Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, WA Home Inspector (King of the House)

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), states that, at the time of a real estate sale or the transfer of a property, a certified chimney sweep should perform a Level II chimney inspection. This suggestion makes sense. The home inspector is a generalist and provides only a very basic visual inspection of a wood or solid-fuel burning appliance and any associated flues and chimneys.

Clients want to know what is involved in a Level II chimney inspection. The inspection begins with the chimney sweep examining (inside and outside) the chimney, flue and the associated fireplace or stove. The professional will determine if the system is structurally sound, free of obstructions, creosote and by-products of combustion. The chimney sweep enters accessible areas, including attics, basements and crawl spaces and assesses all combustible clearances -- the spacing between flammables and chimneys, mantles, hearth size, etc.

During a Level II inspection, the chimney sweep will not remove permanently attached parts of the chimney or the building. However, the inspection should include a video scan of the chimney, connections, joints and liners. When the inspection is complete, the chimney sweep will recommend a course of action, such as, chimney cleaning and service, repairs or upgrades.

If you would like a glimpse into a chimney, to get a look at what the chimney sweep sees, here is a short video that was produced by a firm (Wohler) that manufactures chimney inspection cameras.

 A homeowner, who lives at a residence with a chimney and/or a fireplace or a solid-fuel burning device, should have the system professionally serviced and inspected annually. This precautionary measure reduces the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.

In the Pacific Northwest, we have lots of precipitation and moisture. Since those of us who live here realize that, you would think that houses would be built in a manner that makes them resistant to moisture problems. It is amazing to me how many houses in our climate have roofs with poor to no drainage and poor or missing gutters or downspouts that empty next to the house.

Another problem, maybe not as intuitive to understand, is the case of the under ventilated attic.  General guidelines for building state that attics should be ventilated. Around here that venting, usually, consists of ridge vents, box vents, gable vents or soffit vents.  Venting should, ideally, be low (under eaves) or high on the roof, such as ridge or box vents. And putting more and different types of vents, for the sake of more vents, is not the right plan. Doing so can, in fact, lead to impeding ventilation and airflow. The system has to be designed right.

Since people never go in the attic, attic problems are often hidden: Out of sight and out of mind. But what happens when the vents are not functioning properly? Here is a photo.

This attic is under ventilated, hence the abundance of fungus. There may be too few vents; however, that is hard to determine since those vents that were present at the soffit were completely blocked by insulation.

This is a good example, and a lesson -- homeowners should not take for granted that every system is working just fine in the attic or in a crawl space. If the homeowner does not want to check, or traverse, such areas on an annual basis, then he or she should hire someone else who is knowledgable, to take a look. It is much easier to resolve problems prior to their becoming significant cleanup issues.

Bellingham Technical College is an approved provider of home inspection training in the State of Washington.

The state law requires anyone who wishes to enter the field of home inspection to complete a 120 hour course in the fundamentals of home inspection. To sit for the state test, that individual must, also, obtain 40 hours of in-the-field training. If any prospective inspector does not meet those basic requirements, he or she is not allowed to take the state exam. 

The next four-week program, offered by Bellingham Technical College, is scheduled to begin on April 30, 2012.

Above is a photo of students participating in the hands-on field training portion of the course. For additional information on course offerings, call 360-752-8796. Or, contact Steven Smith, lead instructor, at 360-676-6908.

The commonly installed neoprene rubber stack flashings may be acceptable for a few years when used to flash the plumbing vents where they exit the roof. But these flashings are prone to problems, including deterioration as a result of the harsh environment up on the roof -- UV rays being primary, but also wind. This is a problem I run into frequently at inspections in Whatcom County and Bellingham.

If they are used with a roofing surface that has a fairly short design life, then they might last about as long as the roof or develop problems simultaneously with the roof. But, when they are installed at a longer lived roof, such as architectural composition, these flashings are likely to develop serious problems prior to the roof developing similar issues.

In the photo above, the rubber has deteriorated. This will, often, lead to holes around the pipe and, on occasion, I have found the holes at stacks to be sources of significant leakage into the house below.  Any homeowner should, periodically, have the roof checked-out by a professional. And that professional, should check all flashings and cite potential problems that can lead to water damage.

We have all heard the expression -- "A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words."  Every once in awhile, on an inspection, there is a photo-op that turns out to be quite amusing. Often, for whatever reason, the photos, at least in my case, involve some pet that decides to help me out while I am on-site with my camera.

I think, even if this guy is innocent (or not) the photo is pretty funny with the  report text. 

The weatherstripping on the garage-house door is shredded, suspected pet damage. Recommend replacing the weatherstripping so the door seals when shut.

I find myself loosely using the term "firewall" on occasion when I am reporting on the garage at a house I am inspecting. I am working on breaking that bad habit since "firewall" is one of the most misused terms in construction.  I cannot even guess how many times I have heard someone, including we inspectors, reference that an attached garage at residential construction has a problem at the "firewall." The reality is that, in residential construction, a garage does not require a firewall. At a single family residence with an attached garage, the proper terminology is "limited resistance to the spread of a fire". Anyone who would like specific information on the finer details of the topic should seek out an IRC code book.

I have been doing this job for several years now in Bellingham, Whatcom county and the region. From my photo archives, I have put together this slide show on the topic of fire-resistance. A few of the pictures capture glaring problems with fire-resistance, usually as a result of homeowner modifications or repairs. The video, prepared for my clients, is public and it has been embedded below.

Green building is a buzz word in our society today. I hear many agents and builders discussing green building and I run into clients who wish they were buying a green building.

Despite there being considerable controversy over the whole topic of green building and just how environmentally beneficial it is anyway, there is a type of green building that involves no controversy at all. We see this one frequently in the northwest and we can all agree that it is not a green condition that you want to have going on at your own house.

That is a gutter that is stained green on the outside. You do not have to be a home inspector for very long to spot that one. In most instances, if there is that much green, algae, lichen and dirt, on the outside of a gutter, the inside is going to be full of debris.

That greenish tint to the outside of the gutter, in the majority of cases, is the result of the gutter overflowing. Good household maintenance, including cleaning gutters a time or two a year depending on the number of trees in the vicinity, is a good start at keeping the house in satisfactory condition.

 A few months ago, a friend of mine who happens to be a home inspector, showed me this little gadget. The sole purpose of the gadget was to test the function of microwave ovens. Now, fact is, as a home inspector, the obligation for inspecting appliances in this state is pretty minimal -- we don't have to do so if we don't want to, per the state standards of practice.

From a marketplace standpoint, most of us do take a look at appliances as a service. It is basic: We check that range burners come on, that dishwashers don't seem to be leaking and are properly plumbed. We might look in the refrigerator but, even my certifried assistant, Nutsy, is not allowed to try anything from the fridge to make sure that it is cool and goes down smoothly. As for testing microwave ovens, well that is kind of over the top. At the inspector's choosing, he or she might heat a glass of water to see if it gets warm. 

But, what if doing that microwave test can provide a great thrill and hours of fun and enjoyment for the home inspector, his assistant and the inspector's clients (especially kids)? Now we are talking aren't we? Excitement and fun is what life (and home inspection) is all about!

The device that I bought to do my own theatrical version of this test is called Magic Lights. It is battery free and, casually eye-balling the test bar, it simply looks like a small Plexiglas bar.

But looks can be deceiving. Wait till you see it in action. You put Magic Lights in the microwave, along with a "load" -- a cup of water. Then when you push the oven's "on" button -- it is a great thrill -- fireworks erupt in your own, or the seller's, kitchen. Take a look at this live video.

The flashes occur when the device is being zapped by the microwaves. So, if the bar does not light up, then the inspector knows that the magnetron in the oven is DOA. Of course, an inspector might suspect that anyway if the water in the cup does not heat up. Per the manufacturer of Magic Lights, a person really into microwave oven testing, like a service professional, can determine from the flashes if there are dead spots -- not nukin' where it should be nukin'. And, in theory, you can determine if the power settings are providing the proper intensity, but that is well beyond my area of interest or expertise. Heck, I like the show. I am just "nukin" for fun and my clients, and my certifried assistant, find it quite thrilling and unusual to watch the flashing lights.

If you want to own your own Magic Lights "nuke-tester" one will cost you a hefty $9.95 Online. Therefore, only the most successful among us can ever hope, or afford, to buy one of these specialized devices. See the official endorsement below.

I, Nutsy S. Wallenda, master chef, endorse this product

Signed,

Nutsy S. Wallenda, master chef

In an older home, the home inspector should attempt to determine if energized knob and tube wiring is present. It is not always possible to definitively make that determination, but often it is possible to do so. In fact, frequently it is fairly easy to state, no doubt about it, that there IS energized knob and tube wiring. It is more risky, and often harder to determine, that there is NO LIVE knob and tube wiring at an old home that was built in the era when knob and tube was the system of choice -- the era of Edison up into the 1950's.

Here I will take my readers behind the scenes at a recent inspection in Bellingham. The house is pre-1900's, so there was no question about it that knob and tube wiring had been present at some point. One of the likely locations to find the remnants of the old wiring, and to access it to check if it is hot or not, is up in the attic.  The first scene was taken right after I popped the hatch cover. I am looking for signs of the wiring, figuring it would be there somewhere -- live or disconnected.

This second video was taken while I was traversing the attic and testing the circuits that I saw. This was an easy one because I knew right away that the wiring was live. For the record, the neutral side of the circuits will not test as live, but the other (hot) side will activate the voltage alert tester. When an inspector checks knob and tube circuits, it is important to make sure that both sides of the wiring are tested. Checking only the neutral, and stating the wiring was disconnected, can lead to big problems and misinformation.

There you go! Live knob and tube wiring. If you are interested in the history of, and the potential complications of knob and tube circuits in today's houses, please click on the video below.