Final Exam – Washington Home Inspector Training

What is the typical expected lifespan of an asphalt shingle roof?

If there is insufficient clearance for the termination of an exhaust flue above the roof, _______ can occur.

A home inspector shall always act in the interests of the client, even if doing so violates a law.

Evaporative coolers work best in __________ climates.

Radon is a _________.

Central air conditioning increases comfort by _____________.

Inspectors are required to inspect the insulation in unfinished spaces, including the attic.

A header is typically found ________.

Shelter tubes are created by ___________.

A good rule of thumb is that there should be a downspout for every ____ feet of gutter.

To avoid scalding injuries, heating elements should be set to:

A common reason slate roofs fail prematurely is ___________.

Exterior wall‐covering materials at sidewalls should have a minimum clearance of ________ from the main roof‐covering materials.

Short intervals between activation of a well pump usually means that the system is ___________.

A comprehensive and detailed examination beyond the scope of a real estate home inspection might be considered __________.

Which of the following is not a requirement for guardrails?

Stachybotrys, a type of fungus, is also known as ______ mold.

Identify the definition of the term: Collar beam or Collar Tie.

Which of the following is TRUE with regard to powder post beetles?

Fuses do not provide protection against __________.

A 60‐amp electrical service panel at a 2,800‐square‐foot home would be considered ________.

Which of the following BEST describes the report statement shown below? “The roof is in good condition for its age.”

When testing cold‐air returns, turn the furnace or air conditioner on and hold a tissue next to the cold air return. There should be ___________.

Efflorescence is related to __________.

All of the following are wood‐destroying insects, except _________.

Generally, which type of item is NOT included in a home inspection?

A safety device found on an automatic garage door opener is _________.

If a stairway has more than six treads, a light switch is required at the _________.

An inspector notes that the heat pump is not functioning and that the condensate pan under the air handler is full of water. Why might these two things be related?

Which of the following would be most likely to have the highest R-value?

Vinyl siding manufactured today uses coloring that goes through the material, rather than just at the surface, so that accidentally scratching it won’t reveal a different color underneath.

Which of the following is not true of a spark arrester in a masonry chimney?

In general, the grading around a building should be positively sloped for how many feet away from the building?

Bulging plaster is observed high up on several bedroom walls. The primary concern is the bulging plaster is a(n):

How much glazing area should every habitable room in a residential dwelling contain?

What are the minimum dimensions that a chimney must be away from the roof in order to minimize the chances of fire?

Inspectors should test automatic garage doors for ___________.

During an inspection of a gas dryer, you observe no exhaust vent. Your report should:

Which of the following locations does not require a GFCI outlet?

Both the hot service wires feeding the electric panel are typically ________.

A microwave leak detector can be used by a home inspector to check ___________.

What is the purpose of an expansion tank in a hot water system?

The minimum headroom in a stairway should be ___________.

If a dishwasher runs but will not fill with water, which of the following is not a potential reason why?

Which of the following soils can support the least load-bearing pressure?

Home inspectors report receptacles with reversed polarity as potentially hazardous because:

While inspecting an air conditioner, the liquid line (smaller tube) should feel ______ to the touch.

Asbestos is not usually found ___________.

Cables should be secured, usually by staples, within _______ of the electrical service panel

“Plumb” in construction means _________.

Weep holes in masonry veneer should be _________.

To measure carbon monoxide, you should use a(n):

Which of the following is not normally checked during aluminum siding inspection?

The electrical panel rating should be no smaller than _________.

What is the minimum and maximum pressure for a water supply system in a residential building?

While inspecting the furnace you detect very high levels of carbon monoxide at the supply air registers. You should:

A missing or undersized lintel can put pressure on the __________.

The diameter for the main water supply pipe for a house is usually ___________.

Glass doors on a fireplace reduce the amount of warm household air that gets wasted up the chimney.

Soil surface adjacent to the foundation should be:

Two black wires attached to a single fuse or breaker lug is called a ________.

Which of the following components of the HVAC system would typically be expected to last the longest?

When inspecting a home, the seller of the property has made the statement that all the appliances are in working order. As an inspector, you should:

Home inspectors are required to determine the quality or the condition and operation of on‐site sewage disposal systems such as waste ejector pumps, cesspools, septic tanks, drain fields, related underground piping, conduit, cisterns, and related equipment.

The following plumbing fixture valves should all be operated EXCEPT:

Which of the following is NOT a way for a homes’ electrical system to be grounded?

How far above a showerhead should the waterproof material in bathroom extend?

It is recommended that stucco sidewall finishes on houses with more than one story should be_______________framed.

The more slope on a plumbing waste pipe, the better.

You observe approximately 12 inches of loose fill fiberglass insulation in an attic space. You advise the client that the “R” value is approximately:

Washington Home inspectors are required to walk roofs.

A gate is installed in a fence around a pool. Which of the following characteristics is the gate not required to have?

Which of the following is a legal and commonly used trap?

Wind load on a building is an example of what type of load?

Concave, V, raked and extruded are all types of __________.

Which of the following statements is true regarding wood joists?

Downstream of the electrical service box, the neutral and ground wires should not be _________.

The best location for return air registers is __________.

A gable roof has ________.

One of the most common types of subterranean termite found in the United States is the _________ subterranean termite.

A builder has added an additional load to a wood truss in the form of a water heater. Under what circumstances does the IRC allow this?

Which of the following radon detecting devices is an active device?

A pre inspection agreement or contract is optional for Washington home inspectors

A home inspector must move personal property, furniture, equipment, or plants if they are obstructing the inspection.

You are inspecting a home built in 1996. In the garage you observe the walls are covered with 1/4-inch hardboard panels. You advise the client that:

Which of the following is the correct termination where the sloped roof terminates with an EIFS wall?

Which of the following is a component of a roof drainage system?

All of the following are clues that an oil tank is buried outside, except ____________.

For child safety, deck rail spindles should be spaced so that a ______ sphere cannot pass between them.

The home inspector is required to enter crawlspaces that require excavation or have an access opening less than eighteen inches by twenty‐four inches or headroom less than eighteen inches beneath floor joists and twelve inches beneath girders

Which of the following terms matches the definition: A wall is usually considered unsafe if it leans to such an extent that a plumb line passing through its center of gravity does not fall inside the middle one third of its base?

Which of the following is part of a stair tread?

A cross‐connection exists ________.

Vinyl siding nails should not be driven in all the way.

Piers made of hollow concrete block should be installed with the hollow channels oriented _________.

Radon mitigation systems typically operate ____________.

HVAC ductwork that runs through unconditioned spaces should be _______.

Which statement BEST describes the action a home inspector should take when a safety issue is found in a home?

A home inspection is supposed to be visual and _________.

One is inspecting an EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finishing System) wall system for deficiencies. Where would these be most likely to occur?

The term “wet vent” refers to a:

Which of the following is the greatest advantage of wood stud construction over steel stud construction?

An onsite water quality test is generally done only on structures that are on a non‐municipal water supply.

EIFS is a siding material that:

Looking into an open electric service panel you see a wire with evidence of burning. What should you do?

A WA licensed home inspector cannot perform repair work on a home they have inspected for 12 months after inspection date

Flashing is not required at which of the following locations?

While inspecting the attic, you observe that the 2 x 4 webbing has been removed from two (2) adjacent manufactured roof trusses to enable the installation of the attic-mounted HVAC air-handler unit, in a single-family dwelling. Your report should state that:

Electrical cables are required to be clamped with Romex connectors where they enter the electrical panel.

When a water heater thermostat is set at 120 degrees F or higher, a____________ should be installed to temper the water.

Which of the following is likely to be a non‐load‐bearing wall?

The joints on the exterior of the brick chimney should be:

The International Residential Code (IRC) requires rafters to be fastened to ridge boards or gusset plates if the pitch of the roof is greater than or equal to a certain angle. What is the angle?

Damage from ice dams could indicate:

Which deficiency should be considered an immediate potential safety hazard?

The Washington State department of licensing has the authority to issue civil infractions under chapter 7.80 RCW in the following instances:

A licensed home inspector shall _____ the Washington standard of practice.

All of the following statements make an assumption that can normally be determined by routine home inspection procedures EXCEPT the:

On a set of stairs, the rise is always greater than the run.

T/F: Roof slope = run/rise.

How many movements of the hand should it take to turn off all the breakers in a service panel with no main disconnect?

In older homes, the space between floor joists is sometimes used as a duct for _________.

Which of the following situations would probably not make a sump pump necessary?

What are the types of heat that must be taken into account when calculating the cooling loads for an HVAC system?

Beams transfer loads from the joists to the __________.

Which of the following is not a normal operating control?

Water is dripping from the cold water pipes above a gas water heater. This might be caused by:

Standard three light electrical testers are NOT always reliable because:

In a largely unremodeled house built in 1908, you would not expect to find ________.

When does asbestos pose a risk to the health of home occupants?

Which of the following materials should never be used for supply piping in homes?

Burning natural gas (CH4) with oxygen yields carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (2H20) and ________.

Air sealing reduces __________.

Two roof trusses passing above an interior hallway have been cut to install a pull-down attic ladder. There is no cracking or indication of distress in the walls or ceilings. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate action?

The bottom of exterior wood siding should be __________.

Violations of the Washington home inspectors SOP and ethics are subject to disciplinary action

In a forced air furnace, the burner(s) are used to generate heat in the:

An electrical wire that is hanging loose with a bare end is seen in the attic of a home. The homeowner says it is an abandoned circuit and is not being used. The quickest way to check the wire is to:

The following is NOT part of an ashalt roof shingle system:

What would one use a blower door test for?

During your inspection you see small white insects. What do you say to your clients?

Electrical service‐entrance cable should be covered by siding for aesthetic value.

Ivy has grown across the entire exterior brick wall surfaces of a one- family house. The home inspector should report that the ivy:

Water pressure ________ with the height of the fixture.

Which of the following observations would NOT be a likely cause of the failure of a septic field?

The door that separates a home’s living area from the attached garage should be __________.

Which of the following is a safety mandate in a remodeled home where a hydro-massage bathtub has been added?

Which of the following is NOT true concerning lead paint?

WA SOP: Home inspectors must test every switch, receptacle, and fixture in the subject property.

The minimum height above a residential driveway for an electrical service drop is __________.

While inspecting a crawl space, you should probe for decay if the_____________is dark in appearance.

What is the minimum allowed slope of graded soil next to a building’s foundation, according to the International Residential Code (IRC)?

While inspecting a one-year-old house, slab on grade, you observe hairline cracks in the concrete floor with no vertical displacement. This indicates:

Which of the following does a home inspector not typically include in the inspection report?

You are inspecting a residential property. You have to observe and/or test all of the readily accessible components of each system. Determine which of the following is not considered to be a readily accessible component of a room.

How large should the footing or foundation for a masonry fireplace be?

On a previous workday, you left a crawl space access cover off of the access to the pantry. A party fell the next day and was injured. Which of the following insurance types will be used to pay damages?

If there is insufficient combustion air available to a gas furnace, what can occur?

The purpose of having spacing between the floorboards at an exterior deck is to ____________.

A 40 to 50year old galvanized steel water supply system _______________.

Adding insulation to an attic improperly can result in ___________.

In a house built in 1998, you would not expect to find __________.

With respect to flow, 3/4‐inch pipe is about 270% bigger than 1/2‐inch pipe.

Which of the following describes a worst‐case scenario for foundation construction?

A roof that has a pitch of 4:12 means that it _______ 4 inches for every _______ horizontal inches.

The MINIMUM width of stairways (not considering railings) is:

In which of the following locations are groundfault circuit interceptors (GFCI) required?

An inspector can often determine the approximate age of a home by its method of construction. Which of the following choices shows the methods of construction in order from first developed to most recently developed?

Gutters are required to be installed on all homes.

The purpose of anchor bolts in a sill plate is to:

Why must building footings extend below the frost line?

Metal chimneys that rise 7 feet above the roof should be _________.

Dedicated Branch circuits must be installed in several locations in every building. Which of the following is not one of them?

Which of the following is most likely to need further investigation when checking the stucco on a home?

Which of the following is not evidence of frost heaving?

The framing method that uses studs continuously from the sill to the roof is called:

Fireplace flues must extend AT LEAST:

It is very important for inspectors to handle themselves with care around electrical systems. What is the minimum amperage that is generally considered fatal?

Beginning September 1, 2009 you must be licensed to perform home inspections in Washington state.

When evaluating the operation of an AC system during the summer months, the temperature differential between the supply and renew air should typically be:

Every basement and sleeping room is required to have an easily operable emergency escape window. How large must this window be?

A 10AWG copper wire corresponds to ____amp fuse size.

What is the minimum R-value of insulation allowed in an attic?

A puddle on a flat roof that is 20 feet by 20 feet by 1 inch deep weighs ________.

The brass button at the inside‐bottom of a light socket _________.

WA SOP: The home inspectors pre-inspection agreement must contain a statement that the inspection does not include investigation of mold, asbestos, lead paint, water, soil, air quality or other environmental issues unless agreed to in writing in the preinspection agreement.

While inspecting a home, you observe a large ceiling fan with built-in lamps. This installation requires a(an):

When a heavy snow falls on a conventional, stick‐built roof with no truss, the collar ties between the rafters are under _________.

Which of the following is not a code requirement for electric clothes dryer exhaust ducts?

A 14‐2 Romex wire is typically used with _____amp breakers.

A fireplace with a 5 sq foot opening must have a hearth that extends at least _____ inches past the face of the firebox.

Which of the following would be the most critical safety issue if it were discovered during an inspection?

Which of the following is not a required clearance around a toilet per the IRC code (International Residential Code)?

How are the holes in rigid foundation drain pipe aligned?

What is the primary purpose of control joints placed in concrete driveways?

Where might you expect to find a window with safety glass?

What is a common cause of buckled hardwood flooring in an existing house?

A newly built ventilated crawl space with a vapor retarder is REQUIRED to have one square foot of net ventilation opening per

A standard claims made errors and omissions insurance policy includes claims filed

The device used to detect the electrical current to the electric heater coil is called