Sample report
Sample report · Ohio
Top of the list: the Zinsco panel, the old knob-and-tube wiring, an outdoor outlet without shock protection, the worn roof and the tarred chimney base. The upper roof was seen from the ground only. The attic was seen from the opening only. The one DIY: extend the downspout.
Fix these before you close
The label on the main panel reads Zinsco Electrical Products, Cat. No. ML12, 125 amp max. Zinsco breakers have a known history of problems.
The breakers are what shut a circuit off when it overloads or shorts. If one doesn’t trip, the wiring isn’t protected.
Hire a licensed electrician to evaluate the panel and its breakers.
Old knob-and-tube wiring (single wires on white ceramic knobs) runs across the basement ceiling.
This wiring has no ground, and its insulation gets brittle with age.
Hire a licensed electrician to find out which runs are still live and replace them. Ask your insurance agent whether it affects your policy.
The outdoor outlet has no Test and Reset buttons, so it’s not a GFCI, the kind of outlet that cuts power fast if current leaks through water or a person. No GFCI protection was found for it.
Outdoors, a wet tool or cord on an unprotected outlet can shock you.
Hire a licensed electrician to add GFCI protection for this outlet.
The shingles have lost much of their granules. Bare, dark mat shows along the tab edges.
Without granules the asphalt dries out and cracks faster in the sun, and leaks follow.
Hire a licensed roofer to evaluate the roof and tell you in writing what it needs.
The base of the chimney is sealed with tar instead of step and counter flashing, and the tar is cracked and pulling away. Mortar joints above it are worn.
Cracked tar here can let water in.
Hire a roofer or mason to install step and counter flashing and repoint the worn joints.
You can handle these
The downspout ends right at the wall with no extension, and the soil below it is washed out.
Every rain dumps the roof's water against the foundation.
DIY: buy a downspout extension or splash block at the hardware store and set it so water runs several feet away from the wall.
The machines
Each age below says where it came from.
Heats the house.
Cools the house.
Hot water for the house.
Feeds every circuit in the house. The knob-and-tube wiring is a separate Hire a Pro item.
Shown so you can find the shutoff.
Shown so you can find the meter shutoff.
Nameplate inventory only. Not a warranty claim and not a promise of remaining life.
Gas furnace, forced air. Make: Carrier. Model: 58PAV070-08. Serial: 1596A06•••. Size: 66,000 BTU per hour input, 53,000 BTU per hour output (plate).
Past the typical 15 to 25 year range (age from an unverified serial decode).
Noted. Serial number dates it to 1996 (unverified decode). About 30 years old.
Central air conditioner, outdoor condensing unit. Make: Lennox. Model: 14ACX-024-230-16. Serial: 1912J07•••. Size: model code suggests 2 tons (unverified); plate: MCA 17.9 A (minimum circuit amps: the smallest circuit the label calls for), max breaker 30 A.
About 0 to 1 year left on a typical 7 to 15 year range (age from an unverified serial decode).
Noted. Serial number dates it to 2012 (unverified decode). About 14 years old.
Tank water heater. Make: GE (built under license by Rheem Mfg. Co., per plate). Model: GG40T06AVG01. Serial: GELNQ011433•••. Size: 40 gallons; 36,000 BTU per hour input (plate).
At the end of the typical 6 to 12 year range.
Noted. Data plate dates it to 2014. About 12 years old.
Breaker panel, circuit breakers (enclosed panel-base assembly, label). Make: Zinsco Electrical Products. Model: Cat. No. ML12. Serial: none on the label. Panel label says 125 amps max. With the cover open there is no main breaker in this panel: the service wires land on lugs at the top. Branch breakers read 20 amps.
Noted. Label read; it carries no manufacture date, so age is not determined. The knob-and-tube wiring is a separate Hire a Pro item.
Covering Material: Asphalt shingles · Roof Age: Not estimated. No photo in this set shows a dated label, permit or receipt, and worn granules alone do not date a roof. Ask the seller for the roofing invoice · Inspection Method: Viewed from the ground; upper slopes not walked
Wall Covering Material: Painted lap siding (cover photo)
Foundation Type: Basement · Floor Structure: Not verified. Floor framing is not in the walk photos, and hidden conditions behind finishes are outside this visual walk · Wall Structure: Concealed by finishes · Ceiling Structure: Concealed by finishes · Roof Structure: Wood rafters and sheathing
Energy Source: Natural gas · Method Or System Type: Gas furnace, forced air · Thermostat Location: Not inspected: no photo of the thermostat in the photos, so its location is not recorded. · Approximate Age: Data plate dates it to 1996.
Energy Source: Electric, 208/230 V, 1 phase · Method Or System Type: Central air conditioner, outdoor condensing unit · Approximate Age: Data plate dates it to 2012.
Water Supply Public Or Private: Public: water meter at the main (photo under Data plates and ages) · Supply Piping Materials: Copper · Drain, waste, vent Piping Materials: Not inspected: no photo of the interior drain, waste and vent piping in the photos, so its material is not recorded. Buried drain lines are outside a visual walk. · Main Water Shutoff Location: Valve beside the water meter (photo) · Main Fuel Shutoff Location: At the gas meter (photo). Interior shut-off: not inspected; not in the photos
Energy Source: Natural gas · Type: Tank water heater · Approximate Age: Data plate dates it to 2014.
Service Amperage: Panel label says 125 amps max; no main breaker in the panel (service wires land on lugs) · Main Disconnect Location: No main breaker in this panel (service wires land on lugs at the top). Not inspected: the main shutoff was not located in the photos · Subpanel Locations: None seen · Branch Wiring Method: NM cable (plastic-sheathed cable) plus knob-and-tube wiring present (whether it is live was not confirmed) · Smoke Alarms Presence: Not inspected: no smoke alarm photo in the photos, so presence or absence is not recorded. Confirm working smoke alarms on every level and in each sleeping area before move-in. · CO Alarms Presence: Not inspected: no carbon monoxide (CO) alarm photo in the photos, so presence or absence is not recorded. Confirm a working CO alarm on every level before move-in.
Type: Masonry chimney; flue interior not inspected
Attic Inspection Method: Viewed from the attic access · Insulation Type: Loose fill · Approximate Depth Attic: Not inspected: depth was not measured in the photos · Ventilation Type: Not inspected: attic vents are not in the photos
Method: Representative doors and windows operated
None present.
Primary List: Not inspected: kitchen appliances were not in the photos.
Age, settlement & leftovers
Ask the seller for receipts, permits and service records for the electrical and roof work.
Noted. This is a due-diligence ask, not a code finding.
It’s not too late
A camera look is the only way to see roots, breaks or sags in the buried drain line.
Radon can’t be seen or smelled. A short test gives you the number.
Not looked at. A chimney sweep can run a camera through it (a "Level II" inspection) before your first fire.
Not this walk
Roof install date. No dated label or receipt, so roof age is not estimated.
Attic beyond the access opening. Viewed from the opening only. The share of the attic seen was not recorded for this sample, and the eaves were not visible.
Upper roof slopes. Viewed from the ground. Small damage up high can hide from that angle.
Inside the chimney flue. Not looked at. A chimney sweep can run a camera through it (a "Level II" inspection) before your first fire.
Inside the furnace. It stays closed on a visual walk. An HVAC tech checks it during a service.
Air conditioner output. How cold it blows was not measured. The label is under the machines.
Water heater pressure-relief pipe. This pipe (the TPR, or temperature and pressure relief, discharge pipe) carries scalding water away if the tank overheats. Where it ends was not traced. A plumber can confirm it is routed safely.
Kitchen and bath outlets. Any GFCI outlets in the kitchen and baths were not tested. Press Test, then Reset, on each one after you move in.
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. no smoke alarm photo in the photos, so presence or absence is not recorded. Confirm working smoke alarms on every level and in each sleeping area before move-in. no carbon monoxide (CO) alarm photo in the photos, so presence or absence is not recorded. Confirm a working CO alarm on every level before move-in.
Wall insulation. Finished walls hide it, so the amount of insulation, or whether there is any, is unknown.
Buried water, gas and sewer lines. Not visible. Underground pipes are not dug up on a visual walk. See sewer scope above.
Termites and other wood-eating insects. A full pest inspection was not part of this walk.
Behind finishes, furniture and storage. Not moved or opened. Concealed conditions are outside a visual walk.
Thermostat. no photo of the thermostat in the photos, so its location is not recorded.
Interior drain, waste and vent piping. no photo of the interior drain, waste and vent piping in the photos, so its material is not recorded. Buried drain lines are outside a visual walk.
Kitchen appliances. kitchen appliances were not in the photos.
Photo appendix
Repair request
Ohio law · plain English
A visual inspection of readily accessible systems and parts, as they looked on inspection day. Not a code inspection, appraisal, warranty or engineering study.
Not covered: radon, mold lab testing, asbestos, lead paint, water chemistry, wood-destroying insects, buried tanks, wells, septic systems and underground piping.
See Didn’t open it above.
Sample report built from more than one inspection. Real photo, location and owner removed. A visual inspection of readily accessible systems and parts, as they looked on inspection day. Not a code inspection, appraisal, warranty or engineering study. Hidden conditions behind finishes, buried piping, radon, lab testing, wood-destroying insects and water chemistry are outside a visual walk unless ordered separately.