Ouch! Look at that!

During this recent Keller inspection, our home inspector was shocked to see this much water damage. In fact it may have gone unnoticed if he hadn’t pulled the refrigerator away from the wall. Our client – the Buyer – was so glad we took the extra time and effort to look closer.

It’s the details and the extra time that our inspectors spend on the job that produce the most important – and often the most expensive – discoveries. This is the way we find the hidden problems that other inspectors miss. And we have heard from our previous clients that this extra effort has saved them considerable amounts of money, allowing their real estate agents to renegotiate the sales price.

That is the service we have provided well over 2,000 home owners over the last eight years, and we will provide you with the same friendly, professional care.

Let us go to work for YOU.

(817) 797-2461,  OR

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Adam and I, as well as other home inspectors, have been criticized for writing up some of the problems related to water heaters. Truth is there are a few deficiencies we find with water heaters that can be downright dangerous. And with this first article in a series, I want to set the record straight!

Water heaters should be properly installed and properly maintained! And if we see those procedures being ignored or shortcuts taken by “do-it-yourselfers,” we will report it that way to our clients. There is a REASON that most municipalities require that a permit be pulled by a licensed  It is not worth the risk to your family for us to turn a blind eye to these matters.

In this first of a series of posts, we’re going to look at the component that can potentially be the most dangerous — the Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve. It’s commonly called the T&P Valve, or just TPR.

As its title might suggest, the Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve is there for a reason. If you don’t have one on your water heater, you are already risking your family’s safety. If you have one on the unit, but it is not properly installed and properly terminated,  it can also cause problems. On the left is a photo of a Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve (commonly called a T&P valve). The T&P valve has a couple of very important functions. If the water gets too hot inside the tank, it also creates a build up of pressure. When this happens, the valve pops open, lowering the pressure inside, and slightly lowering the temperature as well.

If that valve does not open, you can see that it could be dangerous. If you watch the DIY or History Channel, you may have seen the guys on “MythBusters” blow up a water heater on a wharf by their studio. They were working in a controlled and safe environment. And we presume they knew what they were doing.

If the water heater in your home is unsafe, it becomes a matter of safety for your family. In fact, I have posted a video right here to show you what can happen. I want to say a special thanks to my inspector colleague Stan Fikel in Phoenix, who posted this video, documenting the damage done by an electric water heater in his own neighborhood. After you finish watching the video and listening to Stan’s description, see if you have a new respect for water heaters.

Now, a missing or defective TPR Valve can cause a lot of damage, but the way the discharge line off the TPR valve is installed, can also be crucially important. If the discharge piping gets clogged or kinked, it can present an obstruction in the line. If the obstruction is significant enough, it will create an obstruction similar to there being no T&P valve at all. Those obstructions occur when there is a kink or bend in the pipe. I’ve seen the end of the pipe bent or twisted at the outside of the house. All these can cause a dangerous stoppage.

And there is one other thing that can cause a clog in this discharge line.  The discharge line is supposed to run downhill all the way to the termination point. These valves actually seep or leak or sputter, letting small amounts of water and vapor out over time. When this happens mineral deposits and corrosion can build up in the line and clog the pipe. The arrows in the photo on the right show that the discharge line actually takes an upward turn as it leaves the TPR valve (circled). While we are inspecting the water heater, we look to make sure that the discharge line runs downhill all the way to the termination point. If the line turns uphill, we write it up as a deficiency and recommend that a licensed plumber make it right.

A consumer information tag comes out of the box, attached to ALL T&P valves sold. Those tags explain that the T&P valve is supposed to be tested at least once a year. No one that I know ever tests the valve, but that doesn’t make it any less of a good idea. It usually takes two people, because the termination point is supposed to be outside. So one person stands ready to lift the valve, and the other person stands at the termination point (but far enough away that they won’t get sprayed with the hot water when it comes out during the test. After the test, re-seat the valve and wait for the water to stop running at the other end.

Now, here is the problem. If no one has ever tested the valve, there is a fairly good chance it will not re-seat, and that hot water will continue to run out. This is an inconvenience, because you will need to call a plumber to fix it, and they charge about $150 or more to replace the valve. BUT, if it is a bad valve anyway, you have just made your family safer. So weigh the benefit against the risk, and make the decision.

Good luck, and we will continue to err on the side of safety when we inspect your home, by reporting these and other deficiencies.

Call us for your Fort Worth area home inspection.    (817) 797-2461

Or you can schedule a home inspection online 24/7.

We like it when we catch significant problems, let our clients know, and then hear back from them that we did good. It’s kind of why we’re in business in the first place, right? Our Fort Worth Inspector Adam Sedinger found this slab leak when he did a Keller home inspection for a father/son investor team recently.

In case you’re having trouble reading the letter from the photo, let me quote it for you. It’s addressed to me, Victor Sedinger, at House Exam Inspection, and it goes like this:

“We would like to commend Adam on the thorough job that he did at our home inspection.

 ”Adam found a very small leak that many people would have missed. When this leak was tracked down, it was determined to be either in or under the slab. Exactly what we did not want.

“We turned the house down.

“The value of your service was outstanding because it saved us many thousands of dollars, as well as the time and headaches it would have cost to repair the leak.

“We certainly will using House Exam for our future inspection needs.

Investors, home buyers and home sellers have been counting on our experience, skill and expertise in finding the hard stuff since 2004, and we promise to keep on providing our clients with the confidence they need to make the decisions they have to make.

Let us work for YOU. Call (817) 797-2461, OR

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Our highly trained and experienced professional home inspectors look for problems in the electrical systems of every home we inspect. It’s not only our job. It’s our mission. We want to make sure you are safe in your home.

One of the chief components of a home’s electrical system is the main distribution panel box — often called the main electrical panel. Circuit breakers in the main electrical panel are protective devices, meant to keep the wires and electrical devices in the house operating safely. When over-current conditions exist anywhere in the circuit, the breakers are supposed to “trip” — instantly turning off the power to the circuits they protect.

Overheating is another problem in residential wiring, and it can be directly related to an over-current condition. But overheating does not always “trip” a circuit breaker, and that is a problem. In a case where Aluminum wiring is present, overheating becomes problematic, because of wire sizing and because of the wiring connections. 

In the photos in this post, we see a main breaker which is dangerously hot, and we also see an elevated temperature in the wires feeding the general power circuits. When Aluminum wire is used (as it was exclusively in this house), it requires a gauge (diameter) one size larger than if Copper were used. This extra size insures that the current load is safely distributed on the Aluminum wire. In this particular house, there were at least three wiring circuits present where the wires were a smaller gauge (diameter) than the current load required.

Our home inspector called for further evaluation of the entire electrical system by a licensed electrician, because there were numerous such “red flag” issues noted. Truth is: many electrical issues are of more concern to us than other types of deficiencies, because of the potential for electrical fires and shock hazards. “Better safe than sorry,” we always say.

We work for you, in finding and identifying these electrical problems. Our findings have saved hundreds of our clients thousands of dollars in costly repairs. But, more importantly, our expertise has saved folks from dangerous, hazardous conditions that would have gone undetected.

Don’t risk your family’s safety by using a less-experienced inspector, or a “one-price-fits-all” company. Cheaper companies are cheaper for a reason, and you don’t want to find that out too late.

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These clients made an informed purchase decision, based in part on the information we provided them.

Isn’t it all about having enough information to make a good decision whether to buy? Here’s the story.

After a home inspection we did recently in rural west Fort Worth, the buyer sent us this email, expressing thanks for helping them know what might be involved if they bought a particular property. This was a house on acreage, with septic and well, and though the house was in relatively good condition, there were issues regarding grading and drainage and a few other concerns. Overall, though, it was a rather decent property.

Still, the clients decided not to buy, and they shared the decision with us in a thank you note. I removed the full name, but the following is a “cut-and-paste” of this client’s email to us.

Adam, Victor,

Thanks very much for the excellent work, and reports.  Much appreciated.  After much discussion with my wife, we have decided against the property.  There is more work than we care to pursue to bring the property to the condition we would like to see it in.

We may possibly be contacting you regarding another property soon, this one being in Burleson.  Burleson would be an easier commute for me, as i still ahve some time to go before retiring from working in Waco.

We were not expecting to have to procure another property inspection, but that’s the cost of home buying, I guess.

Thanks.
J. M.

Isn’t it all a matter of having enough information to make a good decision whether to buy or not? This client and his wife decided not to buy, based -at least in part – on what the inspection showed about the condition of the property, but also about commuting and retirement needs. We appreciate the confidence they showed in choosing House Exam Inspection, and we take seriously the trust all our clients place in us.

We have provided property condition information for more than two thousand households, and we’ll keep working for our clients for years to come. We’re in this business to stay, and we want to be your inspection and home ownership consultants for life.

Let us help YOU make a better informed decision.  Call (817) 797-2461

OR

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These owners were fortunate that the unit was mounted and installed at an exterior metal cabinet. It’s not uncommon to see these newer units installed inside a metal cabinet inserted into a niche in the exterior wall. But a gas leak is uncommon, and as always, it is best taken care of immediately so as to pose the least amount of hazard to the occupants.

Gas fittings are usually pretty safe and, when tightened to the correct pressures, will not leak. This one had not been properly tightened and was leaking just enough for our detector to register the leak.

There is another problem we are finding frequently with these niche cabinets and covers. The cabinets seem to be considered universal, since we find several brands of tankless units installed inside them. The problem is, however, that the mounting slots are at slightly different locations on different brands. So, when some units are mounted inside, the gas flue discharge port is off center, and the cover will not fit back on properly. If you notice in the photo, the cover has been bent with pliers or some other tool to make the cover fit.

The result? We’ve seen the covers lying on the ground before, where they just fell off because they were not secured properly. Others were on so tightly they had to pried off. We think this is pretty sloppy, and we don’t think the manufacturers would appreciate the treatment. In fact: they might void the warranty on the water heater!!

More and more new construction home owners in the Metroplex are deciding to have a property inspection performed on their homes before the builder’s one-year warranty expires. We happen to think that is a good idea, and we stand ready to help. But, whether you use House Exam or another company, you should protect your investment by making the builder repair what he is responsible to do correctly to begin with.

Leave your comments or questions below. We are open for questions, and we’d be glad to hear from you.

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Adam,
Thank you very much. I really appreciated the work you did and the
detail you did it in. I was telling my wife that I felt great leaving
know the work you had done.
If someone needs a home inspection, I will definitely recommend you.
Thanks again!
Travis B.

Please remember that we are an independent, family-owned, local company. We live in the community, and our reputation stays here. So we promise to treat you the same way we like to be treated.

House Exam Inspection and Consulting – 2318 Carleton Avenue – Fort Worth, TX – 76107 – (817) 797-2461

And let us work for you. We specialize in providing you with the information you need to make an informed decision about the house you are buying.

Call now (817) 797-2461 OR

Schedule your Inspection right now, online 24 / 7

Call now (817) 797-2461, or

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When preparing to sign the purchase contract, ask the real estate agents involved to make sure that the house can be inspected, including plumbing fixtures. Get permission up front to keep water on, where it is possible, or to “de-winterize” the property, if the sellers or their agents insist on winterizing anyway.

Many inspectors will include a surcharge in their fees to de-winterize a home for the inspection, since the process takes extra time and care in order to prevent accidental water damage. Some inspectors will charge an additional fee to “re-winterize” the property, since this too takes extra time, tools and expertise. Ask your inspector if there are extra charges involved at the time you schedule your inspection.

At House Exam Inspection, our policy has always been to get permission from the listing agent before we de-winterize, and not to charge for de-winterizing. It’s a company choice. We take great care to prevent property damage, and we make certain that arrangements for re-winterizing have been made, or we do it ourselves. This is just another way we stand out from the average inspection company, and provide an extra measure of service to our clients.

If you have any questions, feel free to call, or email us. You may leave a comment below. We are always glad to be of service.