Category Archives: Exterior grounds

Underground Electrical Service

Written on March 4, 2013 by in Electrical, Exterior grounds, Fire safety

When an electrical conduit develops a gap as the photo depicts below the meter box, this opening can let water inside the conduit. In this photo , apparently for some time.  This is not a good situation.  Any small pin holes in the covering of the electrical cables will cause deterioration, especially when the main conductors are aluminum, which is normally installed.

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Also since there is a separation of the exterior protective conduit, this indicates that there is also pressure pulling the electric cables downward- that could affect the integrity of the electrical connections within the meter box. The meter box is the place where the underground cables are connected to the house.  It is where an additional cable is fastened and is connected to the main service panel usually within the house garage or basement.

More often than not, when a conduit settles, as viewed in the photo, soil within the trench was insufficiently compacted during construction. The soil grade will settle normally around a house over time . That’s why one should wait a couple of years before planting shrubs or  landscaping.

Often the soil settles 6 to 12 inches but is not a concern as long as the trench was properly compacted during the installation.  In this case the soil must have settled about 4 inches after the underground conduit was installed, judging from the distance between the soil and he foundation paint.

As soil settles it puts pressure on the underground conduit protecting the service conductors. Eventually the pressure became too great for the connection under the meter box — you can see that the conduit completely separated, and may be still  slowly pulling apart.

This situation will eventually will become a problem. The three large cables between the conduit and box are the electrical service conductors. They are carrying the electrical load to the house.

Looseness in (or damage to) the neutral service conductor can cause wild fluctuations in voltage. Anything different than what is considered normal can cause many problems. Appliances and fixtures don’t want too much or too little voltage – motors can literally burn up and light bulbs will burn out. Obviously, since the electrical connections are not visible during the home inspection, further evaluation is advised here by a reputable electrical contractor.

 

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Wet Basements

Written on December 14, 2012 by in Appliances, exterior drainage systems, Exterior grounds, exterior walls, Mold, Structure

The best defense against moisture penetration and the prevention of  cracks in basement walls is good drainage near the foundation wall. A small amount of dampnessmay  sometimes be considered normal for an older home, due to the older  construction methods and standards. If a  damp caoting of the foundation was appliedaround the perimeter of the foundation, it may have aged and is no longer useful. Typical lifesapn of damp proofing is about 40 years. Most codes today recommend waterproofing the basement walls.

 

If any depressions around the foundation exist, they should be filled and graded away from the house. Pitch slope of soils away from foundation. Slope should fall away from the foundation at a minimum of 1/2 inch per foot and extend at least 10 feet away from the foundation.

Verticle settlement cracking may also be noted, although most of these cracks are small hairline cracks that are not  significant structural defects.and are considered normal for most homes. Stair-step cracks/or stress cracks noted may be more of a concern and indicate settlement of the foundation has occured. These types of cracks may allow moisture to penetrate and enter the building envelope. Sealing/repointing of cracks is recommended. Reparging of a brick foundation is recommended to prevent additional deterioration.

Major cracks/and bulges on foundation wall will occur if the has been significant movement of the soil grade beneath the foundation walls.  These cracks may indicate that correction to the exterior grade is necessay, If tree roots may be  pushing against foundation where he tree should be removed. If water is moving toward the foundation pusing the soil against the basement walls, corrections will be necessary.

 

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Front Step Problem

Written on November 29, 2012 by in Exterior grounds, Masonry steps, Structure

The front steps leading to the home is used many time dring the day and is considered a mainstay of the home both asthetically and structuraly. When friends come to visit they rely on the integrity of this throughfare.

When in the market for a new home consideration must be given to the cost of either repairing or replacing masonry steps that lack maintenance. Steps that do not look good to even the inexperienced eye are probably loaded with hidden problems. Over the years during the winter seasons homeowners use salt or other products to melt the ice from the steps. This has a tendency to go beneath the surface and deteriorate the structure of the steps.

Normally steps built in the fifties consisted of either concrete block but probably mostly cinder blocks. Salt can effect the structure of the steps adversely. Of course masonry component smay loosen from time to time and can be repaired easily. But after years of use the underlying structual cinder blocks may have seen their day. Often times, once remedial work has first been started, more and more damage is found. There’s no sense in building or repairing on top of someting that has crumbled and is no longer structurall efficient. The whole  steps may have to be rebuilt.

Another consideration are the iron railings that are mounted into the concrete blocks or bricks. If their in good condition they can be used again. But if not, than the wrought iron railings will need to be replaced. And that is an expensive consideration. Often times if one has to rebuild the steps it may be a good idea to install aluminum railings- that do not rust. Thereby saving you the anxiety of replacing the old iron railing in the near future.

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Hidden Oil Tanks

Written on July 14, 2012 by in Exterior grounds, Heating, Mechanical systems, Oil tanks, Plumbing

During my home inspections I sometimes find indications of a past used oil tank. Old oil tank fuel lines in the basement are a tell tale sign that an oil tank has been on the property at one time. The questions that remain to be answered are if the tank is still there, if the tank has been removed and is no longer there; and if and when the oil tank was removed or is still in place, was it properly decommissioned?

 

If there are questions that remain as to if and when there were or still is an oil tank on the property that you would like to buy, the best thing you can do for yourself is to have the property scanned for underground metal tanks. The are speciality companies that will come out and do this for a modest service charge. The service person walks the grounds near the house and looks for any indications of a large metal mass. If found, the next step is to probe and actually find the tank using a large metal probing bar. Then finally to outline the perimeter of the hidden tank.

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