Paul Luczyk's (ashiinspector) Blog

At a recent inspection I was able to detect a defective gas furnace with a cracked heat exchanger which had been producing low level amounts of carbon monoxide some of which was entering the home. The house did have an alarm type CO detector but because ppm was under 50 the alarm dit id not activ...

The home owner claims his new water heater was installed by a licensed, professional plumber. Of course he did not have a receipt from this gentleman. I convinced my client this in unacceptable and it must be corrected before something bad happens.  

Homes and condominiums with hot water (radiant) heating systems have potential leak & health issues. Certain types of PEX B tubing used in these systems have a high failure rates. Identifying the tubing type can be difficult.  In addition if the water heater is used both for heating and bathing u...

I was called to look at  leak damage in a low slope roof. Their inspector was concerned about the slope & clalled for a "roof certification". A yellow page roofer, for $125, gave a 5 year cert. Well, when it leaked he came out & put down the roofing tar as you see here and said his cert only cove...

The Governor signs the bill, "Relating to the licensing of Home Inspectors.Washington State now has a decent, not perfect,  home inspector licensing law on the books that will go into affect next year. It will require everybody to pass a nationally recognized written exam, inspection standards, c...

A recent inspection of a river front property has me puzzled. Look closely along the upper section of the garage door. That is a water line approximately 8 feet above the ground. It appears the pool table did not float.  Why would somebody want to live here? Why would a bank loan on it? Who would...

You should ask these 10 questions before hiring the inspector.How long have you been inspecting Homes? Are you are member of a nationally recognized association like ASHI?Have you passed a nationally recognized exam like National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE)?Do you accept payments at closing...

Recently, I asked the receptionist at a large Real Estate office if I could leave some flyer's about my inspection business. I was told that to be on the office "approved" vendor list or part of their "Connoisseurs" program it would cost $600. I was surprised and said no thanks. Imagine that this...

 What is a conflict interest? According to Webster, "a conflict between the private interests and the official responsibilities of a person in a position of trust". When a home or building inspector reports  on list of issues or problems on the house, he/she offers to have their company make the ...

 Webster's meaning of certify: "to attest as being true or as represented or as meeting a standard".  A CPA is an accountant that has met the requirements of a state law and a lawyer must pass the "Bar". Currently, Washington State has no such requirements for home inspectors. Senator Bill 6606 i...