Several years back, I was performing a Home Inspection for an out of state couple. The home was seven years old with a crawl space foundation. The inspection was going well with a few repairs and maintenance items noted, until I got to the master bathroom. I filled up the whirlpool tub with cold water and operated the jets as is typical. When the water was drained from the tub it emptied very slowly. This was most unusual since with a newer house there are plastic drain pipes, which don't tend to clog up. I was puzzled but had to wait for the crawl part of the inspection to find the answer. When the area was viewed from the crawl space I saw what had happened. The plumber never connected the drain pipe from the whirlpool to the main drain and the insulation contractor shoved batt insulation up between the floor joists which slowed the water draining.

When I got out of the crawl space the buyers were waiting for my explanation. I told them the plumber might have forgot where he finished off and when the insulation installer saw the large open drain pipe, he said "not my job" and covered it with floor insulation. We all had a good laugh over this. Just another day in the life of a Home Inspector.
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I would like to discuss the importance of proper grading and rainwater drainage adjacent to the foundation walls of the home. There should be positive slope away from the foundation walls for about 10 feet. Proper grading should look like a ski slope going away from the foundation. Gutters along with splash blocks positioned properly to divert rainwater away are also important. Many times gutters are present but splash blocks are missing or tilting towards the foundation. This will just concentrate and have rainwater flow towards the foundation walls.

The problems when grading and rainwater drainage are not addressed properly are many. Some of these problems are foundation wall cracking, higher incidence of insect infestation and water seepage with resulting high interior moisture readings and Fungi growth along with wood deterioration in crawl spaces.
     Al Drandorff
    License #207

     Performing
   Thorough and
   Honest Home
    Inspections
    Since 1993.
Call today for an Inspector you can trust.

252-671-3839
E-mail: 
Al@AdvancedHomeInspector.com