Gutter Inspection
Blocked or damaged gutters can cause roof leaks, wood rot, siding stains, erosion, and costly foundation or drainage problems over time.
Dryer Vent Fire Hazard Inspection
Dryer vents remove hot, moist air to the outside. They should be metal, short, clean, and properly connected to prevent lint buildup and fire risk.
Electrical Wiring Hazards
Exposed wires, overloaded circuits, double-tapped breakers, warm outlets, flickering lights, and missing GFCI/AFCI protection can signal electrical hazards worth addressing.
Trap for Plumbing
A plumbing trap holds water to block sewer gas. Missing P-traps, poor venting, loose joints, leaks, or corrosion can lead to odors, moisture damage, and costly repairs.
Electrical Grounding – December, 2025
Et tu, plumber? Back in the day, this would have been the house’s “main grounding connection.” It’s where the electrical service was grounded to the house’s steel water pipe. Somewhere along the way, someone changed out the thicker steel pipe for a more slender copper tube. Disturbed rust on the screw threads shows where someone loosened the clamp to change it, but callously [...]
Gas Range (electric to gas conversion) – November, 2025
So you bought a gas range... Our intrepid homeowner switched from an electric range to a gas range. To accommodate the new range, any electrician could easily have changed the old 240-volt circuit to a 120-volt circuit, but our hero came up with a better way: Mangle the old range cord to make an “adapter.” Why is that a problem? Let us count [...]
Plumbing vents and B-vents – October, 2025
A Sirius problem? A few things are wrong here. The most obvious is the plumbing vent pipe that supports a satellite dish. Our plumbing code calls this “flagpoling” and prohibits it outright. Plumbing vents shouldn’t support any other objects, including television aerials, satellite dishes, and, of course, flagpoles. Flagpoling can cause the horizontal portion of the vent (in the attic) to sag and [...]
Plumbing drain system and test plug – September, 2025
The plumber knows he forgot something. He just can’t remember what. When plumbing a new house, plumbers must pressure-test the waste pipes to ensure that the system doesn't leak. Leaks might allow waste water or sewer gas to enter the house. So, when the drain piping is complete, the plumber inserts a test plug and fills the drain system with water all the [...]
Basement floor drains – August, 2025
Basement floor drains are supposed to *remove* basement water, not bring it in. One of the reasons that home inspectors run so much water during an inspection is to reveal problems like this one. The basement floor drain is connected to the main sewer line, which doesn’t drain fast enough. As a result, some water backs up into the basement. While this might [...]
TPR valves – July, 2025
Temperature and pressure relief (TPR) valves are critically important safety devices. When one fails or is improperly installed in a way that prevents it from doing its job, a traditional tank-style water heater can behave like a bomb (or a rocket). Here, a flush kit for a tankless water heater is installed upside down, placing a shut off valve between the hot water [...]
