Insulation in the attic of a home that I have inspected. This insulation measured around 4 inches. I recommended to the buyer in the report that there should be more insulation in the attic.
I read the article on Bathroom ventilation and 10 easy ways to save money and energy in your home. These two articles were informative in ways that I did not anticipate. I had no idea that according the the 10 ways article as much as half the energy used in homes goes towards heating and cooling. Another tidbit I picked up from the bathroom ventilation article is that ventilation piping should be as short as possible. I didn’t realize that water could condense if the pipe was too long. Very informative short articles.
The pictures below are from an inspection I performed on a house built in 1967 with original wood siding and soffiting. The gutters have seams and the sealant is not doing its job. The gutter is leaking water into the soffiting causing decay.
The concept of a home as a system need be considered not only for energy efficiency but also structural integrity. The structural components of the home aren’t major players regarding air tightness but are designed in such a way that work together to resist lateral and axial forces on the above ground structure and transfer them to the foundation. This puts the statement home as a system to a higher level.
From the Course:
•Plugging the holes and then putting in fans is counterintuitive to most people.
•The “old-timers” believed that “houses have to breathe,” so left them loose, but leaving houses leaky enough to provide good indoor air quality in spring and fall also leaves them drafty, which makes them expensive to heat in the winter and cool in the summer.
•The first energy crisis inspired a wave of insulating without considering moisture build-up or IAQ. The result was odors, rot and mold.
•A house that is properly air sealed and mechanically vented has the correct amount of air exchange all the time. Heating properly air-sealed homes is also significantly cheaper than “letting the house breathe!”
•The blue arrows represent infiltration, the red arrows, exfiltration. Because holes at the top and bottom are the ones most involved with the stack effect, sealing them is the first priority.
•Intermediate-level holes — those around living space windows and doors — are more of a comfort issue than an energy conservation issue simply because the stack effect has little effect on them.
•Wind-driven air leakage, which can occur at windows and doors, is mostly a function of building exposure. Unless the building is severely exposed to the wind, window and door leakage will have little effect on the air change rate. In homes with normal exposure, it is acceptable to only weather-strip and air seal the windows and doors the homeowner complains about.
From Articles:
Re: Vapor Barriers
Vapor barriers are an important part of moisture control for interiors. A vapor barrier is a material, typically a plastic or foil sheet, which resists the diffusion of moisture through ceiling, wall and floor assemblies of a building. Vapor-diffusion retarders are also effective for controlling moisture in basements, crawlspaces, and slab-on-grade foundations.
Re: Unventilated Roofing Assemblies
Unvented roof assemblies are becoming an increasingly common construction alternative to traditional vented roofs. They are designed without ventilation openings, and the attic is conditioned like the rest of the living space.
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This is a photo of a series of bathroom exhausts venting directly into the attic space. The home had three bathrooms and all three exhaust fans terminated in this area. Fortunately there was no damage observed. Recommendation to have the exhausts vented above the roof was given.
The bathroom ventilation fan exhaust duct does not exit to the exterior
of the home. The fan exits to the attic space will add
undesirable moisture to the area that may cause condensation, wood decay and encourages fungal growths such as mold. Bath room exhaust should be extended into the exterior of the home.
In the crawl space, if the soil adjacent to the foundation is muddy and evidence of moisture intrusion in crawl space foundation wall is observed. This is an indication of a direct water penetration into the crawl space area . Direct water penetration damages the foundation, the wood structure, and creates an undesirable environment in the crawl space areas that encourages insect, fungal growth such as mold/mildew. Water in the crawl space indicates an absent or damaged waterproofing and foundation drain system.
The siding tiles that consists of cement based tile with asbestos are often referred to as Transite, mineral tiles, or German tiles. This siding material was manufactured in an era before the dangers of asbestos were known, therefore, this material is a presumed asbestos containing material. If damages on the siding were noted then the negative health effect of asbestos would be high. Improper removal practices or repair can result in the release of asbestos fibers to the air. A licensed general contractor with experience with Transite tile and PACM should be consulted for a repair and removal of such siding material.
Attic prep re: attic hatch
Prior to insulating the attic space the attic hatch has to be properly weatherized. First we need to build a barrier around the entry to hold the insulation out of the hole and high enough so the insulation can be blown to the correct level. Then the trim that the hatch cover sits on needs to be weather stripped with foam to make a tight seal. Finally the hatch cover needs to be insulated with foam board and fiberglass batt to the same R value the attic floor will be insulated to maintain a continuous and even R valve.
Blower Door
The blower door test is a very important piece of equipment in weatherization. It can be setup to either depressurize or pressurize the home and is typically performed at 50 pascals which represents a 20 mph wind on all four walls. It measures the pressure in the home with respect to (WRT) the outside. The goal of the test is to determine the leakiness of the home, or how much air infiltration or exhilaration the home is experiencing. Setup correctly it can determine what the cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) that is leaking through gaps, holes and chases in the home. One benefit of the blower door test running in either calibrated or un-calibrated mode and in the depressurized configuration is that is magnifies air leaks which can either be felt, heard or seen by puffing smoke and makes it easier for weatherization technicians to find the areas to seal.
Smoke Alarms
From 2003 to 2006 almost 2/3’s of reported deaths by home fires were the result from homes that lacked working smoke alarms. For the safety of our clients, us home inspectors should always stress the importance of them. Both types, the ionization and the photo electric emit a sound when triggered by smoke although the ionization is better for flaming-type fires and the photo electric is better for smoldering fires. In either case these devises save lives but they first have to be installed, then tested and re-tested and ultimately replaced when they stop working.
I have run into an example in my own home of how important it is for all systems to work together, in a correct fashion. I lost a few shingles on my roof during a recent storm. As a result some leaking occurred. The storm was a 3-4 day rain event, and the water eventually penetrated the insulation, and saturated my dry wall in one area of the home. I poked a few small holes in the dry wall to allow it it to drain, and placed a de humidifier under the area. Unfortunately the batted insulation does such a good job of preventing air flow that a week later the dry wall is still wet. I have now removed the insulation that was mostly dry, and opened up more of the ceiling to dry. Moral of the story, tight houses don’t dry very well. Now waiting on the roofer to complete his job.
The image taken is of a chimney chase in a home built in the 60’s. The chase was not properly sealed and was allowing unfiltered air to flow from the basement to the roof. There was more than a foot in some places between the chimney and the framing, which was both unsafe and potentially damaging to the structure, not to mention decreasing energy efficiency. This opening should be sealed with framing and sheathing materials up to 2" from the chimney and then appropriate baffle and hi-temp caulk installed.
http://www.nachi.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=105484&stc=1&d=1444769982
In this picture you will see some water damage to an exterior door jamb. This could have been just over the years that the paint/seal started to fail and or direct contact of high moisture. Nonetheless it was recommended that the home owner re-seal the problem area
Attic stairways
Attic stairways are great to have but can be A hazard if not professionally installed. They help ease of access to attic space without having to carry or store a large ladder around. Attic spaces are great to have for storage but customers should understand that disturbing insulation has huge effects on its effectiveness.
Bloom boxes.
I think this idea has a lot of good potential and find it amazing how talented people are in this world. Little by little technology is surpassing all expectations and making life better and easier at the same time.
This photo is of the fireplace in my home.
An open burn masonry, wood burning fireplace was noted in the living room. Open burn fireplaces can cause more heat from the home to escape up the chimney than they actually provide. I recommend considering having glass doors installed on the front of the fireplace to increase efficiency. I also recommend annual cleaning and evaluation of the fireplace and chimney.
The images above depict a 1 year old outdoor section of an air to air reciprocating split system central heat pump rated at 5 ton capacity.
The hedges around the unit should be trimmed back away from contact with the coils of the unit as not to impede proper airflow and the condensate line should terminate no less than 2 feet from the foundation wall to prevent damages and pest infestation associated with moisture intrusion.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and Detectors
I always explain the dangers of carbon monoxide to my clients during a home inspection if there are any fuel burning appliances and/or an attached garage. I explain that CO is a colorless, odorless, tasteless product of incomplete combustion, and how important it is to have all gas appliances and other fuel burning equipment serviced and evaluated by a licensed, qualified technician. As the article stated, at least one detector should be installed on each floor of the home. For split floor plans with bedrooms on each side of the living area, or for longer ranch homes, I recommend a detector on each side. I also inform them about combination smoke/CO detectors, which I like due to the voice evacuation feature.