When the roof shingles were replaced, the upper vent pipe section for the wood burning heater was removed. If the heater had been used, the attic would have caught on fire.

ALL of the HVAC air registers in EVERY room of this house, and ALL the metal ducts, had 120 volts on every metal surface. It appeared that a duct section was in contact with a CEIL HEAT cable. (A vibration collar was preventing the proper electrical bonding of the ductwork.)

The insulation on the electrical service entrance wires was severely deteriorated, and the power was starting to arc onto the support cable. This had the potential to destroy both the support cable and the utility transformer.

EXPOSED connections or DAMAGED insulation on the electrical service-entrance connectors is very common, and can be very deadly. (The power company will insulate or re-insulate these connections if they are asked to do so.)

Disconnected ductwork in the attic or the crawlspace is a very common discovery. It certainly does no good for your allergies or your utility bills.

Exterior gas-pack furnaces seem to be the most vulnerable to burning "dirty", emitting high carbon monoxide at the exhaust. If the heat exchanger leaked, the CO from some of these units could easily kill the entire household.

Air-conditioning and heat pump systems are very vulnerable to proper freon level, orifice size, and equipment matching. Temperature differentials give quick insight if further evaluation is needed. If something is "out of kilter", the dollars can add up in a hurry.

When there is a combination of high moisture and poor ventilation in a crawlspace, the WMC (wood moisture content) can progressively rot the floor structure. The WMC in this crawlspace was between 25% to 30%, but it appeared as if the problem had been caught in time.

If large animals can get inside the crawlspace of a house, the damage they cause can be extensive. A family of opossums can make a crawlpsace look like a bomb has gone off.

Water leakage under a commode is a very common discovery, which can sometimes be expensive to repair. A radio frequency moisture meter detected the heavy moisture that was present under the floor in this bathroom. (See the hidden damage in the next item.)

Long term water leakage at the base of the commode had heavily damaged the sub-floor in this bathroom. A large sectioin of the sub-floor had to be replaced along with the finished floor surface. (See the cause in the previous item.)

Severe water damage was found in the sub-floor and sheetrock of the living room, but the water source could not be found. With the help of a neighbor, it was finally discovered that a gutter was sending water backwards across the roof soffit, down the front of the house, and into a gap in the vinyl siding.

Damaged or missing steel flue-dampers inside the smoke chamber of the fireplace is a common discovery. This can draw an enormous amount of heat out of the house during the winter time.

Opps! The plumber missed this one. The water from the shower-tub, in this 4 year old house, had been running into the crawlspace the entire time.

When the dishwasher was running, several of the electrical receptacles in the house showed 137 volts while others 107 volts, but they returned to 120 volts when the dishwasher was off. It turned out that a circuit with a "shared neutral" was involved.

One of the water lines for the clothes washer was leaking into the wall cavity, and this is what it looked like inside the crawlspace. This required the replacement of the sub-floor.