burlington inspection: Bellingham Home Inspection (King of the House): This Is A Shock
- 12/23/07 05:47 AM
This Square D electric panel has a serious defect. In fact, it is a major life and limb safety issue. Yet, unless someone knows what to look for, the problem might be overlooked. Look to the left terminal in the photo, and you will see that there is a fairly small gauge black wire that is sharing the terminal with one of the ungrounded (hot) conductors. With a standard panel such as this, 240 volts comes in. If you were to read the voltage with a meter from the neutral (center with white tape on it) to the conductor at the … (7 comments)
burlington inspection: My First Clue That Something Was Wrong
- 12/22/07 09:32 AM
I have seen weird problems with water heater temperature pressure relief valves before, but this was the most "slap you in the face" startling discovery I have seen. Usually, the problems are pretty standard: There is only a plug where the TPR valve should go; there is no TPR drain line; the TPR drain line is routed up or something unusual like into a garden hose. At the tank below, there was a bucket under the TPR valve and it was full of really gross rusty water. The water at the home was turned off, so I do not know if … (3 comments)
burlington inspection: Home Inspector's Hands Tied On The Job!
- 12/10/07 07:24 AM
When I say the home inspector's hands were tied, I mean it as a joke. However, it is not uncommon to find this to be the situation in the real world of inspection. It is most often the case at a home that has been vacant. The seller decides to winterize the plumbing or does not wish to pay for the power, the water, the gas. Then, someone decides they want to buy the home and calls for an inspection. The inspector gets there, and should know going in if the right questions are asked, that there is no power, no water and … (3 comments)
burlington inspection: Bellingham WA Home Inspection (King of the House): Wood to Earth and Rot
- 12/10/07 06:56 AM
This photo is a classic example of what happens when soil is piled against wood. Wood to soil contact, or water running over wood, often lead to rot or wood decay fungi. This is the side of a garage. The garage, especially an unattached garage, is a common place to find this problem as the structure is often ignored compared to the house. There was a concrete foundation here, be it a shallow one, but soil had been piled against it, over it and up onto the siding. As a result of that, the wood has rotted. If the conducive condition of … (0 comments)
burlington inspection: Marketing Jingles
- 12/02/07 03:59 AM
Well, another week has gone by where circumstances were such that I did not get the time I wanted for AR blogging. However, I thought that some members might find this post interesting. As many of you know, prior to inspection, I worked as an engineer and finally the manager and owner of a radio broadcast station. In those 30 plus years, I spent my time in marketing. Broadcast marketing, while different in some ways, had many similarities to online marketing. This post refers to marketing jingles. You know, those little, often annoying, tunes that go with advertising for businesses or radio station … (0 comments)
burlington inspection: Short List of Favorite Places In Italy: Lake Como
- 11/24/07 02:02 PM
In the past, when I have posted photos from my recent trip to Italy, people have said that they enjoyed the photos. I was going through some of my pictures today and thought I would write about, and post these. We have visited Italy four times now and we are starting to determine places we would really like to go back to for another visit. These photos do a pretty good job of capturing Lake Como. It is a short train ride from Milan and was a great two days and I wish it had been longer. The lake is huge … (0 comments)
burlington inspection: Unique Chimney Caps From Italy
- 11/24/07 01:44 PM
In the past, I have written articles or blogs here at Active Rain about the benefits of chimney caps on chimneys. In my wet climate, they are pretty much essential for keeping the rain out. On my trip a couple months back, to Italy, I could not resist but to take photos of some of the chimney caps they have over there. They are pasted in above so take a look. I think they are interesting and, when compared to what we have over here at least, unique. These are old tile roofs and a number of the caps, … (0 comments)
Steven L. Smith, King of the House Home Inspection, provides information for real estate buyers, sellers and real estate industry professionals.
Blog posts emphasize issues commonly found in Bellingham, WA and Whatcom County. Smith is Washington State Licensed Home Inspector #207, a state licensed structural pest inspector, ASHI certified inspector #252760 and one of the most experienced inspectors in the northwest corner of the Pacific Northwest.
Steven L. Smith is lead instructor of home inspection at Bellingham Technical College and teaches classes for Washington State University and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Steve was a two-term member of the state licensing board.
This Square D electric panel has a serious defect. In fact, it is a major life and limb safety issue. Yet, unless someone knows what to look for, the problem might be overlooked. Look to the left terminal in the photo, and you will see that there is a fairly small gauge black wire that is sharing the terminal with one of the ungrounded (hot) conductors. With a standard panel such as this, 240 volts comes in. If you were to read the voltage with a meter from the neutral (center with white tape on it) to the conductor at the … (7 comments)
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