(Written by Realtor Charlie LeFebvre)
Being asked to contribute to a blog from one of my go-to inspectors, I pondered what the heck should I write about?! Well, if this is going to be posted on a home inspector’s website, why don’t I write about home inspections and what a buyer should (or should not) ask for when they receive the inspection report.
You might have heard of carbon monoxide as a silent killer. It’s truly undetectable to the human eye and nose and hundreds of people die from it every year in the United States.
This gas has no color or odor and forms from gas, oil, wood, and coal as a result of faulty appliances and other sources in your home. Some places carbon monoxide originates from include:
These sources are found in almost every home, and if they’re malfunctioning or installed poorly, they could put you at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. If the gas is present in your home, the only way to make sure you’re aware of it is to install a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
If you’ve recently purchased a carbon monoxide detector, you’ve made a great decision that could save your life in the future. However, there are places in your home to avoid when choosing a place to install it. Places to avoid include:
Seems like there are a lot of places to avoid, right? It may seem tedious, but you can never be too careful when it comes to carbon monoxide and safety.
Now that you know some bad locations for a carbon monoxide detector, it’s important to know the good locations. The best parts of your house to install a carbon monoxide detector include:
Carbon monoxide is an extremely dangerous gas that must be taken seriously. In addition to adding detectors to your home, you should also consider home inspections and yearly appliance inspections. If you need a home inspection, we’re here to help. Contact us today to schedule a home inspection!
(By: Comfort Home Inspections owner Keith Hoaglund)
This a question I get frequently when inspecting older homes. Unfortunately, with regard to homes built prior to 1980, my answer generally is “most likely.” We used asbestos in the manufacture of many building components in that time period, including but not limited to:
The larger question becomes, “Will it hurt me?” This is more difficult to answer. The mere presence of asbestos in your home is not hazardous in and of itself. Asbestos fibers that are well contained within an undisturbed building component cannot hurt you.
When fibers become loose, crumbly or “friable,” however, they can enter your lungs and cause damage. The best place for materials in good condition suspected to contain asbestos is right where they are. Disturbing these components presents a risk of releasing fibers and this should only be completed by qualified contractors.
A visual inspection cannot determine the presence of asbestos. It can, however, identify components whose appearance is consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and further testing can be done. To determine if a component contains asbestos, a sample must be examined by a qualified lab.
If materials are present that contain asbestos and are in poor condition—cracked, crumbled, loose, or otherwise damaged—they need to be properly removed by a qualified remediation contractor.
The bottom line is that most homes built prior to 1980 have asbestos-containing material within them, but this should not necessarily deter you from purchasing a home of this vintage. More frequently than not, the asbestos is safely contained within the building component and does not pose a threat to you.
Your bathroom exhaust fan removes excess moisture (from hot showers), chemical fumes and bathroom odors and expels them outside. The entire system runs from the ceiling in your bathroom, through your attic and to the outside your home.
When you buy a home, your home inspector will check the entire system to make sure it’s installed and functioning properly. But if you’d like to check the bathroom exhaust system while you’re still living in your home to make sure everything is working properly, follow these steps.
The ceiling vent and fan in the bathroom should be tight (not loose), clean from dust and should have a smooth, unobstructed sound while running.
If you’re able, find the adjacent ductwork of the exhaust fan in your attic above your bathroom. The ductwork should be straight for 3 feet from the base of the fan and vent (curved duct causes air to flow back down into the fan). Any bends in the duct after that should be as gradual as possible.
The exhaust duct in the attic should lead all the way to an exterior wall or roof. Bathroom exhaust venting in the attic or ceiling can cause moisture problems like mold and rotting wood.
Once the duct reaches your home’s exterior, the end should have a vented wall cap. These wall caps have flaps that open while the exhaust is running and close while not. The wall cap should also have a screen to keep animals and insects out.
The exhaust shouldn’t be vented near a walkway or outdoor living area and should be 10 feet away from any air intake, like a fresh air intake duct.
