Crawlspace Inspection Guide
Standards of Practice
The International Standards of Practice for inspecting the Doors, Windows, & Interior is located at www.nachi.org/sop.
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To learn more, take InterNACHI's free, online Advanced Inspection of Crawlspaces Course.
Electrical
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Observation
Inadequately-supported conductors.
Plumbing
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Observation
Inadequate/improper drain pipe slope.
No cleanouts installed.
Observation
Improper fittings.
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Appliance connector to PVC.​
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Observation
Improper pipe material.
PVC is not an acceptable gas supply pipe material.
Appliance connectors (orange corrugated pipe) should not be used as in-line gas pipe. It is to be used only to connect a gas-fired appliance, to the shut-off valve.
Observation
Improper pipe configuration.
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Mixing PEX pipe colors.
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Typically red is hot water and blue is cold. Mixing colors will complicate tracing pipes and diagnosing problems.
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Observation
Observation​
Improper pipe connections.
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Different metals in contact with each other in the presence of moisture causes galvanic corrosion.
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Observation
Steel supporting copper
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Observation
Steel supporting copper.
Observation
Steel to copper.
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Observation
Copper to CSST gas line.
Observation
Improper support/pipe combinations.
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Observation
Steel supporting PEX.
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Observation
Steel supporting PVC.
Non-Defect Conditions
Observation
Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene, commonly called “ABS”, is a black plastic pipe widely used across North America as drain, waste, and vent (DWV) pipe.
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Welding solvents used to connect PVC won’t necessarily work with ABS so you should see connections made between these two pipes as shown in the photo above.
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Observation
ABS is generally not used/available in south Florida but is extremely common over much of the US. You can recognize it from markings on the side of the pipe.
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Observation
PVC Support Types
Both metal and plastic hangers are acceptable for supporting PVC drain pipes.