Steven L. Smith's Blog

A hosebibb, such as the outside faucet shown below, has a number of vulnerabilities. First, let's talk about freezing. This is not a frost-free installation. In the winter, water would stay in the pipe not only below ground but in all of the exposed pipe that is above ground. If, in fact, the faucet has a shut-off nearby that not only turns off the water to the faucet but also drains it, then that is one solution. However, it is not a very convenient solution and it is a shutoff that, while there, will probably seldom be used. I speak from experience on that one, having a couple faucets like this one. One way to improve the system, without having to do too much to change it, would be to go to a frost-free yard hydrant. They are more expensive but durable and a much better solution.

This system, below, also does not have a back-flow preventer so, in the eventuality of a low water pressure situation, contaminated water could make it's way into the potable water. That problem, which has to do with cross-connections,  can be remedied by installing a  screw-on back-flow preventer that fits just above the hose on about any standard outdoor faucet that is in good shape -- not warped, cracked, etc.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

The photo above is a commonly seen issue for the home inspector. At least I know that is true in the Pacific Northwest. What you see there is the post at a deck. It is buried in the soil. The problem is our old nemesis known as wood to earth contact. Fact: Wood to earth contact will eventually lead to rot or decay of the wood.

In this picture the problem was not quite as clear cut as it sometimes is. Why? Because the post itself, to the left side, was pressure-treated lumber. While pressure-treated lumber is designed for contact with the earth, there was just flat no need for it here. There was a concrete pier beneath the post, so why bury the wood? Makes no sense. Even treated lumber lasts many more years if it is isolated from the earth. The wood piece to the right, which was a trim piece that tied in above, was NOT pressure-treated material so it was an obvious concern. People always forget, or do not believe, that wood to earth contact should be eliminated, except in a few non-critical applications -- treated posts sunk in the ground for fences, that kind of thing.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

The deck below is the final blog related to an earlier post about tall trees near homes and how that impacts roofs and decks. The wood at this deck, at the time of the inspection, was still in satisfactory condition. At least, based on what a person could see under the debris, that was the case. Regardless, if this condition continues unabated, that will not be the case forever. A deck like this is designed to have gaps between the decking boards. Why? So the rain can drip through and the surface will dry. If the gaps are too close together, debris clogs them, or moss and fungal growth is growing, moisture can collect and that rots the wood in a short period of time. In a case like this, if a person really wants to keep the trees, the secret to keeping the deck sound for as long as is possible is simple --- clean, clean, clean, sweep, sweep, sweep.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

Earlier today I posted a blog dealing with large trees near homes. In that, I described that a primary consideration for the home inspector is the amount of organic debris such a tree will drop onto the roof. Most homes I see have low-sloped or sloped roofs. When roofs that are designed to shed water cannot do so -- have no drainage -- that water has to go somewhere and it might be into the attic or the home below. The photos below are from the same house that was featured in the earlier blog.  It does not take much imagination to realize that all this debris is going to lead to no drainage, moss, moisture and other fungal concerns. Take a look at the right photo. That poor metal valley is not going to be able to do it's job.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

Actually, the tree in the photo above does not support the home. It is a few feet to the south of the house but you would not know it from the photo. This tree presents a few potential problems. Some of those I will address in this blog and other problems I will post in addiitional  blogs today. The main issue with the above photo is the amount of organic debris that the tree will drop on the roof. You will see, in the other related blogs, that this is a very heavy coating of material that will block drainage on the roof. In a situation like this, since the area is forest and buyers do not want to cut down the tree, maintenance is required. The roof must be cleaned regularly and that might be every month or so at this house. To help slow down the maintenance required, cutting branches back so they are not over the roof, or at least cutting them ten to twelve feet above the roof will help. The branches shade the surface and that contributes to moss. Take a look at the photo below.

This is the lower end of the same tree. The biggest concern with a large tree like this, six feet from the foundation, is encroachment of the roots. Roots can intrude on, and damage, the concrete foundation. An inspector should look to see if there are any signs of such damage on the outside and also by viewing that area in the crawl space. Some species of trees have roots that cause more problems than others. Another common problem with roots, other than the related issue of breaking and lifting sidewalks is they can get in old clay tile sewer lines as they search for moisture.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

  Sometimes I wonder how so many people live their lives with electric baseboard heaters without catching something on fire. I will admit it, personally, that it can be easy to do something dumb with a baseboard. Years ago I was working at a rental property I own and left the premises. In so doing, I just dropped the hose of the shop-vac on the floor. I had not noticed that it flopped over against the heater. When I came back the next day, it had melted a big hole in it. Thank goodness for good luck and the proponents of duct tape.

That story ties into the "accident" or careless category. The instances that really get me are the people who day after day have a fire hazard setup and they get by with it. The photos below are from the same house. The top two are really obvious. I have seen drapes over heaters before, but these are award winners. The material moved right inside the heaters. The last photo is another common classic -- the receptacle or outlet installed over the baseboard heater. At one time that was standard fare and an inspector sees it frequently. The problem is the cord tends to dangle down on, or across, the heater and it will eventually deteriorate or melt the insulation on the appliance cord. What to do? Move the heater or the outlet.

If you have baseboard heaters, please realize that the heating elements get blazing hot and they are not intended to have contact with flammables. The units look so benign, but they are not. Don't get rid of the smoke detectors.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Yesterday I wrote about mobile homes and the fact they really do need to have a vapor barrier underneath them. Mobile homes, especially the older ones, were noted for poor windows. This had to do with leaks and also it involved missing thermal breaks in the old metal windows. Charlie Buell says he will write an article on that. Go Charlie! In a nutshell, condensation that can be helped with thermal breaks involves the cold air outside hitting the warmer air inside. The hotter the house, the colder outside, the bigger the problem. People breathing and cooking inside do not help keep humidity down either. Today's vinyl windows are pretty good at remedying that problem -- good thermal breaks. Now, if we are talking about old single pane windows anyway (photo below) then don't sweat missing thermal breaks -- you need thermal pane windows before they do any good anyway. This photo below is the inside of a mobile home. These sweating windows go with the damp crawl space shown in yesterday's article. These windows have been soaking wet for a long time -- just look at the stains. A house with this much moisture creates all sorts of problems and potential problems. The relative humidity is, obviously, way up there. Mold and other indoor fungal concerns need to be looked for when a home is this wet.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Things will be changing in Washington State, now that a home inspector licensing law has been passed and signed by the Governor. The way it will all come out, ultimately, is going to be determined to a large degree by the home inspector licensing board. At this point, while generally established, the specifics on the education and testing are not formalized. However, one thing is certain. That is that the more training and experience one has, he or she is in a stronger position to meet all of the requirements when the law gets in full swing about a year and a half from now. For anyone interested in getting into the field, one of the few state accredited home inspection training programs is geared to startup in Bellingham, at Bellingham Technical College,  on March 31. This is an intense four-week program that has been in existence for more than a decade. Anyone interested in this, or who would like to pass on the information, can check out the BTC website.  

Mobile and manufactured homes have some oddities of construction compared to stick-built homes. One of those, that is often misunderstood, is the issue of the "vapor barrier." Under a conventional home, everybody knows what we are talking about when we discuss the crawl space vapor barrier -- the plastic sheet over the soil.

At a manufactured home, the structure the units rest on can vary from concrete blocks or steel posts on soil with no footings, to blocks on gravel with or without footings, to a concrete slab, to ribbons (concrete strips) that serve as footings for blocks or posts. There should be a bottom board up under the floor of the home. Now, this goes by various names. I have talked to mobile home professionals about this terminology and here are some of the words they use for this barrier: Road barrier, Rodent Barrier, Vapor Barrier, Bottom board. Often, due to past repairs, this undercarriage barrier is cut, not properly repaired, so hanging down.

A misconception with some people is that this bottom board replaces the need for a traditional vapor barrier on the earth. In my experience, usually that is a dangerous assumption for the longterm condition of the home. Now, if the home is up on a neatly poured slab, and that is on a plastic sheet, I think they are okay. But with the other configurations, there is exposed soil. That exposed soil allows moisture to evaporate up. Their thought is "so what" it will be caught by the bottom board and the frame is steel. But think about it, steel rusts and over time rust can put holes in metal or turn it to brown powder. A main cause of high relative humidity in a home is a wet crawl space. Some photos, to illustrate my points, are below.

No conventional vapor barrier on the soil at this mobile

Condition of bottom board

Moisture on the steel frame and heavy rust

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspector

The photo below is of a grounding electrode that was never fully pounded down into the soil. We wonder why. Did they hit a rock down there, so they could not get it to go any farther, or did the installer just decide it was in deep enough? These things are 8' long and if you are that deep, and hit a rock, it is a real bummer. I know that sometimes people hide the fact they met their match with a rock below by cutting the rod. This grounding electrode was harder to deal with than most in that concrete was poured around it. Another issue was, and this is something that I find fairly often, the ground and bond wires were loose in the clamps. Basically, not even taking into account the way the electrode was installed, the integrity of the grounds was minimal. This ground rod should be farther into the ground than it is in the photo. It was about 75% installed. With electricity you do not want to mess with that extra 25%.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspector