You can write your report however you want however your clients may have some questions. What do you mean by “offset appears stressed”? What does an unstressed offset look like when compared to a stressed offset?
That’s alarming news! I sure hope my home doesn’t blow up. Since you’re a professional home inspector can you tell me what that maximum length is so that when it’s repaired it will fall within parameters. Can you please list your source because I’m the homeowner and I want to make sure everything‘s installed as it should be.
You mean to tell me I already have settlement? Another alarming find! This is a brand new house! The builder is just going to have to hire a backhoe to come up here and dig this gas line up and properly support it. I sure hope the builder doesn’t back charge you for that repair.
As the homeowner I’m not sure what those modern standards are. I hired you as a professional home inspector can you tell me what those standards are so that I can ensure the craft are making repairs properly? One last question why should the craft have any further evaluation? This is why I hired you.
That’s very interesting…learned something. However as I understand it…the utility company installs the gas meter…and I have found out…they don’t care. They’re going to do what they want to do… I guess it doesn’t hurt to call it out though if you feel you should.
From my understanding, the meter and everything that come before it is property of the utility. The line from the meter into the home and everything inside are responsibility of the homeowner.
I see what you’re saying…nevertheless…the plumber sticks the pipe straight out of the wall…and the utility company hooks up to it…so really it’s the utility company that makes the connection. I doubt they’ll backtrack on what they did…even if they find out about it.
I Agree! I sure hope their home doesn’t blow up as well. This is why I’m concerned about the “stressed” (bending) pipe. While pointing out the various issues I discovered outside, the homeowner noticed the pipe and agreed that it appeared to be resting on the foundation wall and bending. Yes, homeowner, you have settlement, as indicated by the unpainted foundation wall due to the settling of the freshly placed soil. Previous inspection pictures confirm this settlement.
One final question: would you rather risk an additional 2 inches of settlement pulling down on the pipe, stressing it to the point of breaking, or have a swing joint that might loosen the fitting by 1/32nd of a turn? The latter would create a leak outside your home rather than inside due to the pipe breaking on the foundation and leaking gas directly into your living space.
Further evaluation would hopefully reveal that the supporting structure of the line is perfectly installed, with fasteners torqued to the recommended specifications, and that the pipe is properly supported. Alternatively, it may uncover an issue with the support not performing as intended, requiring correction. I have no problem having Pulte come out and sign off on their product again, as they will be there anyway.
Looking at some of the photos in this thread the swing arm should be the least of your worries. It is much more likely that a landscaper will crash into the gas piping with a big heavy machine yet no one sees that as a potential issue?
A lot could be done with this narrative, none of which would be necessary if you were not on such thin ice. You have no standard to bear other than your opinion. So, firm up your opinion.
Try this,
“The steel gas pipe protruding from the side of the home is angled downward. I am concerned that this may indicate stress on the pipe and pipe joints, potentially loosening the connections and resulting in gas leaks. Additionally, the swing joint appears maximized, which may exacerbate the problem. Recommend further evaluation and corrections as needed by a qualified gas contractor such as the service provider or qualified licensed plumber.”
Notice I said qualified gas contractor…NOT the BUILDER…this is now on the buyer to follow through.
We must always adequately transfer responsibility to the customer and stand behind it. So when the customer calls you up and tells you the builder will not correct the problem, your first question should be “what did the qualified gas contractor say?”
Thank you for your insight. I will be picking up the radon test tomorrow and will discuss the possible scenarios with the client. I will definitely refer him to a qualified gas contractor. Additionally, I will further examine the support to ensure I didn’t miss anything during the inspection.
