I Wish I Knew

I submitted this idea for a new segment in the Reporter as a chance for us to share knowledge instead of only crazy things we see in the Postcards section.

I am Paul Cummins from No Surprises Home Inspection.

1. Sewer Scoping 

My first entry involves sewer scoping. Before I was a home inspector, we were looking at a house, and our home inspector suggested a sewer scope of our main drain. It cost $400 twelve years ago. We got a nice video of a paper towel. 

Now that I’m in the business, it seems one point in time isn’t going to be very helpful. The line could freeze or be punctured by a root the next day. As long as the toilets flush and there is no stink in the yard, there probably isn’t a problem on inspection day. What I recommend to my clients instead is to get main line and sewer back-up insurance and main water line insurance. These add-ons are very inexpensive and protect our clients forever. 

2. Managing Mold

Number two concerns mold. Most folks get freaky about mold. It is ever-present, so yes, your house has mold in it. I used to test for mold. A slide is attached to a fan that collects a certain volume of air. A control is taken outside (you can’t blame the house if there’s lots of mold outside), and you take as many samples as you wish inside. I tested houses after expensive remediation and still got a significant difference in spores. Then I quit because I wasn’t helping. They sell these silly tape strips that you send in to determine which molds you have, but this is useless because you need to know how much mold is there. 

The two most common molds I see in homes are Penicillium/Aspergillus (these are genera, not species): Black mold you find in showers and in basement corners and attics; and Chaetomium, which is white and furry: found on basement joists, furniture if registers are closed in basements, and attics. 

Different people are set off by different molds. I can tell if Chaetomium is above me in a basement by nasal irritation. Generally, mold can be prevented by extending exterior downspouts, clearing gutters, and improving ventilation. I suggest a humidistat switch on the basement bathroom fan instead of costly dehumidifiers. 

3. Reachable Roofs

My third suggestion is a MacGyver twist on an endoscope used to photograph flat roofs. I do a lot of work in DC, and they have many townhomes with flat roofs. Sometimes there is access from the attic but usually not. I used to bring an extension ladder strapped on top of my Jeep. That dang thing ripped my ear when my head ran into the gripping teeth as I walked under it on my vehicle. My wife heard me scream from outside and my daughter doctored me up. 

I have since used a 25-foot endoscope attached to a 30-foot extension pole to photograph these flat roofs. The resolution is only 2 megapixels but does the job—even in the rain as shown in the first roof pic. 

Paul is shown at left demonstrating his roof photo technique at his own home, which produces photos like the actual client photo seen in the top right image. He uses the two products seen at the bottom right (not to scale) in conjunction with his smartphone to capture the needed views.