Home inspector provided no report
Q: I recently purchased a brand new home, and the home inspector I hired never gave me a written report. He just reviewed his findings verbally by phone and then sent a bill for $500. When I complained about not receiving a written report, he discounted the fee to $400. This doesn’t seem right to me. What should I do?
A: A home inspection without a tangible report is not worth the paper it isn’t written on. What good is a verbal report when requesting repairs from the builder, and who can prove or disprove what the inspector did or did not disclose about the property? Your response to the inspector should be blunt and simple: No report equals no payment. The inspector should provide a product in exchange for his fee. Give him a choice. Without a report, he’d have a hard time convincing an arbitrator or a judge that he’s entitled to payment.
Q: A new water heater was installed in my home about two years ago. Recently, I noticed that water is dripping from the end of the pipe that leads from the water heater to the outside of the garage. I talked to a plumber who was at my house for another repair, and he said the downward slope of the pipe was causing the leak. He also said the water heater should be drained periodically. According to the owner’s manual, it should be drained about every two months. Do you think draining the water heater could stop the leak, and if so, is it really necessary to drain it every two months? And should I change the slope of the pipe as the plumber advised? I hope you don’t mind this many questions.
A: The pipe you’ve described is most likely the discharge pipe for the TPR (temperature pressure relief) valve. The purpose of the TPR valve is to release hot water and steam in the event of an overheated water heater. Without a TPR valve, excessive heat could cause a water heater to explode. The purpose of the discharge pipe is to convey water from the valve to the outside of the building. If water is leaking from the end of the pipe, your plumber should make sure the water heater is not overheated. If that’s not the problem, he should replace the leaking TPR valve.
Draining a water heater at periodic intervals is one way to extend the life of the fixture, but twice a year is often enough. Although draining the water heater is recommended, failure to do so will not cause the TPR valve to leak.
And finally, the discharge pipe should be installed so that it is level or has a downward slope. Upward sloping of the pipe creates what is called a “trap,” which can retain water in the event of a leak. A trap in the discharge pipe is prohibited in the plumbing code.
• To write to Barry Stone, a certified building inspector, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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