That is the fan up under a range hood. It was just as icky as it looks in that photo. I took the photo, thank goodness, without touching the fan or taking out any filter that would separate it from the grease. No shortage of grease there! If you are wondering, yes, the fan did run. When you see something like that, you kind of wonder about the housekeeping in general.
Steven L. Smith
Bellingham WA Home Inspections
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Whew! I can smell it thru my computer! I bought a house with white walls that looked like your range hood there because of smokers! Kids lived there too!
Wow. Thats pretty gross. I am sure you see interesting stuff in your home inspections.
Actually I was wondering do they fry their food every day and night??
Wow, Thank you for this great image it will stay with me for the day, at least.....
Steven, what do you suppose you would have to cook or for how long to leave a deposit like that - and can you imagine if it caught fire?
Steve, everyone needs a handy supply of soup starter:)
Thanks for all the comments, all of you. I cannot even begin to answer any questions you might have as it was not my kitchen. Perhaps it was a self-greasing fan....never needs lubed.
Wow I would never have guessed what it was if you hadn't told me.
Steve, I think most homeowners would be surprised what the range hood looks like up behind the grease filters:)
just one word to describe that GROSS
So did they eat out alot or what?! I bet the floor was sticky, too.
Steve, you're a great home inspector to catch something like that.
I saw one similar to that once. All the venting looked fine, except that the owner had a new metal roof installed a few years prior. When they installed it they just decided to cover up the kitchen exhaust vent. Everytime the vent ran, it discharged between the metal roof and the decking material. Great.
I just got a really good laugh out of that. First thought I had was wondering if that should be included on your mls photos :)
That is indeed pretty nasty. However, it's not something that most people ever look at, so I don't know that I would question their overall housekeeping unless the rest of the house was similarly gross. It is definitely clear that they have done a LOT of fry cooking. Looks like something from a restaurant that wouldn't pass inspection from the health department. Yucko!
Im thinking that they are hording oil as it approaches $5/gallon the will sell!
Wow, that is pretty gross. I must say, from some pics I have seen of others homes, and one I actually witness first hand, these things still gross me out, but don't surprise me anymore.
Were they running a chinese restaurant out of their home? I haven't seen grease like that since I did restaurant inspections.
Hello Steve,
I'll bet they will never have a bearing go out on that fan HA HA AH
The stove vent hood fan was so greasy
It made the inspector feel queasy.
The photo he took
Was one for the book,
But clean-up would never be easy.
Jim Gilbert, Heart of Austin Homes
Eeewwww, That looks nasty. Couldn't you just take a lighter to it and burn it off. LOL
Sean Allen
Ah, great picture and good for a healthy laugh. How many years (and fried meals) did it take to accumulate to this level, I wonder. Ah, the things we get to witness in the real estate gig....
You could get a couple of gallons of bio-diesel out of there... And that stuff has value.
Soap starter ? Look to me like a fire starter ! Yikes !
I would have never guessed! I agree with Bill, that could have caused a bad grease fire.
Wow - you can only imagine that this would be a great place for roaches to hang out!
OMG that is one scary peice of metal! I'm hoping they have good home insurance phew! I think I am going to be telling my clients to do more than clean their filters when they buy a home with one of these old things in them!
That fan is definitely gross!! I'm sure that this was not the only thing you found in the house that was in some serious need of cleaning!
Nasty, nasty, nasty! Can you even begin to imagine what their arteries look like? Forget the house!
Never go into a restaurant kitchen, you will see lots of this. . . .
(hope this is only my experience)
Anne
Yuk, I was afraid to guess! I just know it looks awful and I am going to check mine.....thanks.
Nasty! I know the owner would be horrified and just think many of us are living with this. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, I never would have guessed!
Hi All,
In answer to some of the questions, the housekeeping in other areas could be improved on. Also, if a person was to change the filter once in a while, and there was not one on this one, he or she would probably see what was going on there. I think most of you probably don't have nearly as gnarly a bunch of range hoods as you suspect.
Hey, I guessed it - do I win a prize? Wonder what the rest of the house looked like???
Lisa,
I know, but I ain't telling. Actually I probably have some blogging material there.
YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!! I don't think I'll say thanks for sharing
Steven
Since you were doing an inspection would I be correct in assuming this home actually sold? Was it bank owned? Are the buyers planning on living there?
Terry,
Buyer had an offer on it. I suspect it might not go any farther. Privately owned. Are you thinking you want to put in an offer yourself, based on liking the look of the range hood fan.
Steven- That is pretty bad, but amazingly I have seen worse range fans, just curious did that house have grease splatter all over the CEILING as well? LOL
No grease was pretty much confined to the range hood and the stovetop.
Well, that takes the spot as most disgusting photo of the day. ha Wow, that's pretty filthy!
I would describe it as self-lubricating.
Steven,
I thought it was electrical... Thought it was some old knob and tube in some old house in Broadway Park or something like that...
All the Best,
Glenn Sanford
--
Founder / CEO
BuyerTours Realty LLC
Glen,
Being a motor, I guess you were right anyway. It runs of power.
Steven, Absolutely disgusting!! Makes you wonder about the rest of the house.
Thanks for sharing (I think) :o)
Yuck, what a disgusting thing to find, especially in the kitchen.
I had no clue this would be featured. I guess it goes to show that people like this kind of thing kind of like how they like horror movies.
Gross! I can just imagine that stuff getting all steaming and dripping into your cook pot.......eck! I'll now be looking into the vent fan on every listing!
Ewwww...apparently we can conclude that grease does not conduct electricity well or the house would have been ashes a long time ago. Martha Stewart I am not...but yicks...or should I say yucks ?!
(I guessed it right without even reading!)
The previous Sellers should have their cholestrol checked!!! Or was this an estate sale the Seller died of heart disease???
Great blog...
Honestly, Steve - You couldn't have added a disclaimer "For those of you about to take a bite of food." Wow, that is just funktified beyond belief!
Sometimes I feel for inspectors and the "nasty" stuff they see in houses. Great way to educate the agents too!
That's pretty gross. But I suspect that most people have greasy / dirty range hoods -- especially if they are too tall to easily look under them.
Rangehoods can be greasy, but that was worse than others I have seen. For one thing, they used it all the time without the filter so everything was sucked up into the fan. That washable filter is there for a reason.
At least you know they use the stove. That is bad. Did you give any recommendations of how to take care of it, outside of gut it and put a new one in?
Argh.... what a mess. Imagine the rest of the house was squeaky clean also (not) ! That had to be a fire hazard.
Steve, you must have lived right to have that ugly-pictured blog featured!! Guess they wanted to "share the gross". Congratulations.
Nice! I've seen some bad ones but that just looks like a Gross Hazard..
Barbara,
I was justly rewarded. Never before have I put such effort into a blog. Shame on you.
Ha! Not one finger nail of your talent went into this blog. You are just one of the golden children.
okay you guys might be friends (you and Barbara) so this all may be tongue in cheek. If so cool. But I do have to say, when I saw your post, I was excited that someone other than a real estate agent was handing out really good information to all of us.
My two cents and yes I have sense of humor too lol
Wow, that just whets your appetite doesn't it? It makes me wonder about their housekeeping and their maintenance. I wouldn't have something so dirty in my house.
Carole,
Not to worry, Barbara is joking. Now, had that been my nemesis Charlie B, then my feelings would have been seriously bruised. Barbara, no problem from her.
Barbara,
Regarding the golden chicken you were talking about.
Chicken-In-the-Morning
Utterly disgusting---I think the place should be condemned? Yuck!
Steven, that is absolutely ridiculous! I would definitely be wary if I were purchasing a home with that much grease....and help my buyer notice. It would make me wonder how the sellers took care of other things in the home. ;-)
I see your point lady in red.
That is disgusting. It would make me wary about the rest of the house.
Down right nasty. I'll bet we could all have a post similar to this one from some of the home we've been through (or worse, listed). Mike