Can you imagine your home without a maintained kitchen? No, right? The kitchen is undoubtedly an integral part of your home, and you want it to be constantly maintained. As each part of your home has some unique importance, the kitchen plays a vital role in the health of members living in that home. For example, you cook the food for your family and store it in your kitchen. If your kitchen is adequately maintained, the food will be safe and healthy to consume. So for your and your family’s good health, you must have a well-maintained kitchen.

This becomes a crucial check before buying a new home. When it comes to a home inspection, you can better understand what you’re buying. Following are some of the common kitchen aspects that home inspectors check.

1. Vents Leading to Nowhere

The range vent in the kitchen should extract the steam and capture some of the airborne cooking greases. At least in a perfect world, these things are expected. But in reality, the range vents in many kitchens are only decorative features. Just because the kitchen has the vent, there doesn’t mean it works.

The home inspector will check the range vent in your kitchen to confirm whether or not the fan switches on. Even if it switches on, it still might not be functional. So your home inspector will also check for some evidence that it vents outside your house as it should.

2. Electrical Problems Causing Dangers

Poor receptacles and electrical wiring are not some simple defects; they are very dangerous. For example, a heavier gauge wire is necessary for kitchens and bathrooms than living areas. A GFCI protection is also required throughout the room. But these are not the only problems that home inspectors find.

Many home inspectors often find that wiring is dangerously close to plumbing. This is seen primarily under the kitchen sink. That’s the place where dishwasher wiring might run along with garbage disposal. This place is also used for DIY wiring alterations, including new lighting and extra appliances.

3. Poorly Maintained or Installed Appliances
   The defects in kitchen appliances can turn costly for you in a jiff. Repairs are not cheap, whereas replacement will cost you thousands of dollars. The home inspector usually checks the operation of primary, built-in appliances like the refrigerator, range, garbage disposal, and dishwasher. The inspector mostly doesn’t check small appliances, such as microwaves.

Some of the commonly found appliance defects can be non-heating up of range burners, ovens that don’t warm, lack of enough cooling in freezers and refrigerators, missing stabilizer brackets of floor or wall-mount appliances, inadequate built-in ventilation in countertop range top inserts, dirty or dust-covered refrigerator coils, and leaky or broken ice maker.

It is also found that the locking mechanism of garbage disposals is often loose, but it looks like they’re installed. Considering how they vibrate, it’s only a matter of time, and the loose disposal will fall.

4. Plumbing Defects Like Corrosion and Leaks

Plumbing defects can range from simply dripping kitchen faucets to unimaginable widespread leakage that rots the subfloor. Most plumbing issues require only simple repairs when caught early. But if left unchecked, these defects can require significant repair or replacement. Sometimes, these issues lead to even partial demos and reconstruction of your room.

The home inspector usually checks for clogged or slow drains, leaky sinks and fixtures, leaky water supply pipes, outdated pipe materials for water supply, the proper size of drain and supply lines, defects in plumbing vent, and defects in the water heater.

The size of your kitchen doesn’t matter; it can be tiny or spacious enough for a professional chef. The systems used are all common, and all of them can harbor defects. A timely home inspection can protect you from the cost of heavy repairs.

That’s why you should hire an experienced professional for your home inspection. Even if you are buying a new property, you must hire a home inspector to ensure your buying decision is correct. The information in the inspection report allows you to make a decision based on facts.

If you are searching for professional inspection services, contact us at Atlantic Building Inspections, and worry less about defects and problems in your dream home!