Inspecting a Private Well

Inspecting a Private Well

 

 

Home Inspectors conduct inspections along a set of SOP’s or Standards of Practice.  These establish some boundaries to tell inspectors and clients what is involved in a Home Inspection and what is not.  These boundaries are not always hard and fast, no matter how clearly they are worded.  The SOP’s clearly state that a home inspector “…shall observe and report on the readily accessible; roofing materials and condition; roof drainage systems; flashing; skylights, chimneys and roof penetrations.”  However, nowhere does it mention that an inspector must walk the roof to do this.  Many inspectors do, but many; myself included; do not ever get up on a pitched roof to inspect it. It is a judgment call in either case, and no blame can be laid on either side for their choice.

 

Many services an inspector provides fall beyond the literal scope of the SOP’s. For example, there in our SOP’s it says … “home inspectors do not inspect underground systems or items such as septic systems or private wells…”  Nothing could be plainer than that, simple, done, let’s move on.  However, is that the end of our responsibility? Does that take us off the hook as far as our service to our clients?  Legally yes; but this is one of those gray areas that I think home inspectors define for themselves.  Most home inspectors will do what they feel comfortable with and will consult the SOP’s only as their guidelines.

 

I think that even though the SOP says we don’t inspect wells, we should at least try to provide guidance for our client.  The measurement term that is used by well drilling companies to determine if the well is ‘good’ or not is the “Recovery Rate”.  How many gallons per minute will it recover or fill back up?  This is a test Home Inspectors do not do because it requires specialized equipment and a certain amount of disassembling.  This test provides the number that determines between a ‘good’ well and a ‘bad’.

 

But just because we cannot do that test does not mean we can’t tell them about the condition of the well equipment that we can see, and it doesn’t mean that we can’t tell them about the quantity of water available.  That’s why home inspectors will inspect the pressure tank, switch assembly, and pressure gauge.  Most home inspectors will perform a well flow test and watch the operation of the system during that test.

 

A word of caution when performing a well flow test; explain to your client that the well flow test does not indicate the well is ‘good’ or ‘bad’.  Often the client thinks that because the well passed the well flow test, that it means the well is good.  There could be nothing further from the truth.  This is the opportunity to instruct and educate your client to the importance of having the experts come out to perform the proper testing.

Well Pumps

Well Pumps

 

I attended a Continuing Education class yesterday and the subject for 3 hours was Shallow and Drilled wells.  The speaker was from a company that has been in the business for 65 years, he is a 3^rd generation owner of a well drilling company, so I feel comfortable with his knowledge base.  This type of focused topic class is extremely important because it provides the opportunity to learn in-depth information about one particular area of expertise.  A house has many different areas to learn and it takes a long time to become even conversant in all of them.  It is a very long journey before you know everything there is to know about houses.  I doubt if anyone has ever got to the end.

When inspecting a home whose water source is a private well one needs to get as much information as possible from the few visible clues provided.  This is important because there is a significant difference in the value of a drilled well as compared to the value of a shallow well.  If the house is advertised as a drilled well and you have a shallow well pump (one pipe pump) it raises a red flag and you should alert your client to the fact it may not be what is advertised.  Of course, Home Inspectors do not inspect wells and determining if it is a good well or a bad well is up to the well drilling professional, but we should be looking for signs of possible issues. 

I once had a client who said that the house he was interested in was on a drilled well.  During the inspection things just didn’t look right. I went out to the back yard and just lifted the well-head.  It was merely a casing placed in the back yard with no well under it.  The shallow well and the pump were in a small shed further back on the property.  Nobody was happy; but my client was happier to know about this situation ahead of the closing.

Another situation I have encountered and have been unsure about is where a two pipe pump fits into the story of wells.  My understanding was that a two pipe pump is used when the water is further than 20 – 30 feet from the pressure tank.  However, when I saw a two pipe pump I would ask myself, “Does it mean it’s a shallow well that is far away? Or is it a drilled well that does not have a submersible pump?”  I think I got my answer yesterday.  Our expert informed the class that most of the time when you see a two pipe pump in the basement it means that you have a drilled well.  Two pipe pumps were used for drilled wells before submersible pumps became the norm.   In the past I would see a two pipe pump and couldn’t determine for my client with surety whether it was really a drilled well or a distant shallow well.  Now I can state with more confidence that it is most likely a drilled well.

 

 

Next time I will discuss well flow and well water purity tests.

The Small Defect

The Small Defect

 

Many realtors believe that the job of the Home Inspector is to find the large concern that will adversely impact the sale of the home.  That is in essence correct, but in order to do that the inspector must look at all the small defects and blemishes as signs and clues to finding the more substantial problems.  Realtors would probably prefer we not report all of those pesky small defects that detract from the overall desirability of the home.  What the realtor may not understand is the small defects that we take note of are sometimes the only signs of bigger concerns.

Even when the small blemish is only just that, a small blemish; by reporting it to the prospective buyer the inspector serves two purposes.  He alerts the possibly emotionally blinded buyer to the reality of the house, warts and all.  He has also provided the new home owner; should they end up buying the house, a ‘honey-do’ list of maintenance and repairs.

One of my students was told by a friend that he shouldn’t report all the small stuff because, “The realtors won’t use you if you ‘nit-pick’ the home apart.”  The realtor that would say that or not use a Home Inspector on those grounds is not a professional. 

A complete list of defects, small and large, is essential for the home buyer to make an informed decision.  If the buyer should decide to walk on the deal because the exterior outlets are not GFCI protected, it is his prerogative. It isn’t the job of the Home Inspector to keep information from him.  (Of course if the buyer walks without a major reason he may lose the deposit). We are not there to make sure the buyer sees the house in a certain way.  In fact it is just the opposite; it is the Home Inspector’s obligation to point out all visible defects, especially one such as this which is a safety concern. Always remember…. Our first and foremost responsibility is to our client the home buyer, and to the truth. 

Concern

Concern

 

Home Inspectors are not contracted to find all the correct and proper construction and components of a house.  They are hired to seek out the problems.  When these problems, aka defects, are found the home the inspector must include them in the home inspection report.  In my reporting system I report all defects found in the home in the “concern box”.  This box contains the explanation of the defect, who should be consulted, and a place for digital photos of the defect and its location. 

 

Each defect found generates a “concern” that has to be reported to your client.  The concern needs to be worded in a manner that clearly identifies the defect, explains specifically why it is a concern and recommends an appropriate course of action.  This reporting of the concern is the most important skill of a Home Inspector.

 

The reason I think it is the most important skill a Home Inspector needs is because it is at this point that we convey the appropriate amount of concern.  This skill or lack thereof is where many of the problems occur in regard to servicing our clients and; of concern to our business interests, the real estate agent.  

 

It is extremely important for a home inspector to speak and write about issues in a manner that clearly explains the defect and states the level of concern the client should have.  For example, if an inspector believes the level of concern regarding a defect is minor but writes up the defect in an ambiguous manner with inexact words and unclear explanations, the client might interpret this defect as a major issue.  Now a loose banister in the basement stairway is giving pause to a home buyer on whether or not to buy.

 

On the other hand if a serious defect with grave safety ramifications or vast monetary impact is misinterpreted a client may be at risk of purchasing a money pit.  Here a report about a possibly faulty septic system was interpreted as no big risk, only to become a financial disaster.

 

Home Inspectors must give a lot of thought to reports and how clearly the issues are explained, in writing as well as with proper demeanor while performing the inspection.

 

No matter how good a Home Inspector you are, no matter how thorough your report is, if you can’t communicate in an easy to understand manner with the proper tone of urgency, your report and your work will raise more questions than they answer, and may do a disservice to your client.

 

In regard to problems with real estate agents we must make every attempt to show them we are a desirable professional and a value to their business.  Of course, our main allegiance is always to our client, but it is often the realtor who gets the Home Inspector work. Making every attempt to please them is smart business and a reactionary inspector is seen as a liability. 

 

Realtors on both sides of the home sale hate when Home Inspectors “kill the deal”.  Their complaint may be valid if we over-dramatize a defect.  If the defect is a small matter like a loose handrail, but the inspector treats it like he found a ticking time bomb all parties involved are on edge and may become confrontational.  If the home inspector gets excited and emotional about a defect then the client likely will as well. If the client is appearing dissatisfied with the home at this late point in the deal, the real estate agents see all their hard work leading up to this point fly away; along with their dollars. This small defect now has become an emotional issue and the realtor may not be able to get everyone to calm down. 

 

Articulating the appropriate level of concern about any defect, both in person at the inspection and in the clarity of your report, is a difficult skill and should be near the top of the list for any Home Inspector’s things to be focused on.