Monthly Archives: July 2011

I wanted to know if it is best to seal up the weep holes at the bottom of my brick veneer walls on my 32 year old house, or is it best to leave them open. Also, a friend has 1/4″ cracks about 8” From both sides of one corner on his house slab. What is the best way to fix this?

The weep holes in the brick veneer need to be left open so that the any moisture that collects behind the veneer can drain or “weep” out. You can fill them with something like steel wool to try and keep … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged Auto, brick, brick veneer walls, corner, Draft, excessive movement, exterior, flexible material, moisture, slab, steel wool, weep holes | Leave a comment

We recently purchased a home and the seller said the bathtub had been painted. I had never heard of that but it looked pretty good at the time. Now I have noticed that the paint has some bubbles and it looks like it is starting to peel near the drain. I am not sure what I should do?

Posted by Baton Rouge Home Inspector

I have seen that in many homes I have inspected. I actually have a tub in a house I own that has done the same thing. Painted tubs look good for a while, but they just about always peel. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged Auto, bathtub, bubbles, Draft, drain, home, house, paint, permanent solution, soap | Leave a comment

I have noticed that the lights in my house flicker at times. They almost always flicker when the dishwasher or air conditioning unit comes on. I have noticed now that sometimes they flicker even when no appliances are on. My house is not that old so I cannot figure why it would do this. What can cause this problem?

Posted by Baton Rouge Home Inspector

Usually flickering lights is due to lose connections or an inadequate electrical system. Since your house is fairly new, then it is likely loose connections. The loose connections can be in your breaker panel or in the utility companies’ equipment. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged Auto, conditioning, Draft, electrical contractor, electrical panel, electrical supply, flicker, free solutions, house, loose connections, panel, problem | Leave a comment

I have noticed that water runs around the rim of my toilet bowl all of the time. Even when it has not been flushed for several hours’ water drips from around the rim. In fact, stains have started to show up on the bowl and I have never had a problem with stains in the past. Other than this, the toilet seems to work fine. Is there anything I can do to stop the leaking?

Posted by Baton Rouge Home Inspector

It sounds like the flapper in your toilet tank is leaking. This is the rubber thing at the bottom of the tank that lifts up when you flush the toilet. When the flapper is lifted up it allows the water … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged Auto, bowl, Draft, flapper, lowe s, problem, rubber, toilet bowl, toilet tank, universal replacement, water | Leave a comment

The doors in the bedrooms in my house close by themselves unless we block them open. Do you have any suggestions? How to keep them open without using doorstops; my wife does not like the way they look.

Posted by Baton Rouge Home Inspector

There are a couple of things you can do to solve this without using doorstops or block the door open. They make magnetic doorstoppers that are installed on the back of the door and wall that keep the doors open … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged Auto, back, block, cement, door, doorstoppers, Draft, friction, front, hinge, hinges, way | Leave a comment

I have had a problem with water seeping under my rear patio French door. Do you have any suggestions on how to stop this?

Posted by Baton Rouge Home Inspector

French doors are notorious for being a leak problem. They also commonly have problems with deterioration. The water is likely seeping under the threshold from rain hitting the door or from the splash when the water runs off of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged Auto, awning, door, Draft, french door, french doors, patio, problem, rear patio, silicone sealant, splash, water | Leave a comment

I live in an old house that is raised off of the ground. I night I hear scratching noise in the walls. My wife thinks is mice. I put traps out but have not caught any mice. I am beginning to think it might be something else. Do you have any ideas? I was taking a shower the other night and noticed the marble panels around my tub are loose. I looked but could not see any nails or screws to tighten to try and re-secure them to the wall. Can you tell me how I should try to fix this?

Posted by Baton Rouge Home Inspector

Most of the times these panels are attached to the wall with some kind of adhesive or glue. What most commonly happens is the walls or panels are not cleaned well before the adhesive is applied and the panels pull … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged adhesive, adhesives, Auto, Draft, glue, ground, house, marble, marble panels, screws, taking a shower | Leave a comment

I noticed that there is a lot of mold or mildew on the overhang on my house. I also noted that the bricks on the bottom of the walls are discolored, almost black in some areas. Is this something to be concerned with and how can I clean it?

Posted by Baton Rouge Home Inspector

This is something us southerners deal with all of the time. Most the time this is just common mildew or dirt that has accumulated on the overhang and exterior walls. What I would try first is to mix a cleaner … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged Auto, cup, double insulated windows, Draft, exterior, exterior walls, garden sprayer, jomax, mold, pressure, pressure washer, water | Leave a comment

When I got into the attic I could not find any holes or anything that looks like it would leak. The only thing in the area is the pipe from the heater that goes through the roof. Can water be leaking from the heater?

Posted by Baton Rouge Home Inspector

The leak may be coming from the flashing or storm collar at the heater vent roof penetration. This is a fairly common area where leaks occur. If your roof is not too steep, and you feel comfortable getting on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged Auto, collar, Draft, hardware, leak water, penetration, quality roof, roof penetration, roofer, sealant, storm collar, water | Leave a comment

I bought an older home (about 35 years old) and the inspector told us that there are no GFCI’s where they are needed. I am not 100% sure how to correct this. How do I go about having this taken care of?

Posted by Baton Rouge Home Inspector

That is a pretty easy fix. For the readers that maybe don’t know what a GFCI is, it stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. Its only purpose is to keep you from being shocked or electrocuted. It is pretty easy … Continue reading →

Posted in Ask the Home Inspector | Tagged Auto, Circuit, Draft, fault circuit interrupter, garage carport, GFCI, gfci breaker, gfci outlet, ground fault circuit interrupter, home, inspector, protection | Leave a comment

Monthly Archives: July 2011

I wanted to know if it is best to seal up the weep holes at the bottom of my brick veneer walls on my 32 year old house, or is it best to leave them open. Also, a friend has 1/4″ cracks about 8” From both sides of one corner on his house slab. What is the best way to fix this?

We recently purchased a home and the seller said the bathtub had been painted. I had never heard of that but it looked pretty good at the time. Now I have noticed that the paint has some bubbles and it looks like it is starting to peel near the drain. I am not sure what I should do?

The doors in the bedrooms in my house close by themselves unless we block them open. Do you have any suggestions? How to keep them open without using doorstops; my wife does not like the way they look.

I have had a problem with water seeping under my rear patio French door. Do you have any suggestions on how to stop this?

I noticed that there is a lot of mold or mildew on the overhang on my house. I also noted that the bricks on the bottom of the walls are discolored, almost black in some areas. Is this something to be concerned with and how can I clean it?

When I got into the attic I could not find any holes or anything that looks like it would leak. The only thing in the area is the pipe from the heater that goes through the roof. Can water be leaking from the heater?

I bought an older home (about 35 years old) and the inspector told us that there are no GFCI’s where they are needed. I am not 100% sure how to correct this. How do I go about having this taken care of?

Recent Tweets:

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories

Blogroll