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When replacing a water heater or furnace, it is often necessary to replace the vent connector as well. The vent connector is the pipe that connects the appliance to the chimney.

If the correct size pipe is not present on an appliance, there is a good chance that the combustion gasses from the appliance will not leave the building. This is unsafe.

The draft hood that is supplied by the manufacturer is usually the size the vent connector needs to be. The photo shown above has a smaller draft hood than the vent connector and there is condensation and corrosion on the draft hood. Those stains along with the rust and missing escutcheon plates make me believe this water heater has been backdrafting for a long time.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

One of the tests we preform for vinyl siding is to pull the larger pieces and see if we can slide it back and forth. Vinyl siding needs to be installed loose because the siding expands and contracts with the changes in temperature.

This siding was tight and I was unable to slide any of the large pieces that I tried. You can’t always predict when or what will happen, but there are chances that the siding will crack/split when it shrinks. It can also buckle and become unconnected when it expands.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

Sometimes we see things that are about to be covered up by drywall.

This wall was leaning quite a bit and you can see the horizontal crack. I personally think this is really unsafe. But what upsets me is that someone is trying to cover this up and sell this to somebody else who will have to spend a good amount of money to secure the wall.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

R311.7.1 Width. Stairways shall be not less than 36 inches (914 mm) in clear width at all points above the permitted handrail height and below the required headroom height. Handrails shall not project more than 41/2 inches (114 mm) on either side of the stairway and the clear width of the stairway at and below the handrail height, including treads and landings, shall be not less than 311/2 inches (787 mm) where a handrail is installed on one side and 27 inches (698 mm) where handrails are provided on both sides.

Exception: The width of spiral stairways shall be in accordance with Section R311.7.10.1.

R311.7.2 Headroom. The headroom in stairways shall be not less than 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm) measured vertically from the sloped line adjoining the tread nosing or from the floor surface of the landing or platform on that portion of the stairway.

Exceptions: 1. Where the nosings of treads at the side of a flight extend under the edge of a floor opening through which the stair passes, the floor opening shall be allowed to project horizontally into the required headroom not more than 43/4 inches (121 mm).

2. The headroom for spiral stairways shall be in accordance with Section R311.7.10.1.

R311.7.3 Vertical rise. A flight of stairs shall not have a vertical rise larger than 147 inches (3734 mm) between floor levels or landings.

R311.7.5 Stair treads and risers. Stair treads and risers shall meet the requirements of this section. For the purposes of this section, dimensions and dimensioned surfaces shall be exclusive of carpets, rugs or runners.

R311.7.5.1 Risers. The riser height shall be not more than 73/4 inches (196 mm). The riser shall be measured vertically between leading edges of the adjacent treads. The greatest riser height within any flight of stairs shall not exceed the smallest by more than 3/8 inch (9.5 mm). Risers shall be vertical or sloped from the underside of the nosing of the tread above at an angle not more than 30 degrees (0.51 rad) from the vertical. Open risers are permitted provided that the openings located more than 30 inches (762 mm), as measured vertically, to the floor or grade below do not permit the passage of a 4-inch-diameter (102 mm) sphere.

Exceptions: 1.The opening between adjacent treads is not limited on spiral stairways. 2. The riser height of spiral stairways shall be in accordance with Section R311.7.10.1.

R311.7.5.2 Treads. The tread depth shall be not less than 10 inches (254 mm). The tread depth shall be measured horizontally between the vertical planes of the foremost projection of adjacent treads and at a right angle to the tread’s leading edge. The greatest tread depth within any flight of stairs shall not exceed the smallest by more than 3/8 inch (9.5 mm).

R311.7.5.3 Nosings. The radius of curvature at the nosing shall be not greater than 9/16 inch (14 mm). A nosing projection not less than 3/4 inch (19 mm) and not more than 11/4 inches (32 mm) shall be provided on stairways with solid risers. The greatest nosing projection shall not exceed the smallest nosing projection by more than 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) between two stories, including the nosing at the level of floors and landings. Beveling of nosings shall not exceed 1/2 inch (12.7 mm).

R311.7.6 Landings for stairways. There shall be a floor or landing at the top and bottom of each stairway. The width perpendicular to the direction of travel shall be not less than the width of the flight served. Landings of shapes other than square or rectangular shall be permitted provided that the depth at the walk line and the total area is not less than that of a quarter circle with a radius equal to the required landing width. Where the stairway has a straight run, the depth in the direction of travel shall be not less than 36 inches (914 mm).

R311.7.7 Stairway walking surface. The walking surface of treads and landings of stairways shall be sloped not steeper than one unit vertical in 48 inches horizontal (2-percent slope).

R311.7.8 Handrails. Handrails shall be provided on not less than one side of each continuous run of treads or flight with four or more risers.

R311.7.8.1 Height. Handrail height, measured vertically from the sloped plane adjoining the tread nosing, or finish surface of ramp slope, shall be not less than 34 inches (864 mm) and not more than 38 inches (965 mm).

R311.7.8.2 Continuity. Handrails for stairways shall be continuous for the full length of the flight, from a point directly above the top riser of the flight to a point directly above the lowest riser of the flight. Handrail ends shall be returned or shall terminate in newel posts or safety terminals. Handrails adjacent to a wall shall have a space of not less than 11/2 inches (38 mm) between the wall and the handrails.

Exceptions: 1. Handrails shall be permitted to be interrupted by a newel post at the turn.

Stairways – 2015 IRC Section 311.7

R311.7.8.3 Grip-size. Required handrails shall be of one of the following types or provide equivalent graspability.

1. Type I. Handrails with a circular cross section shall have an outside diameter of not less than 11/4 inches (32 mm) and not greater than 2 inches (51 mm). If the handrail is not circular, it shall have a perimeter dimension of not less than 4 inches (102 mm) and not greater than 61/4 inches (160 mm) with a cross section of dimension of not more than 2-1/4 inches (57 mm). Edges shall have a radius of not less than 0.01 inch (0.25 mm).

2. Type II. Handrails with a perimeter greater than 6-1/4 inches (160 mm) shall have a graspable finger recess area on both sides of the profile. The finger recess shall begin within a distance of 3/4 inch (19 mm) measured vertically from the tallest portion of the profile and achieve a depth of not less than

5/16 inch (8 mm) within 7/8 inch (22 mm) below the widest portion of the profile. This required depth shall continue for not less than 3/8 inch (10 mm) to a level that is not less than 13/4 inches (45 mm) below the tallest portion of the profile. The width of the handrail above the recess shall be not less than 11/4 inches (32 mm) and not more than 23/4 inches (70 mm). Edges shall have a radius of not less than 0.01 inch (0.25 mm).

R311.7.11 Alternating tread devices. As per local amendment, Alternating tread stairways may serve as an exit from an area not to exceed 200 square feet. Alternating tread stairways shall have a minimum tread depth of 10.5 inches (276 mm). The rise to the next alternating tread surface should not be more than 8 inches (203 mm). The initial tread of the stairway shall begin at the same elevation as the platform, landing or floor surface. An approved handrail shall be provided on each side.

R311.7.12 Ships ladders. As per local amendment, an interior fire escape stairway may serve as an exit from an area not to exceed 200 square feet. The pitch of the stairway shall not exceed 60 degrees with a minimum width of 24 inches. Treads shall not be less than 4 inches in width and the rise between treads shall not exceed 10 inches. An approved handrail shall be on both sides.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

This photo below shows a plumbing pipe connected to an underground sprinkler system. The pipe is disconnected right now.

Once water leaves the supply side it is considered waste water and we have to make absolutely positively sure there is no chance that water can re-enter the supply system. The use of anti-back-flow devices are usually installed here. In this case there is no back-flow prevention device present.

It takes one of those “planets-in-alignment” moments for waste water to be siphoned into the drinking water. I get it. BUT WHY TAKE THE CHANCE?!?

So how can this happen?

1. The water needs to be flowing into the sprinkler system.
2. Something such as a water main break, fire department drafting water, or even a burst water heater has to create a negative pressure in the supply side of the water pipes.
3. Water in the pipes can then flow backwards.
4. If there are any poisonous substances such as pesticides in the ground of the photo above, they stand a chance to be brought into the drinking water pipes.
5. If we, or our family members, drink this water, illness can occur.

I personally believe this is incredibly important and pretty affordable to repair. Many people, home inspectors included, never heard of a cross connection. Many people have gotten sick and some have died from drinking water with poisons in it.

I hope this helps people understand the importance repairing, correcting, cross connections that are found and documented.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

One of the items on our checklist is to make sure the jumper cable over the water meter is present and secured to the water pipes.

In this photo you can see the water meter is removed.

This is the purpose of this cable. When it comes time for the water to be installed, the electrical voltage on both side will be the same. If there is a difference in potential, the person who touches both side of these pipes will become the conductor to equal the voltage. This can actually kill someone. And for a $2.00 wire and a couple of clamps secured to pipes, I believe it should be present.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

The photo shown here is a garage door opener with the electric eye sensor mounted up on the brackets.

I see these little brackets mounted in areas that don’t protect people, animals, and objects in the path of the door closing too many times. The proper location is no higher than six inches from the floor so it can protect the opening of the door.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

Wall heating and cooling units are part of the Illinois (and most other) Standards of Practice. That means that these have to be inspected. Most of these units are fairly easy to inspect. Turn on the heat and see if warm air comes out. Do the same for the cooling (air conditioner). Since air is flowing over the coils, keeping the filter and coils clean is important for proper heat transfer. I am guessing that the people who lived in this home didn’t know there was a filter in this unit. They all have filters. When I pulled this out to inspect it, flakes of dirt fell off of the filter. My client got a “what-the-heck” look on his face. The cure is simple, clean the filter and the wall unit. Buying a home is an emotional ordeal. Taking the time to prep your home is vital and a quality real estate agent should help you prepare your home for the inspection process. Think about hiring us to inspect your home prior to listing. We can help make things go smoothly.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

Chimneys can be made of brick or wood. The flue keeps the gasses of the furnace, water heater, or fireplace from getting in contact with the chimney.

The above video shows that the visible clay tile flue liners are only above the chimney. We do what we can to view inside the flue liner to find gaps, cracks, or other defects. This particular chimney was deteriorated in a few different ways. First we have no crown on top of the chimney. A good crown will be a solid piece of concrete creating a water proof lid for the chimney. This chimney has (what I call) a tar slush coat. This tar will work for about a year, then the UV rays from the sun dry out the tar and cause it to crack. Then the water will enter the brick and damage the chimney.

This chimney is in pretty bad shape and needs quite a bit of work done to it to make it safe. This is not the type of items we should ignore. Everything from Carbon Monoxide entering the building to fires starting.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/

The sewer lines bring the waste water to the public sewer line or the septic pit. This pipe does belong to the homeowner until it meets with the city sewer system.

In this photo we found a problem before we even put our scope into the pipe. If you focus on the middle of the photo you will see the top of the sewer line that has sunken down. I estimate only 40% of the pipe is open. Our scope will not pass through that opening so we can not determine the condition of the pipe past this point. I am actually surprised this wasn’t clogged already.

Our recommendation includes hiring a plumber to dig up the sewer line, make needed repairs, and scope the rest of the line. The cost for such repairs can run between $2,500 to over $10,000.

One of the warranties that we purchase on every home inspection we perform covers such defects if they are found within the warranty’s time frame of 90 days. This warranty is extended to 12 months if we can show a sewer scope of the line in good condition.

Click here to view the entire policy.

Charles Bellefontaine

Charles is a home inspector and a home inspector trainer. He started as a professional home inspector in 1993. He works for Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc. and Bellman Group, Inc. He has earned the title of Certified Master Inspector (CMI) from the Master Inspector Certification Board. He earned the title Certified Property Inspector (CPI) from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. He earned the title ASHI Certified Inspector (ACI) from the American Society of Home Inspectors. He served as a Director and Officer of the American Society of Home Inspectors. He hs a tremendous passion about the home inspection profession and prides himself on helping his clients with the biggest purchase of their lives.

https://www.thehomeinspectors.com/