Posted on

Sewer Backup

Old houses can have underground sewer problems.

Recently, wise home inspectors and real estate agents have begun recommending that, in older homes, underground sewer pipes be videoed.  Most of these old pipes are clay and have a high probability of failure. Why…because of the many years of tree roots, soil settlement, road and driveway construction, and the properties of aged clay material. This does not mean all underground sewer pipes are the same. Depending on where you live, since about 1950 most underground pipes are made of cast iron or plastic. These pipes do not suffer the same type of damage that clay does.

As a part of a home inspection, the typical inspector will run the bathtub water for 15-20 minutes to determine if the sewer backups. But that does not mean the pipe is not broken, collapsed, or sagged. Remember that a home inspection is a visual analysis of the house and an underground sewer pipe is not visible. This means the inspector cannot be held responsible if a problem develops. This could be a huge cost risk, probably in the range of $10,000-15,000. By taking a video of the sewer line for approximately $150, home buyers can put this possibility to bed, before they buy the house.

Can you now hear the whisper of a bad sewer?

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

Have you ‘liked’ Cities Inspection’s Facebook page? Check it out for more great property tips and updates.

Posted on

Aluminum Wiring = Trouble

Because of the high cost of copper, electricians began using aluminum wiring between 1968 and 1974.

Determining that a house is wired with aluminum is not as easy as it may seem. You might start with determining if the electrical panel was installed during the period in which solid aluminum wiring could have potentially been used. After that only a seasoned home inspector or a certified electrician should check to see if the wiring actually is solid aluminum and if that wire has caused heat damage.

To start, you must look at the cut end of the wire to determine if it is a solid or coated wire. Silver wiring is not necessarily aluminum.  It could be copper wire with a tin coating. Similarly, copper wire may not be what it seems. Aluminum wiring was sometimes coated with copper to prevent a chemical reaction between the aluminum wire and its mounting hardware.

The main concern is aluminum wire alloys, produced in the period 1964 to 1981, expanded more than copper wire when they got hot and shrank more when they got cold. This continual expansion and contraction caused loose connections, overheating and eventually house fires.

What should I do if my house has aluminum wiring?

The best solution is to completely rewire the home. This can be very expensive, so there is a code approved alternative. Copper pigtails (a short copper wire) can be connected to the aluminum wires, creating a bond between the approved devices and the wire. This bond will stay secure and prevent overheating.

There are two devices approved to bond the copper pigtails to the aluminum wire. The best is a COPALUM connection which is a form of cold welding and can only be performed by a trained and certified electrician using specialized tools. This is a very costly process. The next best is AlumiCon connectors which are a newer, simpler and less costly alternative, to COPALUM. These devices also must be installed by a licensed electrician.  Amateur installation of AlumiCon connectors is not approved because improper bonding of the wire to the connector can cause serious overheating.

Never let anyone attempt to connect the copper pigtails to aluminum wire with a wire nut. This method has been extensively used in the past. It will absolutely cause overheating and maybe a house fire!  

Aluminum wiring is an issue that should be addressed immediately. Start by calling an ACI Certified Home Inspector for analysis.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

‘Like’ Cities Inspection’s Facebook page for more great tips on things to watch for in your home!

Posted on

Choosing The Right Home Inspector

Look for Experience

American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) is the oldest national home inspection association. It has a stringent Standard of Practice which all members must adhere to. These comprehensive standards have been closely copied by all competitive organizations and state licensing laws. To become a full ASHI member you must have completed 250 paid home inspections and have each one reviewed by an association peer. This many inspections will take most inspectors 3 to 4 years to complete. Many inspectors don’t even make it through the first year and less than 10% make it to year five. Then to retain membership 20 hours of continuing education must be completed each year.

Look for Out for ‘Bogus’ Certifications

Unfortunately home inspection is a career that is more demanding than most people who enter the industry realize. Anybody can join a trade association and most have no requirements to be ‘certified’ by that organization. As long as the annual fee is paid, the association calls you certified, but this label is worthless as there are no standards to be met.

There are many excellent home inspectors who have joined associations other than ASHI or who have never joined an association at all. You could after doing your due diligence on an inspector choose one of them, and be perfectly satisfied with the result. However…

Look for True Certification

ASHI is the only home inspection association that has completed a recognized third-party certification process. They were required to adopt the most rigid standards and then verify that each member meet all the requirements. ASHI member qualification and professional competence is certified by an independent third-party.

Just the act of joining ASHI demonstrates that a home inspector is willing to meet the highest standards and is prepared to operate a professional business employing these standards of practice and meeting a stringent code of ethics.

A good place to start looking for an inspector is by seeking out ones that are ACI certified. This certification is not given lightly.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’
Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

Join us on Facebook for more about this and other housing topics.

Posted on

Is Your Life Worth $25?

This very cold winter has been responsible for many accidents, including deaths from CO (carbon monoxide) poisoning. 

These disasters might have been averted if a properly located and operating carbon monoxide alarm had been installed. For just $25 a battery-operated or for $50 a hardwired alarm can be purchased and installed.

What is CO?  Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that is tasteless, odorless, invisible, and none irritating gas. It also weighs approximately the same per cubic foot as the air in your house. If it is going to poison you, you won’t know anything about it!

What causes CO?  CO is a product of incomplete combustion due to an insufficient oxygen supply. This can occur by not supplying a fossil fuel burning appliance with enough air. Your furnace, water heater, fireplace, automobile either needs to be located in a wide open space or have an outside air supply. There are formulas for how big an open space is needed, but by installing an outside air supply you are assured of having sufficient air for complete combustion. Or carbon monoxide occurs when fossil fuel appliance burners are incorrectly tuned or when the burner exhaust system is blocked or leaking. In other words you are re-burning the original exhaust products. A safe appliance produces carbon dioxide (CO2). Only when there is not enough oxygen in the air or when you re-burn oxygen from the CO2 does the appliance become a CO producer.

All homes should have a CO detector within 10’ of all bedrooms.

What is the action level?  Obviously you would like to have zero CO in your house. But that may not be possible; you should expect a level of less than 15 ppm in your home. Exposures at 100 ppm (parts per million) or greater can be dangerous to human health. At this level the symptom would be a slight headache in 2-3 hours of exposure. People who survive CO poisoning and complain of low to severe headaches and nausea are lucky. They just got a relatively low dose of this insidious poisoning. Elevated levels of CO will simply kill you before you know anything about it.

All systems that burn fossil fuels… Oil, Gas, Wood… should be examined and tuned by an expert annually.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

Posted on

6 Easy Steps To Reduce Radon

EPA does not recommend sub slab suction as the only way of reducing radon levels in your home.

In a real estate transaction there is limited time to test and mitigate radon concerns. Time is of the essence and contractual agreements must be completed. So typically when radon levels exceed the EPA guideline of 4.0 picocuries, buyers will demand a sub slab suction pipe and fan be installed in the home. This is an approved and proven method of reducing radon levels, but it is also the most expensive.

Radon gets into our homes when there are cracks and openings in the below grade foundation and floor slab or when the outside air pressure exceeds the interior building pressure. Understanding this opens up a savvy Realtor or homeowner to alternative, less costly, methods of mitigating high radon concentrations.

Try these before spending a lot of money:

Step 1. Get out a caulking gun; caulk all cracks in the floor and walls. Pay particular attention to the connections between the floor and walls, beam posts, sump basket, plumbing pipes and drains.

Step 2. Get on a ladder; make sure the top of the foundation walls do not have any cracks or open cores.

Step 3. If you have a sump basket, seal the cover shut and caulk the edges.

Step 4. Make sure there is no exposed dirt in the basement or crawl space. If so, those areas would need to be covered with 6 mil poly and the seams taped.

Step 5. Open furnace supply air registers in the basement and close off the returns. Turn the fan switch on your thermostat from auto to on. This continually circulating air will pressurize the basement.

Step 6. Re-test

This may be a good reason to have your home tested for radon before you put it on the market. It may save you some aggravation and money!

For more about Radon and other hot topics ‘Like’ us on Facebook!

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

Posted on

New MN Radon Law Effective Jan. 1 2014

Sellers must declare the results of any radon test to potential buyers beginning January 1, 2014.

This new MN Radon law is quite wordy, but can be essentially distilled down to just two issues:

  1. Testing by the seller is not mandatory.
  2. The event of a radon test having been performed, the result must be made available to potential buyers before the sale is closed.

Buyer’s agents will obviously be recommending to their clients that they request a radon test from the seller. Selling agents should get ahead of this by recommending to the client that they have a radon test performed and any needed mitigation carried out before the house comes onto the market.

Testing is not expensive and should be carried out by a reliable professional.

Many quality home inspectors offer this service. In the event that mitigation is required, care must be taken to find a reputable mitigation professional. Mitigation is usually quite inexpensive and can be as simple as balancing the ventilation of the house. This can be done by installing an outside air inlet duct balanced by a continuously operating exhaust fan. A bathroom fan would be a good example. Balanced ventilation overcomes negative pressure, which draws radon into the home through the foundation wall or floor. Balancing ventilation can create a real bonus because moisture is often drawn into the house through negative pressure and that moisture creates an ideal atmosphere for mold growth. So by simply balancing the ventilation in a house: you may often have three benefits. Radon intrusion will be overcome, moisture will be reduced, and mold will be prevented.

Very often, after the ventilation of the house has been balanced, simply applying a coat of a radon resistant material to the floors and walls of the basement will resolve the radon issue. More expensive mitigation may be necessary, requiring the installation of either a passive or mechanical radon ventilation system. However, the cost of mitigation should not exceed one to two thousand dollars; even when the mechanical system is installed. In the case of balanced ventilation the cost may be as little as a few hundred dollars.

Be proactive: make certain that a radon test is done on every sale and use a qualified home inspector to ensure a professional result.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

Posted on

MN Inspectors Represent the House

What does “the home inspector represents the voice of the house” mean?

Typically, MN home inspectors are contracted to inspect the home for either a buyer or seller. This is usually recommended and arranged by their real estate agent. Often customers feel because they are paying for the inspector’s report that they can influence the content. Sadly, in a few cases, that is exactly what happens…but should it?

Good home inspectors are not influenced by the customer; they simply report accurately on the condition of the house at the time of the inspection. This is required by their national Standards of Practice, which is where the idea that “the home inspector represents the voice of the house” comes from. The home inspector must focus on the condition of the house at the time it is being inspected. Folding to the pressure of the customer or real estate agent and becoming their advocate is very tempting. Some home inspectors do fold to this pressure, believing that it will make them popular and that other customers will soon follow. The sad fact is that these inspectors soon leave the business because the real estate professionals, home buyers and sellers soon get to understand that their reports cannot be relied upon to accurately express the condition of the home. The inspector’s written report must be honest, accurate, and completely unbiased.

Accurate reporting on the condition of the house is both moral and vital!

Sellers need to know how the quality of the house, at time of sale, compares with other similar houses being sold in the same area so that they may set a realistic selling price. Buyers want to know exactly what is it that they are buying. All parties, being accurately informed, can accommodate cost and service issues within their buying/selling decision, providing they know fully what to expect.

Which inspector would you choose; the one who reports accurately and completely on the condition of the house or the one that tells a story that you would like to hear?

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

Posted on

MN Inspector or MN Realtor’s Role!

How much is this home worth?

…is a question often asked, by buyers, of their home inspector! Value is in the eye of the beholder and what the buyer thinks is value may be very different to the home inspector’s opinion. The role of the home inspector in helping the buyer with valuation is solely providing an accurate report that covers the condition of every aspect of the home. The cost of overcoming individual weaknesses in the home can only come with price quotes from other experts involved. Reaching an accurate cost is a matter of being certain that all weaknesses have been found and can be allowed for in a renovation. Good inspection and accurate reporting will greatly reduce the risks involved in budgeting for any needed repairs.

The buyer, with an accurate home inspection report and a quality realtor evaluation, showing value against comparables in the same district, can decide if the house is good value when the cost of updates identified in the home inspector’s report are factored into the purchase price of the home. This fact… Identifying Final Value… is often lost to buyers, sellers and realtors! Buyers want to buy and sellers want to sell and all things are negotiable. Given an opportunity both sellers and buyers are very often better prepared to adjust their price to cover needed repairs that have been identified or; to make the necessary repairs adjusting the price to meet the new value.

How much is this home worth?

It is worth the perceived value of the buyer after the home inspector has identified and commented accurately in his or her report. And, firm quotes have been received from the experts required to bring the house up to the quality expectations of the buyer.

 

 

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie

MN Home Inspection
Minneapolis & St. Paul Home Inspections

Kaplan University

Posted on

Good Home Inspectors Listen to the House

Is a home inspection necessary?

This question is asked often because many homeowners and realtors do not realize just what an inspector does. A home inspector’s task is to represent the voice of the house. A good inspection report will tell you precisely the condition of the house at the time of writing. A well-written report will direct an owner, buyer, or seller to any action that is required to bring a house up to good condition relevant to its age.

Is a Minnesota Home Inspection Necessary?These days, most realtors realize that a home inspection is necessary at time of sale. Today, more than 90% of buyers have a home inspection, so that they know exactly what they are buying. Sellers are also learning the value of a home inspection. A good inspection will tell them what they are really selling and help overcome the surprise of being asked for concessions at close.

A home inspector is not an engineer and does not have a crystal ball. A good inspector cannot predict what is going to happen in the future or what the value of the house will be down the road. Assessing value is the task of the appraiser and life expectancy comes from plumbers, window suppliers, and other specialists. However, the home inspector should be an expert in understanding exactly what is happening to the house at the time of the inspection. In fact, a good home inspector needs to have a solid grounding in all of the elements and systems of a home.

How do you identify the right inspector for you?

When you are looking for the right fit, you need to find someone who is ASHI certified, has reputation, business longevity and can produce testimonials from realtors who have used their services over time.

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie

MN Home Inspection
Minneapolis & St. Paul

Categories

BLOGS BY CATEGORY