Home Run Inspections, LLC

Do You Know Where Your Water Shut-Off Is?

February 15, 2021/0 Comments/in Home Safety, Homeowner Tools, On-Going Home Maintenance, Winter Home Maintenance /by sherineprice

When temperatures rise above freezing next weekend, I suspect a significant number of water plumbing problems will show themselves. When or if they do in your home, you will need to know how to shut off water to that pipe or fixture until you can get necessary repairs made. Due to the number of problems this deep freeze is going to cause, it might be a while before you can get that repair done. It is a good idea to get the phone number handy for a local, reputable plumber just in case.

Hopefully you already have an idea of where the water shut-off is located. If you had your home inspected by Home Run Inspections LLC, you got that information from your inspector at the end of your inspection and also have that information in your inspection report. If you cannot locate your inspection report or email with the inspection report link, give us a call, and we can re-send that to you.

If you don’t know where your water shut off is, let’s explore possible locations. Fortunately, in many modern homes, it is located on the interior of your home. Better yet, interior water shut-offs typically require no special tools to operate them. Handles are, in older homes, like that on an exterior hose spigot. Newer interior valves have a handle that you grab and move about 1/4 turn to the right.

Possible Locations:

Street Side Meter Vault
Garage
Laundry/Utility Room
Under the Kitchen Sink
Under the Bathroom Sink
Hallway Closet
Front Bedroom Closet

The valve handle may be readily visible, or it may be behind a wooden or plastic door. These doors are typically located about 12″ above the floor, but I have seen them at eye level when the valve is part of what is called a plumbing manifold.

If you have well water, the shut-off valve will be at the well equipment or you can shut water supply off by turning off power to the well head itself. This breaker is usually located at the electrical panel which is typically located in the garage or on an exterior wall. It can be located at the well equipment itself if the equipment is in an exterior structure.

Even if you are fortunate enough to have an interior water shut off that you can access from the comfort of your home without a tool, your main water shut off is typically streetside at the front of your home. For a lot of home owners, this is the only water shut off available. To access this vault, you will need a tool referred to as a church key or water meter vault key.

The top of this very cool tool looks similar to a flag and is the part that is used to open the lid. Simply insert and turn. Sometimes you can just lift it off. Others will require a little finesse to get the mechanism to release the lid. The U-shaped attachment at the end of the tool. is used to turn the valve at the bottom of the vault. Fit the attachment on the top of the valve. Then, using the top handles, turn the valve (typically to the right) until you feel a stop. You should leave a faucet or tub running before going to turn this valve off. This will allow you to see the meter running at the beginning and then to see it stop when you have successfully closed the valve.

Of course, this process may be above the scope of what you or any member of your household may be able to accomplish. In that case, call your local water company, advise them of the problem, and they will have someone come out to shut off the water for you.

Hopefully you have found this article helpful. If so, be sure and share it with friends and family that may find it helpful as well. At Home Run Inspections LLC, we understand that owning a home is a big responsibility. We do our best at every inspection to help our clients better understand not only any problems that the home may currently have, but also how to manage problems that will likely occur while they enjoy life in the home they have chosen.

Freeze Warning

February 9, 2021/0 Comments/in Home Safety, Homeowner Tools, Winter Home Maintenance /by sherineprice

Here in Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains, it looks like were are in for an extended spell of freezing temperatures. Some meteorologists are saying we have not experienced this in nearly 40 years. Outdoor temps will remain below freezing for up to 2 weeks according to the weather forecast. With the North wind dropping temps to as low as 20 below zero in some areas, vulnerable plumbing (even in homes or buildings that have never experienced problems), can experience frozen and burst plumbing pipes.

If you are in an older home or building, or any home or building with a crawl space underneath, you need to take some extra precautions to avoid major damage to the exposed pipes under the home or building and in perimeter walls. Owners of newer homes or buildings must also be careful not to leave a water hoses attached to their exterior faucets. They should be covered with some form of insulation as well, particularly if they are on the North side of the home.

If your home or building is on a crawl space or if you have pipes in the perimeter exterior walls, her are a few things you can do to reduce the chance of having your pipes freeze and bust.

Disconnect all exterior water hoses attached to faucets and install an insulated cover over it to help protect it. If you can’t get to the store to purchase a pre-made one, a towel wrapped around the spigot and secured with duct tape or some type of strap will work in a pinch.
If you have any crawlspace vents that are not covered, stop by your local hardware outlet and pick up a few. They are easy to install and can really help your home retain its heat.
Set your faucets to run at a slow drip. You don’t have to turn on all the faucets in your home or building, but it’s good to focus on the ones closest to exterior walls. Leave these few faucets on during especially bitter weather. Running water, even a small trickle, can make all the difference in the world.
Due to friction created by the constant movement, moving water produces a small amount of heat and is harder to freeze than standing water. By just leaving a few faucets running, the movement will help prevent ice blockages from forming in your plumbing. Even more than the small amount of friction and heat produced by moving water, a running faucet relieves pressure build up in cold pipes. This helps to keep your pipes from bursting, even if the water inside freezes. If both hot and cold water lines are exposed, leave both slightly running to make sure pressure doesn’t build up in one and not the other.
Lastly, for good measure, open all the cabinet doors where any plumbing is located to get warm air in there. Again, this is especially important on plumbing near exterior walls.

Cold spells like this are a boon for the plumbing industry, just like storm season is great for the roofing industry. I’m all for keeping the small business man in business but, there’s no need to spend that money until you have to, right? So take a few minutes to get a plan in place to reduce your risk of unnecessary repair costs, and share this article with someone you know that should do the same.

Dryer Vents: Correct and Incorrect

February 4, 2021/0 Comments/in Home Inspections, Home Safety, Homeowner Tools, On-Going Home Maintenance /by sherineprice

A home is a structure that encases a variety of systems. These systems, by their very nature and design, require regular maintenance.

At Home Run Inspections, LLC, in addition to providing an incredibly detailed and comprehensive home inspection, we do our best to educate our clients about the home and the systems they will need to attend to over time: where the furnace filters are located, where the breaker panel is located, where the sewer clean out is located, for example.

One of the most utilized and arguably most ignored systems in a home, is the dryer exhaust vent. Depending upon how many people live in a home, this vent is utilized weekly and often several times weekly (if not daily).

After completing over 100o inspections personally and overseeing over 4000 as a company, I can confidently tell you most dryer vents we inspect have problems. We have a long list of potential recommendations based on the training we gain as home inspectors, but more importantly, from experience. Issues range from the most common, a disconnected exhaust pipe in the attic or crawlspace or a missing dryer exhaust, to the more difficult to identify as in difficult to observe obstructions or incorrect vent discharge point.

All of our reports tell you about your dryer vent, what it is composed of and where it discharges. Most of our inspectors like to take a picture of the discharge point, along with an up-view of the vent to identify blockages or missing parts.

By far, the most common recommendation is to clear blockages. I’ve read in more than one place that obstructed dryer vents are one of the most common starting points for residential home fires.

One of the cooler aspects about our jobs as home inspectors is discovering innovative ways to deal with common home system problems. These upgrades often come in the form of a new product offered by service companies, but they often may be a resolution created by the home owner.

The above photos show an ingenious way to slow the accumulation of lint in the dryer vent pipe. A common problem for a typical home in the OKC metro is that the vent pipe, carrying hot moist air, flows through a cool, unconditioned space(the attic) during the winter. This can cause a massive build up of lint as condensation on the inside of the pipe collects lint as it makes it way to the exterior vent. I’ve also seen a booster fan mechanism that you can insert in the pipe to help move the moist air to the discharge point more quickly and presumably reducing problems.

Which brings us to one of the most important aspects of the dryer vent system; the exhaust vent exterior. This is a point that also often experiences a collection of moist lint over time, and thus an obstruction. This point is often at the roof, but it can also be in a number of other locations such as an exterior wall, roof soffit, or even the crawlspace.

As you can see, out of sight out of mind does not always end well. Moisture and lint in the attic or crawlspace is a no-no. Exhausted air should always discharge to the exterior.

Check out our blog articles often to keep you thinking about how to best take care of your humble abode so it can take care of you and those you love. Keep us in mind when you or someone you know needs a residential or commercial property inspection. We look forward to exceeding your expectations while we Cover all the Bases!

Exposing the Hidden and Covering All the Bases

January 28, 2021/0 Comments/in Home Inspections, Home Safety, Homeowner Tools, On-Going Home Maintenance /by sherineprice

(termite tubes in a locked exterior mechanical closet)

As a licensed home inspector, we follow the State of Oklahoma Standards of Practice. This SOP is a long list of systems that we inspect and describe, including the big systems you would think of like the roof, plumbing, electrical, and structure, to assist the home buyer in making an informed decision when purchasing a home. I have found over the years that what makes a good home inspector is a strong sense of curiosity along with an educator’s heart.

Although a home inspection is very thorough in regards to what we inspect, there are a lot of things to inspect on homes that are not covered by Oklahoma’s Home Inspector SOPs. For example, we do not inspect (unless contracted to) for termites, pool and spa systems, well and septic systems, sewer lines, and in-slab HVAC ducts to name a few. Home buyers often want and need these systems inspected. That creates a lot of extra work for the buyer and or their agent to make sure all of these specialists show up at the same time.

(object puncturing sewer line creating an obstruction and waste leak into the yard)

As an entrepreneur and a business owner, I saw early on that it would be a lot easier on everyone for our company to incorporate those other inspections into our Home Inspection processes and services offered. It has not been easy to learn about all of these other systems, not only by course work, but by hands-on from the experts, but I believe we have done a great job of becoming the One-Stop-Shop that makes the world a little less complicated. After all, as home inspectors, we go everywhere the termite inspector goes. We just had to learn what to be on the look-out for, get our certifications from the Department of Agriculture, and become proficient at providing the necessary paperwork.

We now have the equipment and the know-how to provide all kinds of inspections that might be needed including pool and spa, well and septic, duct and sewer scoping, Indoor Air Quality test, and more. Check out our website, look at our sample reports, then give us a call to schedule your Home Inspection. We would love the opportunity to exceed your expectations.