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Ask Mr. B. 
 
 
Mr. B. is a retired General Contractor and Certified Master Home Inspector with over 40 years in the trades. The opinions here are expressly his own.  Use of his opinions is at your own risk.  Please consult with an expert in your area when needed.  Submit your questions to:  Click Here  I'll do my best to answer.  If selected your question will be posted here along with my reply.
   
  1. What does it mean when my Home Inspector tells me that the roof is showing signs of aging?
  2. Why won't home inspectors test Central Air Condiitoning when it's below 60o F.?
  3. My wife and I are looking to purchase an older or historical home (1860 or older) to renovate and transform into a "Bed & Breakfast".  Do you have any suggestions for a home inspector?
  4. I am in the beginning stages of buying my first home.  I am currently employed as an electrician for xxxxxxxx, and would like to attempt to do my own Home Inspection.  What do you think?
  5. I purchased a new furnace 3-5 years ago. It is a baseboard hot water system, with 3 zones. Hot water unit is integrated with system, & also has its own zone. I have NOT done any servicing to date on the unit. What do you recommend?
    Please do not tell me to wait until a) something breaks or b) the heating is not what it used to be.?
  6. Vacant?



Q: What does it mean when my Home Inspector tells me that the roof is showing signs of aging?  Steven H., New York  
A: Normally it means that the Home Inspector has noted (by visual inspection) normal weathering/wear characteristics of your roof.  Hopefully the inspector also noted as to whether it was in an advanced or beginning stage. (Not necessarily required in all states or national association "Standards of Practice").  This may include minor cracking, loss of granules or aggregate, soft, split, or worn wood shingles/shakes, etc. though none appear to be causing immediate problems or need for attention.  It presents a situation where the roof should be closely moitored in coming months and years, especially after heavy rains or winds.  Generally you may expect to replace the roof within the next few years or sooner. 
 
The home inspection provides an initial survey designed to bring forth information which may lead of further studies and subsequent repairs, replacement or alterations by specialists.  The Home Inspector often recommends that it would be in your best interest to secure a written evaluation/estimate by a Roofing Contractor.   For those in the buying process of a home, this could be a high ticket item worthy of strong consideration before signing on the dotted line.   
Q: Why won't home inspector's test Central Air Conditioning when it's below 60o F.?  Mrs. L. Furnass, Illinois Realtor 
A: Operation of the compressor within the air conditioning system is subject to damage when the outside ambient temperature is below 60o.  Additionally, most state standards of procedures for home inspectors along with most national association "Standards of Practice" either prohibit or stipulate "the home inspector shall not/or is not required" to operate or test air conditioning systems when the outside ambient air temperature is 60o or lower.  But more importantly Air Conditioning Manufacturers do not recommend operation below such and such degrees. 
 
Now for the hard part - The potential damaging situation can arise with units that use long refrigerant tube runs.  The refrigerant is apt to condense in the coldest spot in the system.  When the outside temperature is colder than the inside, this spot will be the condensing unit (condenser or compressor.)  Most Central Air Units with long refrigerant tube runs contain enough refrigerant to fill the compressor can and/or condenser.  Under normal conditions the compressor can will fill first because the cold compressor can will reduce the pressure in the suctions side and cause refrigerant gas to flow from other parts of the system where it condenses on the can.  Many times times a compressor will damage its valves or other structures if it attemps to compress liquid.  If the compressor is partially filled with liquid refrigerant/oil mix, it is more than likely that the compressor will try to compress liquid when it starts-up rathar than gas.
 
This problem is almost non-existent with package units or window units because the system does not contain enough refrigerant to fill the compressor plus most of the system is in the cold space so the refrigerant is spread out.  Split-Air Systems are the most likely to be damaged.
 
As you can see, even the explanation is difficult and cumbersome.  So to err on the side of the Home Inspectors, states and associations found it simpler to just recommend or require that air conditioning not be operated/tested in temperatures below 60o F.  Some Home Inspectors offer their services to return to inspect the air-conditioning system.  Some for free and others for a fee.  Personally, I have mixed emotions on this.  If you are in the process of buying the home and in fact did purchase it, what good would it be for the home inspector to return (free or with an additional charge) to examine the system.  Your time and money would be better spent (In my opinion) if you contracted an HVAC Technician.  (Which should be done anyways before initiating the system and for normal regular maintenance).  Home Buyer's would be better off bartering the home inspector for a lower fee charge because the AC would be excliuded from the Home Inspection. 
Q: My wife and I are looking into purchasing an older or historical home (mid 1800's or older) to renovate and transform into a "Bed & Breakfast".  Do you have any suggestions as to a home inspector?  Frank M., Pennsylvania
A: Frank.  We are talking about two different situations here.  Many Home Inspectors are more than qualified to offer an opinion on an older home.  However, if you're talking about a "Historical Home" other situations arise.  For instance many "Historical Homes" are zoned in many municipalities and special permits and requirements exist for upgrades.  (i.e., maintaining the buildings original features, like paint scheme, etc. ).  So I really can't opine on which or who to recommend.
 
Q:  Mr. B. I am in the beginning stages of buying my first home.  I am currently employed as an electrician for xxxxxxxx, and would like to attempt to do my own Home Inspection.  What do you think?  Jeffrery D., Mississippi
A: Jeffrey, thanks for the question.  Short, sweet and to the point (and not knowing any of your background - other than you being an electrician) my initial gut feeling is "absolutely not".  On the outside it may seem that the performace criteria for a home inspector is fairly simple, and many have the mindset of - "What's so hard about walking through a home and looking for discrepancies".  Well, if it really was as simple as that, I would opine that you should go ahead and do you're own inspection.  But alas, it is not that simple. 
 
Professional Home Inspectors literally observe thousand's of different items within the building.  For those in states that license the profession (I believe Mississippi does) they are bound by the states "Standards of Practice" and "Code of Ethics" standards.  Professional Home Inspectors are armed with the various "tools of the trade" such as, moisture/humidity meters, electrical meters, microwave leak detectors, laser temperature gauge, water pressure gauge, protective gear, reference books, reports/reporting software, etc.  The list is endless, and can cost into the thousands.  The new "fad" if you will is the Infrared Camera for building envelope inspections.  Talk about taking the moisture, pest, and of course heat loss to the next step, this is the cats "meow".  Of course none of this is of benefit unless the proper certification and training has been accomplished. 
 
But let's go one step further, and believe me this is not the final step.  What about insurance?  If you perform your own inspection and damage the home (for example, you accidentally misstep and fell through the ceiling as you traversed the attic), will you be covered?  What if the ceiling and you fell on top of another person?  Will you be covered?   And talk about electrical nightmares...Being an electrician yourself, have you ever ran into the situation where a freezer is connected downstream from a GFCI receptacle located in another part of the house.  You did your due diligence in operation of the "test" buttons, and you left feeling everything reset and was operating properly.  Guess what, it wasn't.  That tempermental GFCI decided on its own to kick.  It may not have been your fault, but it did.  So three days later the homeowner complains because of spoiled goods in the freezer, and take a wild guess as to who will be stuck with the bill.  Are you covered?
 
So NO, I do not recommend that a homebuyer perform their own Home Inspection to save a few dollars.  In my opinion, do yourself a huge favor and place the onus into the hands of a professional.  Let a professional that has no ties and no interest in your dreamhome give you a fair and unbiased opinion on your future investment.  Someone who can look past the beauty and luster that attracted you to the house in the first place.  This unbias opinion of findings could in fact save you thousands of dollars.  
Q:  I purchased a new furnace 3-5 years ago. It is a baseboard hot water system, with 3 zones. Hot water unit is integrated within the system, & also has its own zone.
I have NOT done any servicing to date on the unit. What do you recommend?
Please do not tell me to wait until a) something breaks or b) the heating is not what it used to be  Lloyd C., New York
A: Lloyd, I appreciate your question.  To facilitate your questions and those that others may have I have decided to put together a Boiler Maintenance Instruction Sheet. But  -- And this is a big, but -- I am not a licensed HVAC Technician, so anything that I create is my opinion only and definitely does not carry any weight.  If you refer to the "owners manual" (which does carry some weight) that came with the unit, more than likely the manufacturer outlined general maintenance instructions.  In all cases the Manufacturer's Instructions override anything that I may give an opinion on.
Q: It only seems natural not to locate switches where they can be operated or reached from a tub/shower.  Are you aware of any codes that specify this?  Tim V., California (5 Jun 08)
A: Tim - First and foremost, I am not a code official nor do I provide official interpretations of codes.  For this you must contact your local building official or perhaps Mr. Mike Holt or The Electrical Guru (Paul Abernathy).  I don't know their websites off-hand, but I'm positive if you do a keyword search using either one of their names it will show up.  Both are licensed and highly qualified.    With that said, I do have an opinion though.  The National Electrical Code (2005 Edition), Sections 404.4, 404.9(B)  and 410.10 (D) may help you.  Section 404.4 prohibits the installation of switches in wet location in tub or shower spaces unless part of a listed tub or shower assembly.  No where can I find where "within reach" is addressed by the IRC, IBC, or NEC.  The installation of luminaries regarding bathtubs and showers are addressed in section 410.10 (D) and section 404.9(B) addresses the gounding of switches.
 
Perhaps it is time for the Code developers to address this.  Especially with the recent tragedy with one of our U.S. Military members who was electrocuted while taking a shower in Iraq.  See Story  It is certainly hoped that one of our distinguished members of the electrical community will take a long hard look at this and other storys and recognize the safety hazard for what it is and submit proposals to the ICC, NFPA, NECA, IAEI, IBEW or anyone else responsible for developing codes.