Glossary, 73 terms
Home inspection terms: L
Each definition is the Key Term from the lesson named under it. Where two lessons define a term for different uses, both are here.
- L
- In a deflection limit such as L/180, the distance in inches between a rafter's supports, taken horizontally.
Lesson 13A, Roof and Ceiling Framing, Rafters, Ties and Purlins - L flashing
- Flashing over the header trim of a door or window.
Lesson 4C, Exterior Trim, Flashing and Sealants, Eaves and Cornice - Lag screw
- A screw used with a washer at its head to fasten a deck ledger.
Lesson 6B, Deck Materials, Flashing, Ledger Attachment and Deck Stairs - Laminate countertop
- A countertop of thin plastic bonded to particleboard or plywood.
Lesson 18B, Cabinets, Countertops and Smart Home Scope - Laminate floor covering
- A layered floor covering whose design layer imitates wood, stone, brick, or another covering.
Lesson 17B, Interior Doors and Floor Coverings - Laminated shingle
- The most expensive asphalt shingle style, made of two shingles bonded together and usually warranted for 35+ years.
Lesson 8A, Steep Slope Roofing: Asphalt Shingles and Tile - Laminated strand lumber (LSL)
- Structural composite lumber made of wood strands, usually looking more like OSB.
Lesson 12B, I-Joists, SCL, Glulam and Floor Trusses - Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
- Structural composite lumber made of thin wood veneers, usually looking more like wood or plywood.
Lesson 12B, I-Joists, SCL, Glulam and Floor Trusses - Landing
- The floor area on each side of an exterior door, either a landing or the finished floor.
Lesson 42, Life Safety Systems: Egress, Fire Separation, Alarms and Sprinklers - Landings
- The horizontal platforms of a stairway: a top landing, a bottom landing, and any intermediate landings.
Lesson 18A, Stairs, Ramps, Handrails and Guards - Landscape (garden) block
- A solid precast concrete block used to build a landscape wall.
Lesson 2A, Site Scope, Terms and Retaining Walls - Landscape wall
- A retaining wall of short height, usually 2 feet or less; also called a garden wall.
Lesson 2A, Site Scope, Terms and Retaining Walls - Lap cement
- The thinner roofing cement, meant for bonding shingles together.
Lesson 8A, Steep Slope Roofing: Asphalt Shingles and Tile - Lap roofing cement
- The cement that seals the laps of mineral-surfaced roll roofing.
Lesson 9A, Low Slope Roofing: Built-Up Membranes and Roll Roofing - Latent deficiency
- A deficiency present during the inspection that gives no visible sign of being there or being active.
Lesson 19A, Inspection Scope, Limitations, Standards and Report Formats - Latent heat
- 1. The energy of a change of state, which is much greater than the energy of a temperature change within one state.
Lesson 28A, Cooling Systems: Understanding the System - 2. Energy absorbed and released as water changes state.
Lesson 33C, Steam Heating Systems and Distribution Piping - Latent load
- 1. The water vapor a cooling system must remove from indoor air before it can start on sensible heat, coming from breathing, cooking, bathing, and infiltration, and usually greater on a coast than in a desert.
Lesson 28A, Cooling Systems: Understanding the System - 2. A load counted in air conditioning calculations but not in heating calculations, since heating performs no dehumidification.
Lesson 30, Heating Fundamentals, Combustion and Capacity - Latent load (latent heat)
- The energy an air conditioner uses to condense water vapor out of the air; temperature drop does not measure it.
Lesson 28B, Cooling Systems: Inspecting Equipment and Typical Defects - Lateral
- The horizontal length of a vent connector.
Lesson 32A, Category I Gas Vent Systems and Vent Defects - Lateral load connector
- A connector between deck framing and house framing that resists horizontal load.
Lesson 6B, Deck Materials, Flashing, Ledger Attachment and Deck Stairs - Lateral restraint
- See blocking.
Lesson 12A, Floor Framing, Spans, Bearing, Notching and Boring - Lateral support
- See bridging.
Lesson 13A, Roof and Ceiling Framing, Rafters, Ties and Purlins - Latex foam
- An open cell foam sold in cans, mainly to consumers, for small sealing jobs.
Lesson 14C, Insulation Materials - Laundry sink
- A sink in the laundry area; also called a deep sink, a laundry tub, or a laundry tray.
Lesson 35C, Sinks - Laundry tray
- A laundry area sink; also called a deep sink or laundry sink.
Lesson 34A, Plumbing Scope and Plumbing Terms - Lavatory
- A bathroom sink.
Lesson 34A, Plumbing Scope and Plumbing Terms; Lesson 35C, Sinks - Leaf
- One door hung in a frame.
Lesson 17B, Interior Doors and Floor Coverings - Ledger strip
- A 2x2 fastened along a ledger or beam for joists to rest on.
Lesson 6C, Deck Guards, Framing, Flooring, Bracing, Beams, Footings and Defects - Let-in brace
- A diagonal wall brace, usually a 1x4, set into notches in the studs and plates.
Lesson 12D, Wood Wall Framing, Bracing and Wall Defects - Level 1
- AC charging from a 120 V plug, adding about 5 miles of range per hour.
Lesson 27C, Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (Supplement) - Level 2
- AC charging at 240 V in homes or 208 V in commercial buildings, adding about 25 miles of range per hour.
Lesson 27C, Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (Supplement) - Lift cable
- A steel cable, one per side of a sectional door, attached at the door bottom and wound onto a roller drum.
Lesson 7, Garage Vehicle Doors and Operators - Light emitting diode bulb (LED)
- An energy efficient bulb said to last up to twenty years.
Lesson 26B, Switches, Lights and Ceiling Fans - Light roof covering
- A weight class that includes metal roofing, at around 100 pounds per 100 square feet.
Lesson 8B, Steep Slope Roofing: Fiber Cement and Metal - Lime-based mortar
- A soft mortar, usual in old stone foundations.
Lesson 11C, Basement Foundations, Materials, Waterproofing and Defects - Limitation of remedies clause (limitation of liability)
- A contract clause that attempts to cap what a client can collect on a claim.
Lesson 21B, Contracts and Insurance - Limitation statement
- A report statement naming a system or component that was not inspected or was partly inspected, and the reason.
Lesson 19E, Inspection Limitation Statements and Other Report Contents - Limitation statements
- Report statements that keep the reporting of out-of-scope items from enlarging the inspection scope.
Lesson 19A, Inspection Scope, Limitations, Standards and Report Formats - Limitations and exclusions
- The list in an SoP of what a home inspection does not include.
Lesson 19A, Inspection Scope, Limitations, Standards and Report Formats - Limited liability company (LLC)
- A separate legal entity, created by filing with the state, whose owners are called members.
Lesson 22, Ethics, Starting a Business and Marketing - Line set (refrigerant)
- The liquid line and suction line, which carry refrigerant between the evaporator coil and the condenser.
Lesson 28A, Cooling Systems: Understanding the System - Linoleum
- A sheet good of resins, linseed oil, wood, and other materials on a jute backing.
Lesson 17B, Interior Doors and Floor Coverings - Lintel (angle iron)
- A structural component, laid horizontally, carrying the load over an opening in masonry; usually L-shaped steel.
Lesson 4A, Exterior Scope and Terms, Adhered Masonry Veneer, Metal and Asbestos Cement Siding and Brick Veneer - Lintel (fireplace)
- A noncombustible member, usually iron or steel, carrying the stone or masonry over a fireplace opening.
Lesson 39A, Fireplace Types and Terms, Firebox, Hearth and Clearances - Liquid line (tube)
- The smaller line set tube, copper and usually uninsulated, that carries high-pressure liquid refrigerant.
Lesson 28A, Cooling Systems: Understanding the System - Liquidtight flexible conduit (LFC)
- A flexible PVC tube made for places where water is an issue.
Lesson 25A, Wiring Methods, Cables and Raceways - Liquidtight flexible metal conduit (LFMC)
- A flexible galvanized steel tube inside a PVC jacket that resists water.
Lesson 25A, Wiring Methods, Cables and Raceways - Live load
- 1. Downward force from occupants and their belongings.
Lesson 11A, Structural Scope and Terms - 2. The load of occupants, furnishings, snow, and other variable loads.
Lesson 11B, Forces and Soils, Footings, Piers and Columns - Load
- The device where electricity performs work, such as a light bulb or a range.
Lesson 23A, Electrical Terms and Basic Electricity - Load controller
- A utility owned device that lets the utility cut power to equipment for a time during peak demand.
Lesson 27A, Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms, Load Controllers and Generators - Local exhaust system
- An exhaust system for the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, or clothes dryer.
Lesson 16B, Dryer, Kitchen and Bathroom Exhaust - Lock rail
- 1. The horizontal member crossing a wood door near its center.
Lesson 5A, Exterior Doors and Safety Glazing at Doors - 2. The horizontal piece near the center of a stile and rail door.
Lesson 17B, Interior Doors and Floor Coverings - Long (smooth) radius bend fitting
- A duct bend fitting with a smaller developed length than most bend fittings.
Lesson 16B, Dryer, Kitchen and Bathroom Exhaust - Long turn
- The drainage quarter bend with the more gradual bend; also called long sweep.
Lesson 37B, DWV Fittings, Cleanouts and Defects - Loose fill insulation (blown-in, blown)
- Insulation sold in bags and usually blown into place by a machine.
Lesson 14C, Insulation Materials - Loss of pump prime
- A condition that could shut an oil burner down and damage the oil pump; a one pipe system with the tank above the burner is less susceptible to it.
Lesson 38I, Oil Supply, Valves, Filters and Tanks - Lot line
- The boundary of a property.
Lesson 38B, Plumbing Vents: Purpose, Inspection, Terminals and Size - Louver (turtleback)
- A passive rectangular or round cover over an opening in the roof sheathing.
Lesson 16C, Attic Ventilation and Closed Attics - Louvers (whole-house fan)
- Ceiling slats below a traditional whole-house fan that open when the fan starts.
Lesson 16A, Mechanical Ventilation, HRV and ERV, Whole-House Fans - Low E coating (low emissivity)
- A glazing coating that admits visible light and reflects infrared radiation.
Lesson 5B, Windows, Window Flashing, Glazing, Window Wells, Escape Openings and Fall Protection - Low emissivity coating
- A coating on window glass that improves solar heat gain performance.
Lesson 15A, Insulation Defects, Water-Resistive Barriers, Radiant Barriers and Fenestration - Low limit control
- The aquastat control used where the boiler also supplies domestic hot water.
Lesson 33B, Hot Water Heating Systems - Low pressure system
- A steam system operating from around 1/2 psig to below 2 psig; nearly every house system is this type.
Lesson 33C, Steam Heating Systems and Distribution Piping - Low pressure, low velocity duct
- The duct category used by most air conditioning systems, about 13 to 450 square inches in area.
Lesson 29, Air Distribution Systems, Ducts, Returns and Filters - Low slope (flat) roof
- A horizontal roof style, usually rectangular, usually with a slope under 3/12.
Lesson 13A, Roof and Ceiling Framing, Rafters, Ties and Purlins - Low slope roof covering
- 1. A roof covering that may be installed on slopes from 1/4:12 to 2:12.
Lesson 8A, Steep Slope Roofing: Asphalt Shingles and Tile - 2. A waterproof covering for a roof sloped between 1/4:12 and 2:12.
Lesson 9A, Low Slope Roofing: Built-Up Membranes and Roll Roofing - Low velocity ducts
- The large ducts used by most central equipment.
Lesson 28A, Cooling Systems: Understanding the System - Low voltage switch
- A switch, found in some 1960s and 1970s houses, that connects to a relay enclosure and activates 120 volt light fixtures.
Lesson 26B, Switches, Lights and Ceiling Fans - Low water shutoff switch
- 1. A switch at the boiler that shuts it off when the water level falls below the manufacturer's minimum.
Lesson 33B, Hot Water Heating Systems - 2. A float type or probe type switch that should turn the boiler off when the water falls below the minimum level the manufacturer recommends.
Lesson 33E, Steam Boiler Components, Solid Fuel and Related Components - Lowboy
- A cabinet style shorter than conventional tall, for locations with limited height.
Lesson 36A, Domestic Hot Water, Storage Tank Basics and Components - Lug
- 1. A connection point where a conductor is inserted and secured.
Lesson 23A, Electrical Terms and Basic Electricity - 2. A terminal that clamps a conductor to a bus, a breaker, or a terminal bar.
Lesson 24C, Panelboard Defects, Subpanels and Problem Panels - Lumber sheathing
- Roof sheathing of boards, found on older houses.
Lesson 13A, Roof and Ceiling Framing, Rafters, Ties and Purlins - Luminaire
- A light fixture.
Lesson 26B, Switches, Lights and Ceiling Fans
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