Charles Buell Inspections Inc.

Home Inspections in the Seattle Area

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Do you know the condition of your dryer vent cap—-or even where it is?

lugged dryer vents are common on almost all inspections.

The lint/dust that plugs these vents represents a significant fire hazard and should be maintained free of debris.  Any homeowner/handyman can do this—-as long as they are accessible.  Every persons use of dryers and the types of clothing they dry is different, so determining how often to clean them requires some cleaning “history”.  Clean them as often as necessary.  If they are clean and the flap works properly and isn’t stuck open they are most likely fine.  The line to the vent cap should also be maintained clean—but I will save that for another post.

Some “types” of vent caps are prone to frequent clogging.  They should NOT be screened.  Screens and grille type covers will clog the vent cap much quicker.

Clogged dryer vent cap

Besides the obvious fire hazard—-plugged dryer vents will make your dryer run longer to dry the clothes.  This is a tremendous waste of energy and creates higher energy bills.

Another problem can be location of the vent caps.  Can you get to the cap easily to maintain it?  Vent caps at the steep roof of a three story townhouse for example will not be accessible to the average homeowner (many inspectors won’t even go on these roofs).  These inaccessible vents should either be relocated to more accessible location or some sort of maintenance plan should be set up with qualified maintenance persons to keep the caps clean.

I also am not a fan of louvered-type vent caps—the little louvers bend due to heat and then don’t open all the way which leads to clogging.

Screens should be removed from dryer vents
Screens should be removed from dryer vents
Plugged dryer vent on a very high roof----will it get cleaned?
Plugged dryer vent on a very high roof—-will it get cleaned?

Do you know the condition of your dryer vent cap—-or even where it is?

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Who is building houses in your exhaust vents?

Much like dryer vent caps, other exhaust fan vent caps need to be properly maintained as well.  These caps can suffer from mechanical damage and can be points of entry to the structure for vermin—birds, bees, squirrels and rats.

The single most common issue I find with these vents is that stinging insects love to build nests in them.  This can prevent proper operation/opening of the vent flap leading to reduced ventilation.  These stinging insects also represent a safety hazard when inspecting and/or cleaning the vents—–so “bee” careful.  Because these vents are often located on roofs they are less likely to be part of routine maintenance.

I recommend that these vents be properly cleaned every fall after the insects are likely to be dormant.  It is very important that exhaust fans be able to function properly during the winter to help maintain proper moisture levels in the home.

Stinging insects just being stinging insects
Stinging insects just being stinging insects

Who will clean these vents for you?

It can sometimes be very difficult to find a person qualified and willing to clean these vent caps for liability reasons.  Many Pest Control Operators won’t go on roofs because there insurance doesn’t cover them to go on roofs.  Some roofing companies will perform this service—some won’t because they are not Pest Control Operators.  Some Home Inspectors will do it as an ancillary service.  (If this issue is discovered in the course of the Home Inspection most inspectors are prevented by their code of ethics from making repairs on the home related to issues found at the time of inspection.)

Roofs and/or stinging insects can represent serious safety concerns and should always be handled by persons qualified to do the work.

Who is building houses in your exhaust vents?

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How much will the Inspection Cost?

How much will the inspection cost?

This question comes up at every inspection.  Sometimes this is an easy question to answer—-other times not so easy.  Many inspectors have fixed fees, some have fixed fees with modifications for size , and some have sliding fees depending on the home’s age, where the house is, the square footage of the home, the number of bathrooms, the number of kitchens, the number of attics, the number of crawl spaces and so on.  I fall in this later group.

How long will the inspection take?

This is the next most popular question, and has a much simpler answer.

The inspection always takes as long it takes.

I would say that most of my inspections fall in the 3.5 hour range, a condo might be closer to 2 hours, and some big houses have taken as long as 6 hours to inspect. A condo might take closer to 2 hours to inspect. That said, I do try to give some guidelines, and all of the information I can obtain about the property ahead of time is helpful in both determining how long the inspection will take as well as what it will cost.

In spite of the best information, I sometimes get surprised by the extra crawl space that no one knew about or the extra attic. Crawl spaces that nobody knows about are especially problematic because this could mean nobody has been in it for a long time.  This could translate to extra inspection time—-not to mention the extra time involved in reporting on the extent of issues.  In this picture a shower drain had been leaking into an “unknown” crawl space for years and a main support post was completely rotten away.

Rotten support post in a forgotten crawl space
Rotten support post in a forgotten crawl space

When the inspection takes longer than expected, I like to have extra snacks for everyone—-too fend off the attacks of e low-blood-sugar.

Agents should refrain from quoting costs to the buyer—–as the information they give may mislead the buyer.  This puts the inspector and agent in conflict—-setting the stage for loss of confidence in both the inspector and the agent. I am keenly interested in providing as much meaningful information in the context of the short time I am at the home as I am able.  I do my best to give an accurate cost of the inspection when I book the inspection.  I have recently started letting the buyer know ahead of time that if there are significant extenuating circumstances the price may have to be re-negotiated.  This rarely happens.

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