Kitchen Inspection Checklist – Items to be Examined
Check the cabinets for missing, cracked and loose-fitting doors and drawers, and note any missing hardware. The shelves should be checked to make sure they are properly supported and the counters should be inspected for any cracked, burned, blistered or loose sections. If there is a cutting board or hotplate on the counter, lift it up and check whether it is concealing a damaged section of the counter.
When inspecting the sink, check the water flow and drainage and also look for a sprayer. If there is one, check to see whether it is operational. Many sprayers have a disconnected hose mounted in the sink fitting, so they just serve as decorations to cover the opening in the sink.
If there is a sink in a central island cabinet, check the drain piping because such island sinks are notorious for being improperly vented. If the sink drain has a S-type trap instead of a P-type trap, it is not properly vented. This item should be recorded on your worksheet. If approved by local codes, this problem can be easily corrected with a minor plumbing change: just connect an air admittance valve (AAV) to the drain. You can also vent an island sink with a “loop vent”. This is usually installed during the construction phase of the house, but in some cases it is omitted.
If there is a garbage disposal unit connected to the sink drain and the house has a septic tank, there might be a problem because a garbage-disposal unit introduces solid wastes into the septic system at a greater rate than normal. Some states have a design criterion calling for a larger-capacity septic tank when there is a garbage disposal unit in order to avoid overloading the system. Other states simply recommend that the tank be cleaned more frequently.
Moreover, if the garbage disposal unit was added after the house was constructed, but provisions were not made for a larger-capacity septic tank or more frequent cleaning, the disposal unit might have been overloading the septic system. If it has, the condition can cause the system to fail sooner than estimated.
If the system has a garbage disposal unit and a septic system, check with the local municipal building department in order to determine whether the system was designed to accommodate the wastes from the disposal unit. In addition, ask the homeowner when the septic tank was last cleaned. If it was not cleaned nor inspected for sludge buildup within the last three years, record the fact on your worksheet and have the tank cleaned as soon as you move in.