An example of a culture that doesn’t encourage thinking or cross-training

Posted on February 29, 2012 by russelray

Many of our older homes here don’t have a garage, so parking that Cadillac Escalade or Ford F350 can sometimes be a challenge, especially if one has toddlers or sacks full of groceries.

The following picture is of a home on Coronado Island that had been renovated and had a one-car garage added to the rear of the house. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the utility company to move their stupid utility pole:

That garage, while big enough for a mid-size car like a Camry or Accord, would not accommodate anything other than a golf cart until the pole gets moved. Unfortunately the utility company declined to move it.

The gas meter was moved to the left side of the new garage, but just a little planning and four more feet or so could have provided the clearance needed.

This also illustrates something that really irritates me about people working in or on real estate here in Southern California, and that’s the lack of cross training. Quite often, the concrete guy is sent out to pour a driveway, and that’s exactly what he does. He’s not paid, or encouraged, to tell anyone, “If I pour the driveway there, the telephone pole is in the way.”

Manual laborers don’t get paid, and are not encouraged, to actually think about how something they are supposed to do could affect something else or someone else’s work.

When I was a contractor in Texas, we did just about everything. If the plumber didn’t show up that day, guess who did plumbing? If the bricklayer didn’t show up, guess who laid brick? Such cross-training doesn’t exist anymore, which can be both good and bad, but I never had a project come in over budget or past deadline because we all knew how to cover for each other, and were quite happy to do so, to help.

It’s not nice to play hide and seek with the water heater

Posted on February 28, 2012 by russelray

I did a home inspection a few years ago on a property that had been completely renovated and was quite gorgeous. Here’s a picture of the entrance from the garage into the living area:

Looks more like a front entrance with the coat closet right there.

My Client was a small lady of 83 who would be living there by herself although two of the sons were within five miles of her.

At the beginning of the inspection, I usually ask if anyone has anything specific on their minds. This time, the sons spoke up simultaneously: “We couldn’t find the water heater.”

I like to address those questions before I get started, so we all went on a search. We checked the garage. Nothing. We checked the kitchen (sometimes the water heater is in a kitchen utility closet), the hallway closet, exterior, and the attic. Nothing. Something was fishy.

We went outside to look at the roof, looking for a gas appliance flue termination cap since most of our water heaters here are gas. I saw two of them, one for the furnace and the other right above the corner of the garage. As I looked down at that corner, I saw this:

Those louvered vents are not vents for the garage; they are vents for the water heater utility closet. I was certain.

We went back into the kitchen since that’s the kitchen window in the picture above. Nothing. On to the garage. Hmmmm. Look at that coat closet there in the first picture. Could that be the water heater utility closet?

I tried to see if the cover would come off, but it would not. It was screwed on with more than a dozen screws. Still, I was certain, as were the three sons, that the water heater was there.

The sons were quite adamant that we get to the water heater. They got screwdrivers and went to work taking the cover off. It took the three of us to lower it to the floor; it probably weighed about 100 lbs.

Here’s what we saw when the cover was removed:

It took another few minutes to remove all that insulation, at which point we saw this:

An insulated water heater in an insulated utility closet in an insulated garage!

Remember that this is a gas water heater. In an emergency one would need to remove the 100-pound door (which wasn’t going to be easy for this 5’4″, 83-year-old lady), remove the fiberglass insulation, and turn off both the gas and the water. What was this little ol’ lady to do if she had an emergency?

The other problem is that if the water heater needed to be replaced, it wasn’t coming out through that small opening. The utility closet would have to be damaged or destroyed.

Moral: Beautiful renovations still have to be functional and, in an emergency, accessible. Don’t play hide and seek with the water heater.

Electricity — If you don’t have a clue, hire someone who does

Posted on February 27, 2012 by russelray

ELECTRICITY
If you don’t have a clue, hire someone who does

My dad, granddad, and uncles were electricians. That’s why I’m not. Rebellion.

I know a lot about electricity which is why I don’t do my own electrical work. I hire an electrician to do electrical work.

Whenever I do a home inspection, electricial problems are usually at the top of the list. Too many homeowners think they can do electrical work but I’m here to tell you that they can’t, and shouldn’t.

The problem is often compounded by people — commonly called “flippers” — who buy a property and, supposedly, renovate it, as quickly as possible in order to sell it, quickly, to make as much money as possible. Hiring professionals such as electricians and plumbers simply take away from the profit that flippers could make.

Such was the case with a flipper who did this electrical work:

Sometimes I’m just absolutely amazed at what some people think of to do, and the extent to which they will go to do it.

That property didn’t use to have a dishwasher. Since the older electric panel was already full of circuit breakers, and replacing it with a larger panel would have cost more money, this flipper came up with this ingenious way to wire the place for a dishwasher.

This electrical work is in the foundation crawl space. The circuit breaker in the electric panel that handled all this electrical work was simply labeled “kitchen.”

The more humid environment in the foundation crawl space is bound to play havoc with those exposed wire splices, but at least they did label the splices, and with indelible pen, too!

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 6: Non-standard dryer venting is a fire waiting to happen

Posted on February 25, 2012 by russelray

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA
Part 6: Non-standard dryer venting is a fire waiting to happen

Non-standard dryer venting causes just as many problems as poor maintenance and has the potential to cause a fire. It’s what I call a fire waiting to happen.

Two of the most common types of non-standard drying venting include nylon stockings (see Figure 1) and what are known as “wet vents” (see Figure 2).

Figure 1 — Nylon stocking

Figure 2 — Wet vent

In the case of nylon stockings, those are designed to go on women’s legs. Just because a woman usually does the laundry too doesn’t mean that stockings and dryer venting go together.

Wet vents are often sold by home improvement stores, making a great case for the adage that just because they sell it doesn’t mean you should use it.

Little things that take only a minute or so to do — like using and cleaning the lint screen in the dryer — can help prevent property damage or personal injury. Lint screens are designed for a purpose, which is to help protect you and your property.

Previous posts in this series:
     » Part 1: Washer water supply and drainage hoses
     » Part 2: Noisy water supply pipes
     » Part 3: Interior washer locations and drain pans
     » Part 4: Keep your dryer flues and connectors short and smooth
     » Part 5: Check your dryer flue termination on a regular basis

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 5: Check your dryer flue termination on a regular basis

Posted on February 19, 2012 by russelray

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA
Part 5: Check your dryer flue termination on a regular basis

The dryer vent hood should terminate at an exterior location so that moist, lint-laden air does not cause damage to structural framing or mechanical systems and components. Dryer flues should never terminate in a foundation crawl space (see Figure 1), in the attic (see Figure 2), or in the garage.

Figure 1Figure 2

The vent hood itself often becomes clogged with lint, possibly causing lint to accumulate within the flue. Missing or damaged vent hoods or vent screens at exterior locations (see Figure 3) can allow unwanted wildlife to set up home in the vent flue.

Figure 3

Many wildlife would be quite happy if they found a nice, warm hole full of nice, soft lint.

Wildlife blockage in the flue can also cause lint to accumulate in it, possibly causing a lint fire or a flue fire, or causing the dryer to overheat, resulting in a dryer fire.

All vent hood terminations should include a damper. However, if lint accumulates in the flue, the damper can become stuck open, again allowing unwanted wildlife to use the flue as its home.

Various home improvement stores sell protective devices (see Figure 4) that can be installed over the dryer vent hood to provide better protection against damage and wildlife intrusion.

Figure 4

An accumulation of lint, either in the foundation crawl space (see Figure 1), the attic (see Figure 2), the roof (see Figure 5), or in the flue itself (see Figure 6) typically indicates that the dryer is being used without the manufacturer’s lint screen in place.

Figure 5

Figure 6

Yes, it is inconvenient to clean that darn lint screen each time you dry your clothes, but there’s a reason why it is part of your dryer, and it should not be permanently removed. Keeping that lint screen in place and keeping it clean will lead to faster drying times for your clothes (lower utility expenses) and a longer life expectancy for your dryer; will help prevent lint fires, flue fires, and dryer fires due to overheating; and will prevent lint accumulating in unseen areas like the foundation crawl space and attic, thereby causing other problems.

Little things that take only a minute or so to do can help prevent major expenses or major disasters (property damage or personal injury), so use that lint screen. It’s designed for a purpose, which is to help protect you and your property.

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 4: Keep your dryer flues and connectors short and smooth

Posted on February 17, 2012 by russelray

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA
Part 4: Keep your dryer flues and connectors short and smooth

Moisture damage and fires can result from improper dryer venting.

Dryer lint, when dry, is a highly flammable material, and the dryer flue can become very hot, possibly resulting in lint fires and flue fires.

Dryer lint, when wet, is very absorbent. A distribution of lint in some areas, like the foundation crawl space (see Figure 1) or the attic (see Figure 2) can cause extensive moisture damage very quickly.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Wildlife loves lint, so a lint problem like that shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 encourages wildlife to find a way to move on in.

Since some of our foundation crawl space areas, like around the bathtub, are open to the wall framing, any unwanted wildlife in the foundation crawl space could get into the structural framing, thereby creating a health and safety hazard.

While there should not be any openings from the attic to the living area, wildlife does have a motive (food and warmth) for finding a way in. I remember being young and hearing my parents talk about rats in the walls. Well, now I know how they got there because there are many openings from the attic into the walls.

Although corrugated plastic (see Figure 3) or corrugated metal foil (see
Figure 4) connectors are typically installed from the dryer to the flue, the length of those connectors should be kept as short as possible, and corrugated materials should not be used as the main dryer flue.

Figure 3Figure 4

Corrugated plastic and metal foil are easily damaged (see Figure 5) and can result in lint accumulating in the flue (see Figure 6), possibly resulting in dryer inefficiency (longer drying times); heat damage to the plastic; dryer overheating (shorter life expectancy); and possibly dryer, lint, or flue fires.

Figure 5Figure 6

If the connector from the dryer to the dryer flue is over three feet long, have a shorter, smooth metal section installed instead of using longer, corrugated connectors.

Flues or flue connectors that are too long (see Figure 7 and Figure 8) can result in lint accumulating in the flue or connector because the dryer blower motor is not powerful enough to force moist, lint-laden air through the long flue or connector.

Figure 7

Figure 8

Once lint accumulates in the flue, there is the possibility of the dryer overheating and causing dryer or dryer flue fires. Flues with excessive bends or an excessive number of bends (see Figure 5 and Figure 8) also can result in lint accumulating in the flue, again with the potential for dryer and dryer flue fires.

Vertical flues, especially if they are corrugated materials and run a long distance (see Figure 9) create the same type of problems since moist, lint-laden air is heavier than normal dry air — a fire waiting to happen.

Figure 9

Previous posts in this series:
     » Part 1: Washer water supply and drainage hoses
     » Part 2: Noisy water supply pipes
     » Part 3: Interior washer locations and drain pans

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 3: Interior washer locations and drain pans

Posted on February 15, 2012 by russelray

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA
Part 3: Interior washer locations and drain pans

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA
» Part 1: Washer water supply and drainage hoses
» Part 2: Noisy water supply pipes

If your washer is located in an area where a leak can cause water damage — such as inside the living area of the house — having a drain pan installed under the washing machine (see Figure below) is a useful idea.

When I was young and living with my wise old grandmother, our washing machine was in the kitchen. Grandma never liked listening to the noisy washing machine so she would always start the washer and then leave to go grocery shopping, pay bills, visit friends and relatives.

I remember coming home from school one day and finding Grandma gone but water all over the kitchen floor. The washing machine drainage hose had started leaking. (Might make a good case for not leaving appliances running when no one is home to keep an eye on them.) It wasn’t a lot of water, just enough to make a mess. I have no doubt that if there had been a drain pan under the washer, there would probably have been much less of a mess.

This is an area where I do practice what I preach, and I have always had a drain pan under my washing machine whenever the laundry area was inside and not in the garage.

In some newer homes with larger laundry rooms, a drain line exists in the floor, but an overflow drain pan is still a good idea.

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 2: Noisy water supply pipes

Posted on February 14, 2012 by russelray

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA
Part 2: Noisy water supply pipes

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 1: Washer water supply and drainage hoses

If you notice a banging noise within your walls, the likely cause is a condition called “water hammer.” Although it can occur anywhere you have water shutoff valves (sinks, toilets, etc.), it is most likely to happen when you are using the washing machine or the dishwasher.

It occurs when water shuts off almost instantaneously, causing water at full flow to try to come to an instantaneous stop. If the metal water supply pipes are not secured well within the walls, the pipes will bang against the walls.

Those of you who live in condominiums might tend to think that it’s your noisy neighbors. If your neighbors deny your accusations, take note of when the banging occurs — when using the washer or dishwasher, or turning a sink off after it was been running at full force, are good indications that you have a case of water hammer.

Water hammer can usually be stopped by installing water hammer arrestors to prevent banging. The easiest place to install the water hammer arrestors is at the laundry, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

A licensed plumbing professional can help determine why your pipes are banging, perhaps even where they are banging, and provide you with options to prevent the banging. Most of the time the water hammer arrestors will prevent the banging, but sometimes a wall where the banging is particularly bad might have to be opened up and the pipes secured within them.

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 1: Washer water supply and drainage hoses

Posted on February 13, 2012 by russelray

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA
Part 1: Washer water supply and drainage hoses

The laundry area is a dangerous area in our homes, but we tend to take it for granted. After all, the only thing we see each time we go to do laundry is a washer and a dryer, and we know exactly what those two appliances do. However, let’s look at the laundry area, the washer, and the dryer in a little more detail.

Although rubber hoses are typically installed as water supply lines for the washer (see Figure 1, yellow arrows), they should not be used on a permanent basis.

Figure 1

Rubber hoses should be used like garden hoses: turn the shutoff valves on to fill the washer and then turn the valves off after using the washer. This is rarely done because the valves are hard to turn on and off, and they are behind the washer where they are difficult to reach.

When left pressurized, rubber hoses will blister (see Figure 2) and burst.

Figure 2

The best thing to do is to replace the rubber water supply lines with metal braid (see Figure 3, yellow arrows).

Figure 3

Another concern at the washer is the drainage hose. A plastic corrugated drain hose typically comes with the washer from the manufacturer (see Figure 1, green arrow). It also should not be used on a permanent basis. Corrugated plastic is easy to damage after installation when the washer is pushed up against the wall, possibly causing a leak that is not noticed until water damage occurs.

The vibration of the washer during the spin cycles also can cause the washer to “walk,” again possibly causing a leak that goes unnoticed until water damage occurs. One more thing: plastic drain lines are subject to greater deterioration from the hot water full of washing chemicals that regularly drain through them.

The best things to do is to have the corrugated plastic drain line replaced with a solid rubber hose (see Figure 3, green arrow) or a metal braid hose.

Considering the damage that can occur from water, and the knowledge about water that manufacturers obviously possess, one would think that washer manufacturers would want to supply the best connections with their appliances, but common sense does not seem to prevail here.

If you are buying a new washer and dryer, and your installer shows up with the manufacturer’s cheap stuff as discussed here, ask them to upgrade all your connections. In fact, ask them for quality connections during your purchase so that they are sure to bring the connections with them at the time of installation.

Sometimes my x-ray vision fails me

Posted on February 11, 2012 by russelray

Occasionally at a home inspection I find that some walls are not visible, and because my Clients usually expect me to have X-ray vision, I have to tell them that, uh, I don’t. So I warn them that there could be some damage behind whatever is obscuring the wall from sight.

This first picture of a great beer can collection was taken in the very large home gym in a property owned by a professional football player:

I had never seen such a great collection of beer cans in all my life.

I jokingly warned my Clients that perhaps visitors to the gym who did not meet their weightlifting goals for the day got to take out their frustration on the wall, and when the damage got so bad, they simply started stacking beer cans against the wall.

I got a call from my Clients while they were at the final walk-through telling me that my joke was not so funny because that’s exactly what had happened. Behind this wall of beer cans was a wall full of holes. Escrow got delayed for a week while the Seller and Buyer argued over who had caused the damage and who was going to repair it.

The following picture shows a collection of Hot Wheels, still in their original packaging and proudly displayed on the wall.

In that property, there was a huge moisture stain on the wall resulting from a leak in the plumbing upstairs.

And lastly, in the following wall of posters, there were some cracks in the lathe-and-plaster wall which needed to be looked at in more detail to determine what had caused them and whether or not the cause was active or inactive.

Listen to your home inspector when he warns you about areas that are not visible or not accessible and make sure you look at those areas during your final walk-through. Remember to take a copy of your home inspection report with you as a friendly reminder. You want to make sure that you’re 100% happy with the property and that all the potential headaches are either taken care of or headaches that you can accept.

Real Estate Solutions by Russel Ray

Unlocking the secrets of your home

Monthly Archives: February 2012

An example of a culture that doesn’t encourage thinking or cross-training

It’s not nice to play hide and seek with the water heater

Electricity — If you don’t have a clue, hire someone who does

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 6: Non-standard dryer venting is a fire waiting to happen

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 5: Check your dryer flue termination on a regular basis

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 4: Keep your dryer flues and connectors short and smooth

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 3: Interior washer locations and drain pans

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 2: Noisy water supply pipes

YOUR LAUNDRY AREA — Part 1: Washer water supply and drainage hoses

Sometimes my x-ray vision fails me