I have mixed feeling about this. Yes we as HI’s do visual inspections but there is so much to see if one just looks and knows what he or she is looking at. In my opinion to just use a blank statement and automatically defer every single furnace is sending the wrong message to our clients. To me that is saying I know nothing about furnaces and mister client you should have hired a HVAC Tech to begin with.
I make the call to defer based on what I see on each individual furnace
Yes I know I probably just opened up a ball of wax
When I was an ASHI member way back in the 90’s, I went to an ASHI chapter meeting. The guest speaker was an ASHI trainer (can’t remember his name), but he was also a CSIA certified chimney sweep. He taught that all home inspectors can and should take the cap, screen, or covers off all chimney stacks. And he also recommended that inspectors write in their reports for a Level 2 inspection of not only the masonry chimneys, but also all chimneys (ie metal). So that’s what I do.
I do both. Most defects are near the top of the masonry chimney flue because of condensation near the top. I just can’t look at a masonry chimney stack that is open at the top and simply pass by and not look down in. Can’t. It’s just too easy to look in. It’s still a visual inspection.
(Whether or not I see a defect with my eyes, I recommend a Level 2 inspection by a CSIA certified chimney sweep.)
If there was a chimney cap, I would take it off.
Your Honor, “It is equivalent to using my screwdriver to remove a plumbing access panel for the bath tub or for the main water valve and meter location.”
Taking off a cap/screen off the top of the chimney stack is equivalent to removing and opening the access panel to the main water shut off valve, or equivalent to removing the dead front cover off the electrical panel box.
It does not take special knowledge or special tools to remove a plumbing access panel, a chimney cap, or a dead front cover.
Before you spend your time developing more “training” films that are inconsistent with how we perform home inspections, you might want to at least scan through it.
Hopefully, you have additional liability insurance and attorneys in place for exceeding the Standards and practices covered by your insurance. Maybe that is only in Texas , we have that concern.
Is taking off a cap/screen off the top of the chimney stack is equivalent to removing and opening the access panel to the main water shut off valve, or equivalent to removing the dead front cover off the electrical panel box?
Why? Removing an access panel that is screwed shut in order to inspect the main water shut off valve and meter is equivalent to removing the plumbing access panel that has been secured with a finish nail. Yes?
Neither one is required by InterNACHI Standards of Practice, but we all do it. We all therefore go beyond the SOP.
Why is looking down a chimney stack any different? If the stack is open for viewing, then it actually takes less effort than the previously two scenarios.
removing a chimney cap which is very likely not to go back on is way different than opening an access panel and if You can’t see that then perhaps you really haven’t tried despite your claims …and if You are recommending a level 2 inspection as you claim why would you remove it anyhow…just for practice…i think not…jmho…jim
Well, nothing new from me because I’ve said for years that all SOP’s are somewhat ambiguous, but since Ben wrote the original draft I’m sure he is well aware that our SOP states that we are not required to: Remove panelboard cabinet covers or dead front covers if they are not readily accessible. To me this means that if they are accessible we must remove them.
However, in the general limitations section the SOP also states that the inspector is not required to; [size=2]Dismantle, open, or uncover any system or component. This could certainly mean that we don’t have to open the dead front ever, except that we then could not perform other required areas of the SOP including the reporting of solid conductor aluminum wiring, whether the breakers match the wire size, etc.[/size]
[size=2][/size]
[size=2]In the plumbing section, specifically stated is that we aren’t required to; [size=2]
Open sealed plumbing access panels.
Therefore we have to do the things that we have to do but we can do the things we don’t have to do but we can also not do the things we have to do in some areas but not others.
There is no such thing as “exceeding” the SOP. You either follow the SOP and include items that aren’t within the SOP, or you don’t. If you’re comfortable removing flues, chimney caps, plumbing access panels, septic tank lids or anything else, do it. If you’re not, don’t. Pretty simple.
Considering the variety of backgrounds and experiences that inspectors bring with them, the ability to apply your strengths and to avoid your weaknesses have to be taken into consideration when choosing how to make your observations.
To require a one-armed (or one legged) man to walk the roof instead of observing it from the eaves makes no sense and could cause harm. To insist that the 300+ pound fellow enter the 18" crawlspace would do no good if he were unable to extract himself…or turn his head, operate his camera, or perform other observation motions.
The SOP is written to allow the inspector who is at the site to use his own judgment in certain areas as to how he will acquire the necessary information to providce an accurate report. I support that.
How many pictures of flue interiors do you want to see? It could take a while. I’ve performed thousands of home inspections. And every since I was trained by an ASHI instructor on how to visually inspect a chimney and flue from the bottom and top, I’ve looked into the flues of stack (masonry). That’s thousands of pictures of flues. Many (say 1/2) probably had caps or screens.
