
When we do a home inspection we always find some issues. That is normal for all homes. From Dublin Ohio homes, Columbus Ohio homes to some of the oddest little places in the least populated counties all homes have issues that will be found by home inspectors. It is also normal and common for a request to remedy to be made to have some (not all) of the concerns repaired. We recently found during a Delaware Ohio home inspection an exhaust vent for a natural gas appliance had rusted and was cracked. This is a fairly easy repair in that the section of damaged pipe simply needs to be replaced. The odd part of this story is that the seller wanted to paint the pipe as a repair method. Not an acceptable repair method. The paint would definitely not be an adequate replacement for the missing metal that has rusted away.
Exhaust pipes for gas appliances carry to the exterior exhaust gases which include deadly carbon monoxide. It is a safety issue and you need to be certain that all exhaust is routed to the exterior. With the cracked pipe rain will more easily get in the pipe and rust out other areas increasing the chance of deadly carbon monoxide entering the home.