How the Grundfos recirculation pump works.

Every home has a water heater, but is it the right one?  That is the question I ask when I’m doing home inspections.  That was not the question when I was at the home inspection in Itasca, Illinois.   The home was built in 1995 and had all the most up-to-date accesories to make the home a home.   

I was surprised to see a Grundfos recirculation pump on the 50 gallon Bradford White water heater.  The reason why I was suprised to see this pump at the home inspection in Itasca was that there was only 2 -1/2 baths in the home.  Generally, you see these pump systems on homes with 4 or 5 bathrooms.   The reason why you need this in homes with this many bathrooms is because the square footage of the home could reach 5,000 square feet and the  Bradford White water heater would have to work extra hard to move this amount of water to these locations.  Also, it would take several minutes and several lost gallons of water to get the desired heat needed thereby wasting energy.   

The listing realtor for the home inspection in Itasca said that the home owner added the Grundfos recirculation pump because he wanted to conserve water and he didn’t want to wait for the hot water for his morning shower.   

Most people think these pumps are wasting natural gas because they pump water all the time. They would be wrong.  The Grundfos pump has a timer so you can set when you want the system to run and when you want it to shut down.  There are also duplex systems that have multiple timers for morning and evening when hot water demand is at its maximum.  Generally, the cost for the pump and installation should not exceed $750.00 depending on the area of the water heater. The Grundfos pump was recently installed in the home I inspected in Itasca.  That meant my clients would have years of worry free instant hot water.   

If you have questions about recirculation pumps contact us at~ www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com    

Please leave a comment or a question we can assist you with.  Thank you ~ Jim Kolke

“Why do I need a home inspection on my new home in Western Springs, Illinois?”  That was the question I received on the phone from a potential client. They received my name from Cathy Bier a realtor from Smothers Realty in La Grange, Illinois. Cathy explained that they needed the inspection for “quality control of the building of the home”. 

My potential client went on to say that the builder will give them a 1 year warranty. My response was ”Do you know what to look for while doing a home inspection in Western Springs? Will you climb on the roof of your 6 bedroom house?  How about crawling in the attic of the home making sure the home was built to code?  Will you inspect furnace, A/C, electric panel and so on…  Do you have a Fluke Thermal imager to see if the proper amount of insulation was used in the attic and the walls?” My new client’s answer to all of these questions was NO. I’m not trying to humiliate them,  just try to put the situation in perspective. It would be like me trying to represent myself in court for a speeding ticket without ever reading a law book!

We met at the home before the home inspection in Western Springs and started on the outside of the property where I found a possible major issue.  It seems the foundation contractor misread the prints and didn’t make the foundation wall wide enough to hold the limestone and brick at the front of their home.  In fact it was 3″ short!   My recommendation was to bolt a 5′ piece of angle iron under the stone to prevent it from cracking in the future.  The builder said “It hasn’t cracked in a year.. it wont crack”.  My answer was “It hasn’t cracked YET?”  This isn’t a issue that would be a structural issue. It is something that can cause damage to the exterior in time. 

The next issue at the home inspection in Western Springs was in the master bathroom. We inspect all motors and pumps in a home.  The pump for the jacuzzi would be included.  The jacuzzi return line wansn’t  tight and water was pouring out of the union. I shut down the air pump and cleaned the water up with the builder. The builder tightened the union and I retested the unit to assure the client that it was repaired.

The bottom line is that this home was definitely a nicely built home but even the best builders make mistakes. My job is to protect and educate my clients on the condition of their home. The client from the home inspection definitely agrees that home inspections on new homes is necessary.

If you’re buying a new home and have issues like these contact us at www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com  Jim Kolke

Please leave a comment or questions on issues from your home.

Foreclosures are here for now.

You see it  daily in your life now, the ratio of homes in foreclosure distress to regular home sales. This can be “lopsided” depending on where you’re looking and what part of the country you’re living in. It can be a very scary time or a dream come true depending of what side your looking from.  At Pinnacle Property Inspection Services, Inc.  we are seeing a definite rise in HUD, REO or foreclosed  home inspections in Schaumburg, Illinois and other villages and cities in the Chicagoland area.  

I remember when I thought “not in my area, we don’t have that issue here.” Boy was I wrong!  

I service many prestigious villages and cities with the same concerns as the more modest villages.  The issues we are faced to address are generally due to complete laziness from the owners of the foreclosures.  No one wants to spend any more money than they have to and that includes the mortgage companies of the foreclosed homes. Luckily, my inspection company employs licensed professionals who can assist the realtor’s who definitely need people helping their client’s get a chance at home ownership.  

Recently at a home inspection in Schaumburg, the water was not turned on. Luckily, I have a Chicago plumbing license (pl#194988).  I turned on the water with written permission from the mortgager of the foreclosure.  Potential home buyers and realtors really appreciate this added service we can give our clients. The other issue I found at the home inspection in Schaumburg was the gas service was shut down. This adds extra return visits to properties to inspect furnaces and water heaters.  People could say its the realtor’s fault??  I think not!  I’ve dealt with deals that the realtor’s had to secure the utilities with their own credit cards to get them turned on for an inspection.  These realtor’s can make some good money, but in no way are they the reason the market is in the condition it is.  

The last issue I found  in the home inspection in Schaumburg was the electrical service.  Waiting for the electrical provider to install a meter or to turn on the electric becomes unnerving.  

I feel there are some real good opportunities for home ownership as long as you have a little patience.  If you are in the Chicagoland area and need help with a foreclosure please contact us at~~ www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com