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As Regards Smoke Detectors - I've Never Seen This!

By
Home Inspector with Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 3380-000723

As regards smoke detectors - I've never seen this!

The fifteen year old house was in pretty good shape!  Not much done - new appliances and so forth, but no remodeling!  It was very well kept.

As I walked in I noticed that the smoke detector in the main level was new.  Good!  It should be, as the original one would have been too old.  There was a another new one in the basement.  This owner was well informed and on top of things!

Then on the upper level there was a similar and new smoke detector in the hallway!

Excellent!

Going into the bedroom I noticed a ceiling repair.

Oddly it was round, with sloppy drywall compound spread all around it.

Roof leak?  It was painted.  So I noted it.

Then, in the other two bedrooms there were other ceiling repairs, just inside the door, and very similar.  They were also round and painted.

Being the slow train that I am it finally dawned on me.  There were no smoke detectors in any bedroom!  And these repairs were similar everywhere!

THEY HAD REMOVED THE SMOKE DETECTORS IN THE BEDROOMS!

Interested to see what was going on in the attic space, I went up imediately but it did not give much information.

Where the smoke detectors would be was covered with plywood!  And the insulation was conveniently moved away for storage.

IT IS NEVER GOOD TO REMOVE OR SMASH INSULATION IN AN ATTIC TO CREATE A STORAGE SPACE!  IN THOSE AREAS YOU HAVE NO INSULATION!  WHILE THIS MIGHT SEEM LIKE A BIG DUH, I SEE IT SO OFTEN THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT A PRINCIPLE UNDERSTOOD BY MANY PEOPLE.

But, from the attic space, I don't know if the smoke detectors were still wired up but under the insulation or plywood, or if the wires were still there with just wire nuts!  Nothing, no information.

This is a problem for many reasons!  But what happened?

My guess - the original detectors began chirping and even replacing the batteries did not help.  When they get too old (smoke detectors should be replaced after 10 years) sometimes they will chirp without stop.  My experience is that they do so between 1am and 4am, but that is just me!

To "solve" the problem, did these folks just remove them?  Hey, no more waking up at night!

BUT NOW THEY HAVE A DANGEROUS CONDITION AND IT IS UNCERTAIN THE NEW DETECTORS THAT REMAIN WILL OPERATE PROPERLY AND COMMUNICATE ONE WITH ANOTHER.  AND THAT IS THE CODE!

This is a correction that needs to happen immediately!  The current homeowners and anyone buying the house are at terrific risk.  Thinking they did something clever and good the current homeowners did not.  It's a good thing they had a home inspector in their house!

My recommendation:   home inspections sometimes take twists they usually don't take!  I had never seen this before!  Fortunately it was something we could see and catch.  But this is a safety disaster and the homeowners should be grateful this was caught.  Get a home inspection!  It might reveal something the inspector has never seen before!

 

 

Posted by

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC  

Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia.

Office (703) 330-6388   Cell (703) 585-7560

www.jaymarinspect.com


Comments (48)

Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Jay, Yeah how did they program those darn things to go off at that time? A mystery of the world. 

Aug 09, 2014 12:26 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Who knows what they did with them Don.  But the three that are left probably don't operate correctly.  Pushing the button does not prove they work right, as you know.

Aug 09, 2014 12:29 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Thanks Jay Markanich for my Ah-ha moment.

Aug 09, 2014 11:03 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Thanks Kathy!  Glad to give your brain a tweak!

Aug 09, 2014 06:42 PM
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Jay, not something the typical homebuyer would catch! Enjoy your day!

Aug 09, 2014 09:48 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Probably not Wayne.  Glad I did!

Aug 09, 2014 09:52 PM
Amanda Christiansen
Christiansen Group Realty (260)704-0843 - Fort Wayne, IN
Christiansen Group Realty

That sure seems like a lot of effort to not have some detectors installed.  You see something new every day!  

Aug 09, 2014 10:20 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

A&J - I think they were trying to upgrade the old ones without that pesky wake up call at night.

But what did they do with the old wiring?

Aug 09, 2014 10:30 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Jay,

I'm coming over from Kathy's post this morning and see why she picked yours..excellent information! You do see it all don't you?

Aug 09, 2014 10:54 PM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

Sharp eye there. I can't imagine removing a smoke detector or even the batteries. Good catch!

Aug 09, 2014 11:01 PM
Cindy Edwards
RE/MAX Checkmate - Johnson City, TN
CRS, GRI, PMN - Northeast Tennessee 423-677-6677

Good morning!

That is just a wrong thing to do.  hmmmm, makes you wonder.

Aug 09, 2014 11:01 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Thanks Dorie!  I thanked her but had not been over to her site!

I see the batteries removed all the time Gary, but not the detectors!

Cindy - which is something I do every day on home inspections...

Aug 10, 2014 02:40 AM
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!
Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374 - St. George, UT
St. George Utah Area Residential Sales Agent

Great catch Jay! So was Kathy's to re-blog this post in her weekly favorites. Taking out smoke alarm's in all bedrooms is not a great idea!

Aug 10, 2014 03:28 AM
Pamela Seley
West Coast Realty Division - Murrieta, CA
Residential Real Estate Agent serving SW RivCo CA

The chirping is very annoying and it does seem to happen in the middle of the night. That is an unusual homeowner fix and would not pass appraisal in California. Good to have a home inspection. 

Aug 10, 2014 03:44 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Well that is frightening!  I wouldn't buy the house without knowing that this had been fixed!

Aug 10, 2014 03:58 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Glad you found it Wanda.  I like it when Kathy puts up her links.  My wife is named Wanda, by the way.

It is Pamela, but if people were regular in replacing batteries they would never chirp!  I don't know that appraisers here would have caught this.

Sharon - it really is frightening.  And the code requires it, so if the fire marshall heard about this these folks would hear some music.

 

Aug 10, 2014 04:13 AM
Sandy Padula & Norm Padula, JD, GRI
HomeSmart Realty West & Florida Realty Investments - , CA
Presence, Persistence & Perseverance

Jay: Talk about a liability issue. Fortunately for your clients, they hired you and the seller will etiher repair this, or I hope your buyers walk.

Aug 10, 2014 09:33 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

This really needs to be fixed Norman, even if the sellers only do it for themselves!

Aug 10, 2014 11:22 AM
Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

One doesn't always think of smoke detectors...and now CO2 as well are required here when you consider updates....wise advice !

Aug 13, 2014 07:42 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

When there are gas appliances I always recommend CO detectors on my report S&D.  Here is a blog about where to put them:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2194501/-where-should-i-put-a-carbon-monoxide-detector--

Aug 13, 2014 08:19 PM