Here is a picture of a moldy caulking at the intersection of a walkway and the exterior wall of a home. I looks like there might be some water intrusion.
Just finished the “required reading” on moisture intrusion. No new info there.
here is the picture, as you can see that frost was formed under the ceiling sheathing and on the nails in the attic, the outside temperature was very cold, below -20℃. It happens all the time during extremely cold weather in winter.
As an assignment of this course, I write a report to the house I inspected before. The enclosed picture shows clearly the efflorescence at the bottom corner of the foundation wall in crawlspace. And the water stain presents all the way around the joints between concrete wall and floor. It indicates that water has been infiltrated into the crawlspace through the wall and floor. I was unable to check the grading around the house due to the big snow covering outside. I recommend a foundation specialist to assess and repair as needed to avoid any further damage and water infiltration.
As a requirement of the course “How to Inspect for Moisture Intrusion”, I read the article “Moisture Meters for Inspectors” . I am a big fun of moisture meters especially for search mode, also know as pinless mode. You are able to measure the moisture level without causing any damage when you suspect the location may be have moisture problem, usually these locations are in kitchen, bathroom.
I came across this not too long ago. The Dryer had been vented to the exterior ,but, the vent had become clogged on the exterior side. The result was an excessive amount of hot moist air and lint coating the attic. A good example of how preventative maintenance can make a difference.
The “Moisture Intrusion” course required additional reading. I selected the dryer vent due to the issue I found at an earlier inspection. A simple aspect of the inspection that could result in serious consequences if overlooked.
The exterior door jamb is rotted and falling away. Inside the door jamb is discolored and carpeting is discolored indicating moisture penetration.
I noticed that shingles in this area of the roof had damage. Upon inspection of the attic space, I found water intrusion in that area.
Hi, While doing my moisture intrusion course, I decided to do an inspection of my home after the bad winter months. I discovered on the eave an area where the fascia had let go at the drip edge. I know that can cause moisture and rot so I will have it fixed by a professional carpenter.
This is a picture of my foundation wall. As you can see, the sealant was applied to the outside of the concrete foundation but at some points around the house, the soil level is above the sealant level which puts the concrete in direct contact with the soil without sealant.
Starting Moisture Intrusion
Water intrusion from roof wall join traveled down inside of wall and decayed drywall at base, and saturated subflooring.
I inspected this home for a customer interested in selling the property in the near future. The inspection was done in order to find problems ahead of time and fix them on her own time. The water in the basement was an obvious problem that I described in the report. At the time of inspection, water was actually pouring though a hole in the wall. The customer wanted to determine the best way to fix the problem. A well-regarded water proofing company came out and offered a solution. At request of the owner I was there at the estimate. I was interested in seeing how a water proofer would approach the problem. The owner of the water proofing company did the estimate. He said the white efflorescence stains at center of the blocks was an indication of standing water in the block wall. The fix would be to put in a French drain and drill holes into the bottom course of the block to drain the standing water. (One wall already has a French drain as you can see by the existing sump pump). I brought up the issue of the exterior grading. He did not consider changing the exterior grading as a economically viable option or even an effective way to improve the situation. One issue is a flagstone patio tilted back towards the house, the owner needs to decide if it is worth the value to fix. My opinion is that water should be stopped at the surface. I don’t think a masonry foundation should act as a water sieve. In the long run, the mortar joints will deteriorate. However, Since this is an elderly customer who plans to sell the house relatively soon, one of the main reasons I’m there is to guess what the next home inspector will think. So I just let the owner know that patio grading will come up in a future report.
This is a picture of a roof on a recent inspection. This will lead to water intrusion soon if the shingles are not replaced.
Also read the article waterproofing basements. Lots of good things to remember such as rain gutters, proper landscaping and keeping an eye on cracks. I always look at the sump as well.
I read the article on dryer venting. Two issues I have seen that are fairly common is the use of “plastic” venting and dryers vented into the basement as opposed to the exterior.
Attached is a picture from a roof inspection. The wood shingles were very deteriorated. Many, like the one in the picture, had damage that could cause water to leak into the attic. It was recommended to have this roof replaced.
Read the article on Moisture Intrusion for additional reading. It would be a good one to hand out to clients. So they know what areas they can keep an eye on for moisture issues.
I read the article about the potential dangers of buying a foreclosed house. I have been searching to buy property cheap by searching sheriff sales and foreclosures. Many houses may seem nice from the outside, but moisture issues are more common since many of these houses are left unattended for years. The most common problems were with the foundations. Non-operational sump pumps and leaving standing water were very common issues.