Take a look at the following two pictures and see if you can tell me the difference between the two pictures.
Well the difference is that they were taken five years apart.
Plus an extra coat of paint.
The louvered cap is for the bathroom vent fan.
The fan was not pulling any air at the time of the first inspection and responded the same way 5 years later. Surely, more proof that things do not get better with age.
This particular type of cap has a screen behind the louvers that very quickly clogs with lint. The inspection report for the first inspection called for replacement of this cap with a proper cap with a back-draft damper. In the best “green” tradition, I got to recycle the exact same recommendation over again.
Fortunately this was a guest bath that most likely was very rarely used, but all the same, the use of the home may change and then moisture levels in this bathroom will not be able to be controlled properly.
This type of cap if of almost no use in modern construction and when you see them you should question what they are being used for.
By Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle
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