Inspection of the natural gas plumbing of this home revealed a capped off gas line and a removed gas meter. The meter should only be removed by the gas company as this one has been. Note utility company’s seal on the pipe cap. If gas service is desired one only needs call gas company and a new meter can be installed.
I chose to write my research excercise on the importance of the TPR valve. A couple years ago a young boy in my neighborhood had asked me if I would help him and his dad replace a hot water heater. He stated that it had been leaking out of the top valve for months and his dad had fixed it by putting a cap on it. When I got to the residence to look at it not only was the TPR capped but the thermostat had gone bad. They had been turning it on before use and then back off when done. This could have been disastrous. Many home owners don’t know the importance of a TPR valve and people modify them occasionally. Make sure to inspect them dillagently. You may save a life.
Article: Toilet Inspections
I learn about all kind other toilets, normally the gravity toilets and dual flush toilets.
I do a research and i found, when you inspect a toilet for crack make sure the toilet is clean in the outside, one hair lay in the toilet look like the toilet have a crack. The most common crack is around the base near to the bolt, over tighten can cause the crack.
Tree roots are horrible on piping and can cause very expensive repairs. In this picture you will see a clean-out that was separated from the home plumbing by tree roots. This was never caught of course because the tree roots only blocked the clean-out access to the main sewer line.
While visiting a vacation home in Florida, I took a picture of two exterior exhaust vents. I noted that one of them was missing the protective screen. I identified this one as serving the clothes dryer. The other I was able to identify as a first floor bathroom exhaust.
Some home fixes are at times very good and makes inspection difficult. In this picture the previous owner had repaired this drain and to be honest it looked ok at first; then when I looked closer i could tell the trap was under stress due to a week joint expansion coupling.
I read an article on pressure assisted toilets. They are becoming more popular in new home constructions and as retrofits. They are used for water savings. They look similar to gravity toilets from the outside, but they operate differently.
As they become more common home inspectors should be able to identify them and understand them.
I “inspected” a friends electric water heater. He had it wrapped with insulation which would have voided the warranty but it was already too old to matter. The exposed fittings were all in good condition and dry. There was no indication of any leaks around the base. The TPR was obscured due to the insulation and so was the base of the heater – concealing many inspect-able parts.
The water heater I inspected was wrapped with insulation obscuring many of its parts, including the TPR. As inspectors, do we simply write up the condition of the visible parts and recommend further inspection by a qualified professional due to potentially unseen safety hazards, or are we supposed to unwrap the water heater and do a more thorough inspection?
The photo here is a pair of water hammer arrestors added to the new supply lines for a modern front loading washing machine. The abrupt stopping and starting of the needed water for this super efficient appliance was quite noisy when first installed. A quick trip to the local home store was able to cure the water hammer for under 20 bucks.
Interesting toilet fact: did you know that the average person visits the toiled 2500 times a year … that is six to eight times a day. Now you know why it is so very important to have a properly functioning toilet. Not to mention the fact that a leaking toilet can be very costly if ignored due to wasted water and also a rotted subfloor in some cases.
This is a FVIR water heater located in the garage of main dwelling. Because it is a FVIR does not require that the unit be 18"off floor. The unit in contained in a proper pan. Also what you will see here is that the piping for the TPR valve is being discharged to an indirect waste receptor through an air gap located in a conditioned space. The wall of the left goes is the interior wall of the laundry room.
Aging in Place
As the baby boomers age, the 60+ population will spike from roughly 45 million in recent years to more than 70 million by 2020. What were also seeing that this generation overwhelmingly will seek care in there own homes and less likely to move into congregate living settings. Why do they prefer to age in place? Nursing homes represent a loss of freedom plus the fact how bad the conditions and care at nursing homes are. This represents a great opportunity for our industry as we can offer inspections of current homes for these baby boomers and make recommended corrections and adaptations to the home to improve maneuverability, accessibility, and safety for elderly occupants.
The attached picture is taken under the sink of a commercial office restroom space. A traditional P-Trap is shown and appears to be installed correctly. Some of the system appears to be metal and some of the system appears to be made of PVC pipe.
I reviewed the Gallery collection titled “Water Heater Tank Size”. The chart provided recommends a specific water heater tank size based on the number of bedrooms that a house has. For example, the chart recommends a tank size of 52 gallons for a house with 4 bedrooms. The chart recommends a tank size of 20 gallons for a house with 1 bedroom.
As you can see from the attached photograph the TPR ( temperature and pressure relief ) valve is located above the required 6 inches from the top of the hot water heater and has a tag certification that rates it at 150PSI @ 210 degrees F. the pressure valve is in the appropriate orientation and in good condition.
While inspecting the faucet in my home’s bathroom I observed that the faucet continued to drip slightly when the on/off valve was fully shut. The drip occurring when the faucet is turn off is continuous. When turned on the faucet emits hot water when the faucet handle is turned to the left and cold water when turned to the right.
Inspection of a basement toilet in a home with a septic tank. Water flow was slow upon flushing, water pressure seems to be lower than ideal. Turning on the shower and sink caused the pressure in the flush cycle to decrease. Possible piping problem. Also, the anchor bolts were too long for decorative caps to be utilized. I would refer the customer to a professional plumber for further investigation.
About 8000 children in the U.S go to the emergency room every day for fall-related injuries. One of the best ways to prevent these injuries is to start in the home. There are many devices and apparatuses available to help homeowners make their homes safer for their children. This includes window latches and guards, safety railing for stairs, gates, etc. The proper installation and usage of these devices can help protect young children from falls and other fall-related injuries. Homeowners who are parents should look into installing such safety measures immediately upon moving into a new home.
This photo depicts some plumbing supply pipes in a house that was not properly winterized when it needed to be. There was copper, pvc and cpvc supply pipes in this dwelling. A few of the pvc and cpvc pipes had broken and fractured due to freezing water. It appeared that someone tried to relieve and provide a water exit at the one copper tee and un-soldered it. It is very important to early winterize a home that is not going to be occupied during cold winter months, even if the dwelling is supposed to have heat for the season.