Plumbing Systems

<Gentleman, start your engines!- Here we have a water heater and furnace in the garage envelope. Gasoline vapors from cars or spilled gasoline on the garage floor could be ignited by the water heater flue, which is low. Water heaters must be 18" above a garage floor.

Additional note: The grouchy builder was at this inspection and "informed" me that the metal doors sealed off the water heater from the garage and that it "met code". However, when I closed the doors, large gaps between and under the doors were visible. Gasoline vapors won't approach the doors and mysteriously drift away, they will go under the door and to the pilot light, then BOOM!

<Man of Steel-

This steel water heater flue is not galvanized, it's stove pipe steel and is rusting mostly from the inside out. Holes on the other side were even larger. Carbon monoxide could enter the home through these holes and poison the occupants. This should be replaced immediately.

>A long way to Tipperary- This furnace AND water heater flue was over 35 feet long horizontally, then about that long again vertically.  We detected some carbon monoxide fumes at both the water heater and furnace due to the improper flue length for about 15 minutes during their operation.  When the flue finally heated up, it drafted okay, but 15 minutes of fumes throughout a day would be considered a danger.

<I see it- See the concern here?  Actually we see several. The leaking water heater shut off valve is certainly one, the use of polybutylene pipe is a second and the proximity of the plastic pipe to the tank (the plastic pipe could melt) and the unprotected Romex wire that feeds power to the unit, fourth the entry point of the electric wire is right under the leaking valve, fifth the TPR overflow pipe is also plastic and a sixth is the romex wire was 12 gauge, which would be undersized for a electric water heater which needs a minimum 10 gauge or more.

>Going up anyone?-  This old water heater just got a new TPR valve! (note the new looking Teflon tape on the pipes).  Surely a licensed plumber wouldn't have routed the TPR overflow pipe up to the attic?! The homeowner told me he "fixed" all the things on the last inspectors report (apparently a previous deal fell through).  This is another easy fix however should be made by a more qualified person.

<She's given us all she's got-

Water heaters typically last 10 to 15 years.  Homes with wells tend to last shorter than those on Lake Michigan water, but this is not always the case.  Some areas have high minerals in the water and shorten the life.  Homes that have copper pipes plumbed directly to the galvanized water heater nipples shorten the life due to galvanic electrolysis.  It is best to drain the water heater every year or two. The anode tube should be replaced ever five years or so. This rusty bucket was ready for the dump (although we didn't say it that way- we're much more tactful than that).

>There she blows! right into the electric panel box.  The TPR (Temperature, Pressure Relief) valve overflow pipe is missing.  If the temperature or pressure in the water heater gets to high, hot water will come shooting out the valve, and directly into the electric panel about 30" away.

<Main concern-  

Here's a main valve that has been slowly leaking.  We call this very small leak a micro leak.  Sometimes the water evaporates before a drop can even hit the floor, but the corrosion builds up and can acccelerate the leaking.

>Copper pipes (on the right) and galvanized steel pipes (on the left) don't like each other.  The differences in metals causes galvanic electrolysis corrosion usually inside the galvanized pipe, which can cause a loss of water volume, pressure and shortens the lifespan of the pipes.  The good news is that it is an easy repair for a plumber to make with a dielectric union, which separates the two incompatible metals.  We see this problems often in older homes.

<Corrosion can also occur with brass and galvanized steel, here the corrosion has worked from the inside to the outside, resulting in a leak has literally begun to dissolve the both metals.

>Micro leak- Small deposits in the copper or very small leak in the soldered joint, cause this kind of corrosion.  If left unrepaired the micro leak can grow and cause damage to other home elements.

<Only a few areas in Lake and McHenry county allowed CPVC supply pipes at one time.  Their have been a few reports about them being harmful to our health, but those are also disputed.  The main concern in our minds is the lack of rigid support they are able to supply and their susceptibility to breakage under extreme temperatures like we have in our Chicagoland area.  This heavy expansion tank could snap off the CPVC pipe if bumped or moved pretty easily.  Note also the plastic pipes run right up to the water heater ports, they could melt with the heater turned up too high.

>One good tug on the water hose, and the CPVC supply pipe will snap.  Under our extreme weather in Chicagoland, this supply piping is not advised and would not be used in building a new home.

<Four pipes running into this sink drain, three under the sink lip, it is considered a cross connection with the drain system (as toxic materials in the sink could flow back up the pipe and into the water supply).  Another interesting thing is the blue tub to the left.  The washing machine drained into this tub because the sink drain couldn't handle the water flow.  When I tested the washer, they both overflowed anyway.  The main faucet handles didn't work either.

Exposed sewer pipe-  I've seen two of these last week alone for some reason.  Generally sewer pipes are supposed to be buried below the frost line 42" deep.  Sewer gasses can resist most pipes from freezing, but with our extreme temperatures water flowing through the main sewer pipe can freeze.  These pipes can also be crushed or damage with some unsuspecting person driving over them.

<A Mind trap-  The water goes up, then down, but is never really trapped to prevent sewer gasses into the home.  We took a little whiff and sure enough, the laundry drain was not being trapped.  Took me a minute to look at this one though.

V The sinks below are missing traps, allowing smelly and flammable sewer gasses into the home.

V Here are some creative traps.  Around and around she goes.  Note the plumbers putty around every joint on the right picture. One would think they would figure out that something is not right.

<Dishwashers need a trap also- Like all plumbing fixtures, the dishwasher drain needs to be trapped as well (pipe coming from upper right part of picture).  Their was a distinctive sewer gas odor when I opened the dishwasher to test it. 

>Washer trap missing-  (right) The washing machine should be trapped also, so sewer gasses don't enter the home via the clothes washer.  Here the white hose just dumps into the copper pipe that goes directly to the main sewage.

<Wet bar sink- All sinks drains should be trapped.

V Barrelled over-  Barrel traps are an older type of trap that is prone to clogging (due to its slow action).  Below are two examples of barrel traps that have been plumbed backwards or improperly.

>Into the Abyss- This outdoor sewer cleanout needs a cover.  We heard back from a client that bought a house that had a problem like this.  We recommended the sewer drains be looked at to be sure they weren't plugged up.  The homeowner removed the cap and lost it right before our inspection.  The neighbor child lost a stuffed animal down the hole and the front yard had to be dug up.

V The photos below are open plumbing vents.  Vents allow sewer gasses to exit the home safely.  The one on the left is in the attic (no one probably knew). The right picture is in the basement.

V The builder must have forgot to vent the plumbing vent all the way through the roof.  It had been this way for years. (right) the flex pipe from the washing machine is not trapped, cross connects ABS and PVC pipe, is sagging a little (not fully draining) and is prone to clogging due to the ridges on the pipe walls.

V The left pipe was duct taped shut at one time, but even then it would not have been a proper seal.  The photo right shows a PVC connection that has been pushed into a rubber boot without proper clamping (there is a hose clamp on only one side of the rubber boot).  The angle suggests improper plumbing to begin with. 

<Ejector crock not sealed properly.  Ejector pumps are similar to sump pumps, except that they discharge water and solids back into the sewage system whereas a sump pump discharges ground water from around the homes foundation and puts it back outside away from the house.  Because ejector pumps are connected to the sewage system, they should be vented and sealed, otherwise sewer gasses could enter the home.

>Prune your pipes-

Unused portions of pipe (especially galvanized pipes) can harbor stagnant water in them for years allowing rust and bacteria to develop in them.  The fresh water running past the unused portion of pipe can contaminate the drinking supply and cause some illnesses.

<Caulking around the toilet-

This toilet has had a wax seal leak for some time.  Note the dark staining on the left and brown staining on the right.  Some folks like to caulk around the toilet base so the installation looks better, which I agree- it looks better.  However the caulk can hold in a wax seal leak for a long time while the wax seal leak rots the floor.  No one wants Grandma falling through the floor into the room below the next time she uses the throne. So it's best not to caulk around the toilet.

V Sump pump into sewer- The below crawlspace sump pumps are routed into the main sewage system.  In most cities this is a no-no because you are sending lots of extra ground water into the cities sewage treatment facility, a fine in some areas.  If you have a private septic system, all the extra water can overload the system. Plus, the sewer gas inside the waste pipes can bypass a check valve and enter the home.  Sewer gas contains explosive methane gas.

<Sump pumps CAUSING a flood- Sump pumps are designed to discharge water around a foundation away from the house, so the foundation stays dry and house settling is minimized.  At this house the sump pump was running about every ten minutes, saturating the ground water around the foundation, causing water to seep into the basement, which damaged the basement walls and flooring, then recirculating back to the sump pump, only to start the process all over again.  This house was vacant and I wonder how long the sump pump motor will last running this much.

<Drip Leg Missing- Fixed gas appliances should have a short capped pipe configured downward near the appliance.  Without this drip leg, debris and condensation transported in the gas supply can clog the appliance control valve and damage the appliance, in some situations cause an explosion.  Also a defect here is the use of galvanized pipe on natural gas supply.  Natural gas corrodes the zinc coating inside the pipe and causes debris flakes that can be transported into the gas control valve.

>Sideways- Not the movie, but the drip leg to the right in the center of the photo.  Drip legs are supposed to catch debris and condensation in the gas supply.  This one won't do that.

<Mercury?- Many "horizontal" gas regulators contained mercury (the brownish round thing in the center of the photo), if you have this type, have it checked out by NiCor, especially if it is inside the building.

>Here the nice new concrete driveway has covered up the hose faucet and concreted in a copper gas pipe.  Concrete causes copper to corrode over time and a gas leak sometime in the future under the driveway is possible.

All of the above concerns are repairable. Although it may not have effected our clients buying decision, all our clients really appreciated just knowing about these concerns.  We realize you have a choice in home inspectors, we hope you make a wise choice in hiring Home Check America.   Because your peace of mind matters.