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Now that is tacky!

By
Home Inspector with Charles Buell Inspections Inc.

     I found something on today's inspection that I just couldn't wait to share.  I think this takes the notion of "do-it-yourself" home repairs to a whole new level----like to the stars and beyond.  "Occasionally" I will pull a switch plate cover for one reason or another----in this case to see if the wiring in this 60's vintage home had grounded type wiring----and perhaps the ground was not being used (but that is a topic for an upcoming blog).  Previous to this I think one of the strangest light switches I had found was the bandaged switch I blogged about a while back.

     But like I said----this one takes the cake.  Typically the switch is held in place with two screws.  Most switches have little Mickey Mouse ears---two at the top---two at the bottom that help to stabilize the switch on the wall surface.  In this case the screws were missing and the four Mickey Mouse ears had these strange little white covered things at each ear.  Can you guess what they are?

tacky switch 

Yup----thumb tacks!  UL Approved thumb tacks you think?  Me thinks not.

Charles Buell

     PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)sunsmileall  pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

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Comments (35)

Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Charlie, you may be running out of blog fodder when you blog about thumb tacks so here's a delightful looking water heater for you to analyze.

water heater

water heater

water heater

 

08/23/2008 05:08 PM by Barbara S. Duncan ABR, CRS, GRI, e-PRO Searcy AR (RE/MAX Advantage)   Delete Report as Spam

Aug 23, 2008 11:20 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Barbara, as far as issues goes.  I see wires not properly protected from mechanical damage, maybe mold or some other funky condition under the washer drain, lots of ugliness, missing strapping on the water heater, and I hope you had lunch before you took the pictures:)

Aug 23, 2008 11:26 AM
Cheryl Willis
RE/MAX Solutions- OZARK MISSOURI - Mount Vernon, MO
MO Broker - Mt Vernon, Monett, Aurora, Barry & Law

but did you go ahead and tap the one on the upper left back in before you put the cover on?  cheryl

Aug 23, 2008 01:23 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Cheryl, silly, I don't carry a hammer:)

Aug 23, 2008 01:26 PM
TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.
Complete Home Inspections, Inc. - Brentwood, TN
Home Inspectons - Nashville, TN area - 615.661.029

Charles, I would have written up the upper left tack as being loose. Repair as necessary. Amazing what we find isn't it...

Aug 23, 2008 10:09 PM
Kevin Corsa
H.I.S. Home Inspections (Summit, Stark Counties) - Canton, OH
H.I.S. Home Inspections, Stark & Summit County, OH Home Inspector

Just add a little glue and duct tape to make it a more "permanent" install. Tacky, tacky, tacky, tacky.

Charles, I think you are just jealous because you didn't think of it first.  (LOL :))

Aug 23, 2008 10:24 PM
Margaret Mitchell
Coldwell Banker Yorke Realty - York, ME
Seacoast Maine & NH Real Estate

All FOUR screws missing????  Um, from their heads, too, lol.  Loved the "tacky" pun, Charles!

Aug 24, 2008 01:51 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Margaret----"something" missing for sure

Aug 24, 2008 01:54 AM
Courtney Cooper
Cooper Jacobs - Seattle, WA
206-850-8841

LOL _ that is hilarious and something I would do probably - I am the queen of thumb tacks according to my husband:)

Aug 24, 2008 04:05 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Michael----good point:)

Kevin, you are probably right:)

Courtney, does he ever end up sitting on them?

Aug 24, 2008 07:23 AM
No Longer Active in Staging. No Longer Staging
Hickory, NC

Hi Charles, Too funny, Mickey Mouse thumb tack ears ! Wow, how creative - NOT !! God bless,

Aug 25, 2008 02:34 AM
Ron Avneri
Seattle, WA
Financial Professional

mmmmm,  safety first

Aug 25, 2008 11:54 AM
Joshua Frederick
Home Inspector for ASPEC Residential Services, LLC - Defiance, OH
Home Inspector in Defiance & all of Northwest Ohio

What, that's not proper?  I never write up thumb-tacked switches...does that mean that toothpicks can't be used as nails?.............Oh man, I need to find another profession.....

 Josh Frederick, Northwest Ohio Home Inspector

Aug 25, 2008 12:02 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Cheryl, you don't like Mickey Mouse?

Ron, thanks for visiting

Josh, at least they used the old-fashioned flat kind instead of Push-pins that they would have had to drill holes in the cover for the cover to fit:)

Aug 25, 2008 12:09 PM
Cheryl Winn
Keller Williams Realty - Rock Hill, SC

Wow, it's amazing what some people will do.  It's really scary, the things will turn up in an inspection.

Aug 25, 2008 01:19 PM
C. Bartch
Newark, OH

Hi Charles, I've enjoyed reading your posts, they are informative & infused w/ humor. It made me laugh out loud when I ran my cursor over you smiley on this post, "Even this one;)"!

Aug 26, 2008 12:26 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Cheryl, the things I find interesting are the things that I find through pure luck.  We do not routinely remove cover plates.  I know inspectors that would never remove one even if they had a reason to.  It always leaves me wondering what we miss as inspectors.  The inspector that claims to find all defects is clearly mistaken in my opinion:)

Cynthia, if I can keep you laughing----that is a good thing:)

Aug 26, 2008 12:54 PM
Carol Culkin
Diamond Partners Inc - Overland Park, KS
Overland Park Residential Real Estate

Now that's funny! LMAO!

Aug 28, 2008 01:11 PM
Phillip R. Smith Sr.
Home Sweet Home Inspections - Northport, AL

If the cover was on the switch you may of not found it.

Did you remove the cover on other switches to see if they where repaired the same.

Aug 29, 2008 02:05 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Carol, sometimes it is very difficult not to burst into laughter in front of the buyer:)

Phillip, I didn't take off any more covers but I did warn my buyer that they might have a good supply of tacks in their future:)

Aug 29, 2008 03:16 AM