Reuben's Home Inspection Blog

The question I get from home buyers that always makes me chuckle: "Can I be there for part of the inspection?"  

I want the buyer there for the whole thing!  Whenever possible.   It allows me to focus on their particular concerns, it lets me tailor the report to their needs, and it helps them to understand everything a little better.

Client Concerns    I encourage my clients to attend the entire inspection so we can go through everything together.  I try to give myself a quick tour of the house and inspect the roof before my clients show up.  This eliminates some  'down time' for my client.  After that, we talk about any particular concerns they have with the house, and I try to get a sense of what's important to them... the stuff they might not know to tell me.  Some clients are very concerned that the house is safe for children, some are concerned with security,  others are planning a big remodel and don't care if the windows in the back of the house are rotted. 

The Report  Having my client attend the inspection helps me to write a much more customized report.  I make suggestions about ways to fix things,  and sometimes I suggest upgrades they could do to the house.  My clients will often ask me to put those recommendations in the report, and I also include hyperlinks in my reports to web sites if I know what my clients are interested in.  For instance, just yesterday I inspected a home for a client who was thinking about replacing his entire boiler system with a forced air furnace, so I included a link in his report to my blog about furnaces vs boilers.  

When my client's don't attend the inspection, I end up having to write a report with my pickiest client in mind - you know, the person that expects every house to be perfect, and gets worried about hairline cracks in the basement floor.  I end up taking photos of a lot of things that aren't problems and I document that they aren't problems, because it saves worried phone calls later.  A good example is something call ‘checking' in old wood beams, which is something that happens to old timbers as they dry out.   If my clients aren't there to go through everything with me, they might confuse the checking with ‘cracks' in their wood beams and think it's a structural defect, when it's really just something that happens to wood over time, and has no effect on the structural integrity.

Understanding   When my clients attend the inspection, we talk about the importance of repairs.  Some problems have little impact on the home as a whole, such as a rotted storm door or a deteriorated driveway.  On the other hand, a disconnected furnace vent in the attic is a SERIOUS defect that could cause a ridiculous amount of damage over a period of just one heating season.  Without discussing these items or seeing them firsthand, it's difficult for buyers to prioritize these repairs.  

If you schedule an inspection and the inspector doesn't want you to attend, this is a big red flag.  Find another inspector.

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Detailed Buyers Inspections

RELATED POST:  Should Agents Attend The Inspection?

Sediment traps might have more slang terms than any other component in a home; Drip, Drip Leg, Drip Tee, Drip Elbow, Sediment Tee, Dirt Tee, Dirt Leg, Dirt Pocket, Drip Pocket.... you get my point. These names all refer to a short length of pipe installed on the gas piping to an appliance that is designed to catch any foreign debris in the gas line, and prevent it from getting in to your fuel burning appliance and gunking things up.

The basic requirements.  Sediment trap requirements are fairly consistent across the country, but Minnesota is a little more strict.  Minnesota requires the following for a sediment trap:

• Must be installed as close to the inlet of the equipment as practical
• Must be installed ahead of all pounds-to-inches pressure regulators 
• Must be made of a tee fitting with a capped nipple, a minimum of 3 inches in length, in the bottom opening of the run of the tee
• Provide a 90-degree change of direction of gas flow (the photo at right is an improper installation, because it does not provide this) 
• The cap shall be at an elevation lower than the tee fitting.   

Minnesota requires sediment traps at all automatically controlled gas utilization equipment, but good luck getting a straight definition of what "automatically controlled" is.  I've been trying for the past four years, and I've received different answers from different authorities.  Some jurisdictions say that any appliance that automatically controls the flow of gas is automatically controlled, such as a clothes dryer or a range. Other jurisdictions say that only appliances that turn on and off by themselves are automatically controlled, such as a furnace and water heater.  That's the definition I prefer to use.

How important are they?   That's debatable.  While a missing sediment trap is certainly a code violation, I don't feel that this is a serious defect.   It's just a good sign that an amateur has been doing work on the house.  I've taken apart many old sediment traps just out of curiosity, and can you guess what I've found at the bottom of every trap? Click the photo below to see.

They're becoming a thing of the past.  Natural gas is actually a very clean product today, and I've never found a trace of sediment at the bottom of any trap.    The national codes for gas piping don't require sediment traps at illuminating appliances, ranges, clothes dryers, or outdoor grills.  This leaves furnaces, boilers, and water heaters.  

But if you live in Minneapolis... you better have your sediment traps installed.  For a Minneapolis Truth-In-Sale of Housing Evaluation, any appliance that is less than three years old (from the date of the evaluation) must have a properly installed sediment trap.  If it doesn't, this requires repair with a plumbing permit.

 
Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Truth in Housing