U.S. Inspect ~ Home Inspection Blog

  Answer: Multiple Violations Creating Health Hazard Of Dangerous Gases This particular inspection revealed a very dangerous gas exhaust venting configuration obviously installed by someone who, again, while being creative, did not understand the complications and ramifications of what they were ...

Answer: Non Acceptable Drain Line - "Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together!" Well, that may be the impression of at least one homeowner. While admitting that duct tape was a great invention, it's all too frequently used as a short-cut s...

  Answer: Electrical Hazard The inspector's submission of this photo noted: "The person who wrote this wanted to make sure the next person who worked on the furnace didn’t make the mistake of thinking the white wire was neutral and touching it while it was hot!” This was an interesting comment. O...

  Answer: Potential Fire Hazard   The inspector who took this picture remarked, "I removed the cover and found many paper tags. The buyer said the tags were "cool" because they labeled the circuits. I then explained the extreme fire hazard. The buyer's gasp was heard down the street." No home ins...

Wow! Looks like someone reeeally doesn't want to have to clean the oven? Or perhaps, there is something going on underneath that foil?? Either way, while maybe a bit humorous at first, this should be a big red flag for any home inspector. Why? There's a bigger picture. The foil itself is not the...

Home inspectors frequently encounter dangerous animals, birds, reptiles, and insects. Whether it be aggressive raccoons, venemous snakes, poisonous spiders, or, as seen above, a curious bat, the directive is always the same. Do not risk personal injury. Move away slowly and deliberately, continu...

Answer:  Leaking Water Supply Line. Testing random hose bibs is something we do on every home inspection. Opening the exterior water faucet and applying pressure will frequently let you know if a split or burst water supply line consistent with freezing is present. If defective, you will continu...

ANSWER: Smoke Detector/Alarm in Need of Replacement or Battery "Believe it or not, the most common fire hazard I see during inspections is old, damaged, or inoperable smoke detectors! My advice? If there is any question, replace them. Even if they are operating normally, once they reach about te...

    Answer: Rigid Gas Line Is Preferred For Safety Caption: "Flex line goes out, then back in, through and out!" Description: Not all that uncommon to encounter a flexible gas line within a fixed appliance interior. However, generally speaking, it is not an acceptable practice for safety consider...

Answer:  Dangerous Configuration As is often the case, this installer knew just enough to be dangerous. Very dangerous. What you are looking at is two smaller bath exhaust fan vent ducts configured into the larger furnace exhaust flue. Of course, the bath exhaust fans are designed to pull condit...