Michael's View: March 2009

Plugging In...

It is not uncommon down here in the Nashville, TN area for folks GFCI outletto have freezers or refrigerators in their garages. Ya know, we gotta have some place to store our liquid refreshments, pizza and other manly man culinary delights other than the the household refrigerator. Besides that, we need a place to hang when we get thrown in the proverbial dog house or garage, so why not have our basic needs close at hand.

Most folks just plug these appliances in a convenient outlet never giving a second thought as to whether it is ground fault protected. Why should it matter? Read on my friends...

GFCI's work on current differential not necessarily a path to ground. The circuitry 'senses' the current differential between the hot and neutral legs and if there is more than 5mA difference, the circuit trips.

So how does that affect you and your basic essentials needed for survival?

Well, some older appliances set up eddie currents that can back feedRefrigerator in Garage through the electrical system giving a false reading to the ground fault device causing it to fault out and trip the circuit. And we all know what a bummer it is to come home to a freezer full of ruined meat or even worse - warm beer! Can we say Pa-Tooie...

The solution is quite simple. Have an electrician install a dedicated circuit for these appliance and your worries are over except for, how do I sneak into the kitchen and cook the pizza...

Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a G-r-r-r-reat day... 8-)


If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Check out our monthly newletter
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48 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 28 2009 05:59AM

Don't Get Caught in this Trap...

Older S-TrapNashville, TN like may other cities in this area, has a large inventory of older houses on the market, and it is easy for unsuspecting home buyers to get caught in this plumbing trap.

While this trap is not necessarily dangerous dangerous to your health, under the right conditions these can raise a stink though. A flood of water into these older S-style traps like the one shown, can siphon the water trap joint dry, allowing sewer gas from the municipal or septic tank system to seep into the house. It is the purpose of the trap, to form a water seal between the waste disposal system and the plumbing fixtures to keep methane gas from these disposal systems at bay. There have been rare instances where dishwashers hooked up to S-Traps have allowed sewer gas into the enclosure and a spark ignited the gas causing the dishwasher to explode!

Thankfully, the fix is quite simple. Replace one of the bends with a straight connector and an air admittance valve. The valve will allow air into the system preventing the siphoning effect. The spring loaded flapper valve closes off to prevent sewer gas from entering the property.

So if you have one of these installed in your home, get a licensed professional to address the situation. Your nose will be happier and just maybe, so will your dishwasher... 


Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a G-r-r-r-reat day... 8-)


If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Check out our monthly newletter
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12 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 27 2009 08:03AM

Foreclosures...

abound in the Brentwood, Franklin, and Nashville, TN area like every other city across the Nation. Some banks are offering lower prices in order to get these "toxic" assets off their books, while some are asking full list price for these "as is" properties. Some of these properties can be a great buy, others can be huge money pits. So if you are thinking of purchasing one of these properties, do your homework. Fully understand what the definition of the word 'is' is.

What you see is not always what you get. To the untrained eye, prospective homeowners and their agents focus on the obvious cosmetic damages that require a huge investments in elbow grease, paint, TLC, and other cosmetic diddies that are needed to turn a house into a Home Sweet Home. But what about the 800 pound gorillas in the room that folks don't see. These guys will pick your pocket faster than they can wolf down a tree full of bananas.

Recently, I had the opportunity to evaluate a 15 year old "as is" property that had a listing price comparable for that area. The folks purchasing the property figured on about $5000 to address the obvious cosmetic repairs. What they had not planned on was the following:

The exterior grading was improperly installed. The property, surcharged by a hill did not have a swale to divert the water away from the structure. No French drain had been installed, and the exterior moisture barrier between the house and earth was missing. Cost of excavating, properly installing the moisture barrier, French drain and grading - $15,000.

Because water was seeping into the basement due to the above conditions, mold was building up on the walls and carpeting. Cost of remediation and build-back - $14,000.

The original HVAC system was improperly designed and undersized for the house. The compressor had burned up because the coils were plugged with dirt. Cost to install a two zone system and modify existing ductwork to properly condition the property - $15,000.

All the kitchen appliances were either not working or at the end of their service life. Estimated cost to replace - $3,000.

There was approximately another $5,000 in 'miscellaneous' stuff that needed to be addressed bringing the total estimated cost of repairs to this property to $54,000. Not a price tag this buyer was expecting. The 'Deal' was beginning to look more like 'No Deal' unless the Bank was willing to make some concessions on the price.

While this was an extreme case, unseen gorillas like the ones mentioned can quickly eat up any potential cost savings in purchasing 'deals' offered on bank owned properties. I strongly urge you to do your homework before you leap into one of these and hire an inspector to help you fully understand what the definition of 'is' is...

8-)


If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Check out our monthly newletter
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7 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 21 2009 06:49AM

Functional Item or Cosmetic Damage - You Decide...

One of the things that I find great about Active Rain is that it can be a great sounding board as there is so much experience and varied opinions on so many items. As home inspectors, we are often lambasted for either being too picky or not picky enough. This came to mind yesterday while inspecting a 17 year old property in Nashville.

Rusted Dish RacksAbout a year or so ago, an agent hired us to do an inspection for their client because they were miffed at the inspector they were using because they missed rusted racks in the dishwasher. To make a short story long, the buyers complained, and the agent wound up replacing the washer out of his pocket because it was cheaper to replace the washer than to replace the racks.

Nothing lasts forever, and certainly durable appliances like dishwashers are approaching the end of their service life when they reach 12 years or so. After this many years of use and abuse, there is going to be rusted or damaged dish holders. As home inspectors, we are to look at items of function. Is the item performing its intended duty? So is it our job to report this as a defect or just normal wear and tear?

My take is normal wear and tear that can be expected due to normal use. However; I do make a note in the comments section as an item to monitor. Damaged or non-functioning racks, rollers or other components other issues which should be addressed by licensed professionals.

I thought that the agent was mad because they had to dole money out of his pocket to appease their customer. The result was the inspector was a dolt for not reporting this and the agent will never, ever use this inspector again. So you decide, is this considered an item or function or cosmetic damage...

Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a G-r-r-r-reat day... 8-)

If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Check out our monthly newletter
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11 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 18 2009 06:23AM

Functional Item or Cosmetic Damage - You Decide...

One of the things that I find great about Active Rain is that it can be a great sounding board as there is so much experience and varied opinions on so many items. As home inspectors, we are often lambasted for either being too picky or not picky enough. This came to mind yesterday while inspecting a 17 year old property in Nashville.

About a year or so ago, an agent hired us to do an inspection for their client because they were miffed at the inspector they were using because they missed rusted racks in the dishwasher. To make a short story long, the buyers complained, and the agent wound up replacing the washer out of his pocket because it was cheaper to replace the washer than to replace the racks.

Nothing lasts forever, and certainly durable appliances like dishwashers are approaching the end of their service life when they reach 12 years or so. After this many years of use and abuse, there is going to be rusted or damaged dish holders. As home inspectors, we are to look at items of function. Is the item performing its intended duty? So is it our job to report this as a defect or just normal wear and tear?

My take is normal wear and tear that can be expected due to normal use. However; I do make a note in the comments section as an item to monitor. Damaged or non-functioning racks, rollers or other components other issues which should be addressed by licensed professionals.

I thought that the agent was mad because they had to dole money out of his pocket to appease their customer. The result was the inspector was a dolt for not reporting this and the agent will never, ever use this inspector again. So you decide, is this considered an item or function or cosmetic damage...


Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a G-r-r-r-reat day... 8-)


If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Check out our monthly newletter
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6 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 18 2009 06:18AM

Whatta Mess...

Okay! So we have heard the drill before. Oh, this is a new house which has been inspected by the codes department. They have issued a CO (and as we listen to the crickets chirp, birds sing and hallelujahs spring forth from the cherub sitting on the eaves) all is in a state of bliss and peace fills every nook and cranny of the property. That is until the #@%&!!! home inspector arrives.

New construction issuesSuch as with the case of a new property that I inspected just recently in the Nashville, TN area. In this picture alone are several problems. Some like the cracked window, unpainted wood on the inside and mud spatter are quite obvious. However, the more subtile issues such as the missing sleeve on the gas line penetration at the masonry surface is not. Although you can't see it in this picture, the retaining wall does not have an adequate foundation and the wall itself is undersized for the amount of dirt it is holding back.

All in all, there were over 75 construction issues found with this 6700 sq. ft. property, and we were not being "picky". We were New construction issuesjust doing our job. Most of these, Brother Ray could have seen. Almost all of these were just poor attention to detail, poor workmanship on the behalf of the tradesmen, or just poor supervision by the project superintendent. Which ever the case, for a new construction property, this place was a real mess from an inspection standpoint.

As the economy tightens, many builders seem to be cutting corners, or hiring tradesmen that marginalize the building guidelines. So just because the property is new and has been "inspected" by "codes", for peace of mind, have an independent set of eyes evaluate your new property. You will be amazed at how many issues a good qualified home inspector will find.


Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a G-r-r-r-reat day... 8-)
If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Check out our monthly newletter
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© 2009 michael thornton | complete home inspections, inc. | brentwood, tn | 615.661.0297 | www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com

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38 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 17 2009 06:31AM

Speechless Sunday... OOPS!!!


Honey, Guess what happened...


Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a great Sunday... 8-)



If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Your building consultants for life...

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© 2009 michael thornton | complete home inspections, inc. | brentwood, tn | 615.661.0297 | www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com

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30 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 15 2009 04:03AM

Put a Cork in it...

While inspecting an experienced property in the Franklin, TN area the other day, I came across something that Charles, Buell, a fellow ASHI inspector and west coast blogger touched on in one of his posts about gas leaks in crawl spaces. However; there are potential problems with gas lines that most folks don't even think twice about, and that is capping abandoned gas lines.

As Yoda would say,"A valve alone does not, a gas line safe make." is true. Gas valves are for the safety of you or personnel working on gas appliances as a quick convenient way to interrupt the gas supply while rendering service. However when the unit is missing or abandoned, the gas line must be capped. Someone inadvertently bumping the valve could crack the valve open allowing gas to enter the property. All that is needed is an ignition source and the right gas to air mixture and... We'll leave the rest up to your immagination.

So if you are moving and wanting to take your gas drier or appliance with you, go to the hardware or home improvement store and pick up a cap for the line. The house you save just might be your own...

Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a G-r-r-r-reat day... 8-)


If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Check out our monthly newletter
Your building consultants for life...

Follow me on Twitter...

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© 2009 michael thornton | complete home inspections, inc. | brentwood, tn | 615.661.0297 | www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com

Large enough for excellent service... Small enough to care...
11 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 13 2009 07:41AM

Photo of the Day - Ouch! I Know that Hurt...

While inspecting an experienced property in the Franklin, TN area yesterday, I came across something that I do not recall ever seeing in all my years in this business. I know that this had to hurt this poor fellow... My question is do they make prosthetic tails?

Steven Smith, a blogging friend of mine from the northwest section of the country has a virtural assistant called Nutsy the squirrel. Hey Nutsy... Check with some of your kinfolk down this way to see if they left something behind... If they did, I know where it is...

Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a G-r-r-r-reat day... 8-)


If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Check out our monthly newletter
Your building consultants for life...

Follow me on Twitter...

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© 2009 michael thornton | complete home inspections, inc. | brentwood, tn | 615.661.0297 | www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com

Large enough for excellent service... Small enough to care...
8 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 13 2009 06:17AM

The Future Belongs to the Efficient - Hybrid HVAC Systems Part II...

Earlier this year, I wrote a post about Hybrid HVAC systems being the wave of the future as many of us pursue green living as either being good stewards of this planet or just to save money on our monthly utility bills. Although hybrid or dual fuel systems may not be practical for all areas of the country, in the areas where they are, one can expect to see lower utility bills once these systems are installed.

As utility companies continue to raise the cost of gas, fuel oil, and electricity, many of us are beginning to feel the pinch in our pockets as we now have to dole out more and more of our hard earned cash to the utility companies during this tougher economy. And, if you are like the Middle Tennessee area, we are having to pay an additional fuel surcharge fee as part of our electric bill. The only way that many of us can combat these bills is to change our way of thinking and adopt a greener lifestyle to save our green backs.

When my old inefficient gas package unit was gasping its last breaths, I did my research and opted to go green. Yes, the upfront cost was more, but I was looking down the road, not at my feet. I did the math, and guestimated the pay back would take me about 2 1-2 years to recoup. After getting my latest utility bills, it may take even less time. My gas bill went down $68 and my electric bill went down $75. That is a total savings of $143 this month. $143 that I did not have to pay the utility companies.

While everyone may not see savings like this, you can expect to decreases in utility costs. I did incorporate a digital programmable thermostat which reduces the nighttime temperature to around 65 and I keeps the daytime temp at 68 for the winter months. Yes, it is winter, and I do expect to wear a long sleeved shirt this time of the year. But I am comfortable. Just adding a programmable thermostat can reduce your utility bills within a few months to pay for itself. Talk to your HVAC service tech to have one installed if you don't already have one. Together, we can all reduce our utility costs and be good stewards of planet earth...

Wishing all my fellow drips and tweeps a G-r-r-r-reat day... 8-)


If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Check out our monthly newletter
Your building consultants for life...

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© 2009 michael thornton | complete home inspections, inc. | brentwood, tn | 615.661.0297 | www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com

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7 comments • Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector • March 12 2009 08:07AM