Wishful Thinking Is Not Enough

In the real world, something is either done right and works, or done poorly and doesn’t work.  No amount of hoping and wishing can change that.  When assessing a home during an Ottawa home inspection, I see many examples of wishful thinking.

A good example of this is shown in the photo.  Here we have a structural beam with one end completely rotted out.  Rather than replace the beam, a difficult and expensive proposition, someone tried to support the beam end with a small stud wall.  And, after the stud wall sank, they tried to level the beam with wood shims.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the next time this was inspected, there would be wads of chewing gum and duct tape somehow incorporated.

Improvising a fix to a serious problem never provides a reliable solution.  Hope is no substitute for technical design.  When you need to repair, replace, or provide reliable support for a key structural element, just do it.  There is no getting around it.  It makes for a safe and reliable home in the end.

Foundation Wall Rot

I pointed out in a previous blog that the foundation plays a vital role in holding up the house.  And most homes that I inspect in Ottawa have poured concrete foundations.  Concrete is one of the better construction materials having good strength in compression and being fire resistant.  Concrete is a composite construction material composed primarily of aggregate (coarse gravel or crushed rocks), Portland cement, and water.  The ability of a wall to last and provide reliable performance relies largely on its particular formulations and its surrounding environment.  The concrete in older foundation walls (over 60 years) was often formulated with a lower cement content.  This reduces the bonding ability of the concrete.  These older walls also have no waterproofing protection.

As it ages, the concrete wall can deteriorate and lose some of its ability to resist lateral forces (the earth pushing sideways).  This is caused by water seeping through the wall and washing out the binding cement.  A significant factor affecting the wall’s longevity is the amount of water that passes through the wall, contributing to the deterioration.  The less deteriorating water, the longer the wall life.  This means that a dry wall environment can provide good long term performance.  On the other hand, a cracked, leaky wall may not provide reliable service.

Repairs to these walls can only be effective when done on the exterior.  Any attempt to repair and cover the walls on the interior will inevitably fail and fall off (see photo).  At some point in the future the foundation may require (major) remedial work to reinforce the wall.  Eliminate any water migration through the wall (foundation water proofing).  Provide proper drainage around the foundation.  Repair the foundation wall.  Provide and maintain viewing access on the interior at strategic wall locations to monitor and assess the wall condition and performance.

Ceiling Mystery

One of the most common questions asked by clients during a home inspection here in Ottawa is: “What is that?”.  And usually there is little that can stump this experienced AccuChex home inspector.  After over 24 years, I have seen it all, almost . . .

Recently, a ‘thing’ protruding through the upper bedroom ceiling of a century home turned out to be quite a mystery (see photo).  It was some sort of wood plug.  There was a fair bit of water damage in the area.  So much so that mould appeared to be growing there.

There most likely was an old space heater chimney (a wood stove pipe) going through the ceiling and roof at this location.  The wood stove was removed when the central heating was installed.  Whoever removed the pipe didn’t take the time and care to patch and seal the ceiling properly.  They thought something like the bottom of an old wood pale would do.

This emphasizes the point that home repair shortcuts never make sense.  It is easier and cheaper in the long run to do the job right to start with.

Major Foundation Crack

The foundation is a very important part of your house.  It holds the house up!  And most homes that I inspect in Ottawa have poured concrete foundations.  Concrete is one of the better construction materials having good strength in compression and being fire resistant.  However, concrete is also a very brittle material.  It is very likely to crack.

Cracks can happen in new concrete when it sets up and cures.  This is due to normal shrinkage.  Cracks can also occur when the wall is subjected to loads and stresses greater than the inherent strength of the wall.  The existence of cracks does not necessarily indicate a serious structural problem.  Cracks should be monitored for changes in size (getting larger) and water penetration (leaking). 

How can you tell if a crack is large enough to be a serious concern?  Try the screw driver test.  Take a slotted screw driver and try to insert it into the crack (see photo of significant crack).  If you can get the whole blade and part of the shaft into the crack, then the size is indeed significant.  If the crack is this large or it is leaking, then further investigation will be necessary and remedial work may be required.

No matter what the size, it is generally a good idea to repair any cracks.  This will allow for better monitoring and to help prevent leaking.  It is also recommended that long term viewing access be maintained to assess and monitor the cracks on the interior.  These should be monitored for any reoccurrence or change in size or length.  Any cracks that are found to be growing should be investigated.  It is not possible to identify the cause based simply on a visual examination.  Additional engineering data on the foundation and subsoil conditions will be needed for a more positive evaluation.  This is critical to ensure that these cracks are not structurally significant.  If this is the case, remedial work (which can be significant) will be required.

Furnace Humidifier Gone Bad

You do not need a humidifier on your furnace.  There, I’ve said it.  Contrary to conventional wisdom, humidifiers are not only unnecessary in modern homes, they can be harmful.  I am regularly coming across these during my Ottawa home inspections.

The sensitive part of a furnace is the heat exchanger.  That is the part of the furnace that surrounds the fire chamber.  The heat exchanger captures the heat from combustion and transfers it to the air that is blown by the furnace.  The heat exchanger also ensures that the exhaust gases are safely directed to the outside, either through the chimney or the exhaust pipe.  If anything happens to the heat exchanger, it rusts or cracks, then generally a new furnace is required.

The biggest threat to the heat exchanger is water.  You do not want water anywhere near the heat exchanger.  A humidifier is generally perched just above the heat exchanger.  If it leaks, it can destroy the heat exchanger, and thus the furnace.  (See the photo.)

A humidifier can also pose a health hazard or environmental challenge.  The old sponge drum humidifiers are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and mould.  These can be easily distributed through the house in the air system.  This is of particular concern to anyone with environmental sensitivities or asthma.  The newer evaporator plate humidifiers operate with a constant flow of water.  It’s like a dripping faucet.  Not only is this costly, but it is a waste of a precious resource.

The reason a house feels too dry in the winter is because you are getting too much air infiltration.  That means winter air is leaking in through your doors and windows.  When you take cold winter air, warm it up to interior temperatures, you drop the relative humidity to the equivalent of the Sahara desert.  It is very dry.

But you have plenty of moisture generated in the winter: through showers, house plants, doing dishes, laundry, even breathing.  So there is no need to add more moisture.  If you find your house is too dry, then you need to seal the envelope: weatherstrip, caulk, or upgrade your doors and windows.  Just don’t install a humidifier.