Every week, the detail-oriented folks at Green Scene Home Inspections will give Daltxrealestate.com readers an education in inspection. Want to see what they see? Tune in for “Upon Closer Inspection.”
As home inspectors, we are considered “generalists” meaning we know a lot about a wide range of home systems, and we can point you in the direction of the right expert if your home has problems that need attention. Despite our inspectors’ wide range of experience and expertise, sometimes a picture will come in on our company chat with something like,”Does anyone know what in the world that is?”
Here are some “WTF is that?” moments from the field!
When a Door Has Balls
The inspector noticed this… whatever that is… in the window of the front door.
While he initially thought it might be eggs of some type of pest, it turned out to be fiberglass insulation that leaked from inside the door.
ET Phone Home?
The best DIY electrical advice is never, ever DIY electrical.
Our boss posted this one and asked, “Does anyone know what this person was trying to do?”
“Phone home,” and “Travel back in time,” were the best responses, but the actual answer is that they were trying to make their own panel box after a remodel.
Say it loud, for the people in the back, “Don’t DIY electrical!”
What a Drain
Most homeowners would look at this rigged plumbing and think it doesn’t look quite right. This didn’t stump the inspector exactly, but it’s such an elaborate DIY fail that he checked in to make sure he was correct.
There’s a lot wrong here:
1) Two pipes draining into the same P-trap.
2) Flex material shouldn’t be used for a drain because it traps sediment and mold
3) There’s a shared water line for two sinks.
4) Drain lines must maintain negative flow to properly drain.
An Inspector’s Unicorn
This was a unique find, kind of a home inspector’s unicorn — a perfect panel box!
No, seriously, there must be something wrong with it; there’s no such thing as a perfect panel box.
