I chose the electric water heater picture. It includes labels for a sacrificial node, and electric supply, a water shut off valve, cold water in, hot water out, and a cold water inlet valve. Water heaters can fail at any of these points and more.
When standing in front of the wash sink, the left valve operates the hot water, while the right valve operates the cold water. This sink includes a rubber stopper to plug up the drain. Water flows down the drain as quickly as it is added to the sink.
Hot Water Heater and Drain Pans
As you can clearly see in the picture this hot water heater is missing a drain pan. Not only does this unit not have a drain pan but this unit also does not have a proper drain line. It was written up as no drain pan and not a proper drain line attached.
Your Water Heater’s Maintenance Timeline is the article I chose to write about and I’m glad I did. I did not realize how you can add to the life of your hot water heater by doing simple maintenance. One that stood out the most is is draining your unit every few months to get rid of the sediments that could possibly be building up at the bottom of the unit.
Based on two papers published by the University of Illinois at Chicago, polybutylene piping can react with certain disinfectants in water, causing it to flake at any location within the system. Over time these small fractures make their way to the outside of the piping, where a leak can eventually occur.
The image I chose was titled (kitchen sink). In this picture you can clearly see the plumbing of the sink. The hot water line is going to the left handle of the faucet and the cold is going to the right side handle. You can also see an attached garbage disposal and the P-trap.
The trap of this lavatory sink is made of thin chrome plated brass. This type of material is prone to corrosion and leakage. It is found on a lot of older installations. Was you can see this one is show signs of heavy corrosion and is likely to start leaking soon.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a widely used building material praised for its durability, yet criticized for its potential health hazards. The following two products of PVC combustion are of particular concern:
hydrogen chloride, which is a corrosive, highly toxic gas that can burn skin and cause severe, permanent respiratory damage; and
dioxin, the most dangerous known man-made carcinogen, which will persist in the environment for a long period of time. PVC is the largest contributor to the worlds dioxin burden.
This lavatory (bathroom sink) is in proper working order. Both the hot and cold water lines are on the correct side. The drain stop works as it should. There are no leaks under the sink. With the sink running and the shower head running at the same time there is no drop in water pressure.
This is the main water line entering the house on the east side. The line has been broken by a tree that has fallen. The line needs to be fixed at this point as well has checking other exposed pipes for damage.
S-Trap vs. P-Trap. When preforming a home inspection one thing to look for underneath every sink is the P-trap, it is easy to mistake one for the other is you only glance under the sink and move on and you may miss the presence of a S-trap which would be a disservice to the costumer
For my writing assignment, I have submitted an image of a pvc drainage pipe. A PVC pipe, which stands for polyvinyl chloride pipe, is a type of a white plastic pipe that is commonly used in drainage systems.It is used for water services.
For my writing assignment I read an article about marijuana grow operations. There are thousands of marijuana grow operations in the U.S. but are quite common in Canada. They are a couple of tell tale signs that indicate these operations such as water damage, large mold accumulations, improper electrical connections, and unusual garage strewn across the lawn.
Saw this water heater recently. Reported the following items in need of repair. Heavy rust/corrosion was present on the water heater supply line fittings. The lower drain plug on the water heater was observed to be leaking and repairs are necessary. The wiring to the water heater has exposed wire slices that should be inside a covered junction box. Recommended contacting a qualified licensed plumber to further evaluate are repair as needed.
I read the article on Dryer Vent Safety. I see the older plastic flexible dryer ducts still being used which I know is a safety concern. This article was a reminder of why this should always be pointed out as a defect.
This is an 80 ga. electric water heater that was manufactured in 2013.
Pressure relief valve appears to be leak free at fitting and has drain pipe installed though I would like to have seen it longer.
Water heater inlet shut-off ball valve appears functional.
Tank drain is brass. All fittings and piping appear corrosion and leak free.
There is one strap. There should be two installed in upper and lower thirds.
Circuit cut-off is via circuit breaker at arms length away.
Pressure reducing valve and ball shut-off valve appear to be clear of defects.
There is a water softener system built in but has previously been discontinued and disconnected from the water delivery system. The shut off valves appear to be leak free.
There is a solar roof-panel water heating system that also is discontinued and disconnected from its water heating tank and from the electrical circuit however, there is a leak of mineral oil-like substance from this unit that is dripping from above onto the top of the water heater. This is a material defect and should be addressed.
On “Three photos”, I think that is a great idea, to take three sequential photos of the water meter, preferably time-stamped, at end of inspection and include them at completion of report. It confirms by photograph that at the time of inspection, no water is metering and therefore no water is leaking. This should be the final inspection. I’ve used the meter at home numerous times to check my work and photographed it to show my father (handicapped)that the leaks are fixed.
Condensate in double pane windows is caused when the seal has failed and there is fogginess between the two pieces of glass.
When the temperature of the air is warm the molecules are far apart and contain large volume of water. However, when the air reaches the “dew point” the water droplets will be forced so close together that they merge into visible liquid causing condensate.
pull-down ladders and be a major saftey issue if not installed properly. as home inspectors it is essential that we inspect these components before stepping foot on them. climbing a improperly installed pull-down ladder can cause serious injury or death
