Home Inspection Articles | House Inspection News

Your house could become an accident prone area if you fail to fix defective equipment or systems. To keep your house safe, you should conduct a home inspection either by yourself or with the help of a professional house inspector.

But if you are occupying an old house that has not been inspected by a professional house inspector for a long time, it is best that you hire a professional house inspector.

Still, there is no one prohibiting you to do your own home inspection as long as you know what you are doing and you are the type of person who has been completing do-it-yourself home projects for a long time. You can later call for a special inspection for systems and parts that need specialized examination.

Among the appliances and equipment that could cause injury if not maintained or properly operated are gas furnaces, fireplaces, electrical appliances, water heaters, garage doors, stairways, firewalls, safety glass and electrical wirings.

Even safety equipment installed for safety purposes can become causes of accidents. A pressure and temperature relief valve or drain line improperly installed on a heater could make the heater explode. Improper electrical grounding can result in fire or electrocution.

Particularly for older houses, some toxic materials may have been used, such as lead or asbestos. Home safety practices have been constantly changing as improvements in home building technology, building materials, construction standards, building equipment and house construction techniques occur.

During your home inspection, your professional house inspector should be able to point out safety issues and recommend actions for maintenance, further examination, upgrades or repair.

Among the parts and systems that your home inspection specialist should examine are electrical panels, kitchen counter tops, kitchen appliances, the hot water heater system and the surrounding area, the air conditioning system and the surrounding area, the main water line, the garage overhead, service doors and foundation walls.

For older homes, owners are not compelled to make necessary upgrades to comply with new building standards and practices. It is up to the homeowner to implement safety recommendations written in the home inspection report.

Remember, however, that safety issues are major concerns for everyone. The safety of your family is foremost.

No house can be made 100 percent safe, as its use depends on the occupants, but all homeowners can eliminate or reduce risks.

Conduct then your home inspection and look for parts and systems that should to be repaired and made safe.

Home Inspection

Although all systems and parts of a house are essential and therefore should all be examined thoroughly in home inspection, the plumbing system should receive some extra attention because it is one of the most often needed systems of the house.

We all drink water, clean our bodies with water, cook with water, and so on. So home inspection professionals should ensure that home buyers do not have problems with plumbing systems when they finally move in. While homeowners can endure waiting for other parts of the house to be repaired or restored, they cannot endure waiting for water systems to be restored.

Plumbing systems, just like other essential systems, should be working perfectly.

During professional home inspection, plumbing systems are examined and tested for their condition and their function. As advised by home inspection industry leaders, home inspectors do not typically turn on the main water valve before inspection. They let authorized persons turn on the water first. There could be legal problems that may arise if the inspector turns on the valve and a major flooding happens.

Inspection of the plumbing system usually begins in the kitchen. The inspector turns on the water to check the faucets, drains, sink, piping, waste leaks, water pressure, water volume and drainage.

The house inspector also runs the dishwasher to ensure that there are no leaks and that the hot water feature is working.

The next rooms to be checked are the bathrooms. The inspector tries to move the sinks, bath fixtures and toilets to see if they are solid and are correctly installed. Tubs, showers, diverter valves and flush mechanisms are checked. Presence of water around toilets and tubs and under sinks should be checked further.

The inspector should wait for some time to ensure that the water heater is working.

The next places to be inspected are crawlspaces, floors and the basement. The inspector looks for signs of defects such as leaks, stains and residues.

A good home inspection professional should be able to tell the client and write in the home inspection report if the plumbing system has corrosion, abandoned piping, unsupported piping and suspicious stains.

A home inspection that has been carried out well in all of the systems and parts of the house will help not only the prospective homebuyer or seller, but also help enhance the profession and career of the home inspector.

Home Inspection

Home buyers like you may be surprised to know that the examination of furnace heat exchangers is not included in a regular house inspection.

You may also be frustrated to know that the reason for the exclusion is the prevalence of frivolous suits in the country. The house inspection industry has chosen to protect house inspectors from being burdened with costly lawsuits that could jeopardize their profession.

House inspection leaders argue that typically heat exchangers are inaccessible during regular home inspection and that these devices can only be examined if the furnace is dismantled.

This is why standard home inspection checklists and contracts specifically point out that heat exchangers are not included in standard house inspection procedures.

This is also the reason many house inspectors no longer take time in examining a furnace’s burner chambers even if they can.

Home inspectors who are more committed to their profession and who care for their clients take time in seeing signs of defects in the heat exchangers even if they cannot fully access them. According to many house inspectors, fissures or cracks in the visible portions of the firebox can be seen if the inspector uses a flashlight to take a look into the burner opening.

Other visible indicators of defects such as black soot, rust flakes and incorrect flame patterns can be seen if house inspectors care enough.

The case of a homeowner whose heater failed just six months after moving in illustrates one kind of failed home inspection. The house is only four years old and the home buyer has just moved in, but he is already required to spend over $1,000 to repair the heater.

According to the homebuyer, the heating contractor was able to show him a fissure in the exchanger without dismantling the whole heating system. The homebuyer argued that the house inspector could have easily seen the crack if he only exercised a higher level of professionalism and care towards the buyer during the house inspection.

For similar cases of failed inspection, the homebuyer is advised to talk with the home inspector involved and negotiate an acceptable solution. The home inspector should be asked to reinspect the furnace so that he can see that the fissure is visible and should have noted the crack during the house inspection. If the house inspector does not accept any responsibility, the homebuyer can report the problem to a mediator or arbitrator.

Home Inspection

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