Home History Reports

As a home inspector and recent home purchaser in Ontario you can imagine how frustrated I was by the lack of detail in the seller's SPIS (Seller Property Information Statement) or disclosure. In Quebec, where I'm from originally, disclosure is standard practice.  Yet time and time again, Ontario sellers were reluctant to provide one, which is a deal breaker for me. In many of those that were provided, major conditions obvious to a home inspector, were left out purposely.  I know this because the seller had insurance claims which are public record and can be easily verified.  

Fortunately, there are third party providers that homeowners and home inspectors can use to find all the skeletons in the closet before making a purchase decision. The Home History Report includes information on any past insurance claims associated with the property, such as records of water damage, fire, floods, theft and damage caused by natural disasters.

The Home History Report also provides the home inspector with essential information on any municipal building permits taken out on the property, unclosed building permits, possible grow-ops and/or meth labs formerly on the property.  

A home inspection that starts with a detailed Home History Report is tailored to the specific needs of your home and targets problem areas. It helps our civil engineer know what to look for and what the potential issues are in your home.  For example, if the property has five bedrooms, but the building, utilities, well & septic are designed for a three bedroom home, we'll let you know how that impacts on your purchase. 

Testing Heat Exchanger With Infrared

Using infrared thermography to measure furnace performance at the non-metallic plenum collar or with a piece of electrical tape is fast, easy and adds great value for the client with a sealed combustion system.

Let them know if the temperature difference across their furnace heat exchanger is operating at peak efficiency or showing signs of disrepair with this quick check.

Scoping Tall Buildings

According to upcoming rules (and common sense), inspectors should have proper training, equipment, and a plan before climbing on a roof. There's also the risk of damaging materials due to the somewhat invasive nature of a roof inspection.

Using a drone to get a closer look would work nicely, but drones are only allowed in remote areas such as farms or farmettes without serious training, regulatory oversight and liability insurance, making it impractical for most.

Another option is using a spotting scope and camera mount. The only limitation is you're not there to aggressively probe. But that may not be a bad thing anyway.

Here's a link to a DIY camera mount for those interested:
http://www.instructables.com/id/iPhone-mount-for-telescopes/

Electrical Code Changes in 2015 - AFCI Required in Kitchen, Garage, and Outdoor Receptacles

During a recent inspection a client asked me about those coiled wires in the combination panel and voiced concern about the hot glowing breakers on the infra-red camera.  

I commended his deduction, pointing out that arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) for the bedrooms are more sensitive than ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), more efficient at preventing fires, and have internal circuits which consume electricity, create heat, and feel a little warmer when you test them.

While we don’t want to see extra-long lengths of wire hanging around that can get snagged, bent, or pulled loose, the installer has taken care to wind the leads so as to dissipate heat which is a safer approach. 

As a home inspector, I expect to see AFCI in modern construction. While this 3 year old installation has arc fault protection for the bedrooms, starting in 2015, the Canadian Electrical Code changes require arc fault protection for branch circuits supplying receptacles installed in a bathroom or washroom located within 1 m of a wash basin, receptacles installed in a kitchen for a refrigerator, counter receptacles installed along the wall, on fixed islands and peninsular counters, and branch circuits that only supply single receptacles installed for a sump pump provided the sump pump receptacle is identified as such.

There are devices on the market that claim to test AFCI circuits but there is much debate about their validity. For the time being, it seems the safest and easiest approach is to use the test button on the breaker and recommend homeowners do the same every month to check operation.

More information on our inspection services at http://qualityinspection.ca

Truss Uplift in Action

Shot this in a home experiencing some cracking along interior walls & ceilings during an inspection. The voids (dark lines) under trusses are compelling evidence for uplift.  What are your thoughts?

More information on our inspection services at http://qualityinspection.ca