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Or, like a lot of these younger whipper-snappers- they are taught to "observe and report". Nothing more because they are usually not licensed plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians. And most are certainly not engineers- structural, or other.
That's why you give the "you may need to consult with a..." in every report or conversation.
I call it- CYA!!!
Well, in a sense it is CYA. In this litigious society, home inspectors are a common target. We really do have to write a report to try to cover all the bases, and CYA. Obviously, not doing a thorough job is bad, but even with the best job, we still might tell someone to get an expert in a particular field. We are generalists. By the way, very few home inspections ever get close to needing an engineer. And, if a home inspector happens to BE an engineer, typically "engineering" a problem and designing a repair is way outside the scope of a home inspection, and likely would not be included in the original home inspection.
Calling out for an expert is typical when we find an issue with a particular system. Say Im testing a gas furnace and its short cycling. While I may have a pretty good idea what the cause of it is, I do not have the expertise, or the equipment to do diagnostics on the equipment. As a side note, most Standards of Practice would prohibit me as a home inspector, from doing any diagnostics, unless I was licensed in that particular trade. From the outside it might appear we are shirking our responsibility by recommending further evaluation by an expert, but its really not. We are doing our job of finding problems and suggesting a course of action for remediation. In almost all cases, we are not going to tell someone exactly what the problem is and how to fix it. The liability in doing that would be enormous.
It is unreasonable to expect to have each system inspected by a licensed professional in each given field. The cost would be prohibitive. Besides, I find a lot of things wrong that were installed by those licensed professionals.
In this case, I would have to say the home inspector should have been a little more vocal in the issue. However, the fact that it has seemed to get worse in a short period of time suggests something else. Maybe debris has gotten behind the valves clogging the flow. Possible there was work done on the water main in the neighborhood and that dislodged debris into the pipes. Without being there, its impossible to know the real reason.
Well, in a sense it is CYA. In this litigious society, home inspectors are a common target. We really do have to write a report to try to cover all the bases, and CYA. Obviously, not doing a thorough job is bad, but even with the best job, we still might tell someone to get an expert in a particular field. We are generalists. By the way, very few home inspections ever get close to needing an engineer. And, if a home inspector happens to BE an engineer, typically "engineering" a problem and designing a repair is way outside the scope of a home inspection, and likely would not be included in the original home inspection.
Calling out for an expert is typical when we find an issue with a particular system. Say Im testing a gas furnace and its short cycling. While I may have a pretty good idea what the cause of it is, I do not have the expertise, or the equipment to do diagnostics on the equipment. As a side note, most Standards of Practice would prohibit me as a home inspector, from doing any diagnostics, unless I was licensed in that particular trade. From the outside it might appear we are shirking our responsibility by recommending further evaluation by an expert, but its really not. We are doing our job of finding problems and suggesting a course of action for remediation. In almost all cases, we are not going to tell someone exactly what the problem is and how to fix it. The liability in doing that would be enormous.
It is unreasonable to expect to have each system inspected by a licensed professional in each given field. The cost would be prohibitive. Besides, I find a lot of things wrong that were installed by those licensed professionals.
In this case, I would have to say the home inspector should have been a little more vocal in the issue. However, the fact that it has seemed to get worse in a short period of time suggests something else. Maybe debris has gotten behind the valves clogging the flow. Possible there was work done on the water main in the neighborhood and that dislodged debris into the pipes. Without being there, its impossible to know the real reason.
Where as I have respect and understanding of the role of the inspector some do get carried away...
A transaction that just closed..
One fluorescent light out in kitchen - Have checked by licensed electrician.
Tubing degraded on AC condenser - have checked by licensed HVAC contractor.
Shower head leaking and commode loose. Licensed plumber to fix.
My licensed handy man fixed all in two hours for $120 including parts.
Sometimes copper has more problems than Galvanized... it has to do with water chemistry...
I still have homes with 1922 galvanized and going strong... but the water is excellent quality...
I have friends in another state where the copper lasts about 25 years... and at work... I have already had to replace sections of copper that was installed in 1995 due to pinholes... copper L too.
The cabin in snow country is all galvanized circa 1960... all original plumbing... many of the newer cabins have copper and they are more prone to freeze issues than the old galvanized... speaking from experience.
What most people think is water pressure is actually a volume issue. Pressure remains constant unless you have a bad pressure regulator valve, a serious leak in your water main or your utility is having a problem with pumps. It is easy to test pressure. It should be 45- to 55 PSI most places.
Your problem is probably volume. Volume reduction is either a supply problem or some form of restriction. Galvanized pipes is one obvious culprit, but it is rare for any houses to still have galvanized. The reason being is they have all corroded up by now and been replaced. Galvanized steel pipes rot form the inside out, so they may look fine on the inside but be plugged up with corrosion inside. As they corrode, the metal expands.
If you have copper or PEX (or PVC) then you issue is more likely to be a leak or too small of pipes to begin with. It can also be a bad valve someplace or even a valve that is just not fully opened. Check every valve starting with the main that is outside. Simply turn it closed and then re-open it all the way. Sometimes they can get partially closed and reduce the low volume to the entire house. If it is mostly hot water, it could be time to replace the water heater, or you might have an on demand water heater that is simply too small for your usage. with Galvanized pipe, the hot water lines also plug up faster than cold (usually).
Another possibility is that some crud got released into your system and has plugged up the screen on every fixture. However that is unlikely. Besides you would nto have low flow int your toilet if that were the case as toilets are not screened.
You could have air in your pipes too. One way to get air out is to open ever single fixture you have full bore and just let them run for fifteen minutes. If you get sputtering and spitting, then there is/was air in your plumbing lines.
If yourcity has water delivery problems (low pressure or low volume) your house may have a booster pump. this is pretty rare except in high rises, but it is possible. If the pump is going bad, that can reduce flow.
Do you have a filtration system of any kind? Some houses have particulate filters, iron filters and then a softener or a whole house filter. Those require periodic maintenance to keep the water flowing freely. if you have any of these, that woudl be your best starting point to check after confirming you do nto have galvanized pipe.
Sometimes copper has more problems than Galvanized... it has to do with water chemistry...
I still have homes with 1922 galvanized and going strong... but the water is excellent quality...
I have friends in another state where the copper lasts about 25 years... and at work... I have already had to replace sections of copper that was installed in 1995 due to pinholes... copper L too.
The cabin in snow country is all galvanized circa 1960... all original plumbing... many of the newer cabins have copper and they are more prone to freeze issues than the old galvanized... speaking from experience.
Copper gets holes and leaks. It does not swell and plug up like galvanized does. It erodes (pinholes) only with certain types of water. I think there is a specific acid in some water. Otherwise, copper will always outlast and outperform galvanized (except in a fire). In turn, PEX or PVC will always outperform copper (except in a fire). Of course with any type, it depends entirely upon proper installation.
it is very rare for galvanized to last 100 years. Less rare for copper. PEX is new(ish) in the United States but it has been in use in Europe for a long time and has considerably outperformed copper. PVC will also last indefinitely if properly installed. However PVC got a bad name because of problems with CPVC or something similar in the 1970s - 1980s (I think, could have been the 90s, my memory for dates is not that great). . the problem was salved decades ago, but people are still gun shy because of the reputation for disasters from the past.
At the farm piped water with PEX and in the wall noticed water leaking and the culprit was a section gnawed away...
We have a lot of exposed water pipe in California... at least here the bay area it is typical with the mild climate...
I spent a lot of time after we had a rare hard freeze... my home was still the old galvanized and the line froze but no damage... all the newer neighbors that had upgraded to copper had busted copper where the pipe rises from the ground outside the foundation and then enters the structure... 16 to 20" of copper exposed to a water gate valve then a Tee and then a outside hose bib...
As a side note... I only use L or better for copper work... the better is K that we use at the Hospital...
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