Got a home inspection story?

[Glennhvac]

Some real clowns out there.

A) Guy calls in spring, no cooling. Had home inspected, all was good including a/c. I walk out to unit. No condenser motor, blade, mount. My guess is it went bad at the end of previous summer and the service guy went to match it up and it ended there with the previous owners.

B) Lady buys home that I worked with at her previous home. Again all is well per home inspector pro. I get out a month later for routine service. Bed and bath addition above garage heated by furnace in garage. All return air is being taken FROM GARAGE! To this day she is using electric space heaters.

This does not even count all the others that I could have told them in two minutes the addition on the slab will never heat or the second floor will never cool.

[beshvac]

1. Inspector starts an infinity heatpump in heating in 90 degree weather and writes on his report "HP not responding to controls"....duh, it's protecting itself from your dumba**

2. Also writes: "Master bedroom shower has no pressure"....Duh, the shower wand button is shut off......

[coilcleaner]

You can buy a home inspection license any day of the week. Doesnt mean they know squat.

[Glennhvac]

1. Inspector starts an infinity heatpump in heating in 90 degree weather and writes on his report "HP not responding to controls"....duh, it's protecting itself from your dumba**

2. Also writes: "Master bedroom shower has no pressure"....Duh, the shower wand button is shut off......

They are prizes. I had another. The first thing you see when you walk downstairs is the furnace and water heater. You can not miss it! All is fine with inspector. The water heater was 17 feet away from the chimney with a rotting out flue cause by a pitch of about 1 inch in 17 feet.
I had to replace tank, relocate it and run gas and water lines.

[STEVEusaPA]

are taking a crack at it--a poor crack at it....at best. In our area they just write, "appliance needs to be checked by qualified license technician". Which works out just fine for me.

[johnt2_2002]

. In our area they just write, "appliance needs to be checked by qualified license technician". Which works out just fine for me.

that's the way I prefer to have it. I've had many calls like this where the home inspector recommended a qualified service technician--and in some cases, I'm really glad they did!

[GorillaTight]

We've come across a few oil furnaces in pretty piss-poor condition, sometimes with cracked heat exchangers. Tough to tell someone who's just moved in that they need a new furnace! "But the home inspector said it was fine, I KNEW we shouldn't have used the guy the realtor recommended!"

[Glennhvac]

We've come across a few oil furnaces in pretty piss-poor condition, sometimes with cracked heat exchangers. Tough to tell someone who's just moved in that they need a new furnace! "But the home inspector said it was fine, I KNEW we shouldn't have used the guy the realtor recommended!"

Yep! I had an oldie once that was passed. I don't recall if it was an gas in-shot burner conversion now or what.
I just remember that the furnace jacket down by the burner was glowing red when the thing fired up!

[jmac00]

I put a 120K btu 80% furnace in for a o-l-d customer, I used HVAC-Calc, SHOWED the results to the HO's, who btw is a controls guy.

About a year later I go and do a Inspection because he decided to sell the home and he needed a certification/inspection report. I give him my blessing (report) along WITH THE MANUAL J

Along comes a buyers "home inspector" and he tells everyone within ear shot that the furnace is way over sized and "someone should derate the furnace buy removing two burners and plugging the burner jets"

The HO'r is calling me in a panic and calling me all kinds of names. I say "gezzz, calm down, how did this guy figure the furnace was over sized"

I swear to God this is what he said,

HO'r "he looked at it"

Me "{total silence}

HO'r Jmac, you there"

Me " uuum Ya~~~*He looked at it*~~~you want to think about that for a second, and then repeat it, do you still have my COMPUTERIZED Manual J"

HO'r seriously, I am so sorry

ME, "put the genius on the phone"

HO'r "That might not be a good idea"

ME "sure it will, it will be a freaking blast, trust me make sure the potential buyer is standing close by to"

HO'r sorry to bother you Jmac, buy...click


unfreakingbelievable

[Glennhvac]

Classic!

I put a 120K btu 80% furnace in for a o-l-d customer, I used HVAC-Calc, SHOWED the results to the HO's, who btw is a controls guy.

About a year later I go and do a Inspection because he decided to sell the home and he needed a certification/inspection report. I give him my blessing (report) along WITH THE MANUAL J

Along comes a buyers "home inspector" and he tells everyone within ear shot that the furnace is way over sized and "someone should derate the furnace buy removing two burners and plugging the burner jets"

The HO'r is calling me in a panic and calling me all kinds of names. I say "gezzz, calm down, how did this guy figure the furnace was over sized"

I swear to God this is what he said,

HO'r "he looked at it"

Me "{total silence}

HO'r Jmac, you there"

Me " uuum Ya~~~*He looked at it*~~~you want to think about that for a second, and then repeat it, do you still have my COMPUTERIZED Manual J"

HO'r seriously, I am so sorry

ME, "put the genius on the phone"

HO'r "That might not be a good idea"

ME "sure it will, it will be a freaking blast, trust me make sure the potential buyer is standing close by to"

HO'r sorry to bother you Jmac, buy...click


unfreakingbelievable

[uniservice]

Realtor calls and asks m to check out a heat pump system on a house that is about to close. House inspector says the heat pump outdoor unit isn't operating. Go check it out, ambient about 40 degrees. Thermostat alling for heat. Inspector is right. A/C unit isn't running. Electric furnace, and A/C unit. Not a Pump! Potential buyer not happy!

[hearthman]

I was called to look at the exterior of a masonry chimney serving the heater. I begin finding serious deterioration and damage up top. Ask to see the furnace> basment. Carrier oil fired furnace:
chimney connector runs downhill
chimney connector didn't have a single screw in the joints
chimney breaching 100% blocked from a collapse
barometric damper too far from appliance with counterweight set for vertical when on a horizontal run and totally blackened from backdrafting
no duct sealing anywhere
humidifier hanging open
non-std size filter rack without cover for filter slot
no filter anywhere for oil line
no Firomatic valve
oil line badly kinked
condensate pump has live 120vac wires twisted on prongs of plug then taped--no outlet or hardwired junction box
Unit being fed by a Federal Pacific panel

Unit has been serviced 7 years by the leading oil service provider in the area who's owner sits on the local council.

What's this got to do with home inspectors? Nothing. I just wanted to show how easy it is to bash someone else. So, how productive do you think this thread is? Make you feel like a big man? Boy, you really showed what clowns they are, right?

Have you ever met with a HI and discussed some basic misconceptions? Ridden along on an inspection or two? Spoken at their monthly chapter meeting? Passed out cards and referred business to each other?

You guys continue to kill the goose that could be laying golden eggs for you. I don't hear any praise of thanksgiving when HIs send you work that is legit? I know they do find a LOT of stupid stuff. Stuff done by supposedly professional HVAC contractors. It goes both ways. Visit their blogs and look at some of the crazy cr@p they find. Walk a mile in their shoes.

Home Inspectors are 'generalists'. That means they know something about all the various aspects of a home. Their standards of practice prevent and protect them from going over their heads. When they do go overboard or screw up, the client does have recourse, which is why they have to carry expensive professional liability "errors and omissions" insurance. Do you?

[jmac00]

Home Inspectors are 'generalists'. That means they know something about all the various aspects of a home. Their standards of practice prevent and protect them from going over their heads. When they do go overboard or screw up, the client does have recourse, which is why they have to carry expensive professional liability "errors and omissions" insurance. Do you?

Generalist's? no kidding, Have have soooo much respect for a guy that can LOOK AT A FURNACE and tell it's over size. Genus, pure genus

I have a lot of respect of a guy that crawls up a ladder, looks in an attic with 60 year old 2" insulation and report, "yep, looks like R-38 to me"

erros and omissions? have you ever read the last Paragraph of their 'report' it basically says, "we ain't responsible for anything, we looked, we saw, we billed. have a nice day. If something pops up later, ya well sorry about that, tough nuggies"

YES! EVERY profession has there hacks, Home inspectors seem to have an over abundance of them. I suppose thats because anyone with a clipboard, flash light and a Station wagon can call themselves a "Home Inspector"

NOW! you want to talk about BUILD/CODE enforcement? You want to talk about Build performance/engineering firms. Im all for those folks. At least they have something more than a clue

sorry, but I don't like or trust a "home inspector" I'll call an engineering firm, someone that has structural/plumbing/electrical knowledge, I'll pay the extra bucks to have a couple guys with a Phd or Masters in engineering look ay my potential new home.

[gregp]

some of the things the HI turns in are a little to the extreme (cracked armaflex on the line set, screw missing here or there), but it is a revenue generator for us. Keep the calls coming no matter how ridiculous they seem to be.

[Glennhvac]

I don't want to kill any geese and I am not talking about the HI's that have enough brains to advise the buyer to seek out a pro for further evaluation. My examples were of homes that were 'passed' by the guy and the poor new owners suffered.

I hardly think passing an a/c system that had no condenser fan or motor, or an addition where the return is OBVIOUSLY being taken 100% from inside of the garage is excusable. The addition furnace was in the garage in plain site with a filter rack stuck on the side of it to clean the lint from the garage air! The homeowner is still heating it with electric space heaters because she can not afford to make it right and probably would not have bought the joint had she known.

[jmac00]

I don't want to kill any geese and I am not talking about the HI's that have enough brains to advise the buyer to seek out a pro for further evaluation. My examples were of homes that were 'passed' by the guy and the poor new owners suffered.

I hardly think passing an a/c system that had no condenser fan or motor, or an addition where the return is OBVIOUSLY being taken 100% from inside of the garage is excusable. The addition furnace was in the garage in plain site with a filter rack stuck on the side of it to clean the lint from the garage air! The homeowner is still heating it with electric space heaters because she can not afford to make it right and probably would not have bought the joint had she known.

I bet she CA NOT sue the HI either, can she

[GorillaTight]

Wow, somebody have a bad day? I think this thread is more directed to the inspectors that would pass unsafe or substandard equipment with flying colors or NOT recommend someone more certified to inspect it if not sure...