Oh My Gosh...

Why You Should Keep Your Water Heater Properly Maintained

: Dangerous Water Heater

: Dangerous Water Heater

During the course of a home inspection I remind clients that in order for appliances to operate safely and efficiently, they should be maintained on a regular schedule as recommended by the manufacturer. In the photos above you will see a water heater that I came across at a home inspection. Clearly there are some combustion issues. This is evident by the flame blow out at the main burner at the bottom of the unit, as well as the soot blow back at the upper vent stack. This home was vacant and the gas was shut off so I could not check to see if the flame was proper and if the unit was venting properly. Flames blowing out of the bottom of the water heater could result in ignition of combustible materials close to the water heater. The back draft at the vent stack would be releasing Carbon Monoxide into the room. I recommended service prior to operation to ensure that the unit operates properly.

Posted on Saturday, December 10th, 2011.
Tags: Carbon Monoxide, Hazard, Health, Rick Erickson, Rochester MN, Safety, Venting, Water Heater
Posted in Inspectors Blog, Oh My Gosh..., Plumbing

Pit Bulls… Good Boys… Do They Eat Home Inspectors?

Pit Bulls Attack Door Knob

This has got to be a first. I have seen where dogs will scratch the heck out of a door and trim, but never have I seen several, yes several door knobs chewed, at a home inspection. The owners of this home had two Pit Bulls. Fortunately for me, they had been removed from the property prior to my arrival for the home inspection. I suspect these fellows had a little separation anxiety during the day while the owners were at work.

Posted on Friday, December 2nd, 2011.
Tags: Big Dogs, Hazard, Oh My Gosh..., Rick Erickson, Rochester MN
Posted in Inspectors Blog, Oh My Gosh...

Crumbling Porch Brick Work

Crumbling Front Porch

This is an example of one way not to repair a crumbling porch. Over time the elements got to the outer later of this porch brickwork. Mortar and bricks became loose and fell out. What the home owner did was to provide bracing to keep addotional courses of block from falling out.

I did not do a home inspection on this property. The picture was taken from the street of a home I was driving by when I saw the condition of the porch structure. It is not know if there was any kind of Safery issue related ith the deteriorated brick work.

Posted on Saturday, September 10th, 2011.
Tags: Exterior, Foundation, Hazard, Maintenance, Rick Erickson, Structural
Posted in Exterior Components, Oh My Gosh..., Structural

How Not To Fix A Leaking Drum Trap

Not sure how to fix a leaking drum trap? Well, neither was this guy. He did however find a way to direct the leak to a drain, in the basement shower below. Some string, a funnel and some old garden hose and we’re good.

During home inspections I frequently come abross several unique ways to stop leaks from coating with silicone or epoxy, hanging buckets under them and such. It’s really best to have the leak properly resolved. Who wants to be exposed to whatever is leaking out of this thing.

Special thanks go out to Trent Martin over at Mr Rooter Plumbing for sharing this photo.

Rick Erickson, Home Inspector. HomePro Home Inspections. Rochester, Southeastern, MN. 507-202-8942

Posted on Friday, August 12th, 2011.
Tags: Basement, DIY, Health, Maintenance, Oh My Gosh..., Plumbing, Rick Erickson, Rochester MN, Safety, Wet Basement
Posted in Inspectors Blog, Oh My Gosh..., Plumbing

Improper Electrical Wiring discussed by Rochester MN Home Inspectors

: Improper Electrical Wiring

This was the wiring that the homeowner strung from the second story of the house (maybe off a bedroom circuit?) to the garage, which was about 40 feet away. Not only are the wires through the steel siding dangerous, there is no support for the wire. And how about that wire wrapped loop at the insulator. I recommended that an electrician remove this wiring and provide a safe solution with proper wire, support and terminations.

Rick Erickson, Home Inspector, HomePro Home Inspections, Serving Rochester and Southeastern, MN. 507-202-8942

Posted on Monday, August 1st, 2011.
Tags: Building Codes, DIY, Electrical, Hazard, Oh My Gosh..., Rick Erickson, Safety
Posted in Inspectors Blog, Oh My Gosh...

Rochester MN Home Inspector Finds Unsafe Wiring

Unsafe Wiring

During a recent home inspection I came across this electrical wiring that was in contact with both a heating duct and the water heater exhaust vent. The wiring against the exhaust vent has the potential of melting, allowing the bare wires to come in contact with the metal vent. This could result in electrocution if someone were to come in contact with the metal vent.

Posted on Sunday, July 31st, 2011.
Tags: Electrical, Furnace, Hazard, Rick Erickson, Safety, Venting, Water Heater
Posted in Inspectors Blog, Oh My Gosh...

Unsafe Electrical Outlet Observed By Rochester MN Home Inspector

Unsafe Electrical Outlet

This is one of those Oh My Gosh… things home inspectors frequently come across that I wanted to share.

Electrical safety is important in a home, especially if you have small children. On a recent home inspection on an older foreclosure, I came across several baseboard duplex outlets looking like the one above. These duplex outlets had been added several years ago when the home electrical was upgraded.

The home was empty, but I suspect that the previous owners had small children as they took the time to install child proof covers over the plug outlets. Even though the previous owner had taken the time to cover the plugs with child proof covers, they left dangerous openings that would allow small fingers access to the electrical connections within the box.

Obviously, this issue could be resolved by simply placing cover plates over the duplex boxes.

Home Inspectors, HomePro Home Inspections. Rick Erickson, Rochester MN, Southeastern, MN. 507-202-8942 http://www.homepro-inspection.com

Posted on Thursday, January 6th, 2011.
Tags: Electrical, Hazard, Home Improvement, Interior, Rick Erickson, Safety
Posted in Electrical, Inspectors Blog, Oh My Gosh...

Construction Project Of The Year Awards

Construction projects gone bad… The following pictures were sent to me by a friend that knows I do home inspections. It’s kind of humorous how some things happen in the process of putting a building together. Blame it on the Contractor, blame it in the Architect, blame it on the Project Manager, whatever, these are pretty funny….Enjoy

I hope this one isn't in the snow belt...

Can you really see through that monitor?

At least there is a hand rail

Be careful when you take a right at the top of the stairs

The guy with the level showed up late that day.

Private Balcony

Train tracks under the balcony

Sometimes you just have to work around the streetlights

Limited Access ATM

Lack od a railing is not the only problem here

AND THE WINNER IS……

Hey buddy, can you scoot over a little....

Home Inspector, HomePro Home Inspections. Rick Erickson, Rochester MN, Southeastern, MN. 507-202-8942 http://www.homepro-inspection.com

Posted on Thursday, December 9th, 2010.
Tags: DIY, Hazard, Home Tip, Oh My Gosh..., Rick Erickson, Safety, Structural, Windows
Posted in Inspectors Blog, Oh My Gosh...

Home Inspection Exposes Improper Plumbing Installation

In this video, your Rochester MN home inspector shows what can happen sometimes when a homeowner has to, or thinks he has to make a quick fix, which then becomes a permanent solution to the problem. The problem is that over time, these types of fixes can result in failure and cause some serious water problems. I recommended to the prospective home owner that he get a plumber into the property to properly plumb the external hose faucet to meet today’s requirements.

Rick Erickson, Home Inspector, HomePro Home Inspections. Rochester MN, Southeastern, MN. 507-202-8942. http://www.homepro-inspection.com

Posted on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010.
Tags: DIY, Hazard, Home Improvement, Maintenance, Oh My Gosh..., Plumbing, Rick Erickson
Posted in Inspectors Blog, Oh My Gosh..., Plumbing

Home Inspector Detects Unsafe Exterior Electrical Outlet

This home inspection video shows an improper exterior electrical installation. The past homeowner needed electrical power to the outside, so he went ahead and drilled a hole through a basement window frame and ran a wire through it. The hole wasn’t sealed, so outside air, bugs and possibly moisture could enter the home. In addition the wiring was not exterior rated, and it should have been in a conduit. The upside is that the electrical box was an exterior rated box, however, the outlet was not ground faulted to protect against electrical shock.