IF the valve was closed or off, you only have to report what you see, you should not operate valves that are in the off position.
I am doing my essay on ice dams
Here in Canada its quite common to to come across ice damming. most times its preventable here, other times it just happens (6 feet of snow in one storm). I try to identify areas of concern well before the cold weather comes and educate them on ways to mitigate them.
my second one was sewer gases. On one inspection, I found the septic access inside the home! They built the breezeway over the septic years ago, the owners were always sick, and couldn’t figure out why. Probably the only time a REA was happy to not go through with the deal and not finish the inspection. The smell was very strong in the house as well.
Humidifier
Humidifiers add moisture to the air by evaporation via the use of steam or spraying water particles. This is a drum humidifier that has a drum pad where by moisture is added and higher RH air is produced. Typical RH in a home is recommended to be 40 % - 60 %. The risk of mold growth increases with air above 60 % RH. Although other factors can add to mold growth including wet building materials along with a high RH. Condensation on building materials should be monitored when using a humidifier and the setting of the humidistat.
Jason Hoerle
Pilot Lights
A pilot light is used on natural gas and propane appliances. It is a constant small flame that serves as the ignition point for the fuel. The light may need to be re-lighted from being extinguished by accident or on purpose. Pilot safety is important and there is a concern that the constant burning of the flame accounts for up to 20 % of the gas consumed in the USA.
Jason Hoerle
This is a 5+year old high efficiecy, forced air, gas fueled furnace with humidified air system. CSST flex piping was used as supply line. You can see what appears to be a grounding attachment from a main panel on the drip leg…but it’s NOT. It is a bonding wire for the CSST piping, specifically designed and required to prevent explosions in the event of a lightning strike. The electric panel is grounded separately, and a panel ground should never be grounded to nat. gas supply piping. A regular maintenance schedule is visible and up to date. Blower sounds good and unit fired when prompted. Humidifier is properly placed, damper is appropriately closed as we are not into the heating season, but home owner should know that this should be turned to the open position during heating season. Finally, everything is appropriately drained to a floor drain
I chose check on your HVA system and central humidified systems for my review. For a forced air furnace you should change your filter every three months and consider central unit replacement after 15 years. Have a pro perform periodic maintenance. Central humidifiers limit airborne pathogens, meaning less fluebugs. They also limit wood shrinkage to musical instruments, cabinets, and floors. If you have a central humidifier, know what you have. Close the damper in cooling season and open it during heating season, and consider other maintenance items that would be specified in the owners manual
The attached photos show a high effenciency Rheem natural gas fueled furnace. This unit is configured with return air from the home coming down into the unit through a 5 inch thick merv 8 furnace filter. The heated air supplies the home via ducting coming out the side of the bottom plenum. Exhaust gas travels horizontally in PVC pipe and exits the building through the basement wall. Recommend replacing the merv 8 filter. The supply air duct needs to be insulated.
In this photo the fins are completely smashed due to aggressive…behavior of some sort.
When the a/c was turned on during inspection to see how well it cooled, it was obvious that it wasn’t working.
The evaporator unit was a down flow unit in the attic.
I recommended a licensed HVAC technician to do an evaluation on the evaporator and the condenser unit since there wasn’t any form of ID on the evaporator.
Geothermal heating. By Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard
This article went over the positive and negative aspects of this type of system.
The positive points are the low energy usage with no fuel! Plus the lack of components in the home lending to more space available in the home.
The negative points are the you need the area available either horizontally or vertically for the in ground piping.
All in all this type of system seems to be one that should be used on a wider basis if conditions allow.
Radiant Heating Systems. By Nick Gromicko.
This article went over the positive and negative aspects of this type of system.
the positive points are that there is no moving air all the heat radiates up from the warm surfaces leaving no cold spots.
Another advantage is being able to control the temperature for each room individually. There seems to be a great deal of advantages to this type of system and only a few disadvantages. Repair of a damaged line being the main one.
One disadvantage not mentioned is that any repairs needed under the slab could compromise the system.
In conclusion this type of system looks to be one of the better ways to heat a home at a lower start up and running cost.
**Heating System **
Napoleon 60.000 B.T.U. 96% High Efficiency forced air Propane fueled furnace Installed November 2th 2014 located in the basement utility room. There is a propane shut off valve is located near the furnace.
There is an emergency electrical shut-off switch located in the utility room on the wall behind the furnace.
The Thermostat is located on the main floor.
I inspected the heating system by using normal controls it is functional. The system appears to be relatively clean.
Ice Dams
Ice dams are ridges of ice that stop snow from melting and draining because it forms at the edge of your roof. Heat loss and outside temperatures also play a major factor because warm portions from the upper roof and cold portions from the lower roof cause an ice dam to form. To prevent ice dams these are some things you can do, first you can install an electric heat cables but these can cause damage to your roof or you can manually remove the snow but can also cause some shingle damage. To sum it all up most ice dams are caused from poor insulation in the attic.
**Ant Problems
**Ants can be your worst pests in the home, or restaurants, hospitals and offices, especially where there is food to be found, ants are usually harmless to humans but the carpenter ant attacks our homes and causes a lot of damage, home inspectors should be very aware and expand their knowledge by being able to identify the signs of ants,
How to identify ants and termites apart while the ants body is more constricted showing more of a tiny waist the Termites body is not constricted
To inspect for ants here are some clues to look for. Watch pipes or wires to see a line of ants, holes or cracks in the walls is another, cracks in the foundation, if at any time you suspect that any piece of woodwork hosts a gallery of ants, you can tap on it a screw driver tip and see if any dust particles fall away
Hvac essay
This is a picture of a downflow gas furnace. Warm air discharges out of the bottom and the return inlet is located at the top. Downflow furnaces are usually installed when the ducts are located below the furnace. This furnace uses a coventional air filter that is located on the outer wall where the return outlet is.
Hvac essay
This i a picture of a down flow gas furnace. Warm air is discharged out of the bottom and the return inlet is located at the top. Down flow furnaces are usually installed when the ducts are located below the furnace. on this particular one it uses a conventional air filter that is located at the top on the outer wall where the return inlet is.
Article Read
Garage Inspections and attached garage fire containment
In basic garage inspections you would look carefully at connections for structural issues. Take note on the issues that are more urgent than others. Also inspect electrical receptacles in garages, they must be GFCI-protected.
With attached garages, fire hazards is the most important factor.They should be sealed off from the living spaced so that a fire would be contained.
By using light bulbs with the proper wattage, do not overload electrical outlets.
And tape down all cords and wires so that they are not twisted or accidentally yanked.
This is a goodman furnace. Rated a 80% efficent. It is 9 years old, gas ,up flow. I recently replaced the flame sensor, which acts as a safety device,when the flame sensor does not sense flame the gas valve shuts off the flow of gas.
Anyone interested in hvac should concentrate on learning “sequence of operations” before moving on to more complicated issues with hvac. This is knowledge needed to diagnose problems,without being a parts changer. So please gets the basics first.
Inspecting furnaces.
According to InterNachi, this is a non invasive, visual examination. What this means to me is to visually inspect the furnace without having to take anything apart (unless your an HVAC journeyman). Describe what kind it is (the Make, model), the fuel source (gas, oil), and how to maintain it. How the warm air is distributed is also important to know, and required to know. There are two categories: 1.gravity warm-air furnaces. 2. Forced warm-air furnaces. Gravity Warm air Furnaces of course use gravity for the migration of warm air distribution where as Forced Warm air Furnaces use a blower fan in the furnace for air distribution. Gravity WAF's are old technology are not very efficient.
Residential Gas furnaces have 3 different classifications. 1. The direction of air flowing through the heating unit. 2. The heating efficiency of the unit. 3. The type of ignition system installed in the unit. Gas furnaces can also be classified by their BTU (British Thermal Unit) capacity.
Heating efficiency is also important to note. The heating efficiency of a natural gas furnace is measured by its annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). According to the government, furnaces must meet a minimum efficiency rating of 78% which does not include its electrical usage.
There are three different types of ignitions for gas furnaces. 1. Standing pilot (always on). 2. Intermittent, direct spark 3. Hot surface ignition.
In closing, it is required that the inspector describe in the report the inspected system and any material defects observed.
Thank you.
Jeremy
Meridian Idaho
This is a Noradyne down flow central furnace which appears to be built
In Feb. 1997 power supply is 240 volt and a rating of 53,500 even though
this is an older unit it is fully functional and appears to have no issues.
How to inspect the refrigerator.
Refrigerators come in a variety of styles, sizes, makes and models. An inspector is not required to inspect or move appliances but I can’t imagine the customer satisfaction being very high if you didn’t. As with furnaces, you can inspect using “normal operating controls”. Is it Operative? Does it leak? Is there rust or a damaged outside? Is the shelving intact on the inside? Is there a build up of frost or ice? Is it noisy? Are the coils dirty or damaged? Does the interior lighting work and so on? Style, make, model, manufacturer, year and whether or not it’s Energy Star certified wouldn’t hurt to know either. Make sure the unit is operating at the proper temperature. 40F or below for the fridge and 0F for the freezer. With the homeowners permission, open the door and leave it open to get the compressor to kick in. Listen for odd noises or rattling from the compressor.
Inspect the plug in. The unit should not be plugged into a GFCI receptacle. Check the water line (if applicable). Look for signs of leaks and cracks. Check the water hose on the inside.
If there is an older unit on the property, check to make sure it has been child proofed with locks or that there isn’t enough room for a small child to climb inside. Units should always be braced so it will not fall over if climbed on.
Thank you.
Jeremy
Meridian Idaho
#1
Identifying the heating system in the structure being inspected should
be done as accurately as possible, where the unit is located what the
source of energy is, make and model, year manufactured .
#2
Inspection of the furnace should be a non-invasive, visual inspection
using only the normal controls used to operate the furnace, And during
this inspection if any defects are observed they should be noted and
discussed with the client. And if these defects could cause loss of life
or property they should be brought to the attention of any and all party’s
involved with the property.