Common Home Defects Found

Many known defects and some safety concerns are still found in homes during home inspections. Even though there have been many articles and even news stories about un-safe wiring and plumbing, they still exist in many older homes. Having a Professional Home Inspection can prevent you from buying a home which may require an expensive renovation to make it safe.

Knob & Tube Wiring

Knob and Tube wiring is still in use in many older homes. While not illegal, it can be in poor condition and could be a risk to building occupants. Most home insurance companies will not insure a home with knob and tube wiring installed. Many times an older home will have most of the knob and tube wiring removed but often there may be a circuit or two that is overlooked or ignored due to accessibility. Many attics still contain knob and tube wiring and some even have had new romex cables attached and used to feed upper floor electrical circuits.

Many Century Type homes will still have live Knob and Tube wiring in the attic area. Many insurance companies will not insure a home with knob and tube wiring.

Aluminum Wiring

If your property has aluminum wiring it may be difficult to find an insurance company to insure your property. Some insurance companies refuse to insure a home with aluminum wiring due to fires being attributed to aluminum wiring. The main issue is that aluminum is susceptible to oxidization, which can lead to arcing and creation of heat. Cold creep is a term used to describe the reaction of aluminum when heated. The heated aluminum tends to move away from heat source but does not return to original shape when cooled. This tends to create a larger gap and more electrical arcing, which can lead to an overheating and eventual fire situation.

Having a homeowner replace all the electrical wiring in a home can be very labour intensive, not to mention expensive, and may require removal of drywall and other finishes. During home inspections in homes that has aluminum wiring will have all the accessible wires changed to copper while leaving in place any hard to reach aluminum circuits. The Wasaga Beach Home Inspector will check inside your main panel and will also open up some random junction boxes for inspection if aluminum wiring is suspected.

Galvanized Plumbing

Most insurance companies will not insure a home with galvanized plumbing because it is well past its predicted life span. Galvanized plumbing can corrode from the inside making it very difficult to determine condition of pipe. Many times the galvanized plumbing is removed where possible but can still be in use in service chases between floors where it is very difficult and expensive to remove. Have a professional home inspection can usually identify any galvanized plumbing in your new home if it is visible in any areas.

Galvanized Plumbing was used in the early fifties and has a life expectancy of about 50 years. Any galvanized plumbing in a home is long past its life expectancy and could fail at any time. Many insurance companies will not insure a home with galvanized plumbing.

Water Testing

Did you know that if you are buying a rural property with a well that a typical water potability test done by your Realtor will not detect feces in the water if there is a UV light and Cartridge Filter installed. The water must be collected prior to any water treatment devices such as softeners, carbon filters, reverse osmosis units and ceramic filters. Bypass, remove or disconnect these devices to ensure that the sample is taken before the water enters these treatment devices. If your water is being tested from a device located after your filtering system, then you are just wasting your time.

Asbestos

Asbestos used to be the wonder product back in the fifties. It was used in drywall, floor tile, and ceiling tile and in many types of insulation. Removing asbestos is very expensive and involves setting up decontamination and clean zones in the home. All asbestos removed has to be tagged and disposed of at an approved waste site. If you are thinking about removing the asbestos yourself, remember contractors have some of the highest rates of asbestos related disease – for a reason! Many times when inspecting older homes I have found asbestos on heat ducts between the floors. The visible asbestos has been removed and an unsuspecting buyer would now own a home with an asbestos problem.

WETT Inspection

The Wasaga Beach Home Inspector can provide a WETT Certified Inspection for a cost of $200.00. Save money by taking advantage of $100.00 discount when booking Home Inspection and WETT inspection at same time. Replacing a chimney or non-compliance wood stove can be very expensive. Find any deficiencies prior to purchasing your home. We can provide a WETT Inspection for your woodstove, fireplace or pellet stove usually within 48 hours. Report is issued at time of inspection.

WETT inspections typically include examinations of: Chimney, Liner, Smoke Chamber, Damper, Firebox, Hearth & Clearances. Typically a visual inspection of chimney and components is all that is required during a Site Basic inspection. For Woodstove and Flue Pipe the Manufactures Installation instructions apply regarding distance to combustibles and heat protection.