Home Inspection Defect Library

Mold In Air Handler

Southwest Premier — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:59:16 +0000

DEFECT: Mold in Air Conditioning Air Handler

Mold in general can be dangerous to deal with, however when you have it inside and air conditioner it compounds the problem.

Inside an air conditioner is a naturally humid place, as the air conditioner operates it pulls moisture out of the air. Moisture removed by the air conditioner should drain to the exterior via the condensate drain line. If an air conditioner is not draining properly (or even if it is), the high humidity can foster a breeding ground for mold.

The air conditioner in the photos below had a capped off condensate drain line so the moisture could not drain away. Mold proliferated inside of this air conditioner and was spread throughout the duct system due to the air handler fan. This creates a major hazard as the mold becomes airborne and is distributed throughout the entire home.

Remediation of a mold problem like this can be quite entailed. Not only does the root of the problem need to be fixed but the ducts need to be cleaned and any mold spread throughout the home also needs to be removed. Replacement of the air conditioner is often required in this type of situation since it can be nearly impossible to clean all of the mold out of it.

If you have mold in your air conditioner, it is recommend that you contact a professional remediation company immediately to take care of it. This is one of those jobs that is better left to the pros!

Southwest Premier Home Inspection is the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection leader. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com

Hail Damaged Roof Shingles

Southwest Premier — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:05:30 +0000

DEFECT: Hail Damaged Roof Shingles

Recently in the Phoenix area we experienced a storm that was accompanied by allot of hail and damaging winds. Numerous homes in the Phoenix area were damaged by this hail and wind. Identifying this hail damage can be easy on some homes that were heavily damaged and more difficult on homes that received moderate hail.

Hail can severely damage roofing shingles (and roofs of all types) requiring replacement of the entire roof. Typically it takes hail of approximately 3/4″ in diameter or larger to damage roofing shingles, however there are other factors involved. The direction of travel, velocity due to the wind, age of the shingles and quality of the shingles can all play a role.

Shingles are composed primarily of a piece of substrate, such as fiberglass, cellulose or other material that is dipped into asphalt (this creates the mat) and then coated with granules. The granules protect the asphalt from the sun and elements.

When a large hailstone hits a shingle it can damage the mat, which is the “foundation” of the shingle. Once the mat is damaged, there is no adequate repair that can be accomplished to the affected shingle. At the impact sites, the granules are dislodged from the asphalt which will accelerate the deterioration of the shingle.

If you have a home or are buying a home with a shingled roof in the Phoenix area, I recommend you have the roof inspected to determine if there is hail damage. The hail storms were widespread throughout the entire Phoenix area and there were pockets all over that produced damaging hail. Hail damage can be nearly impossible to see from the ground.

I have see homes with roofs that were installed the week before the hail storm that were damaged and needed replaced again, even a new roof cannot withstand damaging hail.

Southwest Premier Home Inspection is the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection leader. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com

Water Heater Located Outside

Southwest Premier — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:05:46 +0000

DEFECT: Water Heater Located Outside

Water heaters located outside and unprotected from the elements is a defect we find on many older homes during our Phoenix Home Inspections. Trying to make more space inside, many people just assume the water heater can be moved to the exterior and that it will survive the elements. Weather it is a gas or electric, most traditional water heaters are not designed to be left exposed to the elements.

Leaving a water heater exposed to the elements will drastically shorten the life of the water heater as well as reduce the efficiency. If the water heater is gas, it is susceptible to the wind blowing out the pilot light. In colder climates the water heater will have trouble maintaining temperature and will be on constantly due to the rather minimal insulation.

To install a water heater at the exterior it should be enclosed in a proper “closet” or enclosure with adequate venting for gas water heaters. This enclosure will provide protection from rain and wind and will provide some insulation to increase efficiency a little.

If your water heater is located at the exterior and is unprotected, you should definitely act quickly to prevent further damage from occurring.

Southwest Premier Home Inspection is the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection leader. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com

Smoke Detectors Removed

Southwest Premier — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:00:29 +0000

DEFECT: Smoke Detectors Removed

During our Phoenix Home Inspections we find allot of smoke detectors that have been removed. It amazes me how many times I see this in an occupied home! Smoke detectors are vital to the safety of the occupants in a home and therefore should be properly maintained and never disabled.

One of the main reasons that I hear for removing smoke detectors is that they go off randomly or have nuisance alarms. I have written a basic smoke detector troubleshooting guide on my blog InspectingPhoenix.com. If your smoke detectors are going off randomly or have other problems you should troubleshoot and fix the problem instead of removing the smoke detectors.

If the Home Inspector noted in your Home Inspection report that there are any problems with your homes smoke detector system, you should have these repaired immediately for the safety of everyone in the home.

Southwest Premier Home Inspection is the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection leader. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com

Improper Water Pressure

Southwest Premier — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:20:29 +0000

DEFECT: Improper Water Pressure

Improper water pressure takes two forms, high pressure or low pressure. Different problems arise depending on which condition your plumbing supply system suffers from. During our Home Inspection in Phoenix we find allot of high water pressure.

The normal water pressure range is 40 to 80 psi. Most utilities try to keep the water supply to your home around 80 psi but this pressure fluctuates with demand and due to their equipment. Below I will discuss some of the problems associated with pressure above or below this range. At the bottom of this post I breifly discuss water flow vs water pressure.

High Water Pressure

High water pressure (over 80 psi): I will start with high water pressure since it can cause the most damage to the homes plumbing system. In the Phoenix area, this is the most common water pressure condition our Home Inspectors find. Some of the problems associated with high water pressure are:

High Water Pressure

Premature failure of water faucets and fixtures
Failure of pipe joints
Water hammer or banging

The fix for high water pressure is to have a plumber install a water pressure regulator at the supply line entry into the home. This pressure regulator can be adjusted to maintain a proper water pressure within the normal range. If the water pressure is extremely high, you may want to contact the utility company as one of their pressure regulators may have failed.

If your Home Inspector noted in your Home Inspection report that your water pressure is high, don’t ignore it thinking that you will be able to take more enjoyable showers.

Low Water Pressure

Low water pressure (under 40 psi): Low water pressure does not cause the physical damage to fixtures and pipe, this one is more of a nuisance and sometimes even dangerous. The problems most commonly associated with low water pressure are:

Low Water Pressure

Low water flow to faucets. This one is the biggest annoyance with low water pressure, I’m sure everyone has experienced a shower with low water pressure at one point or another in their lives.

Scalding can result due to the sudden loss of cold water to a faucet when another faucet is run in cold. When one person is showering and another person flushes the toilet, the person in the shower could get scalded.

The fix for low water pressure is much more difficult. The first step is to contact the utility to see if there is a problem with their equipment supplying your neighborhood.

Water flow vs. Water pressure

I am not going to go into this in detail in this post but one condition that often gets confused with low water pressure is low water flow. Water pressure is mostly dependent on the pressure entering the home from the utility. Water flow has allot to do with the diameter of the pipe that is carrying the water once it gets into the home.

Example: Two identical homes have the same water supply pressure and identical fixtures, the only difference is the size of the water supply pipe into the home. Home “A” has 3/4″ supply pipe and home “B” has 1 1/4″ supply pipe. Home “B” would have much better water flow with multiple faucets running due to the increased supply, more water is available to all of the faucets at the same time.

If your home has great water flow with only one faucet running and it diminishes greatly with a second running, you may have a water flow problem instead of a water pressure problem.

I should note, checking water flow at a shower can be tricky since most shower heads increase the force of the water by reducing the nozzle sizes, this can make you think you have higher flow than you really do, to judge accurately you may want to use an unrestricted faucet such as an exterior hose-bib.
This information was provided courtesy of Southwest Premier Home Inspection, LLC. Reproduction in any form is not permitted without consent. Copyright 2008-2010 Southwest Premier Home Inspection, LLC.

Southwest Premier Home Inspection is the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection leader. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com

Faucet Leaks From Around Handle

Southwest Premier — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 14:35:25 +0000

DEFECT: Faucet Leaks From Around Handle

A water faucet leaking from around the handle may not seem like a big deal but it can cause allot of damage over time. You may think that this water is just dripping from behind the handle into the shower or tub and not causing any problems but there could be more to the story. Often times when water is leaking visibly from the faucet handle, there may also be water leaking back through the handle into the wall cavity, the water you see may be only the tip of the iceberg.

On one of our recent home inspections in Phoenix a large section of wet drywall was noted at the living room wall as well as visible mold, this wall was shared with the bathroom on the opposite side. The affected area was approximately 4 feet high by 8 feet wide, with gentle pressure you could easily push through the drywall. This area had gone unnoticed because it was located behind a couch.

Upon further investigation it was found that the shower faucet was leaking visibly from around the handle. Due to a hole in the drywall adjacent to the shower the back side of the shower faucet was visible. With the shower faucet on there was a fine spray of water into this wall cavity. Over time this previously unnoticed water spray soaked the drywall in a very large section causing extensive damage.

Anytime you see water leaking from a faucet no matter how slight it looks, you should have it checked out immediately by a qualified plumber to prevent water damage.
This information was provided courtesy of Southwest Premier Home Inspection, LLC. Reproduction in any form is not permitted without consent. Copyright 2008-2010 Southwest Premier Home Inspection, LLC.

The Home Inspectors at Southwest Premier Home Inspection are the premier Home Inspectors in the Phoenix area. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com

No Insulation on Air Conditioner Suction Line

Southwest Premier — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:53:26 +0000

DEFECT: No Insulation on Air Conditioner Suction Line

A common defect found by our home inspectors in Phoenix is either missing or deteriorated insulation on the air conditioner suction line. Below is more information regarding this problem.

On a split system air conditioner or heat pump the freon line-set runs externally to connect the separate air handler and exterior compressor unit and transport the coolant between the two components. This line-set consists of two copper lines:

Pressure Line – The smaller diameter pipe is the pressure line that carries liquid freon between the two units, this line gets very hot when operating due to the freon being put under pressure. This line should not be insulated.
Suction Line – The larger diameter pipe is the suction line that carries freon as a gas between the two units, this line gets very cold when operating due to the freon being expanded into a gas. This line should be insulated for the entire length to help prevent the freon from heating up due to the exterior temperature. If this line is exposed to the sun or heat, the cooling system will loose efficiency.

If the insulation on your air conditioners suction line is deteriorated or missing, it is an easy job to replace. You can purchase pipe wrap insulation at any home center, simply wrap it around the larger of the two pipes and secure it using an outdoor rated tape.

The Phoenix Home Inspectors at Southwest Premier Home Inspection performs hundreds of Home Inspections in Phoenix annually. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com

Water Heater Temperature & Pressure Relief

Southwest Premier — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:51:11 +0000

DEFECT: Water Heater Temperature & Pressure Relief (TPR)

The water heater Temperature & Pressure Relief Valve (TPR) and associated piping is a critical safety feature of a water heater. The purpose of the TPR valve is to relieve the pressure in the water heater in the event of a runaway thermostat or other overpressure situation.

Typically water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, under pressure this boiling point goes up and can be quite high inside the pressurized water heater tank. As the temperature of the water goes up, the pressure in the tank increases causing a very dangerous situation. If the pressure in the tank exceeds the burst point and ruptures, the superheated water instantly flashes to steam when it returns to normal atmospheric pressure. The result is an immediate release of a tremendous amount of energy which will most likely result in a catastrophic explosion of the water heater.

The job of the TPR valve is to relieve the pressure in the water heater when it either reaches 210 degrees Fahrenheit or when the pressure in the tank exceeds 150 PSI.

To prevent injury and damage to the structure, this valve must be properly plumbed to the exterior and within about 6 inches from the ground. The most typical material used for this piping is solid copper pipe, there are some other materials allowed for use but these are limited. This pipe cannot have any valves other than the TPR, there cannot be any threads at the outlet that would allow a cap to be installed, there cannot be any flexible pipe. There are numerous other restrictions on the installation of this pipe that are beyond the scope of this article. Any repairs or replacement of the TPR valve or pipe should be made by a qualified plumber.

If your TPR line is disconnected or damaged, you should get it repaired immediately. Serious injury or death can occur if this valve is disconnected. If a person happened to be in the room when this valve activated, they could be severely burned by the scalding water and steam that escaped.

If you ever notice water leaking from the outlet of the TPR line it means one of two things.

The TPR valve is leaking
The TPR valve has activated due to an overheat or overpressure situation.

The first thing you should do if you see the TPR dripping is to shut off the water heater and call a plumber to diagnose and repair the problem.

Southwest Premier Home Inspection is the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection leader. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com

Dirty Air Conditioner Evaporative Coil

Southwest Premier — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:18:27 +0000

DEFECT: Dirty Air Conditioner Evaporative Coil

In Phoenix we find allot of dirty or clogged air conditioner or heat pump coils due to removed air filters. Many of these are bank owned homes where the filter was removed because it was totally clogged. Anytime we find a missing filter during our Phoenix Home Inspections we recommend that you have the coil cleaned by a licensed HVAC contractor.

A dirty or clogged air conditioner evaporative coil (cooling coil) can severely decrease the efficiency of your air conditioner due to decreased airflow over the coil. For the air conditioner to operate properly and efficiently it requires unobstructed flow across this coil. If the airflow across this coil is decreased due to dirt buildup the system must work harder and run longer to cool the home. This can cost allot of money in extra electricity and repairs to the system.

The evaporative coil is made up of copper tubes covered in thin metal cooling fins that are spaced closely together. Once dirt begins to build up on these fins it starts to clog the spaces between them which reduces the airflow.

The typical cause of a dirty coil is running the air conditioner without a filter installed or with an improperly fit filter. The filters job is to remove this dirt and dust before it enters the coil.

If you have a dirty or clogged evaporative coil on your air conditioner or heat pump, you should have it professionally cleaned by a licensed heating and cooling contractor. The difficulty of this job depends on the configuration of your air conditioner. Some systems are designed with access to both sides of the coil and on some systems it can be very difficult.

Southwest Premier Home Inspection is the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection leader. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com

Stucco To Grade

Southwest Premier — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:16:30 +0000

DEFECT: Stucco Installed To Grade

Stucco to grade can be caused by one of two things. Either the stucco was installed all the way down to ground level or the ground was raised to the stucco level. No matter the cause, big expensive repairs can ensue.

While stucco is designed to withstand the elements, it was not designed to be in constant contact with moist soil. Over time, the moisture will wick up through the stucco causing deterioration and failure of the stucco. The damage usually first manifests itself as damaged stucco at the lower few inches of the wall.

If this is a wood framed home the moisture can quickly deteriorate the internal structure of the wall and create mold issues. Repairs to the internal structure of the wall can be extremely costly so it is best to remedy this before this happens.

Another issue with stucco to grade is pest infiltration. Termites and other pests can enter through or behind the stucco from the soil and never been seen. The stucco to grade is a conduit for pests and termites into the home.

Often times, this is the result of a Do It Yourself (DIY) stucco job or a non qualified contractor installing it.

Repairs can be quite difficult, once the stucco is installed it is not an easy task to fix this. If this is a result of the soil being raised to the stucco level it might be easier to re-grade the soil to maintain proper clearance if the landscape allows.

Southwest Premier Home Inspection is the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection leader. To find out more visit our Phoenix Home Inspection website www.swpHomeInspect.com