Other
Inspection Issues
Septic & well water, sinkholes, wind mitigation inspections, four point inspections,
Stucco covered plywood and EIFS, Special use Occupancies.
Septic and Well Water:
If you have an onsite wastewater system
it is either a cesspool or a septic system. Both require maintenance and cesspools are no longer legal
although some may have been grandfathered. A cesspool is simply a rock lined pit with a cover. A septic
system consists of a holding tank and a drain field. The waste goes into the holding tank where it is treated
with naturally occurring anaerobic bacteria to break it down. During this process some solids settle out
to the bottom of the tank. The liquid then flows over a weir and out into an underground drain fields where it is distributed
over a wide area and sinks into the ground. As is percolates down through the soil it slowly purifies so
that, hopefully, by the time it reaches ground water it is potable. Septic systems can and do pollute water in streams and
creeks. Some areas with low soil percolation rates require special systems with pumps and sand mound drain fields. Every septic
system needs the tank sludge pumped out about once per year. If it isn’t pumped, sludge will get
into the drain field and plug it up. Then you are faced with digging up the drain field and replacing it. Expensive! There
are also monthly doses of bacteria, trade name “Ridex”, that should be added. Every home with a septic system
should have that system inspected by a licensed septic contractor, in conjunction with a normal pre purchase home inspection.If you have a cess pool, do not run washing
machine drain water into it. The detergent kills the necessary bacteria. Run it into a separate dry well. This situation is
not as bad with a septic tank since they tend to be larger and the retention time is longer which allows the bacteria to recover.
Also, if you have a septic tank, or cesspool do not operate a food garbage disposal. Garbage disposals
create a very high organic and sludge load that cesspools and septic systems were not designed to handle.If you have an onsite water supply or well water, it should
be tested at a laboratory for potability. Most well water systems are in rural areas and your well may be contaminated by
your own or a neighbor’s septic system or even surface water runoff from your own or a neighbor’s livestock.
You may have a shallow or a deep well. Shallow wells are 25 feet deep or less and are far more susceptible to contamination.
Wells should be cased (big pipe) down to rock or clay and the casing grouted in place with concrete. The casing should stick
up at least 6 inches and be securely capped. We will always recommend a well be tested for flow and water
purity by a licensed well contractor. Better yet, opt for a home with city water and sewer.
Sinkholes:
Florida is known for sinkholes. The underlying ground structure
is limestone with many voids, usually filled with ground water. As long as they are full there isn’t
a problem. But if the ground water is removed or depleted in a severe drought, they may collapse. This collapse is sometimes
noticed on the surface as a collapse of the ground structure called a sinkhole. Polk County is not as susceptible
as many other Florida Counties. And most mortgage companies do not require sinkhole insurance in Polk County. But it has had
1563 reported sinkholes since 1971. Most are small, 10 feet or less in diameter and less than ten feet
in depth. Many are only just noticeable depressions in the ground surface. However, in 2006 a sinkhole opened under Scott
Lake, southeast of Lakeland and almost drained this large lake.A home inspector cannot inspect for sinkhole potential. There
are firms who will promise a “free” sinkhole inspection. This is an attempt to get a homeowner to contract for
expensive drilling and underpinning work. Carefully read the guarantee. There is none or there are so many exclusions that
the guarantee is worthless. Current codes require a developer to do a ground penetrating radar test prior to a permit for a large residential development
but even these tests are not a guarantee. The best indication is to check if there has been previous sinkhole activity in
the area your home is in. It should be noted that most Polk County sinkholes have occurred in an area roughly
NE and NW of Bartow (RT98 & RT17), however there have been occurrences over most of the county. All Wells Inspections
LLC can do is to look for obvious signs in the area. If your home site is close to the western edge of
Polk or within a couple of miles from farms that use ground water for irrigation or for frost damage prevention, your risk
is higher.
Wind Mitigation Inspections:
After hurricane Andrew hit Florida the
state authorized and paid for 400,000 inspections of residential properties concentrating on potential for wind damage in
major storms. In 2009 they stopped that program. However, insurance companies were required to allow homeowner paid wind mitigations
inspections (WMI) as a method for home owners to use to attempt to prove lower risk and lower their insurance premium. The
WMI is a state certified inspection completed by state certified and licensed inspectors that documents, on a state required
form, installed wind damage protection systems installed on your home. You do not pass or fail a WMI but there are levels
of protection and the higher the level the higher the potential for insurance premium reduction. Generally the newer the home,
the more stringent the code it was constructed under, and the higher the level of wind damage protection it has. Insurance
companies already know this and are required by the state to adjust premiums accordingly. Retrofitting older homes for higher
levels of protection can be very expensive. The right time to do a retrofit is when you are doing things like replacing a
roof or installing new windows.Although
Polk County is not in a major hurricane risk zone, wind speeds up to 110 mph occurred during the 3 recent direct hit (Charlie,
Frances, & Jeanne 2004) hurricanes passing over Polk County. Polk also had a confirmed tornado in the spring of 2011.
The state places Polk County in the Level 1 (least) hurricane wind risk zone. Coastal areas are Level 2
and 3, especially the Miami Dade area. These higher risk areas also are considered to be in special “Wind
Borne Debris Regions”. Wind borne debris can penetrate the building envelope, allow high winds to
over pressurize the home interior and cause catastrophic damage. Polk County wind borne debris standards require protection
against a 4.5 pound 2x4 delivered end on at 27 miles per hour. Few unprotected windows can stand up to that. The potential
for wind damage is related to the location, height, surrounding topography, and construction of the home. For example, hip
roofs are better than gable roofs; attached car ports and porches are bad; unreinforced garage doors fail easily; metal roll
shutters over windows are good. You should note that window film is not recognized by any insurance company as a wind borne
debris protective measure.A
WMI inspects the entire structure, measures the structure, checks construction details like how the roof structure is attached
to the walls, roof sheathing attachments, window and door resistance to overpressure and wind borne debris, and many other
details. It requires the homeowner to come up with documentation on any protective measures they have installed. It does not
recommend additional changes; it only documents what is there. Each structural component is rated by level of protection.
Should you get a WMI? Only if you have significantly added wind protection equipment or structures
to your home. Talk to your insurance company first. Having a WMI is no guarantee of lower insurance premiums.Wells Inspections LLC is a state certified
WMI inspector. Our fees are based on the size of a home and run in the $200 to $300 range.
Four Point Inspections:
Many home insurance companies require a
“Four Point Inspection” prior to issuing or renewing homeowner’s insurance policies. A Four-Point Insurance Inspection is far less in scope than
a standard home inspection. It is a limited, visual survey of the heating/air conditioning, roof, electrical, and plumbing
systems and must be conducted by a licensed inspector and reported on a standard form required by the state of Florida. Wells
Inspections, LLC is certified and licensed to do four point inspections and our rates for a standalone four point are normally
$150. If the client so desires, we will prepare the standard four point form in conjunction with the formal report on a standard
home inspection at no additional cost to the client.A client should understand that many insurance companies will decline to write a homeowner’s insurance
policy if conditions exist in the home that they feel increases their risk to unacceptable levels. These conditions include
the presence of “knob and tube” wiring, fuses instead of circuit breakers, polybutylene potable water plumbing,
unvented natural gas heaters, and etc. Most of these situations only occur in homes constructed prior to
the 1950s and never updated.
Stucco
covered plywood and EIFS:
EIFS (Engineered Insulated Finish System) and stucco covering over all but masonry
has proven to be a concern. However, builders continue to use stucco covered plywood as the exterior sheathing on many new
homes in Florida. Not all stucco covered plywood or its prefabricated equivalent, an engineered plywood, foam insulation and
thin (1/4”) stucco sandwich (EIFS) panel, is bad if it is installed with attention to detail and the strict use of flashing,
edge sealing and caulking techniques followed by strict ongoing maintenance of the surface and seals that preclude moisture
from penetration. Sadly, not all builders follow this strict protocol. If moisture is allowed to penetrate to the insulation
or plywood core, the core will deteriorate and the structural wood will start the process of dry rot. Our
inspector has seen areas where the entire corner of a structure, including studs, window headers, sill plates, floor joist,
and all the sheathing dry rotted to the point where it was just powder and it was invisible from both the interior and exterior
of the structure until failure occurred. Stucco covered plywood is a hidden defect with the potential for significant structural
damage. And if the stucco cracks, moisture infiltration just gets worse.Even a concrete block home can have this problem in the gables, porch ceilings,
and decorative trim elements where a contractor will use stucco covered plywood. At the minimum, stucco covered plywood, or
even OSB (orientated strand board – a panel made from chopped and glued wood chips), should have a waterproof continuous
sheathing over the plywood, a metal or plastic lath covering attached and every attachment sealed, and then two layers of
stucco applied finished by a waterproof paint. Every edge of the plywood must be sealed with a waterproof sealant and every
joint must be filled with a waterproof, flexible, sealant. Better systems also use treated plywood.Wells Inspections LLC is well aware of the problems associated
with stucco covered plywood and will advise the client of areas they should be concerned about. Generally there is no easy
solution if moisture has penetrated. Removal and replacement is indicated. It should be noted that the actual EIFS panel material
is no longer permitted on any home that most mortgage companies will accept and insurance coverage of such materials is excluded
in the fine print in most insurance policies. There have been multiple law suites regarding EIFS.
Special Use Occupancies:
Some people plan to use the home they are
purchasing for other than owner occupation. If you intend to rent the structure, use it as a licensed day care facility, use
part of it as a retail establishment, and etc. you need to be aware that additional inspections and certifications may be
necessary and that a standard home owner’s insurance policy may not cover you.