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My Tin-foil hat will protect me!

By
Home Inspector with Charles Buell Inspections Inc.

In the spirit of all things tin-foil, as long as I wear my tin-foil hat, when I am cooking and have my range hood running, I will surely be protected.

Tin-foil hat 

Range hood ductwork is required to be SMOOTH WALL metal pipe.  While it is in the box, aluminum-foil is pretty smooth but just about as soon as you breathe on it, it becomes wrinkled.

aluminum foil ductwork 

While there are some exceptions (if the ductwork is buried in a concrete slab) generally speaking the range exhaust hood is required to be “galvanized steel, stainless steel or copper.”  Note that aluminum of any kind is not listed---let alone aluminum foil.

Improper ductwork can collect grease and become a fire hazard.

Check to make sure the ductwork on your range hood is proper.

 

Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle

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Seattle Home Inspector

 

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Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

Sloppy does not get by the inspector...got to make it shiny and not crinkly.  Aluminum foil will not do it when you have a sharp inspector!

Jul 17, 2013 11:07 PM
Wayne Zuhl
Remax First Realty II - Cranford, NJ
The Last Name You'll Ever Need in Real Estate

Good morning Charles -  Congrats on the best post title I've seen in a long time!

Jul 17, 2013 11:16 PM
Joanna Cohlan
Fresh Eyes For Your Home - Chappaqua, NY
Designing, Decorating & Staging Westchester Homes

Good morning charles-pretty incredible - do it yourselfers are definitely dangerous!

Jul 17, 2013 11:38 PM
Jenn Morson
Metro Referrals - Crofton, MD
Licensed Referral Agent and ASP - Team Woda

Oh goodness - tinfoil as a fix-all. Not the best idea. Reminds me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the Windex. :)

Jul 17, 2013 11:42 PM
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Charles, the more creative homeowners get the more posts we will see from you. This one will be hard to top, but I'm sure you will do it.

Jul 17, 2013 11:43 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Jay, you are too correct :)

Steven, I wondered the same

Kathy, I will have to check that one out

Dana, I would not be around some of those meetings me thinks:)

Tom, yup---masking tape

Fred, those kinds of hidden things are the types of things that we miss every day I am afraid

Jennifer, thanks---and thanks for the reblog!

Mike, I would say much of Continuing Ed involves inspectors entertaining each other :)  As to the dents---there are two, but they are actually indents that for the screws that hold the unit in its box

Jay, see my comment to Mike, previous

Clint, I have found backwards b-vent as well---leaves one scratching one's head for sure

Bette, but at least there is some validity to the radiator :)

Corinne, you may have a vent that vents indoors or it may go out the back of the unit or enclosed in some other way

Brenda, I suspect it will be pretty rare to find it----except for that expandible plastic duct that looks like tin foil---that is too common

Fernando, duct tape will never forgive it

Gary, it kind of jumps out at you :)

Wayne and Jean, I don't think the title is quite as good as "Bacon flavored lemon cake":)

Joanna, they certainly don't know what they don't know sometimes

Jenn, I just watched that movie the other day---painful---but the windex works ;)

Michael, never a dull day :)

Jul 17, 2013 11:47 PM
Chris and Dick Dovorany
Homes for Sale in Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero, Florida - Naples, FL
Broker/Associate at Premiere Plus Realty

Just think of all that grease that is escaping and clinging on everything in that home.  Yuck.  Do it right or hire it out.

Jul 18, 2013 12:16 AM
Kelly Taylor
Keller Williams - Lakewood Ranch, FL

Hysterical, thanks for sharing.

Jul 18, 2013 12:39 AM
Donny Carter
Carter & Roque Real Estate - Frostburg, MD
Mountain Maryland Real Estate Expert

Thanks for the tip!

Jul 18, 2013 12:43 AM
Ed Neuhaus
Neuhaus Realty Group - Austin, TX
el Capitan

I saw tinfoil used as leak repair once.  The lender actually required us to have it fixed before closing.   See photos here.  http://www.neuhausre.com/2011/08/06/tin-foil-leak-stop/

Jul 18, 2013 01:00 AM
Suzanne Otto
Six Twenty Designs - Lansdale, PA
Your Montgomery County PA home stager

Aluminum foil is the new duct tape :)

Oh and the masking tape to hold it in place! Impenetrable.

Jul 18, 2013 01:35 AM
Gerard Gilbers
Higher Authority Markeing - Asheboro, NC
Your Marketing Master

I'm surprised that the fix was not all duct tape since duct tape works on anything!!

Jul 18, 2013 01:46 AM
Edward & Celia Maddox
The Celtic Connection Realty - Queen Creek, AZ
EXPERIENCE & INTEGRITY - WE TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

Great title and comparison of hat to problem use of tin toil.  You definitely need that home inspector.

Jul 18, 2013 02:25 AM
Bill Reddington
Re/max By The Sea - Destin, FL
Destin Florida Real Estate

Haven't seen this one. Probably in my future. Says to me the owner probably changed the range hood...added microwave...whatever. Still an issue.

Jul 18, 2013 03:31 AM
Kevin J. May
Florida Supreme Realty - Hobe Sound, FL
Serving the Treasure & Paradise Coasts of Florida

Charles, your foil hat is quite snazzy but the foil assisted range vent duct work, not so much.   

Jul 18, 2013 04:30 AM
Carla Muss-Jacobs, RETIRED
RETIRED / State License is Inactive - Portland, OR

Geez . . . they didn't even use DUCT TAPE!!  Masking tape?!?  Oh BROTHER!   At least I would have used duct tape!

Jul 18, 2013 05:17 AM
Bryan Robertson
Los Altos, CA

That seller is lucky they haven't burned their house down.  For such an inexpensive item, I'm surprised they'd take the chance using foil like that.

Jul 18, 2013 06:27 AM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Chris and Dick, worse yet would be its buiding up in the ductwork

Kelly, you are welcome

Donny, hopefully it will be of use to you some time

Ed, pretty nice!

Suzanne, it is called adding insult to injury I guess

Gerard, one would think so

Edward & Celia, that is a very special hard hat made especially for home inspectors

Bill, pretty simple matter to do properly

Kevin, you too, for a few pennies worth of tin foil can make your own :)

Carla, me too :)

Bryan, a case of one not being able to know what one does not know

Jul 18, 2013 06:47 AM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Charlie, That is a special install alright. You never know when you need a additional piece of foil. Just got to the cabinet.

Jul 21, 2013 02:50 AM
James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC - Wallingford, CT
Connecticut Home Inspector

Masking tape and tin foil...perfect ;)

Jul 23, 2013 10:07 PM