NHIE Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: C

No defect; the valve allows servicing the TPR valve: Folk explanation; no valve is allowed in a TPR discharge line, whatever the reason.

Minor item; open the ball valve and leave it: Partial; opening it helps for now, but the valve can be closed again and must be removed.

Closed valve blocks relief; refer to a plumber: Correct. The discharge pipe must be full size and free of valves so the TPR valve can relieve dangerous pressure or temperature. A closed valve defeats it. Report it as a safety defect and refer to a plumber.

Pipe end too low; raise it to 18 in above the floor: Rule from another component; 18 in is the ignition-source elevation for garage appliances, and a TPR discharge should end within 6 in of the floor.

TPR discharge piping must be full size, unvalved, untrapped and end near the floor or at another approved point.

Answer: B

Report normal start-up spillage that needs no action: Wrong urgency; continuing spillage while the hood runs is back-drafting, a carbon monoxide hazard.

Have an HVAC contractor evaluate make-up air: Correct. A large exhaust fan in a tight house depressurizes it and can pull combustion gases back down a natural-draft vent, and hoods over 400 cfm need make-up air. Report the spillage as a safety defect and have an HVAC contractor evaluate and provide make-up air.

Seal the gap around the water heater draft hood: Harmful practice; the draft hood opening is required for the water heater to vent properly.

Advise the client to use the hood only on low: Partial workaround; it does not correct the depressurization and is not a repair recommendation.

Hoods over 400 cfm need make-up air; in tight homes they can back-draft natural-draft appliances, so report spillage as a safety issue and refer for make-up air.

Answer: C

Wind-driven rain entering through the ridge vent: Folk explanation; a ridge leak would not concentrate over interior openings such as the chase and hatch.

Cold attic air sinking into the house through the chase: Reversed relationship; in winter, warm house air rises out through the top of the building, not the other way around.

Stack effect driving moist air through bypasses: Correct. In cold weather, buoyant warm air pressurizes the top of the house and leaks through unsealed bypasses, and its moisture condenses or freezes on cold sheathing. Report the bypasses and the moisture implication and recommend air sealing by a qualified contractor.

Insulation that is too thin across the attic floor: Partly relevant, but thin insulation would not explain moisture concentrated at specific openings.

Stack effect drives warm, moist air out through attic bypasses in winter; localized frost above openings points to air leakage.

Answer: D

Normal start-up spillage that needs no report: Partly correct; brief spillage at start-up can be normal, but spillage that persists with the fans on is not.

A reason to disconnect the bath exhaust fans: Unsafe practice and outside the role; disabling exhaust creates moisture problems and does not fix the cause.

A blocked chimney; refer only to a chimney sweep: Wrong cause; the vent drafts normally with the fans off, so the vent is not blocked.

Back-drafting caused by depressurization from fans: Correct. Exhaust fans lower the house pressure, pulling air down the vent and pushing combustion products into the room; the normal draft with fans off confirms the cause. The inspector reports it as a safety issue and refers it to an HVAC contractor.

Spillage that appears only when exhaust fans run indicates depressurization back-drafting, a safety issue for HVAC evaluation.

Answer: A

A possible defrost fault; refer to an HVAC contractor: Correct. Light frost that clears during periodic defrost cycles is normal, but a coil solidly encased in ice with no defrost suggests a defrost-control, sensor, airflow or charge problem. The inspector describes it and refers it to a qualified HVAC contractor.

Normal operation, since heat pumps always frost in heating mode: Partly correct; light frost is normal, but heavy ice with no defrost cycle is not.

Failed backup heat strips in the indoor air handler: Wrong component; the backup heat strips do not control outdoor coil defrost.

Chip the ice from the coil to restore airflow: Unsafe and outside the inspector's role; chipping ice can damage the coil fins and tubing.

Heat pumps frost lightly and defrost periodically; heavy ice that persists without defrost is a defect for HVAC evaluation.

Answer: C

hot to the touch: Reversed relationship; the small liquid line or the discharge side is the warm one.

warmer than the smaller line: Reversed relationship; the larger suction line returns cool vapor from the evaporator.

cool and may be sweating: Correct. The larger line is the suction line carrying cool, low-pressure vapor back from the indoor coil, so it feels cool and often sweats. That is why it is insulated; missing insulation on it is reportable.

the same as the outdoor air: Indicates a problem; a suction line at outdoor temperature suggests the system is not cooling.

In cooling mode, the large suction line is cool (insulated); the small liquid line is warm.

Answer: B

A normal setup, since every panel needs a bonding screw: Rule from another location; the bonding screw belongs only in the service equipment, not in a subpanel.

Neutral and ground are bonded at the subpanel: Correct. Neutrals and grounds are bonded only at the service equipment; in a subpanel the neutral bar must be isolated and the equipment grounds placed on a separate bonded bar. Bonding here lets normal neutral current flow on grounding paths and metal parts, a shock hazard to report and refer to an electrician.

A minor labeling issue to note for a future upgrade: Wrong urgency; objectionable current on grounding paths is a safety defect, not a cosmetic item.

A defect only because no ground rod serves the subpanel: Misidentifies the defect; a basement subpanel in the same building does not need its own electrode, but its neutral must be isolated.

Bond neutral to ground only at the service equipment; at a subpanel the neutral bar is isolated and grounds go on a separate bonded bar.

Answer: D

Inside the crawl space below the main floor: Crawl spaces are excluded from the story-by-story requirement.

On the kitchen ceiling next to the range: Alarms are kept away from cooking appliances to avoid nuisance alarms; this is not a required location.

In the unfinished, uninhabitable attic: Uninhabitable attics are excluded from the story-by-story requirement.

Inside each of the three bedrooms: Correct. Smoke alarms belong in each sleeping room, outside each sleeping area and on each story. The hall and main-floor alarms cover two of those, but none of the bedrooms has one. Report the missing alarms and recommend installation.

Smoke alarms go in each sleeping room, outside each sleeping area and on each story (not crawl spaces or uninhabitable attics).

Answer: A

1. Givens: clear width 21 in, clear height 36 in, sill 40 in; second floor, so the 5.7 sq ft minimum applies.
2. Area = 21 × 36 = 756 sq in.
3. Convert: 756 ÷ 144 = 5.25 sq ft.
4. Compare: 5.25 is less than 5.7 sq ft, so the opening is too small even though the 24 in height, 20 in width and 44 in sill limits are met.

5.25 sq ft; below the 5.7 sq ft minimum: Correct. 21 × 36 = 756 sq in, and 756 ÷ 144 = 5.25 sq ft, which is less than the 5.7 sq ft required above the grade floor. Report the undersized escape opening as a safety defect and recommend evaluation by a qualified window contractor.

5.25 sq ft; meets the 5.0 sq ft minimum: Applies the grade-floor allowance to a second-floor bedroom.

5.25 sq ft; acceptable because the width and height are met: Meeting the minimum width, height and sill height does not satisfy the separate area requirement.

6.3 sq ft; meets the 5.7 sq ft minimum: Divides 756 by 120 instead of 144 sq in per sq ft.

Net clear opening area is width × height ÷ 144; above the grade floor it must be at least 5.7 sq ft in addition to the minimum width, height and sill limits.

Answer: A

Lateral soil and water pressure against the wall: Correct. Wet clay and water in the backfill push on a block wall that is braced only at the top and bottom, which cracks it horizontally and bows it inward. Report it as a structural defect, give the implication (continued movement), and recommend evaluation by a structural engineer, along with correcting the roof drainage.

Settlement of the footing beneath the wall: Settlement usually causes stair-step or vertical cracks that taper; it does not bow a wall inward at mid-height.

Normal shrinkage of the mortar after construction: Folk explanation; shrinkage leaves fine cracks without the wall bowing inward.

Thermal expansion from heat inside the basement: Folk explanation; indoor heat does not push a foundation wall inward.

A horizontal crack with an inward bow in a block foundation wall points to lateral soil and hydrostatic pressure; refer it to a structural engineer.

Answer: D

The downspout is clogged below the outlet: A clogged downspout would back water up at the outlet end, and this one is flowing.

The roof shingles are too short at the eave: Short shingles can let water run behind the gutter, but they do not cause front overflow at mid-span.

The gutter is too large for the roof area: Reversed relationship; an oversized gutter would carry more water, not less.

The gutter sags or slopes toward its midpoint: Correct. With a clean gutter and a free-flowing downspout, overflow at mid-span points to a sag or reversed pitch that traps water away from the outlet. Report it and refer to a gutter contractor.

Gutters must slope toward their outlets; overflow at mid-span from a clean gutter points to sag or reversed pitch.

Answer: C

The fence is too low and should be raised to 60 in: The 48-in height meets the common minimum; the defect is how the gate operates.

The gate is acceptable because the fence height is adequate: Ignores the gate, the most common weak point in a pool barrier.

Gate must swing outward, self-close and self-latch: Correct. Pool gates should open outward from the pool and be self-closing and self-latching, so a child pushing on a gate left ajar closes it; report this as a safety defect.

A pool alarm can be added instead of correcting the gate: An alarm is an extra layer of protection, not a substitute for a self-closing, self-latching gate.

A pool barrier is only as good as its gate: outward-swinging, self-closing and self-latching.

Answer: A

Move away, get occupants out, and call the gas utility: Correct. A strong gas odor with hissing indicates an active leak, a life-threatening hazard. The inspector moves away without operating switches or creating sparks, makes sure the client and occupants leave, and calls the gas utility (or emergency services) from a safe distance. The report then records the hazard and the action taken.

Spray soapy water on the fittings to locate the exact leak: Not the first step: staying near a strong leak to pinpoint it delays getting people to safety, and finding the leak is the utility's job.

Note the odor and recommend a plumber in the written report: Wrong urgency: a probable active gas leak is an immediate hazard and cannot wait for the report.

Close the meter valve and continue the inspection indoors: Unsafe practice: operating the meter valve is for the utility, and continuing inside a building with a leak exposes everyone to fire and explosion risk.

A gas leak is an immediate hazard: get people away, avoid ignition sources, and notify the gas utility before anything else.

Answer: C

the location of the condition: Already given; the entry names the left rear corner.

a recommended action or referral: Already given; it recommends a qualified contractor extend the downspout.

the consequence if not repaired: Correct. A defect description should explain why it matters: roof water released at the foundation can saturate the soil and cause basement water entry and foundation damage.

a cost estimate for the extension: Outside the inspector's role; reports do not estimate repair costs.

A complete defect statement gives the condition, its location, its implication if not repaired and the recommended action.

Answer: B

Walk the roof anyway in soft-soled shoes: Unsafe practice; wet, steep slate is slippery, and walking on slate can crack the tiles.

View it from a ladder and state the method: Correct. When walking the roof is unsafe or could damage the covering, the inspector uses another method, such as a ladder at the eaves or binoculars from the ground, and states in the report which method was used and its limits.

Rely on the seller's statement about the roof: The inspector reports what was observed; an owner's statement is not an inspection method.

Exclude the roof without describing why: A limitation must be reported with its reason; silently leaving out a major system fails the client.

Choose a safe roof inspection method (walk, ladder at the eaves, binoculars or drone) and report the method used and any limits.

Answer: A

General liability insurance: Correct. General liability insurance covers bodily injury and physical damage to property that the inspector causes while working, such as a ladder cracking a countertop. Errors and omissions insurance covers claims about professional mistakes in the inspection or report.

Errors and omissions insurance: Wrong coverage: E&O covers claims that the inspector missed or misreported a condition, not physical damage he caused on site.

A home warranty plan: Wrong product: a home warranty covers repair or replacement of home systems and appliances that fail, not damage caused by the inspector.

The client's title insurance: Wrong product: title insurance protects against defects in ownership of the property, not physical damage.

General liability covers physical damage or injury the inspector causes; E&O covers professional errors and omissions; home warranties cover system failures.

Answer: A

let the inspector see the condition before it is altered: Correct. This dispute-resolution clause preserves the evidence so the inspector can judge whether the condition was visible and reportable on the inspection day before repairs change it. The emergency exception still lets the client protect the property.

make the inspector responsible for completing the repair: Wrong: the clause gives the inspector a chance to examine the condition, not a duty to repair it.

extend the inspection scope to defects found after closing: Wrong: the scope is set by the agreement; this clause governs how claims are handled.

keep the client from hiring a repair contractor at all: Overstates it: the client may still repair; the clause only asks for notice and a chance to look first.

Notice-and-re-inspection clauses are dispute-resolution terms that preserve evidence before repairs; they do not bar repairs or widen the scope.