Not crawling that crawlspace

Immediately clicked on my report. Orally inform the client that all or part of the crawlspace was not traversed due environmental conditions.
Followed by - “This crawlspace should be properly evaluated after these unsafe conditions have been resolved (and confirmed resolved) by a qualified contractor. Proper service should include removal of any/all animal or rodent feces, excrement, and/or nesting materials”.
I’ve never had any blowback on this. And trust me - the client doesn’t want animal waste in there crawspace.

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My own, the BIGCrawler. You build it to minimize those issues. Mine is very difficult to do both to. Depends on the height of the wall.

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the inhumanity of it all…carry on the heroic work sir !

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If I can physically squeeze in I will. Sanitation? I’ve found agents, buyers, etc. just lose their minds if we refuse to go in so I’ve devised the following plan that works flawlessly: Carry a roll of vapor barrier and cut it into a convenient size. Throw down your “crawl space condom” and physically get inside. Making an attempt and getting inside will make all the difference. Now, I know once I’m in there I’m going nowhere. I snap a few pictures and write it up as largely inaccessible (just as I knew I was going to do before getting in). The fact that you make an attempt and physically enter the space makes all the difference, trust me.

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don’t You live in the land of Lava ?..try throwing Your house wrap down on wet clay … :joy: :rofl: :sweat_smile:

I’m between Oregon and Maui - my routine is mainly from Oregon experience since we don’t have many crawl spaces here in Maui (thankfully). And I should have clarified - by vapor barrier I mean the stuff that goes on the ground in the crawl space - 6mil black plastic. I regularly find rolls of it left by the installers.

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Welcome to our forum Andrea!..Enjoy and participate. :smiley:

One of the NACHI inspectors here got in a crawlspace about 3 yrs ago that apparently had mice or rat droppings. He had a scratch or cut on his leg … It got infected and he spent 8 months On & Off in a hospital … Ended up losing a leg.

WHEN do I not enter a crawlspace ?? If its wet, if wires are on the ground, if the access hatch OR height in crawl does not meet current standards, IF in any way it looks or feels unsafe AND that includes stuffing yourself into an area where joists or ducts rub your back OR there is no wiggle room if you have company

If a realtor or client is unhappy … Guys heres my flashlight … Go spend some quality time in YOUR crawlspace

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I’m surprised no one mentioned a Docapole and camera. I have a 30’ Doca and a Canon ELPH 190 and an ELPH 360 which I can remote control from my phone. I stick that in inaccessible crawl spaces, take four pics by rotating 90 degrees each pic, open the next extension of the Doca and continue on. Move to another area and do the same. Only caution, I have ruined a few cameras doing this, but the Asurion insurance through Amazon is great for getting repaired/replaced. I also use rubber gloves, just in case the Doca Aluminum happens to come in contact with those hidden gem electrical wires some DIY’r left behind.

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Shoot, I’d need to find another job if all that was my criteria.

Maybe so … The 1st twenty yrs I did this I was dumb, stupid , or naive like a lot of other inspectors and risked my health or safety for a ITTY bit of $$$$$$ BUT then I started seeing others get hurt, killed or maimed rather than just telling a customer its UNSAFE or it does not conform to current standards (or often it did NOT even meet the codes for when it was built) … So we’d write it up that way & recommend repair

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Yesterday’s “Red Flag”… (1900’s home, cs access interior closet, vacant for min 9 months)…

This was just the tip of the iceberg. I refused to let clients in the home for walkthrough without masks on (N95) and then only for short time.

Yes, they cancelled their purchase 10 minutes into the walkthrough!

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Appears a bit muddy down there, lol. Love the sump pump that looks to have been hanging from the rope at one point.

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Needless to say, I DID NOT attempt to access.

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Would have been a fun one to do some “mudding” with a crawlbot.

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I always leave these inspections wondering why they gave me $500 to point out such obvious stuff. I mean, do people actually walk the houses prior to putting in an offer?

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It looks like someone would need septic pumper for that crawlspace… :face_vomiting:

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It would depend on the droppings. You shouldn’t be moving through the crap like a ship on the ocean without full covering. If you can skirt the edge of it in your usual garb, and still perform a good visual inspection then, obviously, do that. But your health is priority.

Some people develop health problems by breathing in evaporated urine from heavy active infestations. The bacteria and viruses found in some fresh rat crap isn’t friendly, either.

Disposable overalls, fitted mask, (and maybe a full face respirator with N95 or P100 filters) gloves, etc make sense where you’re going in
and there’s no way around what you see. Know how to remove the PPE properly to avoid personal contamination, or contaminating the home interior, otherwise, why bother?

These are situations where a camera rover may be the better choice. Just be sure to toss it in a bag when you retrieve it so that the interior of the storage case isn’t contaminated by the filthy tires and chassis. You’ll need to clean it thoroughly when you return to home base.

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I met with a local shop that sells and repairs remote control vehicles… toys and really cool camera drones, etc.

Guy is going to build me a custom robot with camera for crawlspaces… Couple hundred bucks. Much cheaper if you look around locally. There was one online I saw for several thousand dollars

Quality materials cost way more than that, thus the saying… “You get what you pay for”.

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