"Welcome to my homepage Blog. Here you'll find stories and photos from my home inspections, that I think are interesting to share with you... Come back often to see what's new... Servicing the San Francisco Bay Area since 1999... Call 866-570-1222 to schedule an appointment"
The House Whisper
Is Your Water Heater Ready To Explode!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
A water heater safety valve has been plugged.
The purpose of the valve is to open when there's a problem and relieve the excessive temperature and pressure buildup inside the water heater tank... Preventing a run-away condition.
When a safety valve opens and the relief valve is plugged... Something has to give... The tank will probably explode.
Hire the best... The certified and experienced home inspectors at Pacific Coast Inspections identify all health and safety concerns during their inspections... Count on it.
Crispy Floor Joist
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
The inspector was in the crawlspace of a 4,424 sqft house built in 1979 that was being put on the market for sale. Under the living room, he did a double take, when he saw several floor joist bays that were completely charred.
The current homeowner since 1995 knew nothing about this.
Possible causes... crack in the fireplace hearth? electrical fire? plumber’s torch?
Report recommendation was for further review by both a licensed building and chimney contractor; and checking with the local building department.
Count on the sharp-eyed inspectors at Pacific Coast Inspections, Inc to perform comprehensive inspections and to deliver photo enhanced reports.
What do coffee drinkers and home inspectors have in common?
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
They both get a high… Coffee drinkers get the caffeine kick and home inspectors get excited when they observe the creativity of homeowners.
I was crawling under an Oakland house last year, and spotted
an older heating duct that had been given new life. Metal ducts will
eventually corrode especially when there’s moisture under a house.
A little research showed that West Coast Coffee company is a wholesale coffee roaster and distributor out of Portland, Oregon http://www.westcoastcoffee.net ;which explains the large bulk coffee cans used to patch the corroded heating duct… just the right size.
When To Say Enough
Sunday, December 16, 2012
The home inspector couldn’t believe what he saw in the garage; he had never seen so many electrical extension cords plugged into a single wall outlet.
Extension cords are useful, but shouldn’t be used as permanent wiring.
In the photo, there is a single wall outlet designed for 2 cords to be plugged in.
Using 4 plug adapters and not-so-smart ingenuity, this homeowner managed to plug in 9 extension cords and an AC adapter… a total of 10 cords.
Extension cords are a source of both electrical shock and electrical fires… Do you think?
Count on the common sense inspectors at Pacific Coast Inspections to report when enough is enough.
Concrete Cracks, A Big Deal?
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
What causes concrete to crack? In simple terms, concrete surfaces can be affected by shrinkage, settlement, frost heave, heavy vehicles, tree roots or poor installation.
Home inspectors always seem to be reporting that cracks were noted in concrete flatwork: driveway, walkway, sidewalk and/or patio. Is this a big deal? Well, yes and no.
Concrete cracks in the surface are considered cosmetic. Cracks are sealed for two reasons: to keep water out and to improve looks.
It’s when the concrete surface lifts or settles on one side of a crack, that home inspectors looks a little closer. This condition is called an offset (a difference in height on either side of the crack).