no time to react, and what I can do to try and prevent it from happening again. But, I also know that things happen in life that we don't plan on. 

Just a few days ago I received a letter from a local electrician that I regularly refer work to notifying me that his son (12 years old) had been killed while on vacation and that he was taking a leave of absence to grieve. As the article in the local paper explained, the boy was struck by a semitrailer as he was trying to retrieve a storage bin lid that had blown off the family vehicle. When I read both the letter and the article I was deeply saddened. I can't even begin to imagine the pain the family is feeling. I take some comfort in the knowledge that they have family and friends in the area to help them through this terrible time. And it again reminded me how precious life is and how we should appreciate every day we have. 

As this Independence Day approaches, I sincerely hope that you take the time to appreciate this great country we live in, to be with the ones you love, and to live life to the fullest. 

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." - Ashley Smith 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a safe and fun filled holiday weekend.

No one wants to buy the house of their dreams only to find out that it's a money pit. Lisa Pemberton-Butler with The Seattle Times, in her article The ins, outs of a home inspection, does a nice job of walking through some of the reasons why having a home inspection helps you avoid such an occurrence. With the help of Steven Stanczyk and Hugh Kelso, LIsa answers some common consumer questions, such as:

• I'm planning to buy a new home that comes with a one-year warranty. Why would I want a home inspection?
• Are there any training or licensing requirements for home inspectors?
• Can consumers hire a home inspector even if they aren't buying a home?

Lisa also lists some do's and don'ts when it comes to hiring a home inspector. This is all good information for anyone looking to sell, purchase, or even those who already own their homes.

Thanks for stopping by!

Randy West with The Daily Courier, in his article Billing through escrow is a conflict of interest for home inspectors, does a wonderful job of explaining the reasoning behind why most home inspectors do not or cannot allow payment at the closing of escrow.

Randy points out that from the position of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), billing escrow is a conflict of interest and would represent a violation of the ASHI Code of Ethics. He goes on to say "it is imperative that home inspectors are totally objective about the homes they inspect. A home inspector should not care whether his client buys the home or not; he should simply report the good, bad and ugly to allow the client to make an informed decision.

What is less obvious is that billing escrow does give the home inspector a financial interest in the home. Billing escrow means the home inspector will get paid by the title company when the home closes. If a home does not close, the home inspector may never be able to collect his fee. He will have to track down the buyer. The buyer did not purchase the home, so even if the home inspector finds the buyer they may not be eager to pay for an inspection on a home they didn't buy. So if a home inspector bills escrow, it is in his best interest for the home to close. If a home inspector gets paid up front for his inspection, no one can accuse him of not being objective in order to get paid."

To be fair, there are other professional home inspector associations that do allow their members to bill through escrow. For me, as a proud associate member of the oldest and largest home inspector professional organization-that is, ASHI-I follow and support ASHI's position and do not allow payment at the closing of escrow.

It's been just over four weeks since I had the unfortunate experience of falling eight feet from the gutter edge of a house I was inspecting. I had set up my ladder on a composite deck and as I was stepping onto the roof, the bottom of the ladder slipped out and both the ladder and I came crashing down onto the deck. I feel very fortunate in that my injuries--that is, three compression fractures in my middle back--are relatively minor and with another two to four more weeks I should make a full recovery.

The incident got me thinking about ladder safety and what things I can do differently in the future to help prevent me from falling again. After doing some research, I felt it might be beneficial to share what I came up with. It's a lot of information, but it could save you from injuring yourself or worse so I think it is worth a read.

For the purpose of this post, I concentrated on extension ladders. Information on other types of ladders can be found here.

Select the right ladder

The first thing you want to do is ensure you're going to use the right ladder for the task at hand. Length, duty rating and material are the three things you want to consider when choosing the ladder.

• Length - Ensure the ladder you are using is the proper length. If you are planning on getting on top of a roof, ensure the ladder is designed to extend at least one to three feet beyond the gutter when positioned at the proper angle (see Setting up the ladder below for information on the proper angle).
• Duty Rating - Ensure that the duty rating--that is, the weight capacity--of the ladder you intend to use is appropriate.
• Material - Ladders are typically made from one of three materials-fiberglass, aluminum and wood. Each material has its benefits and drawbacks. When choosing a ladder material, I think the most important consideration is whether or not you will be working around electricity or anywhere near overhead power lines. If so, then fiberglass is the safest choice. 

If you need help choosing a ladder, Keller (a subsidiary of Werner Co.) has a ladder selection tool here that can help. They also have a nice page that illustrates the three considerations here.

Prior to use

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) states that ladders shall be inspected by a competent person for visible defects on a periodic basis and after any occurrence that could affect their safe use. While OSHA does not have jurisdiction over homeowners, it just makes good sense to me to follow their recommendation. 

Below is a list of things to look at prior to using your ladder. If the ladder is damaged or does operate properly, then the recommendation is to label it with "DO NOT USE" until it can be repaired. If the ladder cannot be repaired, then it should be destroyed.

• Ensure the ladder feet are in working order, are not broken, and that the slip resistant pads on the feet are secure.
• Inspect the ladder parts for any cracks, bends, splits or corrosion.
• Ensure the rung locks and spreader braces are in good working order.
• Ensure the rope and pulley system works and that the rope is not frayed.
• Ensure all the bolts and rivets are tight.
• Ensure the steps, rungs and other ladder parts are free of oil, grease, and other materials.
• Ensure all the rung locks and other movable parts are properly oiled or greased.

Setting up the ladder

After inspecting the ladder as described above, it's time to setup the ladder. As I found out the hard way, properly setting up a ladder is probably the most important step in using a ladder. Below are six steps I now use when setting up a ladder.

1. Choose a safe location. If at all possible, the location should not be in a traffic area--that is, in front of entry and exit doors, in vehicle and pedestrian traffic zones, or on an uneven surface. Additionally, the ladder should not be used on ice, snow or other slippery surfaces such as a deck or smooth finish garage floor unless suitable means to prevent slipping is employed (see 5 and 6 below).
   
2. Ensure the location is at least 10 feet from overhead power lines. This is not only to prevent you from hitting the overhead power lines with the ladder, but also from you accidentally touching the lines while working on or when getting on or off the ladder.
   
3. Ensure the location has a firm, level footing. If the location is on a dirt or similar surface, you can use the "heel test" to test the hardness of the ground. The test is simple. Stomp your heel into the ground. If it goes into the ground more than one inch, then the ground is too soft for the ladder and you should choose a different location.
   
   If the ground is not level enough, you can try one of several things.
   
   
   • Move the ladder to a level area.
   • Level the area by removing some soil. If you do this, I recommend performing the heel test again.
   • Use a ladder with an adjustable base. See here for an example.
     
4. Set the ladder at the proper angle. Extension ladders should be set using the "1 to  4" rule--that is, the ladder should be placed 1 foot from the wall for every 4 feet in height. For example, if you want the top of the ladder to reach an 8 foot high point on your house, the bottom of the ladder should be 2 feet away from the house. A quick and dirty estimate for this is to put your toes at the ladder base and extend your arm. Your hand should just reach the ladder rungs. If the rungs are too close to you, the ladder angle is too steep. If the rungs are too far from you, the ladder angle is too hard.
   
5. If you plan on getting off the top of the ladder, then extend the ladder 1 to 3 feet above the landing point. This allows you to move safely from the ladder to the landing or roof.
   
6. Secure the bottom of the ladder. Securing the bottom of the ladder ensures it won't slip out from underneath you. Several suggestions for accomplishing this are below.
   
   
   • Flip the feet of the ladder up so that they dig into the ground.
   • Tie off the bottom, back side of the ladder--that is, the side facing the structure--to a nearby sturdy structure such as a railing post.
   • Place or drive an obstruction into the ground in front of the ladder.
   • If on a deck, place something in front of the ladder between the deck boards.
     
7. Secure the top of the ladder. When possible, the top of the ladder should be secured. Securing the top of the ladder ensures it won't slide side to side when you are on the ladder or when you are getting on or off the top.
   
   If possible, have someone hold the ladder in position while you secure the top of the ladder so that it cannot move away from the wall or move sideways. There are several ways to secure the top of the ladder. One way is to use rope or other similar material to tie off a rung to the structure. There are also ladder locks designed for this purpose. See here or here for examples of ladder locks. Regardless of what method you use, just be certain that whatever you tie off to is strong enough to prevent the ladder from moving. 

Using the ladder

How you use a ladder is just as important as selecting, inspecting and setting it up. You could do everything right up until you go to use it and still get injured. Below are some guidelines to use when using ladders.

• Always face the ladder when going up and down. Don't turn out or away.
• Keep centered between the rails.
• Always have 3-point contact. 3-point contact means have 2 hands and 1 foot or 1 hand and 2 feet in contact with the ladder at all times.
• Do not carry anything when going up and down the ladder. This allows you to keep both hands free in order to maintain 3-point contact
• Only one person should use the ladder at a time. The additional weight of a second person could exceed the ladders weight capacity and cause the ladder to break.
• Avoid leaning, stretching, or making moves that could throw you off balance
• Stay alert when getting on or off the ladder.
• Don't stand on the top 3 rungs of an extension ladder

Whether we realize it or not, plumbing traps are an extremely important component in not only the plumbing system, but the health of the structure as a whole. If traps are installed incorrectly or if they are an older style they can sometimes prove to be troublesome. 

Plumbing traps are specially designed to prevent sewer odors from wafting up into house through the plumbing fixtures-that is, sinks, bathtubs and showers. The traps accomplish this by providing a water seal that is created by waste water. Every time the fixture is used, the old water in the trap is forced out and replaced with new water. The trap systems are carefully designed so that they are self-scouring-that is, they don't collect debris-and yet still retain water in order to form a seal. 

As with most things, plumbing traps have evolved over the years. Below is a brief explanation of some of the older style traps as well as the new standard "P" trap. 

Older Style Traps
If you have ever lived in an older house (the definition of "old" is debatable), chances are you have seen or had to deal with one of the trap styles listed below. Most, if not all, of the older style traps are prone to having issues at one point or another. Here is a brief description of some of the more common types. 

"S" Trap - In my area-that is, the Sequim and Port Angeles Washington area-S traps are probably the most common older style of trap I come across. And in most cases, I find that S traps are installed in areas with no plumbing venting. The combination of the S trap and the lack of venting creates a situation where the water seal might be siphoned out of the trap. This is especially true if the trap is located near a larger fixture or if it is on the lower level of two or more floors. If siphoning does occur, then sewer odors will enter the house through the fixture(s) (at least until the fixture is next used). 

Crown-Vented Trap - A crown-vented trap is created when the plumbing vent connects to the trap via a "Y" fitting. This condition is prone to clogging, which can lead to the water seal being siphoned out. If siphoning occurs, then sewer odors will enter the house through the fixture (at least until the fixture is next used). 

Bell Trap - Depending on the age, condition, and location of the bell trap, it might be unreliable-that is, it could easily get plugged and cause a backup into the fixture. Additionally, if the top of the "bell" gets damaged, sewer odors might enter the house through the fixture. 

Drum Trap - Drum traps are probably the second most common older style of trap I find. The potential issues with drum traps are that they are not self-scouring-that is, they tend to collect debris-and might easily get plugged and cause a backup into the fixture. 

The New Standard
The newer standard plumbing trap is called a "P" Trap. If installed correctly, a P trap will maintain a water seal and prevent sewer odors from entering a house. An example of a P trap and its associated terminologies is below.

Conclusion / Recommendation
If you have any of the older style traps installed in your house, I suggest closely monitoring the trap(s) for sewer odors or clogging. If either is noted, I strongly recommend contacting a licensed plumber to further evaluate the trap and replace it as needed. 

For information on how sewer gasses might affect you, go to: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA309122.

The below post by Charles Buell does a great job at explaining the Senate Bill 5644 and how it will affect not only Home Inspectors, but the entire real estate community.

Whether we like it or not, even the so-called "toxic" mold spores are present in every square inch of the air we breathe (both inside and outside). That being said, for liability reasons, home inspectors will most likely be forced to declare that every home has toxic mold and recommend testing and/or remediation by a "mold expert."

Another possible repercussion of Senate Bill 5644 is the potential increase in home inspector's insurance premiums in order to cover the increased risk, which might be passed on to the consumer. And what if the insurance companies decide not to insure inspectors in Washington State because they don't want anything to do with mold? What then?

If you live in Washington State, are involved in the real estate industry and are concerned about this issue (heck, if you live in Washington State), I urge you to write your representative and senator to voice your concerns.

If you are not sure who your legislators are, go to the following link: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

Thanks for reading.