Ask the Charlotte Home Inspector » Pre-Inspections

Matthews Home Inspection Reveals Big Problem in the Shower

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:38:22 +0000

While perfoming an inspection matthews home inspector Preston Sandlin found a dent in the tilled shower which was really odd because backer board would not allow a dent like this. Well it turns out that this tile was actually mounted on drywall instead of boakboard whick is a big no no. All of this tile in this walk in shower will have to be pulled down. Backer board will have to be installed and then it will need to be retiled.
If you need home inspection information or you are in need of a great home inspector in the Charlotte, Huntersville, Matthews, Belmont Concord, Fort Mill or Rock Hill areas contact Home Inspection Carolina http://www.homeinspectioncarolina.com . The have performed over 23,432 home inspection and will not let you buy the money pit. We have over 100 years of combined home inspection and construction experience. Please give us a call (704) 542-6575

Preston Sandlin
Home Inspection Carolina

Home Inspector Charlotte Reveals How To Tell If Your AC is Working Properly

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:25:14 +0000

In this video Charlotte home inspector Preston Sandlin shows you what home inspectors look for when they inspect the HVAC on your home. If your differential is too low it could mean that you are low on Freon or your system is undersized. You could have too much of a differential in which your filter could be dirty or your fan speed could be set on the wrong speed. If you are thinking of buying a house in Charlotte NC, Gastonaia NC, Hunterville NC, Waxhaw or Weddington please keep the folk at Home inspection Carolina in mind.

Preston Sandlin
(704) 542-6575
Home Inspection Carolina

How To Inspect a Water Heater

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:59:12 +0000

Have you ever been told there is no such thing as a hot water heater? I must have heard this a thousand times growing up. The water is not hot before it goes into the water heater. The people who told us this were actually right but I would make me so mad when they would say this because I think they just wanted to be a smart alec. You can call it a hot water heater and I want give you a hard time.
There are basically two types of water heaters or hot water heaters if you prefer. There is gas and electric. You can tell which type you have by looking at the top and bottom of the unit. A gas unit will have a metal flue and possibly a draft hood. The gas unit will also have a gas line with a cut off (hopefully) at the bottom with a burner. Also if the gas unit is in the garage it should be “18 off of the floor for safety reasons. If you have an electric unit it doesn’t have to be off of the floor. The electric unit will not have gas line or a flue but it will have a 220 line in a conduit going into the top of it.
When inspecting an electric water heater one of the first things you want to check is the water temperature. Most manufacturers have the temps preset to 100-150 degrees F. You have to keep in mind that if the water is over 120 degrees F it can scold a small child. We usually write it up if it over 120. You check the temperature of the water by using a digital meat thermometer in the hot water as it is coming out a faucet preferably close to the water heater. The next thing you want to check for is a reverse water-line installation. You can tell whether the installation is reversed by touching the pipe and comparing it the hot outlet fitting at the top of the tank. If it’s cold where it says hot and hot where cold it’s reversed. A reversed connection results in inefficient operation of the heater. When the inlet-outlet is connection is reversed, the cold water enters the tank at the top and mixes with the hot water as it settles to the bottom near the outlet fitting. So for the same thermostat setting the temperature of the hot water is lower than it otherwise would have been. The next thing you need to check is the element and the thermostat. There are checker for these that can be bought at Lowes or Home Depot. I think it is important to note here that you must turn the electricity off to do this. Another thing that you should know is that if you turn on a water heater with no water in it you will burn out the element. This is something you definitely want to keep in mind if you are dealing with a foreclosure in which the power and the water have been off for awhile.
An internal part of the water heater that you can’t see is the anode rod. It is usually made out magnesium and attracts any corrosives or oxidizers in the water. This saves the tank from oxidation. It is hard to see or inspect this rod without taking the water heater apart to do so. The way you test for this is to run the hot water and smell it for a sulfur smell. You obviously check for leaks and pay particular attention to the joints in the pipes. If two dissimilar metals are touching each other without some sort of dielectric connection, electrolysis will occur resulting in corrosion and then a leak. There is a drain at the bottom of the water heater that you periodically want to drain out settlement. Near the top of the water heater you should see a temperature relief valve or TPR valve. What this does is let off steam if the unit malfunctions and continues to heat the water. The spring in the relief valve will depress and release the pressure to keep the unit from exploding. There are set for certain temperature and a certain pressure which is stamped on the side of the valve. Sometimes after a couple of years the spring goes bad and this will leak. These are relatively inexpensive to replace.
For a gas water heater everything is pretty much the same except that instead of a heating element you have a burner at the bottom of the tank that should be checked for corrosion and rust flaking. The gas line should be checked for leaks. This can be done is a gas leak detector or bubbly water. The draft should be checked for CO with a detector. Also the flue should not be in direct contact with wood or drywall (or any o the flammable material for that matter. I hope this gives you a better understanding of how to check water heaters. I will talk extensively about thankless water heaters in another writing. The next time someone correct with the old “no such thing as a hot water heater” You can ask them something like what does an anode rod do on a water heater. For more info on water heaters check out the audio at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-charlotte-home-inspector or http://www.charlottenchomeinspector.com .

Charlotte Home Inspector Appears on TV show

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:49:31 +0000

Charlotte home inspector Preston Sandlin recently appeared on J. Rosso’s TV show Financial Self-Defense. Also on that show was Jamie McGillis. The purpose of the show was to provide people with some information on how to protect their biggest financial investment, their house. Jamie talked about staging a house to put it on the market. Preston Sandlin talked about the advantages of free inspections. These advantages include finding out the problems in a house before you put it on the market. This would be seller can price out the work getting the best contractor for the best available price. It all of the major things are repaired before the buyer comes into the picture. This helps the seller in two ways. First it takes away the spook factor that might scare the buyer off completely. It also takes away the ability of the buyer to try to get the seller down on the price. A pre-inspected home has a higher perceived value at one that’s not. A Preinspection inspection report can be used as a marketing tool to help sell the house.

The home inspector talked about several other issues as well including radon and asbestos. Radon is a gas that you can not see Smail or touch it comes from the earth and the breakdown of radioactive material. There is asbestos everywhere. It is much more prevalent in mountain areas and the Northwest United States. There have been some pockets of high radon levels found in around the Charlotte area. Home inspection Carolina recommends that you get your house tested for radon. Asbestos was a product that was used up until the 1950s. Asbestos literally means inextinguishable in Greek. The Greeks thought of asbestos is the miracle fiber because it would not burn. Asbestos will not burn and it has a high “R” value. The problem with asbestos is when it becomes airborne or friable. When humans breathe in friable asbestos their body cannot metabolize it. Asbestos has been linked to many respiratory problems. Asbestos was used as siding, roofing, flooring, and insulation wrap. If your house was built in the 1950s or before there is a good chance that you have some asbestos.

Joseph Russo appears as the Host of Financial Self Defense on Channel 4 in North Carolina. Joseph Russo interviews a wide variety of guests on his show to address the challenges of the recession of 2009.

Joseph A. Russo covers topics such as Real Estate issues, Real Estate Fraud, Mortgages, Personal Loans, Credit Reports, and Credit Card management.

Other topics include Small Business Issues, Internet Business startup, Consumer Fraud, Identity Theft, Personal Loan management, Foreclosure Assistance, Foreclosure Scams, Loss Mitigation, Tenant Issues, Automobile Purchases, Automobile Loans, Student Loans, Financial Aid Loans and Reverse Mortgages.

Joseph Russo is the Executive Director of the National Council for Personal Financial Literacy and offers presentations to consumer groups, High School Students, College Students, Senior Citizen Groups and Ministries. www.WeTeachAboutMoney.org

Joseph Russo is an Author, Journalist, Public Speaker, Radio Show Commentator and Radio Show Host, Television Show Commentator and Television Show Host.

Radio Interview on Pre-Inspections

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:59:47 +0000

Lets face it, 2008 has been a tough year for real estate. Do you remember that old supply and demand graph from Econ 101? When demand exceeds supply price goes up until the optimal point is reached. Well sadly the reverse is true; When supply exceeds demand the price has to fall until it reaches the optimal point. Unfortunately this where 2008 has found many of us in the real estate business. With supply exceeding demand is there anything a seller can do to accelerate their chances of getting one of these few sales? Preston Sandlin of Home Inspection Carolina says there is; Preinspections. In this radio interview with Realtor Paul Jamison on WBT 1110 in Charlotte NC Preston lays out his program of preinspections and how this makes the house more marketable and saves the seller money in the process