Nashville Home Inspector - What's Wrong With This Picture? 7-29-12

Nashville Home Inspector - What's Wrong With This Picture? 7-29-12

HINT:  Why is there a bucket under that pipe? 

ANSWER:  Something is leaking!  It should not be there, unless of course it is needed.  So what can be the source of the leak.  Well, that white pipe looks suspicious doesn't it?  So, to fill in the missing pieces, you are standing in an attic looking down at the attic floor.  That white pipe is a plumbing vent pipe.  The kind that goes up through the roof and sticks out the top of the home.  Almost every home has them.  But whenever you poke a hole in the roof, you have to take measures to prevent leaks.  For these type of vents, a roof boot is used to surround the pipe as it goes through the roof.  See the picture below of this pipe as it goes through this roof.  What's wrong?

ANSWER:  The crack is what is wrong and the crack is why there is a bucket in the attic.  This cracked roof boot is allowing water to penetrate into the attic and onto the ceiling below the attic, at least it was until they put the bucket up there.  This is not what we have in mind when we talk about a bucket list.  A better solution is simply to have another roof boot installed.  That rubber-like neoprene component is only good for about 7-8 years before it starts to crack.  Another quicker fix is to have a boot overlay installed, which is a similar device that simply slides down over the cracked boot.  Works good and lasts about as long as the new boot.  Either way, something new on the roof is a better solution than a bucket in the attic!

Thank you,

Richard Acree

http://habitecinspections.com

Comments in this blog posting are the copyrighted intellectual property of Richard Acree, President, HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC, and contributing members of the Active Rain Real Estate network, and are intended to educate and otherwise assist home owners, sellers and buyers, building owners, sellers and buyers, realtors, real estate investors, property managers, and lenders in the process of owning, buying or selling homes or commercial buildings. HABITEC is a residential (home) and commercial building inspection company serving Middle Tennessee including Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Mt. Juliet, Hendersonville, Dickson, Belle Meade, Columbia, Spring Hill and more! In addition to building inspections HABITEC offers Environmental Services for mold assessments, radon testing and water quality analysis. Additional information about HABITEC can be found on our website at http://habitecinspections.com, or call 615-376-2753.

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