Blog Topics

Okay readers, here is your chance, if there is a particular home inspection topic or home problem you would like to see written about, send an email to blogtopic@inspectorcatchit.com and I will add it to my to do list.

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Winterization and De-Winterization

Winter is here, and so are the vacant houses. If you are in the home buying market during the next few months you may notice a sign similar to the following:

This means that the home has been winterized. The winterization process is designed to protect the plumbing system against broken, cracked or burst pipes due to freezing water in the line.

A properly performed winterization includes, but is not limited to the following:

- Turn off and lock the main water valve
- Flush all water out of the plumbing system with compressed air
- Flush and Drain all water appliances
- Close all fixtures and valves
- Protect drain system with antifreeze
- Set central heating system to 55 degrees or higher
- Post notification of Winterization

One of the first clues that a property has not been Winterized is water in the plumbing system. If you are being told that a home was Winterized and there is still water in the plumbing system, most likely the service was not properly performed by a certified or licensed individual.

Once a property has been winterized the plumbing system must never be recharged until a proper De-Winterization has been performed. One of the most common problems I encounter when inspecting previously winterized homes is cracked or leaking valves. This happens when a person decides to attempt to De-Winterize a property themselves without a certification or license in plumbing. The most common misconception is that De-Winterizing a property means to just turn the water on. This may work 70 percent of the time. The other 30 percent of the time, valves, pipes or fixtures get cracked or damaged in the process.

So what should you expect to take place during a De-Winterization? The following is the minimum required procedure of a De-Winterization:

- Open all fixures and close any valves that do not have fixures attached
- Repressurize plumbing system with water
- Close fixtures
- Fill and run all water appliances
- Check system for leaks
- Flush all drains of antifreeze

One of the first clues that a property has not been De-Winterized is air in the plumbing system. If you are being told that a home was De-Winterized and there is still air in the plumbing system, most likely the service was not properly performed by a certified or licensed individual.

Need your home Winterized or De-Winterized?
Call Inspector Catch-it® today at (661) 948-3375!

Need a home inspection?
Visit the website of Inspector Catch-it® for a quote!

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Is it November Already?

Wow, it's been busy over here!  I can't believe its been over a month since I have posted here! I am so sorry everyone, I will write another article today.

Spotting a potential leak...

Fall is here, winter is coming, and soon the homes that you are looking to buy will be winterized.  So how will you know if there is a water leak if there is no running water?  Here are some signs of some potential prior or existing leaks, all of which you should be cautious of when choosing your investment. 

1) Look around the fixture or wall surface for staining.
Most porous surfaces (i.e. drywall, wood, vinyl, porcelain, steel, Fiberglass, Corian®, etc.) will show some signs of staining when water has been continually in contact with the surface for a period of time (i.e. dripping, trickling, or even standing water).

Notice the picture to the left, there is a visible brown stain on the ceiling, this is left on drywall or painted surfaces after they have been exposed to water.  The only thing left in this situation is to determine if the leak came from the roof or from overhead plumbing in the attic.  This generally can be determined by entering the attic space.

In this picture, you can see that they replaced the sink cabinet base, usually a tell-tale sign that an attempt has been made to repair leak damage -- or in this case, to conceal.  Notice the growth on the walls, after being sent to the lab, this was determined to be Stachybotrys Mold (Black Mold).  The leak in this particular place had been repaired, but they failed to properly remediate the mold.  In time, this mold will eat away at the wall until  it is gone, and who knows how many spores will be released in the air to grow elsewhere during that time period.

Ignore, for a moment, the rust ring around the drain itself; that alone cannot determine a leak, as older tubs commonly have a rust ring around the drain.  Instead, look just to the left of the drain in the picture.  If you look closely, you will see a nice clean area with a fringe of brownish orange, this is staining from a constant drip.  Even if the water is off, this staining will remain, and is often hard to remove with standard cleaning agents.

2) Look for corrosion on the pipes.
Whether it is a very slow leak, or a fast leak, copper pipes or galvanized, the result is always corrosion.  Corrosion is the first sign of a water leak, followed by a burst or cracked pipe.  Pictured below are the two common types of pipe, copper and galvanized, and what corrosion looks like on each.

This is where copper meets galvanized.  In this picture, a copper flex pipe has been connected to a galvanized nipple.  As you can see in the image, there is a considerable amount of powdered rust on the joint.  This is due to a very slow leak, and unfortunately, with the galvanized pipe, is probably much worse that what we can see on the outside. Replace these fittings immediately.

This ice-maker supply line is a copper stub that has a tapping valve attached to it, they most likely forgot to install the rubber washer for the valve, causing this slow leak.  Notice the light blue streak in the corrosion, this is a common sign of exposure to water and oxygen on copper.  If you see this type of corrosion on your copper pipes, and it cannot be attributed to any outside elements, then you probably have a slow leak.

3.) Evidence of repair.
Not all repair jobs are created equal.  Many are less than adequate and are an intent to cover-up, rather than a repair or restore.  Be aware of texture and paint differences on walls.  Many times this is indicative of a cover-up.  Licensed professionals are capable of repairing or restoring a wall to near pristine condition, with the ability and skill to match texture and paint.  Amateurs, on the other hand, do not have the skill required to match the texture, and often leave this evidence behind, even if they were able to find a paint match.

In this picture, notice the ripples underneath the water supply pipe.  Also, the inadequate feathering of the texture to the right of that.  A skilled and licensed professional would have had the ability to patch the area neatly and with little to no evidence of repair.  This unskilled texturing job right around a water supply pipe is indicative of a potential prior leak, and should be investigated further.

Of course, if you're lucky, the alleged offender may leave the spray can of Kilz® Satinblocker right near the area in question, and remove all doubt!




There you have it, three common steps that can be taken to spot a potential leak.  If you see any of these signs around your home, or the home that you are looking to buy, you just might want to call a licensed contractor to investigate the situation further. If there are any signs of possible mold growth, get the area examined by a mold professional immediately.

Need your Home inspected?  Need a Mold inspection? Need a Plumbing inspection?
Visit the website of Inspector Catch-it® for a quote!

What ever happened to...

I often come across homes with some older discontinued features, such as Galvanized Steel Pipes in the water system, Lead Pipes in the drainage system, Knob and Tube Wiring, and the like.  This is always when inspecting homes built in the 1970's or older.  Well, the other day, I actually came across something that I have never seen before, and I actually had to do a little research to find out exactly what it was used for.  I know, you are thinking, "tell me already, what is it?"  I found an unusual looking electrical outlet in the kitchen.

It is actually not a for a four-pronged plug.  These outlets were made in the fifties and slowly discontinued, mainly due to the advent of grounded plugs, and the need to have a balanced circuit.  These outlets were initially designed for the bathroom, (why this one is in the kitchen, who knows!) as they could easily accommodate your electric razor, curling iron, electric toothbrush, and hair dryer all at the same time!  What ever happened to the good 'ol days? "Boy the way Glen Miller played. Songs that made the hit parade...Those were the days"  I know, I just dated myself.  But that was my Dad's favorite show and we watched it all of the time! (All in the Family, for those that are trying to figure it out)

So, what do you do if you come across one of these outlets?  Have a licensed electrician replace it for you, and in fact, you probably aren't on a grounded system, so you might as well have him quote you for an upgrade while he's there.  Save the outlet as a souvenir though, just to tell the kids!

Need your Home Inspected?  Need an Electrical Inspection?
Visit the website of Inspector Catch-it® for a quote!

Let's see how this goes...

Okay, I have not been one to blog, let alone write. But with the advent of Facebook, Twitter™, and the like, I figured, why not? We'll just see how it goes. Maybe if I write my findings here, I might be able to help somebody find problems in their own home. Hey, it could happen! Then again, maybe I will just waste more time at the computer. But hey, this is better than sitting on the couch watching TV, at least this is constructive and helpful. I mean, if I put all of the problems I find inspecting homes on a day to day basis, maybe people won't need home inspectors anymore (not likely). I was thinking of keeping it entertaining too, like telling stories of funny things that have happened to me during an inspection, or funny things that past clients have said, maybe not the latter, I might hurt some feelings unbeknownst to me. At any rate this is my first post, so there you go.

Like I said, we'll see.