Inspector Prep National Exam 3

The maximum slope for a lot depends on soil type and other conditions, but in general the maximum slope is:

1 in 2.

The typical lifespan of most major appliances is:

10-20 years.

Which of the following is the least common spacing for rafters, roof joists and ceiling joist?

36 inches (spacing: 12, 20, 24 inches)

The typical life of a dishwasher is:

8-15 years.

How hot will an electric self-cleaning oven get during the cleaning process?

900 degrees F

Interior footings (under columns, for example) are usually subject to what kinds of loads?

Almost purely vertical

Which type of insulation will burn the quickest?

Cellulose

You are inspecting a home with an overhead garage door opener, what are the safety items you need to be concerned with?

Emergency manual release and door operation

Batch feed waste disposers have a power switch near the unit, allowing it to be turned on and off very quickly.

False

What is another term for beam?

Girder

When you find a home with a 2 wire system how do you mark it on your report?

Inspected old two wire system, note it is not as good as a three wire system.

When lowering a basement floor, if the soil is excavated only to the bottom of the footing (i.e, not below the footing), which problem may have been created?

Lost lateral support for the footing

Which single-ply roofing system typically uses a base sheet and a cap sheet?

Modified bitumen

Which of the following statements applies to notching or putting holes in truss members?

Neither holes nor notches are permitted anywhere on a truss

Are beams allowed to rest on concrete block walls?

Only if at least the top seven inches of block is filled with concrete

A stairway serving a deck has open risers with a riser height of 7" and tread thickness of 1". What should be on the report?

Opening between tread is too tall

Which of the following is NOT typically a component of a private water supply system?

Pressure regulator (components: foot valve, pump, pressure tank)

Which of the following statements is true of a settlement crack?

Settlement cracks will occur at weak spots in the wall

While inspecting the exterior of the house, you notice that there is a gap between the soffit and the exterior wall. The gap is wider near the midpoint of the wall and close to nothing at the corners. Which of the following conditions would you suspect?

The ceiling joists are not tying opposing rafter bottoms together properly

Which statements about crawl spaces is FALSE?

The floor will be more comfortable if the crawl space floor is insulated. (truths: crawlspaces can be heated or unheated, it's typically easier to insulate the walls than the crawl space ceiling, insulating the walls can be done on the inside or outside)

While inspecting a row house built in the mid-1970s, you notice that the plywood next to the party wall is delaminating and has a white powder underneath. Which of the might explain this?

The plywood next to the party wall is probably FRT plywood. FRT plywood has been found to deteriorate prematurely.

What's a typical problem with outside stairs?

The rise

Which of the following statements is FALSE with respect to electric water heaters?

The upper element usually comes on first (truths: most water heaters have two elements, the upper element has priority, it can be difficult to tell if one of the two elements is burned out)

What is the min-max distance for switches and outlets near a bathtub?

There is no min-max

A cold joint is:

a result of pouring the concrete foundation at two separate times.

Where lateral forces have caused cracking, bowing, bulging or leaning of foundation walls, corrective action is often required. All of the following are typical correction actions EXCEPT:

adding steel beams or channels horizontally along the crack. (corrections: adding buttresses on the inside of the foundation wall, building a separate foundation wall on the interior of the foundation, building a separate exterior wall against the foundation)

Masonry veneer has a function similar to:

aluminum siding.

Partition walls (nonload-bearing):

are best if they are perpendicular to floor joists below.

All of the following perform essentially the same function as a knee wall EXCEPT:

birds mouth (same: purlins, struts, strongbacks)

Masonry veneer walls are:

brittle.

Double-top plates on wood frame walls:

can be omitted if joists are directly above studs.

Recommendations to a client regarding brick cracks may include all of the EXCEPT to:

caulk them. (recommendations: ignore them, monitor them, call in a specialist for further advice)

You notice a wooden post as the support for the service drop. You should:

check for rot, damage or movement.

On a conventional split-system air-conditioning system the high-pressure side is the portion of the refrigerant line from the:

compressor to the expansion device.

H-clips are used for:

edge support for roof sheathing.

Central-vacuum systems with a filter in the canister should discharge:

either inside or outside.

The condensate drain pan or tray on a split-system air conditioner is typically located below the:

evaporator coil.

Weak suction in the central vacuum system is NOT typically the result of a:

faulty motor (results: full canister, dirty filter, the operator)

Spalling and mortar damage near the bottom of an exterior masonry column would likely be the result of:

freeze/thaw cycles

The span of a rafter is defined as the:

horizontal projection from one support to another.

Given a foundation wall that is cracked due to horizontal force:

if the wall has moved inward, the cracks would typically be wider on the inside face.

CPVC water pipe may not be used for hot and cold supply lines:

in multifamily residences.

The webs of a truss:

may be in compression or tension.

Spalling bricks on columns usually results from:

moisture in the brick.

Steel lintels:

need six inches of end bearing in most areas.

Engineered wood:

often needs more end bearing than conventional lumber joists.

At roof-to-wall flashings, where wood siding is the counter-flashing, the siding should be kept:

one to two inches above the roof.

Which of the following statements about home inspectors' liability is TRUE?

our liability is greater if your buyers' expectations are not realistic.

A horizontal fracture in a foundation:

reduces the foundation's ability to resist soil pressure.

All of the following are common approaches to improving chimney draft EXCEPT:

resloping the cap (improvements: adding a draft inducer fan, adding a rain cap, extending the chimney upward)

Horizontal cracks in foundation walls are usually caused by all of the following EXCEPT:

sinking footings (causes: soil pressure, improper backfilling, hydrostatic pressure)

All of the following are dead loads EXCEPT:

snow loads (dead loads: the weight of the structure above the foundation, the weight of the soil surrounding the foundation, the weight of the shingles on the roof)

Piers may move because the:

soil below is disturbed.

Footings that are continuous around the perimeter of the house are called:

spread footings.

Jack studs:

support lintels.

Rusting lintels:

tend to expand.

All of the following are true with EIFS EXCEPT that:

the finish coat is thicker than with stucco (truths: it is typically applied directly to polystyrene insulation board, it is typically a two-coat process, a fiberglass mesh replaces wire mesh)

If a 2x8 joist has a 3 inch x 3 inch notch at the bottom where it rests on a beam:

the joist may have a crack that extends horizontally from the notch.

All of the following contain condition statements EXCEPT:

the overhead service entrance conductors are aluminum and rated for 100 amps. (condition examples: the garage door operator should be adjusted to reverse when hitting an obstruction as it closes, missing chimney flashing should be provided, the inoperative ground fault circuit interrupter should be replaced to improve electrical safety)

A clue that a new built-up roof was applied over the old flat roof is:

there are two layers of drip edge flashings

You inspect a 4 year old asphalt shingle roof. It seems well insulated and the attic is properly ventilated. Roughly 25% of the shingles show irregular cracks in the surface. You report that:

there is a possible manufacturing defect and life expectancy may be shortened.

A dishwasher may NOT drain properly because the:

timer may be faulty.

Vertical joints every two-to-four feet in the bottom section of the foundation wall could be evidence of:

underpinning.

Foundation irrigation is:

used to prevent basement leakage.

Piles are:

used where soil quality is poor.

Water hammer can be solved or greatly reduced by:

using 12-inch vertical extensions at ends of lines.

Footing failures can most positively be diagnosed by:

vertical cracking in foundation walls.

In which of the following situations is roof sheathing NOT required:

where a wood batten system has been used with concrete tile.