I'm curious if any of you have seen what some of these folks who are supposedly winterizing homes are doing to the supply lines at the meter?

Check out the picture below.

How do you handle your inspection when you arrive and find the home winterized?

Many I know just go ahead and turn the water back on at the meter if they have shut it down completely or padlock the valve. This is only after they have went through the house and made sure all the fixtures are off.

They start doing this every year here in the DFW area around November every year and it sure screws up the inspection for sure.

These guys are also I've noticed draining the water heaters but leaving the breaker in the on position in the panel. I always make notation of it on my report that it should have been turned off when the water heater was drained and the person who drained it should be responsible if damages have occured to the water heater.

Also watch those garage doors, the idiots are locking them also with the overhead opener still in operable mode.

rick

Attached Images

CIMG1010.jpg (50.5 KB, 199 views)

Rick, I have not seen that done before. Why would they put the valve on the meter side? Maybe so they can still water the lawn, and clean?
I will bet this will be much more prevalent for us since there are so many vacant properties. It seems most of my inspections now are on vacant properties, where a year ago vacant properties were a much smaller percentage. I actually prefer the vacant ones except for dealing with the occasional "winterized" property and 2' tall grass out in the country.

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Jim Luttrall
Mr. Inspector.net, Inc.
Allen, Texas 75002

I have done several homes that had been winterized.

I do not turn on water at the meter. If the agent wants to and will take the legal responsibility, then it is on them.

I do the inspection and in the report state that the plumbing fixtures and funtional flow could not be inspected because the water was turned off at the meter.

So far all the winterized homes I have done are foreclosures being purchased by investors who plan on doing some rehab to the property.

At one inspection, the agent turned on the water at the meter. The buyer, seller, and agent were gabbing while I did the inspection. They wandered into the bathroom and there was a big puddle on the floor. Agent turned off the water, went down the street to his house and brought back a mop and bucket and cleaned up.

Several others the buyer accepeted it as just something they would deal with during rehab.

Did one last week. Agent turned on water at the meter and got sprayed in the face. He turned it off and tried again. Got sprayed again. Stream was 5-6 feet in the air. Agent contacted seller and asked to have the city repair the meter. ELectiric meter had been pulled, service lateral cut, gas turned off and padlocked, water meter turned off. A week later seller asks for second trip. Agent goes to property and finds still no electric meter and service lateral still cut. Put second inspection on hold until utilities available.

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Bruce Ramsey
Advocate Inspections
www.NCAdvocate.com

I schedule my own jobs and one question I ask is if the home is vacant and if it is I ask if all the utilities are on. If something is off then I tell the client there will be some things that I won't be able to check.

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Eric Barker
Moraine Woods Consulting, Inc.
Barrington, IL

One of the questions I always ask during the initial call process is to ask, "is the home vacant or occupied?"

If vacant-- that prompts me to ask:
"Are all the utilities on?"
"Has the home been winterized, yet?"

They ususally have to get with the realtor to find out, then call me back and tell me that the electrial and gas is on but the water is off at the meter-- but they said it's ok for the inspector to go ahead and turn it on...

My reply... "Sure! I'll send over my waiver of liability, have the realtor or seller sign it and fax it back to me". "They can either sign the waiver or show up and turn it on themselves and I will forego the waiver."
(see attached waiver-- used this one today).

Ends up, the listing agent did not want to sign, so he came over and turned on the water.

Richard

Attached Images

Waiver of Liability--utilities off.pdf (8.8 KB, 70 views)

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"If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?"
Richard Rushing, HCRI
Duncanville, Tx.

I will pressure check the supply lines. It only takes a few minutes to bungy cord the toilet floats up and ensure that all of the valves and faucets are closed then pressure up with compressed air unsing the hose bib or washing machine connection. I do charge for this extra service but without it the client will not know anything aout the water lines. I have been given inspections in the past because I offer this service and most other inspectors don't.

Granted, I can not check the drains, but at least they will know if there is a leak in the supply line. If there is a leak, I try to identify the location of one leak and recommend that the lines are pressure tested again with air prior to turning on the water after that leak has been repaired. The leaks are pretty easy to find due to the noise from the escaping air (even behind walls).

I do not turn on the water to the home, but notify the client that if he/she wants to turn it on that they will be the ones responsible if there are leaks. I will not allow the water to be turned on if I have not pressure checked it or there is a leak and yes, I do get a signed waiver releasing me from any liability if there are problems.

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Integrity Inspection Service, LLC
www.irsindy.com
(317) 345-1828

I never inspect winterized properties. Those who winterized it can de-winterize it before my inspection or I will not do it. I simply cannot afford to spend the extra time turning everything on, lighting pilots, etc. I cannot charge extra - the market will not bear it.

And, did I mention that I skirt liability issues like the plague? Richard's well-written hold harmless notwithstanding, I prefer not to roll the dice by being the guy who floods the house. If a valve is turned off it is always for a reason. That reason is not always the one you assume it to be.

Aaron

I just did one in September that had been winterized and was De-winterized supposedly. Boiler had water around its base and the service switch was in off position. No way was I turning service switch to on position. How do I know they did not winterize the property properly and water froze in boiler and now there is a leak. As soon as I start the boiler they would say I broke it. Told client to have Oil Company out to have it serviced before closing. Realtor says well it is being sold as is. Not my problem. I told them before inspection all utilities needed to be on. Tankless hot water also could not check hot water either among other things. Basically a real pain in the ass.

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Dave

The thing with these is, you can take *nothing* for granted.

I recently did a "winterized" foreclosure where I badly burned the back of my hand when it brushed up against the boiler's circulating pump - the power switch to the boiler was installed upside down, and the pump had been running dry for two months. (My IR thermometer read the temp at the impeller housing at 372F).

Then the burners on the (drained down) water heater kicked in...

A smart man learns from his experience.
A truly smart man learns from other people's experience.

This thread (heck, this whole forum) offers the opportunity for several cases of being a truly smart man.

Here's another.

Should you decide to turn on the water, you also need to make sure that the washer hose connections are turned off. (Something I was just a smart man about!)

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Erby Crofutt, Georgetown, KY
B4U Close Home Inspections & Radon Testing
www.b4uclose.com www.kentuckyradon.com

Erby,

A truly smart man lets the agent turn the water on.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )

And the truly smart man learned that from other people's (smart man's)experience.

-

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Erby Crofutt, Georgetown, KY
B4U Close Home Inspections & Radon Testing
www.b4uclose.com www.kentuckyradon.com

The winterized house thing is a bit of a hassle... and it's only going to get worse with all of the forclosures.

One interesting thing I picked up at a cont. ed conference once that a lot agent aren't even aware of is that in most purchase agreements the sellers agree to keep the property fully functional with all of the utilities on and in 'working order' for the purposes of inspection.

This has helped me get out from under being the 'bad guy' because I won't de-winterize the place. I've had several agents pull out the paperwork on the kitchen counter only to find out I'm right. It's fun watching them call and scream at the listing agent.... you'd think the agents would read this stuff......

Matt,

Around this area, a seller will have the utilities shut off when they move out even if their house is on the market.

Most think they can save a few bucks doing so but it can actually slow down the sale of a home and some instances just kill the deal.

The State of Texas sales agreement states that the seller should be responsible for turning on the utilites for inspection purposes.

Some are throwing up the saying, We'll were selling the house "as is" and we're not turning the utilities on. Where does this logic come from when your trying to sell a home you probably need to get rid of?

I had one the other day, that the seller had everything off and when told that it would take a few days to get them on had the nerve to tell the buyer he's hoped they were on before the option period ended or the buyer would be buying it anyway.

I told my client about the clause on the contract and that actually his contract didn't mean jacks*@# because the seller hadn't fullfilled his obligation of "providing utilities for inspection purposes" and maybe we should just look elsewhere for another home. Afterall who in their right mind would buy a home without having the utilities on to know their going to work once they have moved in?

The seller extended the option period.

rick

Rick,

I fight this crap all the time...

If the seller and agent give me a waiver of liability... heck... I'll do anything to not have to return to the property.

The picture you posted is not the normal but is the exception that were seeing. I've recently run across one exactly like what you have there. I tell the buyer that we can't do a good inspection without water on and the seller is just wasting his time and money without having it on.

I tell them my return fee and let them know that in accordance with the TREC contract, it is the buyer and the buyers agent requirement to have all utilities on at the time of inspection. Therefore, the buyer or the buyers agent should have to pay the return fee. About half the time, I get the agent to pay the buyer and I collect from them. Pizzes-off the agents to no end that I would inform them what the requirements are.

From the TREC Sales contract-- as follows:7. PROPERTY CONDITION:A. ACCESS, INSPECTIONS AND UTILITIES:Seller shall permit Buyer and Buyer's agent access to the property at reasonable times. Buyer may have the property inspected by inspectors selected by Buyer and licensed by TREC or otherwise permitted by law to make inspections. Seller at Seller's expense shall turn on existing utilities for inspections.

Richard
(Just another Dick)

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"If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?"
Richard Rushing, HCRI
Duncanville, Tx.

Richard,

And how many times have we been told or asked to turn on the water at the meter?

It has been a long time practice of inspectors in our area to turn on the water after it has been turned off. Yeah, we go in and make sure all the fixtures are off before doing so, but there is a lot of responsibility in doing so.

I don't turn on any utilities anymore at all. I can remember years ago a HI I did the WDI for would actually remove the restriction cap in the meter to turn on the gas.

Have you seen these new red tags the City of Dallas is strapping to the meter?

Attached Images

Red Tag.jpg (33.7 KB, 45 views)

I won't turn water on...with or without a waiver. Early on, against my better judgment, I let the buyer's agent do it in a vacant home. He had assured the buyer--who assured me-- that the listing agent "guaranteed" that it would be on. When it wasn't, I was asked by the listing agent to turn it on and I politely refused, citing liability issues. I allowed the buyer's agent to borrow a wrench from my bag and turn it on. I went inside to monitor for problems. Sure enough, a fitting in the crappy, exposed DIY CPVC clothes washer connections blew apart. Water shot straight up to the ceiling. Fortunately, no one asked me to pay for anything.
My standard procedure when booking the inspection is to ask whether ALL utilities are on if it's a vacant home. I've actually booked a lot of jobs by doing that simple thing. After I explain that I really don't want to do an inspection where I can't do a complete and thorough job the client figures out that I'm really looking out for their best interests, not trying to shorten the time I spend on a job. Seems that a lot of inspectors around here never ask about utilities. I hate to sound cynical (but I will) by suggesting that they like to find utilities off upon arriving. They can then point out that it's not their responsibility to have utilities turned on. They insert a quick disclaimer about being unable to test water related items (and/or gas) and finish early. They go home happy since they get paid in full while having spent less time on the job.

The client doesn't feel so happy. I prefer a happy client to a marginally shorter work day.

Rick,

Yup. Seen'em several times. The city of Dallas will actually write you a ticket if they see you turning on the water-- usually a $200.00 type.

rr

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"If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?"
Richard Rushing, HCRI
Duncanville, Tx.

I did a foreclosure property a couple of weeks ago. Buyer was with me during the inspection. Asked her to call their agent and determine if it was okay to operate faucets/toilets/etc. It was a strange deal, all of the faucets and toilets had little stickers on them indicating they were winterized, but the water to the main was on when I started the inspection. Im not sure we will even get our week of winter this year with global warming.............