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plumbing leak: Slightly Cracked, And Leaking A Bit - 03/16/12 02:52 AM
Sometimes things need to be investigated even when they are only slightly cracked and leaking.
This flip was "totally renovated."
The house was built in 1953, a VERY good year!
That means the house is strongly built, solid, probably still full of things done in ways they don't do today. For instance, that drain line is cast iron, and empties into a larger tube that is both cast iron and concrete! The clean out has been replaced so it is plastic, and new, but that is one solid assembly! I always kid people and say their drain lines will probably survive … (20 comments)
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plumbing leak: A Double Moisture Whammy - 02/06/12 08:27 AM
What does a client do when there is a double moisture whammy in a vacant house?
It's a foreclosure. No appliances left - they were taken. But there is clear evidence that two things have combined in the past to cause a current condition.
It wasn't easy to get to to see.
My tip off was a spongy, bouncy floor around a powder room toilet. That toilet, and that bath's sink, were against a wall where the washing machine's spigots and drain were inside the abutting wall.
In the laundry room, there was no washing machine or drip pan.
There was … (16 comments)
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plumbing leak: Shower Gone Wild! - 02/03/12 06:00 AM
Don't you love to see a new shower installation. And upgrades! Well, it just doesn't get better than upgrading that shower.
Take an old shower, with old tile, and boom! Make it new!
Such was the case here. The house had been vacant for some time, so the shower had not been used. But it works!
Nothing better than an adjustable shower height!
Professionally done, professional looking, well, professional all around.
Well, until you look behind.
And underneath wasn't any better!
It was the underneath that got me upstairs to investigate the installation!
It was a mess, had been a mess … (29 comments)
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plumbing leak: "We've Never Used The Whirlpool Tub, So You Don't Need To Check It." - 10/19/11 05:30 AM
"We've Never Used The Whirlpool Tub, So You Don't Need To Check It."
That's what the note said. These sellers had left a note for the buyers with information about this and that. Buried in the list was the mention about the whirlpool tub.
Do you think I:
1. Believed the note and didn't check the tub at all2. Ran straight upstairs to check the tub first3. Checked the tub during the normal course of the inspection4. Laid my hands on it and divined that it had no problems
As much as I enjoy #4, I really am partial to checking … (115 comments)
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plumbing leak: Caulking, The Universal Plumbing Repair - 10/13/11 04:43 AM
What to say when you find that caulking, the universal plumbing repair, was used to fix plastic CPVC plumbing?
Entering the REO the agent said to my clients and me that the bank will do nothing more to repair the house?
I asked, "Nothing more?"
"Yes, there were many plumbing problems and the bank already sent someone to fix them," she responded.
I got that "home inspector tingle" so many inspectors understand and even write about!
And I wasn't disappointed!!
My "Spider Sense" was right again.
This little gem of a repair was over the water heater.
The "repair" guy obviously … (82 comments)
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plumbing leak: A Slow Drip Of Water Can Be Torture - 07/11/11 07:48 AM
We have all heard the stories of the slow drip of water onto someone's forehead that eventually drives the person nuts, and then to death. I don't know how true it is, but if there is a torture that works well mankind will find a way to employ it.
We also know about how over time water can smooth rocks, displace millions of tons of earth and create canyons, even a really grand, Grand Canyon. Even a drop of water over time will do damage. And a slow drip of water can be torture.
How about the teensiest of a drop … (16 comments)
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plumbing leak: When Problems Are Hidden - 06/01/11 07:16 AM
One thing I do on every inspection, because I have long arms and reach eight feet, is raise my flashlight up parallel to ceiling height and see what I can see in the drywall. Any previous repair will be revealed, unless they are as good as I am at doing drywall... (yes, that was a bit of a toot on my horn).
And my practice is always revealing when problems are hidden.
I saw this from across the room.
When leaks require drywall repairs, I will see them from across the room.
When leaks only stain the drywall that needs to … (78 comments)
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plumbing leak: IR To the Rescue! - 12/27/08 05:25 AM
I did an inspection as a follow-up favor for a realtor client. It seems her listing had an inspection which revealed moisture in the corner of a basement wall.
It is a 30 year old house and the seller is an older, single woman without much money. She needed to sell the house for financial reasons. I said I would look at the wall with my IR camera, no charge. The realtor is a long-time client and has sent me lots of business. The whole visit took not much time at all. The buyers were demanding that a "dry basement" company … (10 comments)
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Jay Markanich - Northern VA Home Inspector
Bristow,
VA
More about me…
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC
Address: 12315 Sherborne Street, Bristow, VA, 20136
Office Phone: (703) 330-6388
Cell Phone: (703) 585-7560
Email Me
An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.
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