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| September 2009 Inspector eNews |
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September 2009 | Archives
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This series of columns is designed to familiarize CREIA members with “The Glossary Project” which is “Standardized Terminology for the Professional Real Estate Inspector”. This is a must have for all inspectors and is especially helpful in preparing the candidate for the CREIA CCI test as most of the terms in the test are defined in The Glossary Project. It is available from shop.CREIA.org.
Click here for the answers (Sorry members only)
Off the Net Q: Recently we bought our second house and had it inspected by a fellow highly recommended by a friend from work who took over 3 hours. The home is approximately 2,500 square feet according to our real estate agent who became impatient with the amount of time she spent following the inspector around. My wife soon lost interest and spent the time measuring rooms for our furniture, but I stuck with both the agent and inspector. While in the garage he made the statement that water heaters are usually a target rich environment. When I questioned him about that he claimed that there are over 50 items to check when inspecting a gas fired water heater. Our agent told me when we were alone that she thought he was just trying to justify what she claimed was an outrageous fee, which was over 500 dollars. When he finished he gave us a verbal summary of his findings and when we got his report it was all there in black and white. Basically I thought he did a great job, but my wife is easily influenced by our agent and now thinks we got taken. I’d be most interest in your opinion and also what do you think of his statement that there are more than 50 things to check when inspecting a water heater? A: Three hours to inspect a 2,500 sq. foot house sounds about right, but you didn’t say whether the house was occupied or vacant? A vacant home can take anywhere from 5 to 10 percent longer to inspect than an occupied home basically because there’s more to see and check. Perhaps your agent was annoyed at the time it took for the inspector to complete his inspection because she is used to shall we say less qualified inspectors? Regardless, you’re happy with the end result and it looks as though your friend did you a big favor in recommending a well qualified home inspector. Of course this is conjecture on my part because neither I nor any of our other ASK.CREIA.org moderators were there. I have no idea what part of the country your new home is located in, but in most of California the fee amount seems fair and in northern California’s San Francisco bay area it sounds quite reasonable. At last count there is actually more than 50 related components to a water heater requiring evaluation so it appears your inspector has both the knowledge and experience required to perform a professionally conducted home inspection. Q: I’ve been doing home inspections in Chicago for almost 10 years and this business about 50 plus parts of a water heater to inspect sounds like pure baloney. I sure hope you guys at Ask.CREIA.org can back that statement up with a list of at least fifty components? A: Here's your list of 50 + water heater checks you asked for: Approved location, Approved support, Approved clearances, Approved seismic strapping, Evidence of seepage/corrosion, Burner compartment conditions, Burner flame distortion, Energy sticker, Age of water heater, Water heater capacity (gallons), Water heater BTU rating, Energy blanket installation, Manufacturer’s Instructions for pilot lighting & gas shut-off, Proper location for PTRV installation, Approved PTRV piping and its termination point, Approved fuel connector, Approved gas shut-off valve, Approved gas piping drip-leg, Approved water supply shut-off valve, Approved electrical bonding jumpers, Approved dielectric insulation fittings at supply piping nipples, Condition of exposed piping, Condition and location of approved draft hood, Proper clearance of flue piping connectors from combustibles, Proper clearance for chimney flues, Condition of approved flue connector materials, Condition of approved flue chimney materials, Proper upward slope of flue connectors, Proper pitch and off-sets of flue chimneys, Approved clearances of flue chimneys, Approved termination point of flue chimneys, Approved flue connector length, Approved sizing of connectors, Approved vent connector connections, Approved support of vent connectors, Approved support of flue chimneys, Approved combination vent connectors, Adequate combustion air sources, Adequate venting of water heater compartments, Approved elevation of water heaters located within garages, Approved water heater drain-pan protection, Secure attachment for water heater support stands, Approved drain lines and termination points for water heater drain-pans, Drain-pan installations for furnace cold-air-return ducts, Approved termination point for water heater drain pans, Protection of water heater located in garage from vehicle damage (bollards), Drain-pan for water heaters located within attic spaces or on any wood framed platform, Confirmation that water heater is providing adequate hot water to plumbing fixture not exceeding 120-d F, Approved access for water heaters located in crawl spaces, Adequate access for water heaters located in attic spaces, Switched lighting fixture for water heater in crawl or attic spaces, Approved clearances and cat-walk for water heaters located in attic spaces, Electrical water heaters require elevation with garage spaces, Confirmation of proper electrical connections for electric water heaters, Confirmation of proper disconnects for electrical water heaters, Approved Direct venting.
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Congratulations! New Candidates James Murphy New CCIs Denis Hobson New MCI Colleen Brand
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September 2009 | Archives
|
|
|
This series of columns is designed to familiarize CREIA members with “The Glossary Project” which is “Standardized Terminology for the Professional Real Estate Inspector”. This is a must have for all inspectors and is especially helpful in preparing the candidate for the CREIA CCI test as most of the terms in the test are defined in The Glossary Project. It is available from shop.CREIA.org.
Click here for the answers (Sorry members only)
Off the Net Q: Recently we bought our second house and had it inspected by a fellow highly recommended by a friend from work who took over 3 hours. The home is approximately 2,500 square feet according to our real estate agent who became impatient with the amount of time she spent following the inspector around. My wife soon lost interest and spent the time measuring rooms for our furniture, but I stuck with both the agent and inspector. While in the garage he made the statement that water heaters are usually a target rich environment. When I questioned him about that he claimed that there are over 50 items to check when inspecting a gas fired water heater. Our agent told me when we were alone that she thought he was just trying to justify what she claimed was an outrageous fee, which was over 500 dollars. When he finished he gave us a verbal summary of his findings and when we got his report it was all there in black and white. Basically I thought he did a great job, but my wife is easily influenced by our agent and now thinks we got taken. I’d be most interest in your opinion and also what do you think of his statement that there are more than 50 things to check when inspecting a water heater? A: Three hours to inspect a 2,500 sq. foot house sounds about right, but you didn’t say whether the house was occupied or vacant? A vacant home can take anywhere from 5 to 10 percent longer to inspect than an occupied home basically because there’s more to see and check. Perhaps your agent was annoyed at the time it took for the inspector to complete his inspection because she is used to shall we say less qualified inspectors? Regardless, you’re happy with the end result and it looks as though your friend did you a big favor in recommending a well qualified home inspector. Of course this is conjecture on my part because neither I nor any of our other ASK.CREIA.org moderators were there. I have no idea what part of the country your new home is located in, but in most of California the fee amount seems fair and in northern California’s San Francisco bay area it sounds quite reasonable. At last count there is actually more than 50 related components to a water heater requiring evaluation so it appears your inspector has both the knowledge and experience required to perform a professionally conducted home inspection. Q: I’ve been doing home inspections in Chicago for almost 10 years and this business about 50 plus parts of a water heater to inspect sounds like pure baloney. I sure hope you guys at Ask.CREIA.org can back that statement up with a list of at least fifty components? A: Here's your list of 50 + water heater checks you asked for: Approved location, Approved support, Approved clearances, Approved seismic strapping, Evidence of seepage/corrosion, Burner compartment conditions, Burner flame distortion, Energy sticker, Age of water heater, Water heater capacity (gallons), Water heater BTU rating, Energy blanket installation, Manufacturer’s Instructions for pilot lighting & gas shut-off, Proper location for PTRV installation, Approved PTRV piping and its termination point, Approved fuel connector, Approved gas shut-off valve, Approved gas piping drip-leg, Approved water supply shut-off valve, Approved electrical bonding jumpers, Approved dielectric insulation fittings at supply piping nipples, Condition of exposed piping, Condition and location of approved draft hood, Proper clearance of flue piping connectors from combustibles, Proper clearance for chimney flues, Condition of approved flue connector materials, Condition of approved flue chimney materials, Proper upward slope of flue connectors, Proper pitch and off-sets of flue chimneys, Approved clearances of flue chimneys, Approved termination point of flue chimneys, Approved flue connector length, Approved sizing of connectors, Approved vent connector connections, Approved support of vent connectors, Approved support of flue chimneys, Approved combination vent connectors, Adequate combustion air sources, Adequate venting of water heater compartments, Approved elevation of water heaters located within garages, Approved water heater drain-pan protection, Secure attachment for water heater support stands, Approved drain lines and termination points for water heater drain-pans, Drain-pan installations for furnace cold-air-return ducts, Approved termination point for water heater drain pans, Protection of water heater located in garage from vehicle damage (bollards), Drain-pan for water heaters located within attic spaces or on any wood framed platform, Confirmation that water heater is providing adequate hot water to plumbing fixture not exceeding 120-d F, Approved access for water heaters located in crawl spaces, Adequate access for water heaters located in attic spaces, Switched lighting fixture for water heater in crawl or attic spaces, Approved clearances and cat-walk for water heaters located in attic spaces, Electrical water heaters require elevation with garage spaces, Confirmation of proper electrical connections for electric water heaters, Confirmation of proper disconnects for electrical water heaters, Approved Direct venting.
Page 4 |
Congratulations! New Candidates James Murphy New CCIs Denis Hobson New MCI Colleen Brand
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