Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant (FVIR) water heater located in the living room closet. The fuel line is missing the drip tube pipe. Suggest that a qualified plumber add the drip tube to help keep sediments and moisture out of the fuel entering the water heater.
Are we to submit the plumbing inspection checklist back to you? I tried but it won’t allow me to send the Word doc.
The residential plumbing course from NACHI is very in-depth and informative. Much more detailed than what was included to obtain my residential home inspection diploma. Thank you!
Just read an inspection article from the online library on “PVC health hazards”. Very interesting subject matter, weighing the benefits and dangers of this widely used material!
Old cast iron vent stack. Ended up replacing entire main stack in this house during a bathroom remodel.
Evidence of small leak occurring around catch basin of sink. Likely a failed gasket, would refer to plumber for further analysis.
Just about done with course. trying to upload pics for requirement 16 but no luck .
As part of my plumbing course I am including an inspection I completed at my neighbor’s house on their plumbing system.
The source of their water is public supply with a functional cut off located about 75’ from their house. The home is all electric, no gas exists. The water heater has a TPR that terminates 5" from the floor. Water heating is via a 50 gallon electric water heater with a disconnect located 2’ from water heater. All pipes have insulation pipe wrap. All interior fixtures were operated and no defects were discovered. All drained without hesitation. Several mechanical vents were noted under sinks and at washing machine. The house is on a slab with one clean out being noted opposite of the septic system. The guest bathroom tub has several small holes where the fiberglass finish is flaking off. No other deficiencies noted.
Inspected plumbing for section 17 and learned more about doing a complete inspection.
****This is a picture of my lavatory in the bathroom.
When the faucet is pointed strait out it has a continuous leak or drip, but when turned to the left or right it stops. The actual faucet would need to be replaced since the leak comes directly from it and not the actually pipes.
I trust all will get a WOW out of this one.
Note the slope on the drain and the support.
Also note the water pipes and terminations.
Steve Reynolds
Inspection of the plumbing:
Main water shut-off valve is on the front wall of bsmt
The home is all electric
Water Heater is functional, the cold and hot lines have valves, TPR valve has extension to within 6" of floor
All fixtures and faucets are functional
Three toilets are functional
The DWV is PVC and vented through roof
There are no sump pumps
Water supply is public
Sewage system is public
No deficiencies were found
The article chosen is “Sewer Gases in the Home”
Sewer gases consist of hydrogen sulfide and methane. These gases are toxic and highly explosive. The cause of these being in a home can be the venting for the plumbing system is not through the roof, the traps within the system have dried out allowing gases to escape and or breaks or cracks within the system.
"Polybutylene for Inspectors"
A quick article about one type of plumbing supply line I may come into contact with as an inspector. The history and the lawsuits over its failure are great knowledge to have, and the dates of manufacture are dates to remember. As an inspector, it appears as though my responsibility will be to notate its presence if I can see it, and document. I do not believe I am to comment on its ability, its serviceability, or try to determine if the strength is weakened at any point. I can see how this product having a failure after a new home owner moves in could lead to a potential lawsuit for me as a home inspector.
An interesting find. The hot water piping is wrapped in insulation which is perfectly fine however the drainage pipe is wrapped in at least one layer, in some places two layers of insulation? Since there doesn’t appear to be any signs of water leaking the drainage looks fine but it is questionable as to why it was installed in the first place.
Completing a non-paid inspection showed me a number of different defects including connections with dissimilar metals and dissimilar types of plastic as well as improper TPR valve termination on both hot water tanks and poorly sized source plumbing. The house was originally a single family residence that was converted into a 2 apartment building and most of the plumbing was done as an afterthought. The biggest issue is the 3/4" inlet pipe which exits the shut-off valve as a 1/2" source pipe which severely limits the water pressure for the plumbing devices located on the far end of the house. Plumbing code upgrades are recommended.
Galvanic Corrosion was the additional reading that I did for this course. This add-on information gave a much more detailed view of what actually happens with differing metals in the presence of an electrolyte than what is covered in the plumbing course. I found that the Statue of Liberty reference was a great example of the process and really cemented the idea.
This is a picture of the water main in my home where the piping changes from copper to polybutylene. The poly-B is only straight sections and the elbows and tees that can be seen are all copper.
As a part of the course, I read an article on backflow prevention. I am wondering if a check valve in sewage piping is also a backflow preventer or is it just a check valve to prevent sewer backup.