Sewer Gas, Fake Receipts, And The Case For Rechecks

Ever walked into your “fixed” new home and caught a whiff of something you can’t ignore? We dig into a real case where promised repairs didn’t hold up, a bathroom vent dumped sewer gas into an attic, and grading still shoved water toward the foundation. Along the way, we unpack why reinspections are the unsung hero of a smart purchase and how small misses in plumbing ventilation, moisture control, and documentation snowball into health risks and costly remediation.

We break down the mechanics in simple terms: how plumbing vents should route above the roofline, why exhaust fans should never tie into drain vents, and what attic condensation stains are trying to tell you. From mold concerns to backdrafting odors, we connect symptoms to sources so you can act fast and fix the right problem first. You’ll also hear what a thorough moisture assessment includes, when it makes sense to forgo testing and go straight to remediation, and how to validate a clean, dry attic or basement after the work is done.

Trust is not a plan. We share practical steps to verify seller repairs: confirm contractor licenses and insurance, request in-progress photos and itemized invoices, and reserve a focused reinspection before releasing contingencies. We even cover common red flags like handwritten “receipts,” clever but unsafe DIY vent extensions, and partial fixes that create new issues. If you’re under contract now—or you’ve moved in and something feels off—this guide will help you protect your health, your budget, and your peace of mind.

If this helped you see your home with clearer eyes, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s house hunting, and leave a quick review to tell us what you want us to dig into next.

Chapters

• 0:01 From Contract To Inspection
• 0:20 The Missed Reinspection Problem
• 1:21 Six Months Later: Moisture Concerns
• 2:01 Sponsor Message
• 2:01 Attic Plumbing Vents Done Wrong
• 3:13 Sewer Gas And Health Symptoms
• 3:53 Exhaust Fans Pushing Gas Into Attic
• 4:18 Condensation Stains And Mold
• 4:58 Skipped Testing And Remediation
• 5:03 Grading Still Slopes Toward House
• 5:18 Fake Receipts And License Checks
• 6:01 Don’t Trust Seller Promises
• 6:15 Bad DIY Vent Extensions
• 7:11 When Repairs Make Things Worse
• 7:28 Reinspections: Pros, Cons, Reality
• 8:12 A Rare Perfect Repair Story
• 8:33 Our Policy On Return Visits
• 9:23 Final Advice And Close

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:01

Alright, let's say you're a lucky dog. You have a house in contract. You did a home inspection like you should. And then you or issues were found, as always. There's always some issues. Typically, they're nothing major. Or they're easily fixed before they become major. So S so Got in contract, did the home inspection, you had a request to remedy because your agent was a good agent and made certain you had a request to remedy to help fix things. However, you did not have the house reinspected to make certain those things are done correctly. So we recently went back to a house. They had a home inspection, they had a request to remedy. I don't know what company they use. They ever send us that report from the previous home inspection company.

SPEAKER_01: 0:53

I was actually thinking of Carl too. We can get home to him later.

SPEAKER_02: 0:57

Yes. Oh, yeah, we got Carl Carl has a story. So we should maybe do a podcast with Carl. So it was six months ago. They had an inspection, had a request for remedy. They move in. Well, they contacted like a week ago. Hey, can you guys come do a moisture inspection on the house? Because there's some issues that they're wanting. So we thought about doing a whole house inspection for them. They are they had one six months ago. So they should not need that. But she is concerned about mold. So we did the uh based up moisture inspection, really, is what it is. And Laura, what did we find?

SPEAKER_00: 1:34

Habitation investigation is the way to go for a home inspection in Ohio. Trusted licensed home inspectors for your needs. From radon to malt to warranty. For a great home inspection, you really can't go wrong. Visit home inspections in Ohio.com.

SPEAKER_01: 2:01

Well, we found that part of their request to remedy was to fix the plumbing issues in the attic. So like the this plumbing vents were supposed to go out.

SPEAKER_02: 2:14

So well, okay. I've only seen it a couple times. I've seen enough times to put it in the report system permanent. So the shower vents are routed to go into the plumbing vents.

SPEAKER_01: 2:28

Now. Probably not during the inspection, but they are now.

SPEAKER_02: 2:32

They are now, yes. So and then the bathroom plumbing vent for the for the half for the half bathroom, it just vents right into the attic space. So you open up, I open up that attic hatch, I can smell sewer gas. And what was weird though, and and she the homeowner now is getting sick, right? She has some sensitivities to molds and things like that. Well, when you have your shower vent connected to the plumbing vent, when it's windy outside, you're you could be getting some sewer gases coming back inside your bathrooms.

SPEAKER_01: 3:11

Which is how I found it in the half bath downstairs.

SPEAKER_02: 3:15

Yeah, it smelled like sewer gas. And then the one plumbing vent up in the attic space, I don't know why, it had a like a like a Y connector. Like you're gonna connect another pipe to go into this drain. While when you have the the hall bathroom upstairs, a hall bathroom fan on, that's blowing sewer gas straight into the attic space. And and of course, a lot of people may not know this, but your your plumbing vents, they're constantly venting high humidity along the sewer gases to the outside. So in this attic, there was lots of condensation stains going on. A lot. So there's a couple other things that they that was not done correctly on the repair. We did find mold.

SPEAKER_01: 4:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_02: 4:09

Right, and that test came back, right? Was that positive?

SPEAKER_01: 4:12

No, we never did the test.

SPEAKER_02: 4:13

We never did a test. They didn't run it. That's correct. They decided not to do a test. Instead, we hooked them up with a mold remediation company to come help them out. A good company, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 4:21

That's what we did.

SPEAKER_02: 4:23

But on the request of remedy, they also had, hey, the grading needed fixed. That was not done. No, there were still like at least three areas where the ground soaked toward the house to direct water into it. So just because a home seller tells you they fixed it does not mean they did it correctly. Because the attic it's not done. That needs mold remediation now because the mold company found mold up there. Yep. We found some in the basement, underneath the stairs, also. There's an indication there could be some mold grown underneath as well.

SPEAKER_01: 5:01

You you need to get it rechecked or at least get uh like receipts, legitimate receipts from the receipts before on things, and when I've gone and looked up the contractor license, it wasn't valid. Neither was the company name.

SPEAKER_02: 5:18

That was an electrician, right? Supposedly. It was an electrician or a plumber, because they had a license number, so it was one of the things we have gotten seen uh bullshit receipts going here. We we have the work done. And no, you did not. Well, it's very unprofessional. It was it was just on a piece of like notebook paper. Like, here's here's your receipt. And then Laura looked up the license number and was like, no, no such no such thing.

SPEAKER_01: 5:42

No such number exists.

SPEAKER_02: 5:43

Or company name.

SPEAKER_01: 5:46

So be careful. Just protect yourself always. If in doubt, check it out.

SPEAKER_02: 5:52

In doubt, check it out. So here's another another tip though. If you're buying a house and the home seller says they'll fix it, they didn't fix it right in the first place for themselves. Why do you think they're gonna fix it right for you now? They're less motivated to fix it correctly now.

SPEAKER_01: 6:10

Especially if it's a financial cost to that at all. They're not gonna want to put it in.

SPEAKER_02: 6:15

Well, I remember the one house I I looked at, they had the plumbing vents. We'll keep on that topic. The plumbing vents are supposed to go at least six inches above the roof surface.

SPEAKER_01: 6:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_02: 6:25

That way they don't they can't get blocked by snow.

SPEAKER_01: 6:28

That makes sense.

SPEAKER_02: 6:32

Well, to extend that, like I recommended, the seller just put a gutter downspout over top of that. Not not crimped on to hold it on in place. That was I would have I was still rotten up like my this is not it works, it's very hillbilly, but that's all he did took a downspout layer top of it and called it good. I mean, first decent wind would have blown that off easily. And then, well, we'll have Carl. We'll have Carl on.

SPEAKER_01: 7:07

We'll have to have Carl on. We'll give him a call and see when we can set one up.

SPEAKER_02: 7:11

Sometimes the repairs are worse. They're worse than the fine the original findings.

SPEAKER_01: 7:16

Which we just had yesterday. So yeah, let's let's let's wrap this one up and we can talk with Carl and do one on some of his most memorable inspection funds. Yep.

SPEAKER_02: 7:28

And I will say, typically we home inspectors typically do not like going back to the house to do a reinspection to make certain things are done correctly or to get into a space they didn't have access to in the beginning. We'd rather just go there once, get it all done, and and that's it. It's more time efficient. We don't want to take up another time, whole time slot that can be full of whole new home inspection and all the other services with it to go back and double check something. We'd rather not, but we can go back and do um a recheck to make sure things are repaired. Do not, if you do this, do not expect everything to be repaired because they often miss things. I did have one the other day though, like two weeks ago, everything was done. And it was done well. I was I was amazed. I was like, holy crap, everything's fixed. I'm getting text going, this is all good. This is good. Yeah, well, it was a log cabin. I mean, I like the it was a very pretty log cabin. It was a very pretty log cabin. A builder I did a nice job with it, really did. So, but anyway, always get it inspected, always get it re-inspected if you have request for remedy, and do not take the seller's word that this is all done. Nope, nope, everything fixed, it's not an issue. And then I can I got another story.

SPEAKER_01: 8:51

And most most companies also do charge to go back out and reinspect. Oh, yes, because it takes up another time slot, it it's time, they have to go back out, so it's usually like up to an hour, and then the rates vary.

SPEAKER_02: 9:04

We we are kind of unique. If we got one area that we couldn't get to for the inspection, we will not charge to go back out, but it we're not taking up a whole time slot.

SPEAKER_01: 9:13

Well, and that's not a reinspection either. That that's finishing the initial inspection. So we are one of the few companies that that's we will go back out for that that first time.

SPEAKER_02: 9:23

Yes. But so please, please, please make sure everything's all ready for us so that we cannot it. We lose money making all these extra trips back here. So, all right, that's it. Thank you, everybody. Bye, bye bye.