What Household Appliances Get Inspected During A Home Inspection?

In addition to the homes’ major structure areas and major systems, a professional certified home inspector is going to take an in depth look at the kitchen area in general, which contains the household appliances within the home. In addition to the kitchen cabinets and counter top areas, household appliances need inspecting because they can be major safety risk if they are dysfunctional or non-operational. They can also be a major fire hazard and they can be dangerous to you or your family.

Read on to learn about the likely appliances that home inspectors will take a look at.

Inspecting Appliances

Since home inspectors are looking at any element that may potentially harm the homeowner, they’ll also look at appliances. However, they won’t look at every appliance.

For instance, home inspectors aren’t required to inspect appliances that aren’t built-in, such as your regular counter-top microwave. Refrigerators / Freezers are often not considered built-in, so they’re also exempt. As a customer courtesy some inspectors will note whether or not the units appeared to be functioning visually.

Here are some of the typical appliances that home inspectors will look over:

  • Kitchen Range/Oven
  • Kitchen Cook Top
  • Range/Oven/Cook Top Vent
  • Dishwasher
  • Built-in Microwave
  • Food Waste Disposal

Remember that home inspectors aren’t necessarily experts on all of these appliances. They aren’t certified or licensed appliance repairmen and they do not work for the manufacturer of the appliances. They do however have experience in evaluating appliances for safety issues and concerns. The home inspector has a series of test or checks that they perform to make sure your appliances are operating correctly and are safe to use.

Range/Oven/Cook Top

Home inspectors will turn on the range/oven or cook top and keep it on for about 10 – 15 minutes to ensure that the appliance is operating properly. They will also look for any damage, rust, significant wear, lighting, etc or other signs that may indicate the need for a appliance professional to conduct a more in depth assessment.

Range/Oven/Cook Top Vent

A home inspector will conduct a surface review of the venting or fan, test all the buttons to ensure proper operation and to make sure that the cooking light(s) work as well as the fan levels. They’ll also determine what type of venting system it has and make sure that the system is adequate and intact. While there are great many venting fans that filter and circulate air internally to the kitchen, ideally the system will remove that air from the kitchen area and vent it directly outside of the home.

Dishwasher

The dishwasher is typically run on normal cycle to ensure that the dishwasher is functioning correctly and does not have any apparent leaks. If a dishwasher is full of dishes or other items – the home inspector is not allowed to test it for liability reasons.

Built In Microwave

A home inspector will conduct a surface review of the microwave and test the general functions to determine that it is operational in general. They do not cook meals or operate the unit for an extended time.  If the microwave also serves as the oven/range/cook top vent hood, they will operate all the buttons on the hood to make sure all the lights work, the fan is operational and no unusual noise is present during operation.

Food Waste Disposal

The inspector will cut on the water to the sink and run it to ensure proper operation, proper balance and proper extracting of processed water into the homes waste/plumbing drain system. Of course, the inspector will check for any signs of leaks from the unit, around it or the plumbing pipes.

Refrigerator/Freezer

Your home inspector may or may not inspect your fridge depending on if it’s considered built-in or not. If they do inspect it, they’ll be looking at the seals to make sure they’re in good condition. They’ll also check the fridge’s coils to ensure it’s cooling correctly. If they don’t inspect it – as a customer courtesy, some inspectors will note whether or not the units appeared to be functioning visually.

Most Common Appliance Defects

Some of the most common defects that home inspectors find with appliances are:

  • Range burner controls broken or cook surfaces that don’t heat properly
  • Ovens not having anti-tip over anchors, not working/not warming to the set temperature and lights not working
  • Range Hoods fans not working, lights not working or vented into attic
  • Dishwashers not extracting
  • Food Processor blades loose, clogged, making unusual noises or not working at all

If you are looking for a certified professional home inspector in the Albany, Leesburg or Southwest Georgia area. Contact us today to do your home inspection.

At Sentry Home Inspection Services – We’ve Got Your Back!