Ask The Atlanta Home Inspector

Are You Allowing Your Gutters To Work Properly?

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:00:56 +0000

If you don’t keep your gutters free from leaves and debris then they get clogged up and water overflows the gutter and starts rotting out the wood on your fascia and sofit boards. Keeping your gutters clean is a very important home maintenance issue and you should check the condition of your gutters at least twice a year.

When you don’t keep your gutters clean here’s what happens!

Is Your Slab Foundation Supported Properly?

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:52:38 +0000

The slab foundation of your home must be supported properly to prevent the slab from cracking. Clearly that’s not the case here!

Is Water Leaking Into Your Attic?

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:47:40 +0000

If the rubber boots on the plumbing vent stacks on your roof are cracked then water is coming into your attic every time it rains. Every few years the rubber boots need to be replaced.

Many times we’ll see where the homeowner has tried to repair the boot by placing an asphalt based sealing material on the boot. This type of repair won’t work for long so it’s better to just go ahead and replace all the rubber boots once one goes bad!

Is Your Roof Supported Properly?

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:19:06 +0000

If roof trusses are cut after they are manufactured their structural integrity will be compromised. If the trusses are cut after installation in the attic then they are no longer capable of supporting the section of the roof that they were designed to support.

Once roof trusses are cut then the original truss manufacturer or a structural engineer needs to recommend the necessary repairs.

Here you’ll see where two trusses have been cut to make room for a set of attic stairs!

Is Your Gas Water Heater Safe?

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:08:39 +0000

If you don’t have one of the new water heaters and the unit is sitting directly on the floor of your garage you have a very unsafe situation.

Older gas water heaters are required to sit up at least 18 inches off of the floor so that combustibles don’t get taken in with the combustion air and cause an explosion.

Here’s the wrong way to install a gas water heater:

Can You Get Scalded On The Outside Of Your Home?

admin — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:20:03 +0000

The Temperature Pressure Relief Valve (T&P) is a safety device on the hot water heater. It’s job is to open up and discharge water from the hot water tank if the water heater builds up excessive pressure inside. The T&P valve is what prevents the water heater from exploding from an excessive pressure build up.

The T&P needs to have an extension on it so that if water needs to be removed from the tank the water can terminate on the exterior of the home. And the extension needs to terminate no more than 4 to 6 inches off of the soil so that if hot water was discharging out of the extension you wouldn’t get scalded.

Well here’s an example of a “scalding situation” we came up on recently.

Drain Pan Madness!

admin — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 03:17:37 +0000

Hopefully you have a catch pan under your washing machine in case it overflows. But what’s the use of having a catch pan under your second floor washing machine if there is a large gap around the drain line going into the wall cavity?

These are details we look for every day!

Here’s A Dangerous Water Heater Flue!

admin — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 03:10:44 +0000

I don’t know what to say about how stupid this situation is. A single wall flue pipe in direct contact with the wood siding of a home. It’s a miracle that there hasn’t been a fire already!

Is Your Clothes Dryer Creating A Fire Hazard?

admin — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 03:04:50 +0000

When your clothes dryer doesn’t vent to the exterior of the house your are asking for trouble. First, all of the moisture produced by drying your clothes remains in the home causing a variety of problems including a potential for mold growth.

Second, the massive amount of lint produced from the clothes dryer gets all over everything close to the clothes dryer causing a potential fire hazard. Clothes dryers should terminate on the exterior on the home, no exceptions!

Check out this mess:

Expensive Termite Damage!

admin — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 02:55:00 +0000

If you live in North Georgia you need to have your house treated against termites. I would also recommend that you purchase a “repair/retreat” bond on your property, not just a “retreat” bond.

There are lots of options in dealing with the termite problem so talk with a reputable pest control operator to learn about the options available to you.

In this video you will see why it’s important to purchase the repair/retreat termite bond!