Show and Tell: Things I have seen at Home Inspections!

The Inspector Home Inspections

Professional Home Inspections
480-390-9970

I love what I do! Every day is a new adventure and I never know what I may run into at that day’s inspection! The following are a few of the more “interesting” finds I have seen during my inspections. Enjoy!

Photo of a disconnected bathroom exhaust vent inside an attic.
The laundry room exhaust vent was installed backwards so no need to hook up that silly exhaust vent
Photo of burned wiring inside an active electrical panel.
Charred main feed feed wires at main electric panel The owners of the home had no idea this had happened
Photo of burned wiring inside an active electrical panel.
Charred main feed feed wires at main electric panel The owners of the home had no idea this had happened
Photo of rust inside an A/C overflow tray inside an attic.
Have you ever notice those rust streaks on the exterior walls of some homes This is where it starts
Photo of displaced roof tiles exposing the underlayment on a roof.
Shifted roof tiles exposed underlayment Have your roof inspected every few years
Photo of burned wires at a double tap inside of an electric panel.
Double double taps Breakers are made for one conductor each not two
Photo of badly rusted plumbing connections at a water heater.
If you see this at your water heater get a new one soon
Photo of improperly installed roof flashing.
Loose improperly installed flashing = water damage to patio roof sheathing
Photo of burned components inside an electric panel.
Burned relay inside a 1980s vintage Energy Savor device
Photo of improperly repaired roof tile.
Missing tile No problem Thats what that expanding spray foam is for No its not
Photo of missing TPR discharge pipe at a water heater.
Common find No discharge pipe installed at TPR valve on water heater There needs to be a solid copper pipe installed that terminates within 6 of the ground at an exterior location
Photo of water leaking from a sewer cleanout on the side of a house.
Is it a problem if the washing machine is draining out the sewer cleanout location on the back of the house Yes Yes it is
Photo of a non-functioning roof gutter.
Gutters are typically supposed to drain This one did not
Photo of debris on a roof.
Debris buildup on a roof = potential for leaks If you have trees around your home you need to get the roof checkedcleaned annually
Photo of a clogged roof gutter.
Who needs to clean gutters apparently not this guy
Photo of termite tubes.
These are termite tubes coming up out of the ground under a manufactured home
Photo of a leaking toilet.
There are bolts that hold the toilet tank to the stool FYI They can rust and cause a leak
Photo of lint buildup at a dryer vent.
CLEAN YOUR DRYER LINT VENT ANNUALLY This is a major fire hazard
Photo of a damaged mortar pack on a roof.
Damaged mortar pack on a roof
Photo of loose flashing on a roof.
Loose flashing on a roof
Photo of lint buildup at a dryer vent on a roof.
CLEAN YOUR DRYER LINT VENT ANNUALLY This is a major fire hazard
Photo of messy electrical panel wiring.
Spaghetti
Photo of a disconnected water heater flue vent inside a home.
Gas water heater vent pipe disconnected at elbow INSIDE A LAUNDRY ROOM
Photo of a dirty bathroom.
Welcome to my world
Photo of amateur wiring electrical inside an attic.
Um no
Photo of a badly rusted plumbing connection in a bathroom.
Rustcorrosion is a common find under sinks Typically not this bad however
Photo of a missing TPR discharge pipe at a water heater.
Another one of those pesky TPR valves not connected to a discharge pipe at a water heater Yep were going to write this up
Photo of a plumbing leak in a wall.
There is a chance this pipe has been leaking for a minute
Photo of mold inside a wall.
Remember that leaking pipe Here is the other side of the wall
Photo of improperly installed electrical outlet.
This was at a patio at the back of a house I got nuthin
Photo of water damage at a bathroom cabinet.
I always look up at the bottom of kitchen and bath counters No reason
Photo of an improperly installed fireplace.
Nice looking fireplace at at flipped house
Photo of an improperly installed fireplace.
Inside of that nice looking fireplace at the flipped home This was a house fire waiting to happen Some Flippers are better than others
Photo of loose flashing on a roof.
Loose flashing
Photo of a poorly done roof patch.
If you look close you might spot the patched shingle
Photo of poor drainage at a house.
Water is supposed to flow down the sides of most of our homes and out the front here in Arizona Dont stack that extra gravel up at the drain block at the front of your house
Photo of exposed electrical wiring inside an attic.
Exposed live wires inside of an attic
Photo of missing insulation inside an attic.
No insulation over a remodeled flipped kitchen
Photo of exposed electrical wiring inside an attic.
Exposed wires in an attic
Photo of exposed electrical wiring inside an attic.
Exposed live wiring in an attic
Photo of improperly plumbed drain on a sink.
Dont use these accordion traps they can trap food and other junk and create a smell And this guy should have Home Inspection Reported a plumber for a proper installation
Open grounds at electrical outlets are common finds at older homes. A qualified electrician can help resolve this.
Open grounds at electrical outlets are common finds at older homes A qualified electrician can help resolve this
Drywall screws used to hold a kitchen cabinet to a wall. This is a no-no as drywall screws are not made for this purpose. Get proper cabinet fasteners when installing cabinets.
Drywall screws used to hold a kitchen cabinet to a wall This is a no no as drywall screws are not made for this purpose Get proper cabinet fasteners when installing cabinets
Photo of detached countertop at a bathroom cabinet.
Its amazing to me how often I find bathroom counters not attached to cabinets
Photo of an air conditioning return duct that should A) have clips to open it and B) have a filter installed!
So this is actually an air conditioning return duct that should A have clips to open it and B have a filter installed
Photo of burned wires inside an electric panel.
Another burned wire inside an electric panel
Photo of "Double Taps" at breakers in an electric panel.
More Double Taps breakers in an electric panel
Photo of Rain gutter full of beer bottles
Beer gutter
Photo of Roof vent missing sealant
Hey Mr Flipper You really need to install a proper boot and sealant at that plumbing vent Maybe no one will notice
Photo of Roof vent missing sealant
Hey Mr Flipper You really need to install a proper boot and sealant at that plumbing vent Maybe no one will notice Oh wait I did
Photo of missing vent cap on a roof
Missing vent cap
Photo of missing vent cap on a roof
Missing vent cap Rain was going directly through the attic and had damaged a ceiling
Photo of improperly installed TPR discharge pipe.
Remember when I mentioned that the TPR discharge pipe for the water heater needs to terminate within 6 of the ground at an exterior location This one doesnt
Photo of improperly installed A/C electrical conduit.
AC electrical conduit that was help on with putty and duct tape Nope
Photo of a "double tap" at an electrical breaker.
Another double tap
Photo of a disconnected ground wire inside an electric panel.
Someone should probably connect that loose ground wire
Photo of missing insulation inside an attic.
Its common to find missing insulation inside of attics Im talking to you Mr Flipper
Photo of debris inside an attic.
Once that wood shake roof rots and needs replacing lets just dump the old shakes in the attic Saves cleanup time
Photo of grass growing inside a bedroom.
Yes that is a weed growing behind a baseboard inside of a bedroom
Photo of the temperature on a roof.
FYI Your tile roof gets kind of warm The roof temp was 180 degrees the day I inspected this roof
This is a text message I received from the listing agent letiing me know the timeframe would work that Friday for the inspection Oh and also about the monkeys
Photo of a monkey inside a home.
One of the 5 Monkeys
Photo of a large scorpion.
A very large fortunately dead scorpion EWWWW
Photo of a sign in a bathroom.
Photo of improper electrical wiring.
Actual live wiring outside of a barn in Apache Junction
Photo of improper electrical wiring.
Actual live wiring outside of a barn in Apache Junction
Photo of improper electrical wiring.
Actual live wiring outside of a barn in Apache Junction
Photo of debris on a roof.
Back patio roof view AKA Bottle storage
Photo of Snake B Gone
Found this inside a garage It apparently worked I didnt see any snakes
Photo of a termite tube
Termite mud tube on a master bedroom wall by the light switch The owner didnt know he had termites
Photo of a rocket launcher inside a garage.
Rocket launcher hanging on a garage wall Probably for the gophers
Photo of a dirty kitchen cabinet.
If you are putting your house on the market take the time to clean under your kitchen sink
Photo of a rusted plumbing connection.
If your water heater plumbing connection is rusted AND leaking I suggest you call a plumbing contractor
Photo of a rusted water heater.
If your water heater plumbing connection is rusted AND leaking I suggest you call a plumbing contractor
Photo of an unusual kitchen sink.
What could possibly go wrong with this kitchen sink
Photo of a furnace with no flue pipe connected inside an attic.
I did a 1 year warranty inspection and found a gas furnace inside an attic that had no flue pipe installed No vent was cut through the roof
Photo of a furnace with no flue pipe connected inside an attic.
I did a 1 year warranty inspection and found a gas furnace inside an attic that had no flue pipe installed No vent was cut through the roof
Photo of a stuffed crow inside a living room.
Livingroom décor
Photo of a kitchen cabinet with the handle installed on the wrong side.
Um whoops
Photo of a kitchen cabinet with the handle installed on the wrong side.
Im beginning to think this was on purpose