Glossary, 92 terms
Home inspection terms: Q and R
Each definition is the Key Term from the lesson named under it. Where two lessons define a term for different uses, both are here.
- Quarter bend
- A bend that turns the flow 90 degrees.
Lesson 37B, DWV Fittings, Cleanouts and Defects - Quarter bend with an inlet
- A quarter bend with an added inlet on the heel or on the side.
Lesson 37B, DWV Fittings, Cleanouts and Defects - Quarter round (shoe molding)
- A small molding where the base meets the floor covering; shoe molding is the slightly smaller of the two.
Lesson 17A, Interior Walls, Ceilings, Drywall, Plaster and Trim - Quick closing valve
- A valve that shuts fast and can cause water hammer.
Lesson 34A, Plumbing Scope and Plumbing Terms - R-value
- 1. A measure of a material's resistance to heat flow.
Lesson 9B, Low Slope Roofing: Modified Bitumen, Foam and EPDM - 2. A measure of how well a material slows heat transfer; equal to 1/U-value.
Lesson 14A, Insulation Scope and Terms, R-Value and How Insulation Works - Raceway
- An enclosed metallic or nonmetallic component, such as conduit or tubing, listed to hold conductors or cables.
Lesson 23A, Electrical Terms and Basic Electricity - Rack (racking)
- Movement or distortion of a structure or its parts, with wind or seismic loads the usual cause.
Lesson 11A, Structural Scope and Terms - Racking
- 1. Wall movement from a lateral force that the walls are not braced to resist.
Lesson 11B, Forces and Soils, Footings, Piers and Columns - 2. Excessive sideways movement of a wall in its own plane.
Lesson 12C, Wall Systems, Fireblocking and Fire Separation - 3. Wall movement that top plates and wall bracing help resist.
Lesson 12D, Wood Wall Framing, Bracing and Wall Defects - 4. Minor movement of framing from wind or seismic activity.
Lesson 17A, Interior Walls, Ceilings, Drywall, Plaster and Trim - 5. Masonry courses set back from the chimney wall, the reverse of corbelling.
Lesson 39B, Combustion Air, Masonry Chimney Construction, Liners, Flue Area and Defects - Racking (back)
- Setting a masonry course horizontally inward from the course below.
Lesson 39A, Fireplace Types and Terms, Firebox, Hearth and Clearances - Radiant barrier
- A material, usually reflective foil, that reflects infrared radiation (heat) to keep it out of the house.
Lesson 15A, Insulation Defects, Water-Resistive Barriers, Radiant Barriers and Fenestration - Radiant barrier paint
- A paint sold as a radiant barrier, also called interior radiation control coating.
Lesson 15A, Insulation Defects, Water-Resistive Barriers, Radiant Barriers and Fenestration - Radiant cooling
- A system circulating cool liquid through ceiling or floor pipes and handles only the sensible load, so it is not recommended for humid climates; uncommon in houses, it is sometimes found in adobe ones.
Lesson 28A, Cooling Systems: Understanding the System - Radiant heating
- Heat distribution through pipes or tubes in floors, ceilings, or walls, which relies on convection too.
Lesson 33B, Hot Water Heating Systems - Radiant system
- A heat distribution method that heats a material, which then gives off heat by radiation, conduction, and convection.
Lesson 31A, Gas Appliance Categories and Gas Forced-Air Furnaces - Radiation
- 1. Heat gained by molecules absorbing infrared electromagnetic energy.
Lesson 14A, Insulation Scope and Terms, R-Value and How Insulation Works - 2. Heat transfer by molecules absorbing infrared electromagnetic energy.
Lesson 30, Heating Fundamentals, Combustion and Capacity - Radiator
- 1. A cast iron distribution device of vertical sections, columns or tubes, found mostly in older systems.
Lesson 33B, Hot Water Heating Systems - 2. The most common distribution device in a steam heating system.
Lesson 33C, Steam Heating Systems and Distribution Piping - 3. A cast iron distribution device of vertical column or tube sections, the most common kind in steam systems.
Lesson 33D, Steam Distribution Components, Vents and Traps - Rafter
- A sloped roof member that supports the sheathing and roof covering.
Lesson 11A, Structural Scope and Terms - Rafter tail
- The part of a rafter that extends past the wall.
Lesson 13A, Roof and Ceiling Framing, Rafters, Ties and Purlins - Rafter tie
- 1. A horizontal member connecting rafters across the roof where the ceiling joists are perpendicular to them.
Lesson 11A, Structural Scope and Terms - 2. A member connecting opposing rafters where the ceiling joists run perpendicular to them.
Lesson 13A, Roof and Ceiling Framing, Rafters, Ties and Purlins - Rail
- 1. A horizontal member of a wood door.
Lesson 5A, Exterior Doors and Safety Glazing at Doors - 2. A horizontal piece of a stile and rail door, at the top, the bottom, or the lock.
Lesson 17B, Interior Doors and Floor Coverings - Rail (track)
- The opener part, attached to the motor unit, that extends above the door to near the middle of the door opening.
Lesson 7, Garage Vehicle Doors and Operators - Rain cap
- 1. A cap recommended on all chimneys.
Lesson 32D, Oil Vent Systems - 2. A flue cover that keeps out water; rain caps are not required.
Lesson 39A, Fireplace Types and Terms, Firebox, Hearth and Clearances - 3. A device at the top of a chimney that helps keep water out.
Lesson 40B, Draft Problems, Fireplace Inserts, Wood and Pellet Stoves - Raised-panel door
- A door style with raised panels, often six or eight.
Lesson 17B, Interior Doors and Floor Coverings - Rammed earth
- Wall construction of soil and water compressed between forms; modern versions add Portland cement and a concrete bond beam.
Lesson 12E, CMU, Brick, ICF, SIPs and Uncommon Wall Materials - Ramp
- A sloped walking surface that gives access to people unable to traverse stairs.
Lesson 18A, Stairs, Ramps, Handrails and Guards - Range
- A cooktop and an oven joined in one cabinet.
Lesson 41A, Appliance Scope and Terms, Cooktops, Ranges, Ovens and Dishwashers - Range boiler
- A separate tank that some very old systems may use, filled by convection with water the boiler heated.
Lesson 33B, Hot Water Heating Systems - Rated Load Amps (RLA)
- The compressor current figure on the condenser label that measured current draw is compared with.
Lesson 28B, Cooling Systems: Inspecting Equipment and Typical Defects - Rating label
- The label attached to an insert or stove that may list basic installation instructions.
Lesson 40B, Draft Problems, Fireplace Inserts, Wood and Pellet Stoves - Raw score
- 1. The number of items a candidate answers correctly.
Lesson 1, Course Introduction and NHIE Overview - 2. The count of questions a candidate answers correctly.
Lesson 43, Scheduling, Taking and Passing the NHIE - Readily accessible
- 1. Visible without moving belongings, snow, or other obstructions, and safe to enter without harm or property damage.
Lesson 19A, Inspection Scope, Limitations, Standards and Report Formats - 2. Reachable without a portable ladder and without moving or climbing over objects.
Lesson 24A, Service Equipment, Enclosures and Panelboards - Receptacle
- An outlet that accepts the plug of an appliance.
Lesson 23A, Electrical Terms and Basic Electricity - Receptor
- 1. A fixture such as a floor drain, over which a discharge pipe or drain pan pipe terminates.
Lesson 36C, Demand, Oil and Heat Pump Water Heaters, Relief Valves and Drain Pans - 2. A drain, such as a floor drain, that receives the discharge from a thermal expansion valve.
Lesson 36D, Water Heater Installation, Seismic Bracing, Thermal Expansion and Defects - Recessed bathtub
- A bathtub set into the floor and built more like a shower, with the whole tub as a large shower pan.
Lesson 35A, Bathtubs - Reciprocity
- An agreement under which states recognize each other's home inspector licenses.
Lesson 22, Ethics, Starting a Business and Marketing - Recirculating fan
- A kitchen exhaust fan installed to recirculate air rather than send it outdoors through a duct.
Lesson 16B, Dryer, Kitchen and Bathroom Exhaust - Recovery rate
- The time a storage tank water heater takes to raise water temperature by a set amount.
Lesson 36A, Domestic Hot Water, Storage Tank Basics and Components - Red reset switch
- The switch on a flame sensor that lets the occupant try to restart the burner.
Lesson 32C, Oil Burners - Refractory chamber
- The chamber where oil combustion occurs; also called the fire pot or combustion chamber.
Lesson 32C, Oil Burners - Refractory panels
- The metal or masonry panels lining the firebox of a factory-built fireplace.
Lesson 40A, Factory-Built Fireplaces and Chimneys - Refrigerant (coolant)
- The substance in the liquid and suction tubes, R-22 (Freon) in older systems and R-410A currently.
Lesson 28A, Cooling Systems: Understanding the System - Refrigerant line set
- The copper tubing that carries refrigerant between the condenser unit and the evaporator coil.
Lesson 28C, Cooling Systems: Condensate, Line Sets and Thermostats - Register
- A cover with adjustable louvers or perforations, or a damper, that can be opened and closed, usually over a supply air opening.
Lesson 28A, Cooling Systems: Understanding the System - Reinforcing struts
- Members that may be installed across some panels of larger garage doors.
Lesson 7, Garage Vehicle Doors and Operators - Relative humidity
- The water vapor in the air as a percentage of what the air could hold at that temperature.
Lesson 14A, Insulation Scope and Terms, R-Value and How Insulation Works - Release
- A legal document that the home inspector's attorney should draft, obtained as a full release of every claim about the home inspection.
Lesson 21A, Business Law, Claims and Liability - Relining
- Installing a listed lining system in an existing flue.
Lesson 39B, Combustion Air, Masonry Chimney Construction, Liners, Flue Area and Defects - Repair/replace
- The action recommendation that a system or component be repaired or replaced; the default for deficiencies reported as not functioning properly and unsafe.
Lesson 19B, Deficiency Statements and Recommendations - Report format
- A way to organize and produce the written report of an inspection.
Lesson 19A, Inspection Scope, Limitations, Standards and Report Formats - Reportable deficiency
- A condition an SoP calls on the home inspector to report.
Lesson 19C, Deficient Conditions, Service Life and Imminent Threats - Reporting an incident
- Notifying the E&O insurance company that a client has made contact about concerns.
Lesson 21A, Business Law, Claims and Liability - Rescission
- Undoing the real estate purchase contract, a possible but unlikely fraud remedy.
Lesson 21A, Business Law, Claims and Liability - Resistance (impedance)
- How much a material restricts the flow of electricity, measured in ohms and written R; conductors have low resistance and insulators high.
Lesson 23A, Electrical Terms and Basic Electricity - Resistance-type heating elements
- Electric powered parts that heat the water in an electric storage tank water heater.
Lesson 36B, Electric and Gas Storage Tank Water Heaters - Retaining wall
- A structure that keeps earth or other fill in place on one side; usually over 2 feet tall.
Lesson 2A, Site Scope, Terms and Retaining Walls - Return
- 1. The turned end of a handrail.
Lesson 6B, Deck Materials, Flashing, Ledger Attachment and Deck Stairs - 2. A piece of handrail turned at an angle at the handrail end, toward the wall or into a newel post.
Lesson 18A, Stairs, Ramps, Handrails and Guards - Reveal
- The gap between a door and its frame.
Lesson 5A, Exterior Doors and Safety Glazing at Doors; Lesson 17B, Interior Doors and Floor Coverings - Reverse osmosis (RO)
- A filter technology that forces water across a semi-permeable membrane.
Lesson 35F, Water Treatment Devices and Hot Water Circulation - Reverse polarity
- A receptacle wiring error in which the hot and neutral connections are reversed; also called hot/neutral reverse.
Lesson 20, Inspection Tools and the Inspection Process - Reverse return system
- A two pipe system with a return pipe that runs to the last device, then a separate pipe back to the boiler; also called a three pipe system.
Lesson 33B, Hot Water Heating Systems - Reversing valve
- The valve inside the condenser cabinet that, when energized, sets the refrigerant flow direction for heating.
Lesson 28A, Cooling Systems: Understanding the System - Rheostat
- An old dimmer technology.
Lesson 26B, Switches, Lights and Ceiling Fans - Ribbon burner
- A burner on which gas burns along its length; draft hood furnaces often carry three to six of them.
Lesson 31A, Gas Appliance Categories and Gas Forced-Air Furnaces - Ridge beam
- A ridge designed to give structural support.
Lesson 11A, Structural Scope and Terms - Ridge board
- 1. A ridge that gives rafters a fastening point but no structural support.
Lesson 11A, Structural Scope and Terms - 2. A board at the ridge that the rafter plumb cuts bear on; not required.
Lesson 13A, Roof and Ceiling Framing, Rafters, Ties and Purlins - Rigid (drawn) tube
- The rigid form of copper tubing, the same material as flexible annealed tube.
Lesson 34B, Pipe Supports, Copper, CPVC, Galvanized Steel and PEX - Rigid metal conduit (RMC)
- A round metal pipe with a heavier wall than IMC.
Lesson 25A, Wiring Methods, Cables and Raceways - Rigid polyvinyl chloride conduit (PVC)
- A round plastic pipe that routes and protects conductors and cables; formerly called rigid nonmetallic conduit (RNC).
Lesson 25A, Wiring Methods, Cables and Raceways - Rim joist
- A joist of full depth across the joist ends where they bear on the foundation.
Lesson 12A, Floor Framing, Spans, Bearing, Notching and Boring - Rim joist (band joist)
- The framing member across the ends of the deck floor joists.
Lesson 6C, Deck Guards, Framing, Flooring, Bracing, Beams, Footings and Defects - Ring-shank nail
- A nail with rings on its shank.
Lesson 6B, Deck Materials, Flashing, Ledger Attachment and Deck Stairs - Riser
- 1. The vertical part of a stair step between treads.
Lesson 6B, Deck Materials, Flashing, Ledger Attachment and Deck Stairs - 2. (1) a vertical pipe one story or more in height; (2) a vertical pipe joining a valve to a faucet.
Lesson 34A, Plumbing Scope and Plumbing Terms - 3. A solid water connector.
Lesson 34C, PB, Brass and Lead Pipe, Water Connectors and Valves - 4. In a shower, the supply pipe in the wall that feeds the shower arm.
Lesson 35B, Showers and Tub/Showers - Risers
- The vertical parts of a stairway.
Lesson 18A, Stairs, Ramps, Handrails and Guards - Rock lath
- Gypsum lath used as a plaster base.
Lesson 17A, Interior Walls, Ceilings, Drywall, Plaster and Trim - Rocker switch
- One of the two most common switch types in modern houses, with the snap switch.
Lesson 26B, Switches, Lights and Ceiling Fans - Role delineation study
- The study on which the NHIE content outline is based.
Lesson 1, Course Introduction and NHIE Overview - Roller door (rollup door)
- A garage door made of many small panels, which roll onto a shaft as the door opens.
Lesson 7, Garage Vehicle Doors and Operators - Roller drum
- A drum above each side of a sectional door onto which the lift cable winds.
Lesson 7, Garage Vehicle Doors and Operators - Roof jack
- 1. A fitting that may flash a vent roof penetration in place of a metal thimble.
Lesson 32B, Vent Connectors, Category III and IV Vents and Direct Vent Terminations - 2. A roof fitting that may flash a vent roof penetration in place of a metal thimble.
Lesson 32D, Oil Vent Systems - Roof penetration flashing
- Flashing where vents, ducts, cables, skylights, and similar components pass through a roof.
Lesson 4C, Exterior Trim, Flashing and Sealants, Eaves and Cornice - Roofing cement
- An asphalt-based material for repairing and sealing shingles and for bedding before flashing is installed.
Lesson 8A, Steep Slope Roofing: Asphalt Shingles and Tile - Room heater (vented)
- A vented gas or oil heater in a floor console cabinet or a wall-mounted unit; it may not connect to ducts or registers.
Lesson 31B, Floor and Wall Furnaces, Room Heaters and Unvented Appliances - Rosette
- The block at an upper corner of a door casing.
Lesson 17A, Interior Walls, Ceilings, Drywall, Plaster and Trim - Rotary-type
- An oil burner type that is uncommon in houses.
Lesson 32C, Oil Burners - Rotate (rotation)
- A sideways shift of a member out of its normal position, measured against vertical.
Lesson 11A, Structural Scope and Terms - Rotor and generator module
- The wind turbine assembly on the tower that replaces the solar arrays of a PV system.
Lesson 27B, Alternative Energy Systems: Solar PV, Wind and Solar Water Heating - Rough opening
- 1. The framed opening a door frame is installed in.
Lesson 5A, Exterior Doors and Safety Glazing at Doors - 2. The framed wall opening a window is installed in.
Lesson 5B, Windows, Window Flashing, Glazing, Window Wells, Escape Openings and Fall Protection - 3. An opening measured before finish materials are installed.
Lesson 13B, Roof Framing Defects, Trusses and Attic Access - Rounded valley
- A slate valley where the shingles cross the flashing in a semicircular pattern.
Lesson 8C, Steep Slope Roofing: Slate, Polymer, Wood and Ice Dams - Rug
- A floor covering like carpet that covers only part of a room's floor.
Lesson 17B, Interior Doors and Floor Coverings - Rumford fireplace
- A fireplace design pairing a shallow hearth with a tall opening, meant to throw more heat into the room.
Lesson 39A, Fireplace Types and Terms, Firebox, Hearth and Clearances - Running bond
- The usual CMU laying pattern, with vertical joints usually offset 1/2 CMU length each course.
Lesson 12E, CMU, Brick, ICF, SIPs and Uncommon Wall Materials - Rust cyst
- A sign of deterioration on cast iron pipe; pipes with rust cysts are failing.
Lesson 37A, DWV Rules and Pipe Materials
Try the question style
Answer 20 practice questions from 17 of the 19 tasks on the outline. No email needed.
Not ready for that yet? Get the free NHIE study guide, a printable checklist of all 19 outline tasks, by email.