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It's a great day at Michael Leavitt & Co Home Inspections! Today's MMM is a great compilation of information. Print it out and save it for later reference. If you were to call my office today you would receive the following answering machine message.......
"It's
a great day at Michael Leavitt & Co Home Inspections and I
am currently out of cell phone range. So to schedule and inspection
please leave your name and number after the beep. Or take advantage
of our "On-line Special" by scheduling your inspection
on our website at www.TheHomeInspector.com. And remember, I would
hate it if by serving others today I missed the opportunity to
serve you tomorrow."
Today is President's Day and that finds Michael Leavitt and two of his four kids on the ski slopes. The opportunity to ski with the kids is precious. It will be a great time as I expose the little ones to the advanced runs on the upper back mountain of Robert Redford's Sundance ski resort.
I hope that all of you took the time to celebrate Valentines Day. I try to focus on these events here in the MMM because all work and no play can make every AII™ member very grumpy. Then again, no work and an empty bank account makes us even grumpier one.
IT SURE
WAS A LOUSY DAY By Steve
Bradley
THE
DRIVEWAY ASCENTLast week I inspected a custom 3,000 sq.ft. 3 bedroom, 3 bath home on a mountain top in Medford, Oregon. The home had 360 degree sweeping views and a very very steep driveway. The inspection was scheduled for 9:00 A.M. and the sellers and their agent were to be on site waiting for me to arrive. The buyers and their agent were scheduled to show up at 11:00. We have been having unusual cold weather along with rain so I left a little early to arrive on time.
After
slipping and sliding on the wet icy roads I safely showed up at
the bottom of their steep driveway at 8:30 A.M. and immediately
put the truck in 4-wheel drive. I started up the driveway and
made it up to about 100 yards when I lost all traction because
of the ice. So I called the sellers on my cell phone and explained
that I was stuck on their entryway and would be a little late.
I cautioned them not to try to come down their driveway.
The sellers surprised me with their response. It was a two-fold shocker; 1) "Didn't the Realtor tell you if we are having weather like this not to come but call and reschedule for an afternoon inspection because of ice conditions?" and 2) "We don't want you here until our Realtor has arrived." I explained that nothing was said about rescheduling and that no, the Realtor had not called me. I then told them I would chain up and be there as soon as possible. I also said that if it was all right with them, I would start my inspection and hopefully the Realtor would arrive prior to finishing the inspection.
I called the buyer's agent to ask if he would contact the buyers since I couldn't reach them. I took the time to explain the uneasy situation. He said he would handle everything on his side. What a way to start an inspection. I finally arrived at the house on top of the driveway at 10:00.
The inspection then proceeded as planned. I identified minor electrical challenges along with material deterioration (dry rot for those of you not in California), and fungus growing on the underside of the surrounding decking attached to the home. I also took a long moment to type in an extremely detailed explanation about the hazard of their driveway in the Driveway section of the report. Being computerized, I was not limited to a brief description. The Realtor and Buyers finally showed up at noon.
The inspection lasted until 1:30 including
the walkthrough with the Buyers and the Sellers.
I left after all parties had said they were satisfied with the
inspection and proceeded in a late fashion to my next inspection.
I was sure glad to be done with this one!
THE
DREADED PAGER MESSAGEI was just starting my next inspection when the homeowner paged me and I called him back. He put me on a speakerphone with his Realtor and said I had ruined his TV. I asked what seemed to be his challenge and he said there was not power on the southwest wall of the family room. The agent said that he tested the outlets and confirmed the owner's statement. The seller asked in a demanding tone, "What are you going to do about it?" I told him I was at another inspection and I would be there in 1 hour or less, if that were acceptable. This would be acceptable to them.
Fortunately the second inspection was a vacant home and all I was inspecting for was wood destroying pests and organisms. I finished the second inspection and arrived at the "challenged" home within the time specified.
After reviewing the owner's concerns and going over my inspection of the electrical system with them again, I removed the electrical panel for re-inspection to demonstrate that the breakers weren't tripped and to show that there were no loose wires. All seemed to check out, including the GFCI circuits. No apparent GFCI circuits were installed in the garage. The home appeared to have been built before the GFCI requirements. Baffled by the power outage, I told them that I would call an electrical contractor and have him check out the system. Although I didn't think I was the cause, this decision seemed the best approach because it certainly appeared to everyone involved that I might have caused the malfunction "problem" (I didn't use the dirty word).
The seller agreed that if it truly was just a coincidence, then he would pay for the contractor's visit. The electrical contractor arrived and he went through the system. He identified and confirmed the same electrical items that I had recommended be corrected.
In addition, the electrician also found what I had missed. It turned out the freezer was on the same circuit as the TV. The freezer was "IMPROPERLY" plugged into an outlet that had a GFCI installed. For those of you that have not experienced it, the freezer can easily trip the GFCI and the food will spoil.
The exterior wall of the room with the freezer had an outlet that I identified as being GFCI protected. When I tested this exterior outlet it tripped the outlet on the kitchen counter. Who would of thought that there was also a second GFCI outlet on the same circuit? How many of you go back and recheck exterior outlets after you find the interior GFCI that is tripped???
The electrician determined what most likely was the cause of the tripped GFCI. Since I use a laptop on my inspections and I had used an outlet on the wall serviced by the GFCI, I must have overloaded the circuit. I doubt that, but he is the expert, so I bit my tongue. The electrician repaired the minor challenges and also isolated the freezer circuit so that it was not GFCI protected.
As a gesture of good will, I agreed to pay for the service call ($42.00). The seller was happy and the agent whom I had never worked with prior to that day was very impressed with my paying for the service call. The great news is that he has referred 2 other inspections. I have already performed and received payment for the two referral inspections and feel that is an incredible return on a $42 goodwill gesture.
AFTERTHOUGHTSWell, it just wasn't my day. I was pressured from the very start of the day. The driveway experience led to an inspection with everyone looking over my shoulder. Returning to the property to deal with upset sellers is also unnerving. It was difficult to focus on the dead outlet issue when I returned. I had failed to look behind the freezer and check out the outlet. I will never do this again. Of course I don't pull freezers out to check the outlet, but I will know to look for possible GFCI's there in the future. Not to be too hard on myself, the electrician spent the better part of an hour looking, too. I will now file this experience away and be prepared in the future.
Reflecting on this learning experience, I went back to my AII™ training manuals to see if this oversight on my part could have been prevented. I finally found it and it was not in the text. Instead, it was in my own handwriting in the notes that I took during class. They read..... "Sometimes the addition of a refrigerator or freezer in the garage my be on a GFCI." Be sure to look because they are easily tripped on GFCI circuits. LOOK!
I have related this experience for the membership so they may learn from my mistakes and not have to experience the same less-than-great day that I did.
Steven R. Bradley - 1999 AII™ President
TECHNICAL TIPThis week's Technical Tip deals with a topic that I had never before given much thought to. It was originally spurned by my sister-in-law who was struggling with her landlord to get more hot water in their unit. She came to me to see if I could figure out the reason for the short (about 4 min.) hot water supply. I gave her all of the standard answers.....
None of the answers pointed to the trouble . The landlord had been out to the property within the last week, drained the unit and flushed the sediment. None of this made any difference. It was then that I received some information from another Inspector. More internet searching yielded a new condition/solution to me. The following is the article that I authored for my newspaper column, as well as the resource info that I used to compose my piece.
DIP TUBE
FAILURESThe all too familiar story was recounted, "I take my normal shower and there is only about 4 minutes of hot water. What is wrong with my hot water heater?" This can be very frustrating for consumers who don't understand how typical hot water heating systems work. Although this could be extreme sediment build-up in the water heater tank, improper installation, or a turned down thermostat, new information shows that it could very well be a failed dip tube inside the hot water heater.
Perfection Corporation is the manufacturer of 90% of the dip tubes used in domestic manufactured water heater units. This includes most of the popular brands used in Utah such as: Bradford-White, A.O. Smith, and Rheem. Perfection Corp. says that a small percentage of their plastic dip tubes produced between 1993 and 1996 have been found to fail. When the dip tube fails, the amount of usable hot water is significantly reduced.
A dip
tube is a pipe which brings cold water into the water heater.
Cold water enters the top of the heater and runs down through
the dip tube to the lower portion of the tank. The cold water
is discharged low in the tank so that the electric heating element
or gas flame can more efficiently heat the cold water. This allows
the entire upper portion of the tank to hold only hot water.
When the dip tube breaks off up higher in the tank it improperly allows the cold water to discharge into the top portion of the tank rapidly cooling off the hot water. This creates a very short supply of hot water, thus a very short hot showering time.
The Perfection Corp. was made aware of this condition back in 1996 and they remedied the condition in the dip tube manufacturing process. Much to their credit, they also notified the Consumer Product Safety Commission when they realized what was happening but the CPSC did not issue a recall. Russ Rader of the CPSC said in a Supply House Times article, "We looked into the dip tube issue a while ago and did not find a safety hazard that would warrant further investigation."
Perfection Corp. reports that there have been 11,555 returns on the 24 million water heaters that could be involved. That is a very low percentage of failed dip tubes. It appears that the only people who are really concerned with the situation are those that can't take long, hot showers or baths.
The water heater manufacturers are very helpful to those experiencing low amounts of hot water. The units in question are still under warranty and so needed repairs are made without financial burden to the consumer or the repairmen. Ultimately, the Perfection Corp. is the one paying the final bills.
I called a large professional plumbing supplier, BJ Plumbing in Orem, to inquire of them if there were any consumer complaints being made to them. BJ Plumbing carries Bradford White water heaters and deals mainly with professional installers. They have not had a single complaint or report, but they said that the repair is a pretty simple one. Once identified as the cause, the dip tube is easily replaced within the existing unit. Rarely is it necessary to replace the entire water heating unit for a low hot water supply symptom.
Along with the dip tube replacement, it is very important that the tank be drained, the home's interior supply lines flushed, and the faucet aerators cleaned. When the dip tube fails, it allows the plastic particles to spread throughout the supply system. Along with the lack of hot water is the low water volume symptom at the faucets. A key indicator of dip tube failure is to remove the faucet aerators and look for small plastic particles clogging the screen.
To identify if your water heater is part of the group that could be affected, try to figure out how old the unit is. If you have been in the home since 1993 and have never upgraded it, then it is older and not in the targeted drip tube failure category. However, since water heaters generally carry a 5 or 6 year warranty you should be preparing for the inevitable upgrade of the entire unit. The typical lifespan of water heaters is 8 to 12 years, but I have seen some last 2 years and others over 25 years.
The manufacturing date of the unit is usually concealed within the serial number found on the label on the outer case of the water heater. The manufactured year is usually identified in the first 4 digits of the serial number.
It is sometimes difficult for the most seasoned Inspector to make out the date from the info on the label, so other clues are sometimes relied upon. For example, if the unit is avocado green in color, you are looking at a unit that has far exceeded its projected lifespan and was likely manufactured in the 1970's. If your unit is avocado green, forget about upgrading the dip tube and strongly consider upgrading the water heater unit before it fails.
When a water heater fails it can be a messy experience. Sometimes they just quit heating. That is an easy diagnosis and a straightforward upgrade for a plumber. This condition is usually realized first thing in the morning as the shower is drawn for the home's breadwinner while preparing to leave for work. Although irritating, no major physical damage is done.
The more common water heater failure involves a tank failure. This means a potentially messy situation. Some Utah homes are well designed so that a ruptured water heater flood runs directly towards and into the basement drain. Many homes have drains, but because of poor design the water soaks into surrounding carpet on the roundabout way to the drain. This increases the damage because the unit needs to be replaced, walls can wick up moisture, and the carpet and padding needs to be taken up and dried.
The worst situation occurs when the tank ruptures and there is no floor drain. This turns the basement into a swimming pool, but at least it is heated. Homeowners are well advised to budget and plan for water heater upgrades before the tanks rupture. So if you think your dip tube has failed, you should console yourself with the fact that your water heater challenges could be a lot worse. Dip tubes are easily, and pretty inexpensively, replaced.
(Michael Leavitt is certified by the American Institute of Inspectors. He is the owner of Michael Leavitt & Co Home Inspections and serves Utah County and beyond. Column suggestions or inspection questions are welcomed by visiting his website at www.TheHomeInspector.com, or by calling his office at 225-8020.)
In my personal quest for dip tube information, the following article was found on the internet and published in the Supply House Times. This is a website that deals with plumbing issues and appears to be produced specifically for plumbing professionals. It took about 45 minutes of internet surfing to discover this site, and you may want to bookmark it. You can access them at: http://www.supplyht.com/deadline.htm
Supply House Times
Plastic dip tubes installed in water heaters sold across the country are deteriorating. Dip tubes have been cited as a source of plumbing problems for more than 11,000 water heater owners.
Dip tubes are extensions of the cold-water inlet to the water heater and force the cold water to the bottom of the tank to avoid contact with the hot water already occupying most of the tank.
The problem is that hot water can cause poly-propylene dip tubes to fall apart. The dip tubes either break apart into chips or deteriorate into a white sludge that sticks to the interiors of water heaters and pipes.
Perfection Corp., Madison, Ohio, manufactured the tubes between 1993 and 1996.
By its own estimates, Perfection sold the dip tubes to about 90 percent of the water heater manufacturers in the United States.
Even though the dip tubes in question have not been manufactured for more than two years, the problems they caused still are surfacing.
"We have received 11,555 returns up to Jan. 6, which represents 0.07 percent of the approximately 24 million water heaters potentially affected," said Frank Volgstadt, vice president/research, codes and standards, Perfection Corp.
Perfection contacted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission when it realized the problem could be dangerous but the CPSC did not issue a recall.
"We looked at the dip tube issue a while ago and did not find a safety hazard that would warrant further investigation," said Russ Rader, CPSC spokesman.
Perfection recommends that faulty dip tube occurrences be handled the same as a warranty situation.
"Most of these water heaters are under warranty anyway," Volgstadt said. "So there is nothing special about handling these situations except to diagnose the dip tube as the source of the problems and then to send the old dip tube or water heater back to us for replacement. Eventually we pay for everything."
The water heater makers contacted and asked how they were handling the dip tube said they were replacing either the dip tube or the water heater at no charge to the contractor or the homeowner.
The problem with the dip tubes was discovered in 1995 by Dan Hutchins, president of DiHydro Services in Sterling Heights, Mich., a water treatment consulting firm.
The two solutions DiHydro came up with were to replace the dip tube, flush the water heater tank, and flush the strainers and aerators, or to replace the water heater and perform the same flushing techniques. Whichever solution is used, Hutchins said, the fixtures, strainers and aerators will have to be cleaned again until all of the pieces of tube are flushed from the piping.
Not every customer who calls with complaints of low pressure or not enough hot water has a problem with a dip tube, said Herb Foster, director/consumer affairs, Bradford White. An incorrectly set or faulty thermostat or other non-plastic sediments in the tank could cause a decrease in the temperature of the water.
"We have relied solely on our plumbing professionals to diagnose the problems," Foster said. "If it is determined that the dip tube is the cause, then we will replace the tube, or in the worst cases replace the entire water heater unit."
A.O. Smith is handling the dip tube situation in a similar manner, said Ed O'Connor, vice president/human resources and public affairs, A.O. Smith. First the plumbing contractor must ascertain that the dip tube is the problem. Then A.O. Smith personnel walk the customers through the process of fixing the problem. If everything checks out, A.O. Smith passes the bill to Perfection.
"We made about 3 million water heaters during the years 1993 through 1996. We've had about 1,000 complaints involving dip tubes, which isn't that many compared with the total number sold," he said.
Not every water heater manufacturer used Perfection dip tubes. State Industries said it used dip tubes made by one of its subsidiaries.
"State Industries believes that it does not have a significant problem in dip tubes," said John O'Reilly, creative director, Loran Nordgren & Co., State Industries' marketing agency. "The vast majority of dip tubes used in State's water heaters were manufactured by Apcom."
Neither Bradford White nor A.O. Smith plans to switch dip tube suppliers.
- Rob Heselbarth
Michael G Hoberecht, a fellow Inspector on another e-mail list, shared the following post and also an article from his part of the country......
An article by Joe Gagnon "The Appliance Doctor" (a radio show host here in Michigan and a great one), wrote a couple of articles concerning the dip tubes in water heaters this month. The dip tubes are made by one company for all the different brands, eg; Bradford White, AO Smith etc. The tubes disintegrate inside the unit. This causes the water heater to act like it is out of hot water when it isn't because it is introducing cold water at the top where the hot water is discharged from the unit after being heated. I guess the dip tube puts the water at the bottom of the tank & it is heated as it rises The disintegrating tube then clogs up plumbing fixtures.
I found out about it last week from my neighbor who brought me the articles & wanted to know if I knew anything about it. He assumed I knew because I inspected homes for a living.
Well the things that had happened to me in the past year started making a lot of sense, sometimes it takes a while for things to sink in to my thick skull. Last year, our water heater started to run out of hot water after only 2 minutes of taking a shower. When I called the plumber they said it was a dip tube problem so they came out & replaced a $5.00 part for $100. They never said anything about being a defect even though I asked if this was covered. I never called the manufacturer...duhhhh.
I asked at the time if the old tube should be pulled out & they said no, and I didn't push it. A few months ago, the water seemed to run out of hot water sporadically & then the water pressure would drop while taking a shower. I took the shower head apart thinking it was the fixture & guess what I found??.......white plastic bits. Now guess what the dip tubes are made of????????? WHITE PLASTIC! But at that time I didn't put two and two together because I had never seen the dip tubes & my skull is thick, remember.
I called the manufacturers number from the newspaper article. I am getting a new water heater Monday & they will flush out my lines, too. My neighbors are all doing the same thing. I guess there are 2-3 states that are suing the water heater companies in a class action law suit. I found the articles online at the paper's web site. The url is www.oeonline.com. It was under the "HOMES" Section. Michael G Hoberecht
The article reads as follows....
OBSERVER & ECCENTRIC ® At Home Thursday, February 04, 1999 Page D2
The Kansas City Star printed a second story last week headlined,
"Three companies are sued in two states over defective water
heater materials." The lawsuits are the first in the country
seeking damages for consumers whose water heaters allegedly were
made with defective plastic pipe called a "dip tube."
Attorneys filing the lawsuits said they intended to expand them to class-action status in the two states and hoped to expand them to represent consumers throughout the country. If that move fails, they plan to have lawsuits filed in other states. More to come on this subject.
I would like to give you a list of the major manufacturers of hot water tanks in this country and tell you that they produce a lot of other brands than listed here. I have been getting a ton of phone calls from consumers who are reporting positive results from their phone calls. If you have a hot water tank purchased from 1993 through 1996 and are having little white chips building up in the faucet aerators or problems with no enough hot water, make your phone call and let me know the results.
The companies and their numbers:
There are many other names on hot water tanks not listed here.
AII™
BOARD MEETINGQUOTABLE QUOTES: "Success isn't what makes the world go round.
Success is one of the ingredients that make the ride worthwhile."
Michael Leavitt
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