Oh My Gosh---

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Leaking Faucet Creates Ice Dome

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What happens when an exterior faucet drips in Minnesota in the Winter? You get an Ice Dome. Two things you want to make sure of is that faucets ar completely shut off and that you don't leave garden hoses hooked up. It is important that the anti frost valve is allowed to drain properly to prevent damage to the faucet

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Here Come The Ice Dams

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Now that we have finally had our first appreciable snowfall in the Rochester MN area we have to be on the lookout for Ice Dams. Ice dams are the result of snow melting on the roof due to poor insulation.

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Who says this circuit can’t “support” 50A 220V….

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This inspection photo shows a 50A, 220V circuit that serviced the homes Range, Dryer and the Air conditioner, yes, all three appliances on one breaker. The junction box was hanging in mid air, was missing grommets. You may also notice limestone basement walls and a dirt floor. You can’t even begin to list all the reasons this is wrong and unsafe.

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Why You Should Keep Your Water Heater Properly Maintained

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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.

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Crumbling Porch Brick Work

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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 addotionam courses of block from falling out.

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Home Inspector Detects Unsafe Exterior Electrical Outlet

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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.

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Home Inspection Discloses How Not To Fix A Leaky Valve

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There's more than one way to fix a leaky valve. In this particular instance the homeowner duct taped a sponge to the affected valve. As it leaked, the water dispersed through the sponge and evaporated, thus preventing a leak to whatever lay below...

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Home Inspectors Discover Serious Water Heater Venting Problem

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At a recent home inspection I came across a hot water heater in a utility closet in which the vent flue had become disconnected at the ceiling. In addition to the exhaust and CO venting directly to the closet, you can see that the paper on the adjacent sheetrock is heavily charred from the exhaust heat.

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Rochester MN Home Inspector Drives By Roof Collapse

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Home Inspector finds roof collapse from snow load

Home Inspector finds roof collapse from snow load

We had a lot of snow this past winter and apparently the load exceeded the design specifications of this garage roof.  Or maybe deferred maintenance caught up with structure.  Whatever the case, it appears this garage is near the end of it's useful life ;-).

Your home inspector saw this as I was passing by and couldn't resist stopping and taking a picture.

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