Furnace's Flaw Undetected

Q: DEAR BARRY: We purchased a house last week, and our home inspector found no problems with the forced-air furnace. But when the man from the gas company came to turn on the service, he said there was a hole in the heat exchanger. He "red flagged" the furnace as unsafe and unusable. What recourse do we have?

-- Thomas

A: DEAR THOMAS: Heat exchangers are routinely disclaimed by home inspectors, meaning the inspector won't take responsibility for finding problems with that component. That's because exchangers are located within the recesses of the furnace and are largely inaccessible. Cracks or holes often are not visible without dismantling the furnace, and such conditions are considered to be outside the scope of a home inspection.

A fair response to this disclaimer is that some portions of heat exchangers are visible at the burner access, and home inspectors are supposed to disclose defects that are visible and accessible.

The deciding factor in your case is whether the hole in the heat exchanger was visible without dismantling the furnace.

Whether there were any other indications of furnace damage also matters. For example, if there were any irregularities in the flame pattern or the flame color, or if there was rust or soot in the burner chamber, or if there were black stains on the walls or ceilings near the air registers, those should have been warning signs indicating possible damage to the heat exchanger.

Any observable defects in the heating system should have been reported by the home inspector, with a recommendation for further evaluation by a licensed heating and air conditioning contractor. If visible conditions were overlooked, the inspector is liable.

DEAR BARRY: I'm not sure how often to have my septic tank pumped and I have heard conflicting opinions. Some people say I should pump the system every year or two. Others say, "If it's not broken, don't fix it." Some even say that needless pumping can cause loosened solids to clog the leach lines.

It has been 12 years since my septic system was pumped. What do you recommend? -- Ken

DEAR KEN: The opinions you have heard are incorrect in opposite extremes. Pumping the tank every one or two years is excessive. As long as the bacterial environment in the tank is good, the solids should continue to decompose, and as long as the leach field was property installed and is not too old, the liquids should continue to be absorbed into the earth through the leach lines.

Maintaining the bacterial balance in the tank is simple and inexpensive using products available in hardware stores. Just flush the product down the toilet once or twice a year. Take care not to drain strong laundry detergents or other chemicals into the system.

To ensure that the system is performing adequately, the tank should be pumped about every five years. The idea that pumping will clog the leach field is unfounded: pumping removes the solids from the system before they can flow downstream to the leach lines.

If you have gone 12 years without the system being pumped and inspected, you're long overdue and should have this done soon.

Barry Stone is a professional home inspector. If you have questions or comments, contact him through his Web site, http://www.housedetective.com, or send mail to 1776 Jami Lee Ct., Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, Calif. 93401.

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