All -

Looking for some advice. I'm currently under contract on a foreclosed property. The property has been winterized. The inspection has been completed except for inspecting the water pipes/system. My realtor and I were at the home when the company showed up to de-winterize the home. They were unable to de-winterize as the pressure test indicated no pressure.

What can be done? I don't want to buy a home without fully inspecting the water system.

wrote in news:797b9f3c-b2f5-46a5-b6d0-718e05120269
@googlegroups.com:

All -

Looking for some advice. I'm currently under contract on a foreclosed property. The
property has been winterized. The inspection has been completed except for inspecting the
water pipes/system. My realtor and I were at the home when the company showed up to de-
winterize the home. They were unable to de-winterize as the pressure test indicated no
pressure.

What can be done? I don't want to buy a home without fully inspecting the water system.

First thing I'd check is to make sure that all faucets are closed, including any outdoor faucets.
It's pretty hard to pressure-test the system if there's an open faucet somewhere -- and it takes
only one.

On Feb 5, 12:11*pm, Doug Miller
wrote:
wrote in news:797b9f3c-b2f5-46a5-b6d0-718e05120269
@googlegroups.com:

All -

Looking for some advice. *I'm currently under contract on a foreclosed property. The

property has been winterized. *The inspection has been completed except for inspecting the
water pipes/system. *My realtor and I were at the home when the company showed up to de-
winterize the home. *They were unable to de-winterize as the pressure test indicated no
pressure.



What can be done? *I don't want to buy a home without fully inspecting the water system.

First thing I'd check is to make sure that all faucets are closed, including any outdoor faucets.
It's pretty hard to pressure-test the system if there's an open faucet somewhere -- and it takes
only one.

You would think that the company that was there to de-winterize it
would have checked the faucets. But you'd also think that the next
step after trying to pressure test it would be to find out where air
is leaking out while they were there.

If it were me, I'd use an air compressor
with the appropriate fittings to tie into the system, put some
pressure behind it and find out where the air is going..... If it's
coming out you should be able to hear it. If OP
can't do that, then certainly a plumber or even a handyman
could. If you don't have an air compressor, you could buy a
small one for what it would cost to get someone to do it for you.

On Tue, 5 Feb 2013 08:52:20 -0800 (PST), wrote:

All -

Looking for some advice. I'm currently under contract on a foreclosed property.
The property has been winterized. The inspection has been completed except
for inspecting the water pipes/system. My realtor and I were at the home
when the company showed up to de-winterize the home. They were unable
to de-winterize as the pressure test indicated no pressure.

What can be done?

You have your attorney [who is familiar with buying foreclosure
properties] talk to the seller's attorney. If that is the same
guy-- then run, get your own attorney and start over.

Some sort of agreement about who pays to find out what the problem
is-- or how much comes off the price for you to buy a pig in a poke-
has to be reached.

I don't want to buy a home without fully inspecting the water system.

That is smart---- but if the seller offered to take 10K off the price
if you took it 'as is' would that sway you? Only you know the
right answer to that one. [It would not sway me today--- but 30 years
ago it might have.]

Jim

In article ,
Doug Miller wrote:

wrote in news:797b9f3c-b2f5-46a5-b6d0-718e05120269
@googlegroups.com:

All -

Looking for some advice. I'm currently under contract on a foreclosed
property. The
property has been winterized. The inspection has been completed except for
inspecting the
water pipes/system. My realtor and I were at the home when the company
showed up to de-
winterize the home. They were unable to de-winterize as the pressure test
indicated no
pressure.

What can be done? I don't want to buy a home without fully inspecting the
water system.

First thing I'd check is to make sure that all faucets are closed, including
any outdoor faucets.
It's pretty hard to pressure-test the system if there's an open faucet
somewhere -- and it takes
only one.

Is the water maybe shut off out at the street? As in possibly shut off
for non payment?

Erik

On Feb 5, 1:18*pm, Erik wrote:
In article ,
*Doug Miller wrote:





wrote in news:797b9f3c-b2f5-46a5-b6d0-718e05120269
@googlegroups.com:

All -

Looking for some advice. *I'm currently under contract on a foreclosed
property. The
property has been winterized. *The inspection has been completed except for
inspecting the
water pipes/system. *My realtor and I were at the home when the company
showed up to de-
winterize the home. *They were unable to de-winterize as the pressure test
indicated no
pressure.

What can be done? *I don't want to buy a home without fully inspecting the
water system.

First thing I'd check is to make sure that all faucets are closed, including
any outdoor faucets.
It's pretty hard to pressure-test the system if there's an open faucet
somewhere -- and it takes
only one.

Is the water maybe shut off out at the street? As in possibly shut off
for non payment?

Erik- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

How does that explain the house failing a pressure test, prior to
turning the water on?

" wrote in news:15516a22-1ccf-4582-8968-
:

You would think that the company that was there to de-winterize it
would have checked the faucets. But you'd also think that the next
step after trying to pressure test it would be to find out where air
is leaking out while they were there.

Yes, well, you would think that a home inspection company would be able to light up a
furnace in August, to see if it works -- but when we sold our previous home, the buyer's
inspector said the furnace didn't work, when the only problem was that the inspector couldn't
figure out how to operate a digital setback thermostat. Same inspector thought the sump
pump didn't work -- "float switch is broken" -- because he didn't pour enough water into the
sump pit to raise the float high enough to turn the pump on. And a few other things, too, that
fall into the category of "You would think that..."

Yeah, you would think that. But you might be wrong, too. :-)

And it takes only one faucet to open the entire system to the atmosphere. If there are
several exterior faucets, or a lot of interior ones, it would be easy to miss one. In my currrent
home, there are two tubs and seven sinks with single handle faucets, three sinks with
double handle faucets, and four outdoor faucets -- making nineteen different points at which
the system could be open.

Easy to miss one, I should think.

If it were me, I'd use an air compressor
with the appropriate fittings to tie into the system, put some
pressure behind it and find out where the air is going..... If it's
coming out you should be able to hear it. If OP
can't do that, then certainly a plumber or even a handyman
could. If you don't have an air compressor, you could buy a
small one for what it would cost to get someone to do it for you.

On Tuesday, February 5, 2013 11:52:20 AM UTC-5, wrote:
Looking for some advice. I'm currently under contract on a foreclosed property. The property has been winterized. The inspection has been completed except for inspecting the water pipes/system. My realtor and I were at the home when the company showed up to de-winterize the home. They were unable to de-winterize as the pressure test indicated no pressure.

What can be done? I don't want to buy a home without fully inspecting the water system.

If you want to full inspect the water system, then get your own people in there to fully inspect the water system. The bank should agree to this no problem.

On Tue, 5 Feb 2013 19:32:32 +0000 (UTC), Doug Miller
wrote:

" wrote in news:15516a22-1ccf-4582-8968-
:

You would think that the company that was there to de-winterize it
would have checked the faucets. But you'd also think that the next
step after trying to pressure test it would be to find out where air
is leaking out while they were there.

Yes, well, you would think that a home inspection company would be able to light up a
furnace in August, to see if it works -- but when we sold our previous home, the buyer's
inspector said the furnace didn't work, when the only problem was that the inspector couldn't
figure out how to operate a digital setback thermostat. Same inspector thought the sump
pump didn't work -- "float switch is broken" -- because he didn't pour enough water into the
sump pit to raise the float high enough to turn the pump on. And a few other things, too, that
fall into the category of "You would think that..."

Yeah, you would think that. But you might be wrong, too. :-)

And it takes only one faucet to open the entire system to the atmosphere. If there are
several exterior faucets, or a lot of interior ones, it would be easy to miss one. In my currrent
home, there are two tubs and seven sinks with single handle faucets, three sinks with
double handle faucets, and four outdoor faucets -- making nineteen different points at which
the system could be open.

Easy to miss one, I should think.

Particularly if even ONE of them has a hot cartridge on the cold or
vise versa - so it operates backwards.

But don't get me started on "home inspectors". In my experience most
of them are worse than brain dead.

If it were me, I'd use an air compressor
with the appropriate fittings to tie into the system, put some
pressure behind it and find out where the air is going..... If it's
coming out you should be able to hear it. If OP
can't do that, then certainly a plumber or even a handyman
could. If you don't have an air compressor, you could buy a
small one for what it would cost to get someone to do it for you.

Or use the outlet of a vacuum cleaner. Or even the sucking end of a
shop-vac. If it holds air it will hold water - and if a tap is open
you will hear it.

On 2/5/2013 11:52 AM, wrote:
All -

Looking for some advice. I'm currently under contract on a foreclosed property. The property has been winterized. The inspection has been completed except for inspecting the water pipes/system. My realtor and I were at the home when the company showed up to de-winterize the home. They were unable to de-winterize as the pressure test indicated no pressure.

What can be done? I don't want to buy a home without fully inspecting the water system.


**** home inspectors. Most of those guys are unemployed/failed real
estate agents. They don't know **** from Shinola.

Before I signed on my home, I had real inspections performed by an
electrician, a plumber, HVAC guy, residential building contractor, and
an engineer from the local architectural firm. Yes, it cost me a couple
grand but it was worth it.

On Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:40:59 -0500, Mitt Romley
wrote:


Before I signed on my home, I had real inspections performed by an
electrician, a plumber, HVAC guy, residential building contractor, and
an engineer from the local architectural firm. Yes, it cost me a couple
grand but it was worth it.

I bought my house "as is". Cost me nothing or the seller.

On 05/02/2013 12:11 PM, Doug Miller wrote:
wrote in news:797b9f3c-b2f5-46a5-b6d0-718e05120269
@googlegroups.com:

All -

Looking for some advice. I'm currently under contract on a foreclosed property. The
property has been winterized. The inspection has been completed except for inspecting the
water pipes/system. My realtor and I were at the home when the company showed up to de-
winterize the home. They were unable to de-winterize as the pressure test indicated no
pressure.

What can be done? I don't want to buy a home without fully inspecting the water system.

First thing I'd check is to make sure that all faucets are closed, including any outdoor faucets.
It's pretty hard to pressure-test the system if there's an open faucet somewhere -- and it takes
only one.



I'd add one thing to that,...make sure the toilet stops are closed,
otherwise the air just passes through the toilet tank.

Gil wrote in
:

On 05/02/2013 12:11 PM, Doug Miller wrote:
wrote in
news:797b9f3c-b2f5-46a5-b6d0-718e05120269 @googlegroups.com:

All -

Looking for some advice. I'm currently under contract on a
foreclosed property. The
property has been winterized. The inspection has been
completed except for inspecting the water pipes/system. My
realtor and I were at the home when the company showed up to
de- winterize the home. They were unable to de-winterize as
the pressure test indicated no pressure.

What can be done? I don't want to buy a home without fully
inspecting the water system.

First thing I'd check is to make sure that all faucets are
closed, including any outdoor faucets. It's pretty hard to
pressure-test the system if there's an open faucet somewhere --
and it takes only one.



I'd add one thing to that,...make sure the toilet stops are
closed, otherwise the air just passes through the toilet tank.

Good catch!

On Feb 5, 8:33*pm, Doug Miller
wrote:
Gil wrote om:





On 05/02/2013 12:11 PM, Doug Miller wrote:
wrote in
news:797b9f3c-b2f5-46a5-b6d0-718e05120269 @googlegroups.com:

All -

Looking for some advice. *I'm currently under contract on a
foreclosed property. The
property has been winterized. *The inspection has been
completed except for inspecting the water pipes/system. *My
realtor and I were at the home when the company showed up to
de- winterize the home. *They were unable to de-winterize as
the pressure test indicated no pressure.

What can be done? *I don't want to buy a home without fully
inspecting the water system.

First thing I'd check is to make sure that all faucets are
closed, including any outdoor faucets. It's pretty hard to
pressure-test the system if there's an open faucet somewhere --
and it takes only one.

I'd add one thing to that,...make sure the toilet stops are
closed, otherwise the air just passes through the toilet tank.

Good catch!

hire a plumber to inspect the plumbing system......


of course you could pa to have the water turned on, any leaks will be
instantly located

On 02-05-2013 13:20, wrote:
Is the water maybe shut off out at the street? As in possibly shut off
for non payment?

How does that explain the house failing a pressure test, prior to
turning the water on?

This is Usenet. You're not supposed to read things before you answer them.


--
Wes Groleau

The man who reads nothing at all is better educated
than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.
€” Thomas Jefferson

On Feb 5, 8:04*pm, Oren wrote:
On Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:40:59 -0500, Mitt Romley
wrote:



Before I signed on my home, I had real inspections performed by an
electrician, a plumber, HVAC guy, residential building contractor, and
an engineer from the local architectural firm. Yes, it cost me a couple
grand but it was worth it.

I bought my house "as is". Cost me nothing or the seller.

While I wouldn't go to the extreme outlined above, hiring
a home inspector usually pays off. They charge you $500,
but they usually find enough stuff so that you can go back
to the seller to recover that $500 or more. If you yourself
see things wrong that the inspector doesn;t, you can point
those out to the inspector while he's doing the inspection
and get them into the report too. Having it in the inspection
report there is less chance the seller is going to balk, then
if you personally tell them an item needs correcting.

In the above example, unless the house was a mess,
you probably would not get back the money to pay for
all those experts.... I'd call in those only if I had reason
to believe there were issues, eg old house with cobbled
together DIY wiring.

On Wed, 6 Feb 2013 05:47:18 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

On Feb 5, 8:04*pm, Oren wrote:
On Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:40:59 -0500, Mitt Romley
wrote:



Before I signed on my home, I had real inspections performed by an
electrician, a plumber, HVAC guy, residential building contractor, and
an engineer from the local architectural firm. Yes, it cost me a couple
grand but it was worth it.

I bought my house "as is". Cost me nothing or the seller.

While I wouldn't go to the extreme outlined above, hiring
a home inspector usually pays off. They charge you $500,
but they usually find enough stuff so that you can go back
to the seller to recover that $500 or more. If you yourself
see things wrong that the inspector doesn;t, you can point
those out to the inspector while he's doing the inspection
and get them into the report too. Having it in the inspection
report there is less chance the seller is going to balk, then
if you personally tell them an item needs correcting.

In the above example, unless the house was a mess,
you probably would not get back the money to pay for
all those experts.... I'd call in those only if I had reason
to believe there were issues, eg old house with cobbled
together DIY wiring.

I've always use an inspector, even paid to allow the buyer to pick his
own. As a seller I pick mine. This present house was special, so I
bought it "as is". Seller cut $25,000 off the asking price. It was a
you do nothing deal. Well, I did ask her fix the pool filler valve
that was causing the pool to overflow.

Once I had a house being measured by the local "tax man". He used a
measuring tape on the side of the house, measuring the foot print, in
case it changed for tax purposes. The house sat on the "hill", a
former Mohawk Indian trail near the Saranac Lake. When the guy walked
down the side of the house, a drop in elevation , he added 20' to the
size of my home.

Of courses I had to show the error of his ways.

On Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:50:42 -0800, Oren wrote:

On Wed, 6 Feb 2013 05:47:18 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

On Feb 5, 8:04*pm, Oren wrote:
On Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:40:59 -0500, Mitt Romley
wrote:



Before I signed on my home, I had real inspections performed by an
electrician, a plumber, HVAC guy, residential building contractor, and
an engineer from the local architectural firm. Yes, it cost me a couple
grand but it was worth it.

I bought my house "as is". Cost me nothing or the seller.

While I wouldn't go to the extreme outlined above, hiring
a home inspector usually pays off. They charge you $500,
but they usually find enough stuff so that you can go back
to the seller to recover that $500 or more. If you yourself
see things wrong that the inspector doesn;t, you can point
those out to the inspector while he's doing the inspection
and get them into the report too. Having it in the inspection
report there is less chance the seller is going to balk, then
if you personally tell them an item needs correcting.

In the above example, unless the house was a mess,
you probably would not get back the money to pay for
all those experts.... I'd call in those only if I had reason
to believe there were issues, eg old house with cobbled
together DIY wiring.

I've always use an inspector, even paid to allow the buyer to pick his
own. As a seller I pick mine. This present house was special, so I
bought it "as is". Seller cut $25,000 off the asking price. It was a
you do nothing deal. Well, I did ask her fix the pool filler valve
that was causing the pool to overflow.

Why would you pay for the buyer's inspector?

The inspectors for my last two houses were pretty useless. The last
one wrote down some really silly **** (burned out light bulbs). It's
probably still worth the couple hundred bucks to have another set of
eyes on the property before purchase. I'd even hire one if I were to
buy "as-is".

Once I had a house being measured by the local "tax man". He used a
measuring tape on the side of the house, measuring the foot print, in
case it changed for tax purposes. The house sat on the "hill", a
former Mohawk Indian trail near the Saranac Lake. When the guy walked
down the side of the house, a drop in elevation , he added 20' to the
size of my home.

Of courses I had to show the error of his ways.

What would you expect from a government employee?

On Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:57:33 -0500, wrote:


Why would you pay for the buyer's inspector?

I misspoke. Thanks for the catch.