Glossary, 32 terms
Home inspection terms: N
Each definition is the Key Term from the lesson named under it. Where two lessons define a term for different uses, both are here.
- Nail guard
- Protection for AC, ENT, FMC, LFMC, LFC, MC, or NM that runs closer than 1 1/4 inches to a framing member edge. Studs and joists are examples of framing members.
Lesson 25A, Wiring Methods, Cables and Raceways - Nailer
- 1. A board under hip and ridge tiles, usually a 2x4 with its long side vertical, that gives the tiles a fastening point.
Lesson 8A, Steep Slope Roofing: Asphalt Shingles and Tile - 2. A strip under hip and ridge shingles, as thick as the shingles, that they fasten to.
Lesson 8C, Steep Slope Roofing: Slate, Polymer, Wood and Ice Dams - Nailing flange
- A flange around an aluminum or vinyl window that its fasteners pass through.
Lesson 5B, Windows, Window Flashing, Glazing, Window Wells, Escape Openings and Fall Protection - Narrative report
- A computer generated report format built from canned narratives the home inspector selects.
Lesson 19A, Inspection Scope, Limitations, Standards and Report Formats - Natural ventilation
- In the kitchen and bathroom exhaust rules, an operable window in the room.
Lesson 16B, Dryer, Kitchen and Bathroom Exhaust - Naturally durable wood
- 1. Wood used for decks without preservative treatment, usually redwood or cedar.
Lesson 6B, Deck Materials, Flashing, Ledger Attachment and Deck Stairs - 2. Wood, such as cedar, that resists deterioration to some degree with no preservative applied.
Lesson 8C, Steep Slope Roofing: Slate, Polymer, Wood and Ice Dams - Naturally weathering metal
- A roofing metal used without a protective coating, such as aluminum, copper, or stainless steel.
Lesson 8B, Steep Slope Roofing: Fiber Cement and Metal - Negative pressure
- The air pressure difference found most often in house drainage pipes; its suction can siphon a trap seal.
Lesson 38B, Plumbing Vents: Purpose, Inspection, Terminals and Size - Negligent misrepresentation
- A relatively new tort with the elements of fraud, except that the defendant may have thought the information true, without a reasonable basis.
Lesson 21A, Business Law, Claims and Liability - NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association)
- The organization that began standardizing receptacle types in the 1930s.
Lesson 26A, Receptacles - Net free area
- 1. The area of a ventilation opening after the reduction from its insect screen and any louvers or grilles.
Lesson 16D, Crawl Space Ventilation and Basement Wall Insulation - 2. The area of an opening less the space screens, louvers, or other obstructions take up.
Lesson 30, Heating Fundamentals, Combustion and Capacity - Net free ventilation area
- 1. The area of a vent opening less the area that screens and louvers cover.
Lesson 13B, Roof Framing Defects, Trusses and Attic Access - 2. The area of a ventilation opening left after its screen, louvers, or grilles are subtracted.
Lesson 16C, Attic Ventilation and Closed Attics - Net metering
- A utility paying a customer for surplus electricity that the customer's system feeds into the grid.
Lesson 27B, Alternative Energy Systems: Solar PV, Wind and Solar Water Heating - Neutral terminal bar
- The bar where neutral conductors connect. In a subpanel it is isolated from the EGCs and the enclosure.
Lesson 24C, Panelboard Defects, Subpanels and Problem Panels - Newels
- Posts that give a guard the support needed to resist rotation.
Lesson 18A, Stairs, Ramps, Handrails and Guards - NFPA 58
- The standard that applies to a propane line before the point of delivery.
Lesson 38F, Gas Pipe Materials: Black Steel, Copper and CSST - NHIE (National Home Inspector Examination)
- EBPHI's 200-item examination for home inspectors, scored 200 to 800 with 500 passing.
Lesson 1, Course Introduction and NHIE Overview - NM cable
- Nonmetallic sheathed cable, the cable the branch circuit ampacity table applies to.
Lesson 24B, Overcurrent Protection, GFCI and AFCI - Nominal internal diameter (ID)
- The stated size of a water pipe, not necessarily its actual inside diameter.
Lesson 34B, Pipe Supports, Copper, CPVC, Galvanized Steel and PEX - Nominal pipe size
- The stated size by which a pipe is identified.
Lesson 38B, Plumbing Vents: Purpose, Inspection, Terminals and Size - Nominal size
- The named size of dimensional lumber, such as 2x10.
Lesson 12A, Floor Framing, Spans, Bearing, Notching and Boring - Non-absorbent surface
- A wall covering that does not soak up water.
Lesson 35B, Showers and Tub/Showers - Non-catalytic stove
- A modern wood-burning stove without a catalytic element.
Lesson 40B, Draft Problems, Fireplace Inserts, Wood and Pellet Stoves - Non-sealed seam (lapped seam)
- A metal panel seam that is lapped and fastened, usually by screws or pop rivets, with no sealant.
Lesson 8B, Steep Slope Roofing: Fiber Cement and Metal - Nonmetallic sheathed cable (NM)
- A factory-made cable with a flexible PVC covering over insulated conductors and a typically bare EGC.
Lesson 25A, Wiring Methods, Cables and Raceways - Normal operating controls
- The controls used to operate a system during an inspection, meaning the thermostat.
Lesson 28B, Cooling Systems: Inspecting Equipment and Typical Defects - Normal use
- Operating a system or component for the purpose it was meant for and in the manner intended.
Lesson 19C, Deficient Conditions, Service Life and Imminent Threats - North American Charging Standard (NACS)
- The Tesla connector design on which SAE J3400 is based.
Lesson 27C, Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (Supplement) - Nosing
- The projection of a tread beyond the face of the riser below it.
Lesson 18A, Stairs, Ramps, Handrails and Guards - Not functioning properly
- A reporting term for a system or component that fails at an important job while being inspected, or that shows visible evidence of a past failure; also called not functioning as intended.
Lesson 19C, Deficient Conditions, Service Life and Imminent Threats - Not technically exhaustive
- A made-up term for the limit that a home inspector is a generalist, who should have some knowledge of every system yet usually is not an expert on any of them.
Lesson 19A, Inspection Scope, Limitations, Standards and Report Formats - Nozzle
- The fitting that sprays pressurized oil into the blast tube as fine droplets.
Lesson 32C, Oil Burners
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