Broken banister spindle. Opening wider that 4 inches could lead to small children falling through or with broken banister piece could lead to accidental puncture.
I Read the article about adjustable steel posts and that our job as inspectors is not to judge the size of the post but to inspect the beam for mechanical connection to the floor and the beam, the beam should also be painted and have no more than three inches of thread exposed.
I am writing this short essay on the Electrical Panel as I believe that it is one of the most important components of a Home, safety and service wise. My father is an electrician so he has taught me numerous safety precautions when working in and around the panel. I believe that the biggest problem that I am going to run into during my career in Home Inspections is home wiring. Many home owners use advise from a friend or watch a video on Youtube and believe that they now know how to install a new breaker or they believe that they can just add that new bedroom to the existing breaker and they do not take into consideration the proper way of wiring.
Final Essay,
I am writing this essay on the Garage Inspection. It is hard to believe that during the framing stage that that kind of improper framing would not have been identified by the city inspector. I believe that speaking with neighbors in a neighborhood could help you to identify other problems with houses that were built by the same builder. There are horror stories of fly by night builders coming into cities and building houses using poor quality material and building procedures.
This bathroom has a properly functioning GFCI. The outlet has been tested and passed. The faucet works well, water has great pressure. Drainage is slightly blocked. Further evaluation should be considered.
During my mock inspection of exterior, I found the downspout from the main floor discharging on the lower floor which should have an extension up to the gutter in order to avoid the damage to the shingles of the lower roof.
Short Essay on Inspection
While doing an inspection on my neighbors home, I found a leak in the upstairs bathroom piping. The ceiling underneath was completely saturated. The home owner made a hole in the ceiling to gain access to have it repaired.
Here is a picture of my finding:
Reading and Writing assignment
I read an article about asbestos in the library. Asbestos is a cancerous material that was very common years ago. It was used in products such as floor tiles, insulation and gaskets. You can still find asbestos in older homes so be very cautions on not disturbing it.
Attached is a photo of a client’s plumbing system. The water feed pipes are older so they were made of galvanized steel rather than copper. The steel feed pipes deteriorated over time, causing a rupture of the plumbing line.
Aluminum wiring:
Aluminum wiring was a popular choice in many homes for a period of about 10 years but fell into disuse when it was discovered to be an interior alternative to copper wiring. Aluminum wiring has higher electrical resistance than copper, requiring a thicker diameter of aluminum wire than a comparable circuit in copper wire. Aluminum is also more susceptible to breakage as it is less ductile and more susceptible to galvanic corrosion. While the presence of aluminum wiring itself is not a deficiency, there are multiple methods to update wiring to a more standard level. Two of these methods are recommended by the CPSC: rewiring a house with copper and installing copalum crimps.
Address:
111 Sure Lane
Jacksonville, FL 32222
The residence has one fire place. Fire place hearth is composed of brick. Forward brick component is detached from the main hearth and could pose a safety risk to people and animals. Manually operated dampers open and close as designed. The room has no smoke detector, and the room has no carbon monoxide detector. There are no clean outs located in this fire place. No smoke test was conducted. Given the age of the fire place, inspection by a chimney sweep is recommended.
Here’s a brief review of two articles found in the Library of Inspection Articles.
The first article is entitled Electricity 101: Understanding the Electrical Service panel, and was posted by the Home Depot. The article briefly describes the basics of a residential service panel and the simple operation of breakers. The article begins with a overview of how electricity enters into a residence and feeds the breakers. The article also cautions anyone who might look into a service panel not to do so if the ground is wet, or if there is evidence that there may be water present at the panel.
The second article I read is Choosing a Domain Name written by Chris Morrell. I found this article very helpful in that it offered several different view points on how to select a domain name by considering varying factors - Search Engine Optimization versus Branding. Both are important to a business entity and the selecting of a domain name should consider both priorities. The article suggests that one go and buy the domain name sooner than later and offers Go Daddy as a viable alternative.
Mastering Roof Inspections: Asphalt Composition Shingles, Part 1
The article above represents the first in a 55 part series and covers the components that make up a composite shingle. Generally speaking, asphalt shingles all have a fiberglass mat sandwiched between two asphalt layers. The fiberglass mat provides strength for the shingle. Generally, the more robust the fiberglass mat, the more robust the shingle will be. This is an important aspect of shingles that most home owners probably do not understand, but, I assume, would like to know. All home owners will likely need to evaluate a new roofing system of at sometime in their lives, and those who have asphalt shingle roofs would be better prepared to make decisions if they understand shingle composition.
I have chosen two articles topics that often come up during my inspections here in the Northeast, Adjustable Steel Columns and AFCI or Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters.
The first article discusses the possible code issues regarding Adjustable Steel Columns or Screw Top Lally Columns as they are referred to here. These columns tend to cause debate relative to their “temporary” nature and or intent. The article has given me several reasons / conditions that I can note which will support my general recommendation that these columns should be replaced.
The second article addressed AFCI devices. Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters are becoming more and more common and the article helped increase my knowledge of them. Previous to reading the article I did not know that an AFCI monitors the waveform of the circuit, nor was I aware of all of the different conditions which may cause dangerous arcing to occur.
I found both articles very helpful.
Installed is a Titan water heater, that runs off 220 V A C. Component seems to be installed correctly and is functioning as expected. While inspecting the Water heater, I noticed the dry wall supporting the water heater may need a professional to assess its efficacy.
Installed is a Titan water heater, that runs off 220 V A C. Component seems to be installed correctly and is functioning as expected. While inspecting the Water heater, I noticed the dry wall supporting the water heater may need a professional to assess its efficacy.
5084 Balsam st
I inspected this 50 gallon gas hot water heater. Every thing looked to be installed properly and secured. There was NO visible leaks or damage surrounding Hot water heater and all valves where in working order.
I was reading your article on saving energy. What a great finding on great tips for saving on energy costs. Great idea’s like programmable thermostats and changing out bulbs with led’s.
i chose Garage doors,I have been on 10 inspections as an apprentice and have operated numerous types of doors belt,screw and chain driven with photo electric eyes some worked and some didnt. I found and reported to my boss and he confirmed they didnt work because of careless wiring and some not even wired.
Standards of Practice writing assignment.
The two articles that I read were on inspecting crawl spaces and doing damage during and inspection. First the crawlspace hazards touched on very good points that an inspector should never forget and that is never forget about your safety while inspecting. Second the “Doing Damage During an inspection” was a great read. It shows a good point of view on potential issue that could be realized during an inspection and the correct way to hand your response and view of the problem.