How To Look At A House
McGarry and Madsen's home inspection blog for buyers of
site-built, mobile/manufactured and modular homes
Saturday, July 6, 2019
A home inspection is primarily a visual review of a home and the inspector is required to examine the visible, or readily accessible, shut-off valves. What the inspector is not required to do is test the valves, and with good reason. Old or defective valves often leak when opened or closed, sometimes the leaking cannot be stopped by resetting the valve, and older valves are sometimes frozen in position due to corrosion. So the inspector cannot tell you if the valves actually function, but older valves with corrosion should be noted for further evaluation by a plumber—like in the photo above..
The State of Florida’s standards, along with those of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI), specifically state that the inspector is not required to test valves. The American Socity of Home Inspectors (ASHI) standards do not directly address the issue, but it is not in the list of required inspection points.
Inspectors ARE required to describe the location of the main water shut-off and main fuel shut-off valves. This is important to know for emergency use. We make a point of showing the homebuyers where they are if they attend the inspection.
Click on any of the links below to read other articles about what is required to be included, or not, in a home inspection:
Here’s links to a collection of our blog posts about SHUT-OFF VALVES:
• Does a home inspector locate the main water shut-off valve?
• What is the average life expectancy of plumbing fixture water shut-off valves?
Visit our PLUMBING page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.
