As a Seattle Home Inspector, a very common issue I report on has to do with exhaust fan vent caps. For such a simple thing, there can be lots of things wrong with them. Fortunately, no matter what the problem is, the repair is not likely to be a deal breaker.
They can be missing, wrong size, wrong type, damaged, screens clogged, screens present, screens missing (although I would argue this is rarely a “defect”), missing back draft dampers, dampers damaged, dampers stuck open, dampers stuck closed, louvers missing, louvers damaged, louvers warped, too close to the ground, not accessible—-I think you get the idea.
Today I am going to discuss metal, round, louver type vent caps that have absolutely no business being used on exhaust fans. The following picture is an excellent example of what happens when one of these caps is used on an exhaust fan. In a relatively short period of time the louvers (and sometimes they have screens behind the louvers too) become clogged with lint or they get painted over on the outside.
How is this cap going to get cleaned? Well it is not, and thus the exhaust fan is not going to do its job—-and thus we have another possible “conducive condition.” A conducive condition is defined as just about anything that when not functioning properly can contribute to moisture issues in the home.
By Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle
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In your photo…the Zinnsco panel…you say aluminum bus bars…
In all honestly… they were excellent panels..with a coated copper bus bar…not aluminum
and yes no real main and the breakers were shit.
But I changed my own zinnisco panel last year after buying this lovely 1957 home.
The panel was a beautiful panel…all copper and well made to the max…200 amps too.
but the breakers are shit…so the change was a given when I bought this home.
Bari, I assume you are referring to a picture from the side bar widjet as the post is not about Zinsco panels. I have never seen any Zinsco panels that have ever had anything but the solid brass bars (previous to the 60’s) or solid aluminum (after the 60’s). Based on the kinds of arcing conditions I see in the aluminum bar panels (not to mention issues with space and breakers) I would never be comfortable recommending anything but replacement of the panels.