water: Duct Concerns
- 04/23/12 02:17 AM
The photo shows both a larger heating/cooling duct and a disconnected dryer lint duct... Can you spot the concerns?During the inspection, it was noted that the soil was very moist.. That the large duct is not supported off the ground... And is in contact with the moist ground.There can be moisture and rodent intrusion, that could lead to health issues.Flexible clothes dryer lint ducts are not permitted for use in a crawlspace and are prone to lint buildup. The open lint duct discharges warm, moist air into the crawlspace making the wood framing susceptible to fungus growth...Lint accumulation under a … (2 comments)
water: Not White Paint
- 03/28/12 12:52 AM
Not White Paint At first glance, the home inspector thought the bottom of the subfloor had been painted white.Upon closer inspection, the inspector concluded it was a bio-growth. An inspector (unless they’re a certified industrial hygienist) shouldn’t say ‘mold’, as doing so makes them the expert in a court of law.If there’s a bio-growth growing on crawlspace surfaces, there’s a good chance there are issues with inadequate or poor ventilation; leaking toilets, negative grade; no drainage system; downspouts discharging next to the foundation; over-irrigation; leaking water supply or drain pipes; swimming pool leaks; high water table all of which can contribute … (2 comments)
water: Walking on Water
- 03/27/12 11:08 AM
It’s not everyday that home inspectors can say they walked on water. The photo is a buckled wood floor. Buckling is when wood flooring swells and lifts off of the sub-floor surface.Severe buckling is usually the result of excessive water flooding a wood floor... for example, an overflowing bathtub or toilet; or a water supply pipe break.It this case, the source of water was a garden hose.In the current real estate market, there are foreclosures, short sales, and abandoned houses. Sometimes, disgruntled homeowners damage their house before the bank takes it over.The rear sliding door was opened, a garden hose was … (1 comments)
water: Telltale Signs
- 02/17/12 12:29 PM
A good property inspector is always on the lookout for telltale signs. A door that rubs its frame… Exposed electrical wires… Loose handrails… Missing smoke detectors, etc. High water marks under a house; usually gets people’s attention. In the photo, the bottom of a heating/cooling duct in the crawlspace is rusted in a straight line… A telltale sign that the duct sat in water approximately 6-8” deep. This isn’t good. Who knows what grows inside a duct when water intrudes. Can’t be healthy. High water marks or silt marks can occur when:-There are no installed roof gutters-Downspouts discharge water next to … (4 comments)
water: An Indicator
- 01/05/12 01:32 PM
What are silt marks? Silt marks occur when water rises and then slowly recedes leaving dirt and small debris that was mixed in or floating on the water clinging to the sides of vertical surfaces. Silt marks observed along house foundations, support piers, drain pipes, and/or heating/cooling ducts is a result of rising water that has accumulated in residential crawl spaces and basements. Wet basements and crawl spaces are sources of high humidity, which can produce surface condensation, mildew and fungi, musty odors, rust metal, and can become unhealthy. Excessive moisture can cause deterioration of floor joists, beams, subflooring, insulation, electrical-mechanical systems … (2 comments)
water: Red Flag at the Air Gap
- 12/17/11 03:41 PM
You’ve seen them… those small chrome cylinders with open slots attached to your kitchen sink deck or counter top. Have you ever wondered what that silver thingy is? It’s called an air-gap device that’s installed between the dishwasher drain line and the garbage disposer. The purpose is to prevent contaminated water (water from the dishwasher contains food particles that'll host bacteria in the hose) from siphoning back into the dishwasher, if there’s blockage at the disposer. It’s a one-way path for water flow and a health safety device. Your dishes come out squeaky clean from the dishwasher, but some of … (7 comments)
That U shaped piece of pipe under your sink is called a P-trap. The purpose is to create a water seal and keep sewer gas from entering the household. A requirement of a properly installed P-trap is that it has a water seal of not less than 2 inches and not more than 4 inches (between the two horizontal red lines)... the P-trap depth in the photo is about 12". Over time the P-trap will become plugged with anything that is washed down the kitchen sink. Eventually, the sink will begin to drain slowly, as there's not enough … (2 comments)
water: Drain/Waste Line Woes
- 10/29/11 03:27 AM
Water weighs approximately 8 lbs per gallon.... In a large household, it's conceivable to flush a toilet, take a shower, run water in a sink, and have both the washing machine and dishwasher discharging water at the same time... a lot of water weight flowing through a drain/waste pipeline. With these older plastic support straps shown in the photo, which fail in about 5 years... Or possibly an earthquake occurred at the time water was flowing through the drain line... The drain/waste line came down. Whatever the cause, ABS pipe requires support every 4 feet using approved straps. No wire or … (1 comments)
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