A home inspector’s job is to evaluate the soundness and safety of a house before it’s purchased or while it’s being built or remodeled. To be competent at their jobs, inspectors need to understand the basics of foundations, structures and a home’s plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems.

Home inspection was an occupation once dominated by men. Today, many women are entering the field. It’s true that many home inspectors enter the profession with backgrounds as general contractors, electricians, plumbers, roofers and other trades related to the construction industry. Some inspectors have also worked as architects, engineers, real estate agents or appraisers.

Having experience in a particular trade doesn’t necessarily give an individual an advantage in inspecting components of a home that are related to other skills. As an example, 15 years working as a plumber doesn’t necessarily give the inspector an advantage in evaluating electrical systems. Twenty years as a framing contractor doesn’t mean the person has an edge over other inspectors in finding plumbing leaks. Extensive knowledge in one area sometimes creates a bias or imbalance in assessing a home’s other components.

What About a Background in an Unrelated Field?

Everyone knows at least something about houses. A background or experience working in building and construction-related fields isn’t necessary to become a successful home inspector. A basic understanding of how homes are built, the way in which the various systems are installed and how they operate are obviously helpful for working as a home inspector. As with most things in life, however, at the end of the day success comes down to determination and hard work.

A lack of construction knowledge, building industry or real estate experience shouldn’t deter you from pursuing a career as a professional home inspector. People from all walks of life with little or no construction experience have successfully transitioned into the home inspection business. Sometimes the most well rounded home inspectors are those who start from zero, learning the systems and inspection techniques from the ground up through formal instruction, training videos and continuing education classes. The key to a successful start is receiving the right training.

Even those with extensive construction and building systems knowledge or direct industry experience may still need to pass a comprehensive licensing exam. Regardless of their occupational backgrounds, would-be inspectors in most states are required to be trained and certified by an approved home inspection school before they can legally conduct inspections. Some states also require passing either the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) Certified Real Estate Inspector Exam or a state-approved test. Others require inspectors to take annual or semiannual continuing education courses as a condition of renewing their home inspectors’ licenses. Make sure to check the requirements in your state.

Much of what you need to know will be covered in your home inspector training classes. The rest of your knowledge will come from hands-on experience conducting actual home inspections in the field after receiving your certification. That’s why, before deciding on the school where you’ll receive your instruction, it’s important to find out whether lifetime free refresher training and ongoing technical assistance are included in their program. Ready access to professional assistance on an “as needed” basis will allow you to keep up with ever-changing building codes, governmental regulations, new types of building materials and inspection industry trends and techniques.

Choosing the Right Home Inspection Training Program

Many schools offer home inspector training and certification classes. Not all the programs, however, offer the same level of instruction or course content. Here are some items to look for when choosing a home inspector training program:

Are the instructors certified home inspection professionals with field experience? Is free technical support available if you have questions or need help while conducting an inspection? Is the school affiliated with professional organizations like the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and/or the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI)? Are all training materials available online? Is there a time limit or does the program allow students to study and complete the training at their own pace? Are additional certifications such as mold and radon inspection included in the tuition? Are up-to-date training and reference materials readily available online? Does the tuition include software for generating inspection reports from digital devices? Is training to inspect commercial properties included in the program?

If a licensing exam is required in your state, don’t merely assume that your building industry experience and extensive knowledge will automatically let you succeed in passing the exam(s), nor does it mean you will succeed as a home inspector. Licensing tests are meant to protect the public from unqualified or unscrupulous inspectors, so it’s by design that the subject matter is comprehensive.

Home inspectors who work in rural areas often inspect houses that aren’t connected to municipal sewer lines; rather, the houses use septic systems.

What Are Septic Systems?

Septic systems are underground methods of treating wastewater used where public sewer connections aren’t available. Septic systems combine technology with nature to treat household wastewater, including sewage and “grey water” from kitchen sinks, bathtub drains and laundry rooms.

Typically, a septic system consists of an underground tank and a below-surface leaching area called a “soil absorption field.” The purpose of the septic tank is to break down organic matter while separating floatable substances such as oils and solidified grease from the wastewater. The liquid in the septic tank, which is called effluent, is discharged through perforated pipes buried in the leach field, underground chambers or lined pits, which slowly release the effluent into the soil.

There are alternative systems that use gravity or mechanical pumps to remove effluent from the tank and allow it to slowly trickle through sand, gravel, peat moss, sawdust or man-made wetlands. This step removes or neutralizes disease-causing pathogens, phosphorus, nitrogen, and other dangerous contaminants. There are also systems that disinfect wastewater or let it evaporate naturally before it’s discharged into the soil. These, however, are effective only in dry or semi-arid regions.

How a Typical Septic System Works

Wastewater from all sources within a house drains into a buried watertight container, which is typically made from polyethylene, fiberglass or concrete. Most tanks hold 1,000 gallons or more, which is the minimum size for a house with a family of four. The container holds the wastewater long enough for the solids to settle at the tank’s bottom, where it becomes sludge.

The grease and oil float to the top, forming a layer of scum. The tank’s inlet and outlet pipes are fitted with baffles to slow wastewater entry. They also keep the sludge and scum within the tank and away from the drainfield. The effluent slowly seeps from the tank and into the shallow drainfield through a pipe, where viruses, nutrients, and harmful bacteria are naturally removed. It gradually filters through the soil, where the treated wastewater is ultimately discharged as groundwater and makes its way to the aquifer. If the drainfield becomes overly saturated, it can flood, causing sewage to rise to the surface or back up into drains within the house.

How to Determine if a House Has a Septic System

If you’re unsure as to whether a house is connected to a public sewer line or served by a septic system, here are a few indicators:

The house’s water is supplied by a well There’s no water meter on the house’s water supply line There’s no charge for sewer services on the water bill or property tax bill Houses in the immediate area are connected to septic systems

Once you’ve concluded that there’s a septic system, you can locate it by checking the house’s as-built drawings. If the drawings aren’t available, look in the yard for lids or manhole covers. If you’re still unsure, a septic system service provider can help you find the system.

Signs of a Failed or Failing System

A foul-smelling odor around the tank or drainfield is a sign of a faulty system, but it’s not necessarily the first sign. Here are a few other indicators:

Wastewater backing up into the house’s drains Spongy, bright green grass on the drainfield Muddy soil near the system Puddles of water around the system or in the home’s basement

If any of these conditions are found by the inspector, they should be noted in his or her report. They could be signs of a leak in a pipe or a crack in the tank itself, but chances are, the tank is full and overflowing. When a tank is more than one-third full, it needs to be pumped.

Home Inspections and Septic Systems

Some additional items related to septic systems inspectors need to take into consideration when conducting a home inspection include the following:

The question I get from home buyers that always makes me chuckle: “Can I be there for part of the inspection?” I want the buyer there for the whole thing.  Whenever possible.   It allows me to focus on their particular concerns, it lets me tailor the report to their needs, and it helps them to understand everything a little better.

Client Concerns

I encourage my clients to attend the entire inspection so we can go through everything together.  I try to give myself a quick tour of the house and inspect the roof before my clients show up.  This eliminates some  ‘down time’ for my client.  After that, we talk about any particular concerns they have with the house, and I try to get a sense of what’s important to them… the stuff they might not know to tell me.  Some clients are very concerned that the house is safe for children, some are concerned with security,  others are planning a big remodel and don’t care if the windows in the back of the house are rotted.

The Report

Having my client attend the inspection helps me to write a much more customized report.  I make suggestions about ways to fix things,  and sometimes I suggest upgrades they could do to the house.  My clients will often ask me to put those recommendations in the report, and I also include hyperlinks in my reports to web sites if I know what my clients are interested in.  For instance, just yesterday I inspected a home for a client who was thinking about replacing his entire boiler system with a forced air furnace, so I included a link in his report to my blog about furnaces vs boilers. When my clients don’t attend the inspection, I end up having to write a report with my pickiest client in mind – you know, the person that expects every house to be perfect, and gets worried about hairline cracks in the basement floor.  I end up taking photos of a lot of things that aren’t problems and I document that they aren’t problems, because it saves worried phone calls later.  A good example is something call ‘checking’ in old wood beams, which is something that happens to old timbers as they dry out.   If my clients aren’t there to go through everything with me, they might confuse the checking with ‘cracks’ in their wood beams and think it’s a structural defect, when it’s really just something that happens to wood over time, and has no effect on the structural integrity.

Understanding

When my clients attend the inspection, we talk about the importance of repairs.  Some problems have little impact on the home as a whole, such as a rotted storm door or a deteriorated driveway.  On the other hand, a disconnected furnace vent in the attic is a serious defect that could cause a ridiculous amount of damage over a period of just one heating season.  Without discussing these items or seeing them firsthand, it’s difficult for buyers to prioritize these repairs.

If you schedule an inspection and the inspector doesn’t want you to attend, this is a big red flag.  Find another inspector.

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections – Email – Detailed Buyers Inspections RELATED POST:  Should Agents Attend The Inspection?

Home inspections are not ‘code’ inspections, and a lot of home inspectors treat the word ‘code’ as taboo.  They call it the ‘C-word’.  I even had one home inspector tell me he’s not allowed to use that word in Kentucky.  This is such a taboo word that I don’t use it much either, but I don’t think it has to be this way.

The basis of taboo Three of the largest home inspection organizations make it clear in their Standards of Practice that home inspectors are not required to report on code compliance.  For example, the ASHI Standards of Practice state that “Inspectors are NOT required to determine compliance with regulatory requirements (codes, regulations, laws, ordinances, etc.).”  There is nothing in the standards prohibiting home inspectors from determining compliance… it’s just not a requirement.

Where ‘code’ plays a role in home inspections Home inspections are conducted to educate the client – usually a home buyer.  The ASHI Standards of Practice states that Inspectors are required to report on Unsafe conditions, which is defined as a condition that is judged to be a significant risk to bodily injury during normal, day-to-day use; the risk may be due to damage, deterioration, improper installation, or a change in accepted residential construction standards.

Accepted Residential Construction Standards This is not explicity defined, but home inspectors all know that this means ‘building codes’.  This is how construction standards are defined.  Inspectors in different parts of the country have different building codes, so they also have different construction standards.  What is acceptable in one part of the country might be unacceptable in Minnesota.  Home inspectors should be expected to know what’s acceptable in their part of the country, and they should be able to prove it if necessary – this means citing code.

It’s always a judgement call Since 2003, the National Electric Code has required arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) for bedroom circuits.  AFCIs help to prevent fires.  Does the lack of an AFCI breaker in a home built before this requirement constitute an unsafe condition?   In other words, should a home inspector bring up this topic for homes built before this requirement, and recommend having AFCIs installed?  What about new construction homes?  If a home inspector doesn’t answer ‘yes’ to the last two questions or ‘no’ to the last two questions, they’re basing their answer on ‘code’, not ‘unsafe conditions’.  As home inspectors we often call these issues ‘construction defects’, but why not call a spade a spade?  It’s a code violation.

        

Cross Linked Polyethylene water tubing, or PEX, is a relatively new product which was first introduced in North America in 1984.  PEX has been primarily used for radiant floor heating, and more recently water distribution systems.  If you look at any new construction houses, this is probably what you’ll find supplying water throughout the home.  If you have any plumbing projects coming up, I recommend using PEX.  Here’s why:

Ease of installation My favorite feature of PEX tubing is its ease of installation.  I’ve soldered plenty of copper tubing, and it’s a time-consuming, pain-in-the-butt process.  Every length of tubing needs to be perfectly measured, cut, reamed, fluxed, and soldered.  I get flux all over myself, I usually end up burning myself on a piece of copper that I forgot was hot, and much care needs to be taken to make sure the torch doesn’t burn other materials in the home.

With PEX, all of this hassle is eliminated.  Because PEX is so flexible, you typically only need to eyeball the length of the tubing before cutting it, and the fittings are quite easy to join together – much easier than soldering.  The first time I installed PEX tubing it was so easy and so fast that it felt like I was cheating.  Plumbing isn’t supposed to be this easy.

Better water flow Instead of running large branch lines through the house and tapping off the branch lines with smaller lines to feed bathrooms, kitchens, and other rooms, PEX can be configured in what’s referred to as a ‘Home Run’.  This is done by installing a large manifold in the basement near where the water comes in to the house, and then running a separate water supply tube to every single plumbing fixture.  This means that you’ll have much less of a pressure drop when you’re running more than one fixture at the same time, and you’ll get hot water to your fixtures faster.  You can also install shutoff valves for every single line, so isolating a fixture can be done with ease.

Of course, a home run can be installed with any type of water distribution system, but the extra time and cost needed for most other systems typically prevents this from happening.  Oddly enough though, I rarely see home runs installed with PEX.

Less prone to failure Most failures with water supply pipes happens at the fittings, not in the piping itself.  With PEX, there are far fewer fittings needed because the material is so flexible.  Because PEX is so flexible, it is also freeze-break resistant.  In the last several years I’ve seen a ridiculous amout of burst copper tubing from freeze damage, but I’ve never seen freeze damaged PEX tubing.  PEX is also highly resistant to chemical damage.

If you decide to use PEX for your next plumbing project, plan to spend a little time getting trained on how to install it.  The methods for installing PEX tubing vary between manufacturers, and anyone installing PEX tubing is supposed to be certified by the manufacturer.  To get certified, check with the retailer you’re buying the PEX from.   The manufacturers of PEX tubing give free certification classes on a regular basis.