Power strips, while quite handy at times, are not to be used as a permanent solution for the lack of proper outlets. Overheating due to to many appliances plugged in, power cords not completely pushed into the wall outlet, and power cords that are kinked or wrapped around the strip are all hazards the can result in a very dangerous unsafe condition.
This is a photo the top of my water heater. I installed it myself including the brazing of the copper pipe. It looks ok but a professional may have made it look better. It’s been holding for three years now. feel free to comment / criticize, I can handle it. ;]
Here is a picture of a properly installed kitchen sink waste system. Proper water shut-off valves, p-traps, materials, connections and all seems to be functioning properly.
I performed a visual inspection of the plumbing in a house I work out of everyday for my day job. The plumbing in the house is in great need of repair. Toilets to not flush properly. Tailpieces under all sinks are made of brass and on the verge of failing. There is clearly a venting problem with the plumbing in the house because of an odor coming from the sinks. I believe this may be related to the taste of the water. I have not identified the venting problem through the visual inspection possibly because of my inexperience. The mechanical drain stops are missing or non functional. The shower does not drain properly. Municipal water supply, heated by natural gas boiler to indirect water tank. The plumbing from hydronic heating system to indirect hot water tank is very confusing. TPR valve seems to be in good condition but the tank itself has a large crack in the plastic housing. Safety warning stickers have been placed over the crack in the plastic and a inspection sticker is present. Electrical wires for zone control are loose and hanging from the ceiling from gapping holes in the drywall. If this was a fee paid inspection I think the appropriate action would be to note “repair or replace” on everything except the boiler itself which seems to be a newer high efficiency natural gas boiler which is in good shape. fuel and water shut-off valves seem to be in good condition and appropriately located. Holes in the ceiling drywall have been cut to access fuel cutoff for the stove and for various water supplies. I may revisit this assignment after consulting a peer to better understand this homes heating/plumbing system.
Just got done doing a plumbing inspection test definitely learned a lot from water heaters to valving , piping what to look for in inspection and so on very good course learned a lot
Just got done doing a plumbing inspection test definitely learned a lot from water heaters to valving , piping what to look for in inspection and so on very good course learned a lot
This is a photo of a mechanical stop in one of the 3 bathrooms in this home. The home was recently updated with new granite counter tops throughout. Under mount sinks were installed and looks to be new mechanical stops installed. All 4 of the bathroom mechanical stops were installed the same way. The parts to complete are there, just none of them have been correctly fitted together, rendering them useless. Basically they just need to be connected.
Tool to make home inspections easier.
Reading thru this article on tools, I had an idea of what gadgets could make my home inspections a lot easier and like you would think, most of them were on there. Here are a couple that are great ideas that I hadn’t thought of. First is a telescoping camera stick to get quality pictures from ground level when not able to access the roof. Second, for me was the gas sniffer, didn’t think of that one and realizing it’s capability to detect is well past the range of my nose. Third for me and certainly not last is the vest to carry all the tools in while doing the actual inspection. Nothing worse than having to run back and forth to the truck for stuff you forgot. Lastly, a box of slip on booties while inside the home.
I performed a visual inspection of a whirlpool tub/shower located in the bathroom of a house I work out of. I did not run the Jacuzzi because of the condition of the fixture. The fixture was very moldy, the access was held in place by duct tape, and I was unsure I would be able to operate the fixture without damaging it. I filled the tub and noticed a vapor smell.
I ready the article named Toilet Inspections. I learned about different kinds of flushing mechanisms, and I also learned about squatting toilets. When inspecting a toilet, it is important to look for cracks, leaking, loose fittings. When operating the toilet one should observe if the water flushes, expels content, and refills properly.
Here is an image taken under a kitchen sink. You can see, proper drain lines, garbage disposal, water shutoff valve and a dishwasher drain line connected to drain on the right. You can not see the shutoff valve or air gap for the dishwasher that are properly installed. There is some evidence of water leakage on the waterlines, but no leak at time picture was taken.
The Lavatory photo above shows a couple of oddities the first is an overflow prevention copper pipe (1/2 inch) attached to the tailpiece above the P trap,
in all honesty it is the first time I see this kind of arrangement , the other irregularity is that there is no hot water supply available for this bathroom sink
For this assignment, i looked at the toilet in the bathroom. As you can see in the picture, it flushes properly. It is firmly attached and there are no visible leaks as well as no indications of leaks, such as water stains. The flushing mechanism does need some adjustment as it did stick a little bit and I had to move it back so the stopper would go down.
For this assignment, i read the article toilet inspections. I learned a little toilet trivia, toilet defects and sat toilets. I also learned how to test for leaks and different toilet designs.
I performed a visual plumbing inspection on a house in Miami,
The water supply to the home is public, the main water supply shut-off valve located on the south side of the property is in good working order.
The main fuel (natural gas) supply valve and meter are on the north side of the house they look to be in good condition no visual defects found. Also inspected the 60 gallon gas water heater, TPR valve, shut-off valve and temperature control valve are all in good working order. The interior water supply and fixtures where found to be in good working order including toilets(2), bathtub, water faucets, lavatories(2) the only defect found was a small leak in the hall bathroom shower head.
The water tank on this toilet is loose, no leak was found at time of inspection but it should be inspected, tighten or repaired by a licensed plumber in order to prevent a future leak.
Temperature/pressure relief valves or TPR valve are an important part of a water heater inspection. The TPR is a safety measure that should always be operational. The diagram shows the proper installation of a TPR on a water heater. You will want to make sure there is a drain line attached to the TPR that discharges in a safe place.
I tried to upload a photo from an inspection, but all are too large, even after compressing them.
During my most recent home inspection, 2 1/2 bath home, the master bathroom toilet had a broken flush lever and the tub fixture had evidence of “amateur” repair as a result operation only produced cold water no matter how the handle was turned. The full hall bathroom, the toilet leaked at the tank-to-bowl washer. The half bathroom, the toilet was loose at the floor and the faucet leak at the bottom of the spout.
During the course of the home inspection, I needed to inspect the water heater. It was in the closet in the garage. Upon opening the door, there was paint cans, tile and boxes blocking the path to the water heater. I took a picture of the obstructions and inserted it into the home inspection, but to be on the safe side I moved things aside to inspect for leaks and to take a picture of the data plate/tag. Unfortunately, my inspection pictures files are too large to post here.