A ceriftied building inspector,Hugh M. KelsoLicensed Home Inspector
#353, on 1/31/09
found the following code violations and defects...

ELECTRICAL DEFECTS The following defects are important to correct (i.e., they
are either code violations, significant safety hazards, or both).
- The receptacle on the east wall of the dining area is loose and does
not make a positive connection. The receptacle should be replaced
for safety. This should be relatively easy to correct.

- I saw electrical outlets above electric baseboard heaters on the
south wall of the living room and on the south wall in the bedroom.
There is a risk that electrical cords can get into the heaters, become
damaged and create a potential fire hazard. I recommend not using
the outlets or having them re-installed to one side of the heaters.

- Several pairs of circuit breaker toggles in the main service panel
were linked together with copper electrical wire, which is not an
appropriate material to provide a common trip for a 220 Volt
circuit. Have this further evaluated and corrected by an
experienced and knowledgeable electrician

Although I have noted the location of some of the defective items
listed above, it is
important to note that I did not check every single outlet or fixture
of the electrical
system in this unit. I recommend having an electrician check out the complete
system (including removing the dead front cover on the panel) and not
simply go to
the specific locations that I have called out as being defective.
Electrical defects are typically not very expensive to correct. Even
seemingly minor
electrical defects, however, are serious potential safety hazards,
even deadly. (For
instance, even something seemingly simple as a loose, cracked or missing cover
plate is important to correct. Did the cover become loose because the
fixture was
loose? Are connections inside the box loose and potentially hazardous?
All of these
things are routinely checked by an electrician doing something as simple as
replacing a loose or missing cover on a fixture.)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
PANEL The main service panel for this unit is located just inside the main entry
door for the unit. I did not remove the dead front cover because of
the amount of
paint build up on the panel and in the slots of the mounting bolts.
The panel is rated for 100 amps, 120/240-volt capacity; 100 amps
capacity is the size
of the main disconnect breaker at the meter panel just outside of Unit 9. The
capacity of the service is adequate for the existing electrical
installations in this
unit.
There is no main shutoff breaker at this panel; there is one at the meter panel.
GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT INTERRUPTERS (GFCI) A GFCI is a very
sensitive circuit breaker that shuts off with a slight surge in
current (usually caused
by shorting out to ground). Current code requires GFCI devices to be
installed at
damp locations in residential buildings. Specifically, GFCI outlets have been
required to protect exterior outlets near grade (since 1971). In
bathrooms adjacent
to sinks (outlets installed since 1975). In garages (after 1978) and in kitchens
within six feet of the sink (outlets installed after 1986).

WIRING Because I did not remove the panel cover, I was not able to observe the
condition of the wiring in the main service panel.

The ceiling finish in the hallway, bedroom, and living room areas is a type of
application that may contain asbestos. The only way to verify this is to have it
tested. Asbestos was not used in this type of material after 1978, so
the finish in
this building may or may not contain asbestos and I recommend having the
material tested to be sure if you contemplate any work that requires
cutting into
these finish areas
.

WATER HEATING EQUIPMENT There is a 52-gallon capacity electric water
heater in the bedroom closet. The size of the unit is probably adequate for the
number of fixtures and fittings on this plumbing system. The water heating
equipment appears to be thirty-four years old. Typically, this type of
water heater
has a serviceable life of around ten to fifteen years, when new.

When testing water temperature at the bathroom sink, I obtained a
reading of 118.7
degrees F. One hundred twenty degrees is a safe operating temperature, on the
threshold of scalding, although 130 is usually the minimum recommended by
manufacturers for dish washers. Check the manufacturer’s literature on the
dishwasher installed in your kitchen to see whether or not it has a
line heater or
temperature “boost” for hotter water while washing the dishes. If not, you will
probably want to have the temperature coming out of the water heater be
somewhere between 120 and 130.

I noted some unevenness to the finishes of the windowsills in the
living room and
dining area. This may have been past water damage. In using a pin type moisture
detector, I got readings of 6 to 10% moisture content, which would indicate no
recent active leakage.