Inspector Finds A Leaking Sewer Grinder Pump Next To A Power Outlet, A Crushed Water Meter And A Load Bearing Water Bottle In A Brand New Build

The sound of hammers and saws is the sound of a job site, and home inspector @inspector.jordan says he was not there to look at the house under construction. He was there for the one behind him, a brand new build he was ready to be impressed by.

An inspector at a house under construction on the left, and a tangle of large industrial pipes on the right, illustrating a new build inspection that finds a leaking sewer grinder pump and a crushed water meter.

His caption sums up how it went: at first glance, he thought the builders were doing a pretty good job. “Then I started inspecting.”

@inspector.jordan

“That’s A Load Bearing Water Bottle” Says The Inspector At A Leaking Grinder Pump

Out in the yard, he stops at a grinder pump that is leaking. A grinder pump is the unit that grinds household waste and pushes it out to the sewer line, and this one has a water bottle sitting next to it.

He lifts up the grass to show it. “This is not just any water bottle,” he says, then tries and fails to pull it out. His verdict: “That’s a load bearing water bottle.”

The joke lands, but the leak does not. He says the water is sewer water, which is the last thing anyone wants seeping into the ground at a house nobody has moved into yet.

The Fire Hydrant Crew Crushed The Water Meter

Next he points to the water meter. It looks like when the crew was burying the fire hydrant, he says, they crushed the “dang” water meter. “Oh, that’s not correct,” he adds.

A crushed meter is more than a cosmetic issue. The meter is the connection between the house and the public water supply, so damage there can lead to leaks, and fixing it means digging again.

A Sewer Pump Sits Right Below A Powered Outlet

Back at the grinder pump, the inspector shows what worries him most. The pump is installed right below an AC outlet, and that outlet is powered on. The pump is hooked up, and, as he puts it, “you can see we got some leakage going on over here.”

Water and electricity are a bad mix anywhere. A leaking pump below a live outlet is the kind of detail an inspector writes at the top of the report.

He also notes that the breaker is on at the pump, yet it does not look like the pump is working. There is power, he says, but the breaker is not tripping.

Outdoor Outlets Need Real Outdoor Covers, Not Inside Plates

He spots cover plates on outdoor outlets that are only good for use inside. Outside, he says, you have to cover them with a bubble cover or some sort of outdoor-rated cover.

Those covers protect the outlet from rain and sprinklers. A flat indoor plate leaves the outlet open to moisture the moment the weather turns.

No Power At The Air Conditioner, And A Water Heater Mystery

Inside, the list keeps growing. The kitchen island receptacles are missing GFCI protection, he says. That is the safety feature that shuts off power quickly when electricity strays where it should not, and it is a standard requirement near water.

He finds no power at the air conditioner either. Later, with the water heater breaker on and the electrical hooked up, he asks the question every buyer would ask: why is there no power? “Oh, that’s a bummer,” he says. “That’s some weird electrical stuff in this house.”

The other items come quicker, and he treats them with humor. A light fixture needs to be moved over a little. The garage door is nice and dusty. Some cable has been left lying around, though “good thing it’s disconnected.” There is missing can trim in the ceiling, which he calls “not a big deal.”

He Wouldn’t Let His Kids Take A Shower In That Shower

Then comes the bathroom. “I don’t think I would let my kids take a shower in this shower,” he says. There are trash bags in the corners, too.

His last find is an opening that he jokes is the entrance for the snakes. “The snakes come in right there,” he says.

It also shows why an inspector’s tone matters. He keeps the mood light, yet every joke is attached to a real defect that he says he is putting in the report.

That is the kind of record a buyer can hand to a builder and say, fix these before closing. Humor gets attention, but the written list is what gets the work done.

What Buyers Of New Builds Should Take From This

The lesson in this walk-through is simple. New does not mean finished, and it does not mean safe. A professional looking at the electrical, the plumbing and the exterior can find problems that a quick tour never will.

Hire your own inspector, not one recommended by the seller or builder.
Ask about GFCI protection in kitchens, bathrooms, garages and outdoors.
Check that every circuit and appliance actually has power before closing.
Walk the yard and look at the meters, the sewer pump and any cleanouts.
Insist on a written list of repairs with dates before you sign.

The inspector’s humor is part of why the video works, but his point is serious. A house that looks great from the street may still have a leaking sewer pump, a crushed meter and an outlet that should not be there.

Buyers who spend a few hundred dollars on an inspection are buying the right to walk away, or to make the builder fix everything, before the keys change hands.

Willow and Hearth