Steven L. Smith's Blog

Normal water pressure is defined as between 40 and 80 PSI. Frankly, most plumbers feel that 80 PSI is too high and that it puts extra stress on plumbing fixtures. At a one-story home, most plumbers that I know suggest a reading of about 50 PSI. If there are more stories at a house, then add about 6 PSI per story. So a three-story house might, ideally, have a PSI of about 62.

The home below was three stories -- that means the water has to go uphill. While the pressure was in the normal range, the flow at the home was poor. 

It is interesting to note that flow and pressure do not always directly relate to one another but, sometimes they do. For example, I have seen homes with wells -- typically lower pressure -- that had excellent flow at less than 40 PSI. And then we have houses like the one described above where the pressure was close to normal range but the flow was abysmal.

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Steven L. Smith

Posts, and any structure designed for support, have to have bearing. That means the component has to rest on something stable, like a footing. In this case, at an older home, this post has no bearing. It is hanging. Sure, it would be nice if it also had an impervious membrane under the post to protect it from moisture wicking up from the concrete below. On the other hand, being an older house, the majority of the other posts don't have such membranes underneath them either and they are holding up. The post must have bearing. That means it should be positioned on the footing so that the post will actually "bear" some weight. Otherwise, what good is it?

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Steven L. Smith

How much water is acceptable in the crawl space? Well, in theory, the answer is zero water. On a more practical level, you want as little water as is possible. Unfortunately, at least in Bellingham and the wet northwest, the fact is that many homes are built on lots that, in one way or another, accumulate water. That can be caused by ground water that passes into the crawl space or, in the lucky cases, a solution can be found by simply grading soil on the outside and controlling gutter and downspout water.  

It that does not resolve the problem, then it usually makes sense to talk to a drainage specialist. These individuals have many means of alleviating the problem -- from mechanical means to methods that include excavation, adding gravel or, in general, having gravity help resolve the problem. When possible, natural forces are superior to mechanical means which require more maintenance and repairs.

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Steven L. Smith

A home inspector spends a significant amount of time inspecting the exterior of a home. That inspection will include decks, gutters, soffits, siding, etc. Along with finding siding problems, and all the other issues that can turn up, an inspector is likely to find issues with either wood trim or composition wood trim. 

The photo above is an example of that. You will see that the wood has decayed and it is soft enough that even the tip of a ball point pen will penetrate the surface. When decay is found, the afflicted wood should be removed and new material put in place. Then, we hope, the wood will be painted and maintained over the years. Maintaining exterior surfaces is an ongoing project here in the northwest.

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Steven L. Smith

Working in Bellingham and Whatcom County at King of the House Home Inspection, I know that, often, homeowners do not understand why there are mice or rats under the home. For the home inspector the answer might be quite obvious. That answer is that the rodents have easy access. These access points can be quite obvious, such as gaps at crawl space entry doors. Or the entry points can be more subtle.

In the photo below, while quite obvious in the photo, this entry point would not be readily apparent to a person walking around the perimeter of the home. This is a dryer duct that extends out through the crawl space vent screen. Since we know that a mouse can get in a hole the size of a dime, then it is not so hard to figure that a mouse could move a whole family in through this hole. 

Rodent problems begin with easy access for the critters. This is a challenging problem, probably everywhere, but certainly in the local market.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith

Often, when doing a re-inspection, the home inspector finds that the contractor only "half- read" the report so the contractor only got the repair "half-right." This photo would be an example. The copper pipe at the left is the drain from a TPR valve on a water heater. 

Using basic guidelines (IRC codes) as a reference, this tubing should end within six inches of the ground. Even using more lenient guidelines, it should end within eighteen inches of the ground -- not even close here. When I cited the problem originally -- the tubing went straight out with no bend -- I specified that the pipe should end within six inches of grade.  That recommendation was not followed by the contractor so he got it "half-right."

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspections

Washington State Licensed Home Inspector #207