For my extra reading assignment I chose 10 easy ways to save money and energy in your home. One of the best things about this article is that it provides actual numeric values for the energy consumption of different appliances and features of a home, and provides the potential savings by making those features more energy efficient. For example, the average household uses 11% of its energy on lighting, and by switching to LED and CFL bulbs you can reduce the energy costs from 50 to 75 percent. That is very useful in planning how to make your home more efficient.
this image is of basement stairs with the treads and risers reversed. this is to say the risers were 10 to 11 inches and the treads were 7-8 inches. on top of the dangerous stairs there seemed to be poor drainage or poor weather proofing behind concrete stairs because in heavy rain periods the top stairs would acutually seep large amounts of water that would flood the basement.
During inspection of an attic came across this certificate from the insulation contractor attached to a truss near the hatch opening. Included insulation depths, R-values, etc… for the attic and other areas. Measurements seemed to confirm the claims made by the cert. To bad its not always this easy.
Performed a visual only inspection of an attic in a townhome in the desert southwest condo community. Interesting construction that does not include soffit venting - the soffits/eves are completely sealed by stucco. The venting is accomplished (on this and about 150 other units built between 2010 and now) by multiple static vents and a ridge vent.
Read the article “Cool” Energy-Efficient Roofs by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard. The article covered the use of roof coverings that reflect more heat back into the atmosphere (and absorb less heat) than conventional roof coatings. Seems a simple and logical direction for roofing technology to follow to improve energy efficiency and comfort in a home.
A picture from my very own oven hood vent in my condo in albuquerque. Notice something off? This occurs more often than I care to say in NM. Duct tape is not a sufficient replacement for heat rated HVAC tape.
Read the article on Attic Pull Down Ladders by Nick Gromicko. I found it very interesting that alot of homeowners install these without consulting or having a professional carpenter help out. These seem to pose a safety issue.
I found open wires and vents venting to the attic. Also the insulation was covering egress lighting. There are a few things tat are not safe in this house.
I did not know that asbestos took 20-30 years to show affects. I also would like to know the number of people working with asbestos that actually got cancer from it. Hmm.
Also, what a concise, helpful article explaining the risks of Knob and Tube wiring in relation to insulation. http://www.nachi.org/knob-and-tube.htm I may have to reference this article in reports. Here is a picture of some active knob-and-tube in contact with insulation from a previous inspection. At a subsequent re-inspection, the wiring was still present, but had been disconnected and replaced with Romex. Good call!
Attic, insulation & ventilation was completed through pull down attic stair access in the garage. Fiberglass blanket insulation installed at approximate depth of 9". Some areas of compression were noted at trusses allowing thermal bridging and decrease efficiency of insullation.
Mechanical exhaust systems were inspected for Kitchen, Pool Bath and Bath #2 and were properly vented through roof. Master Bath venting was not accessible in attic space however roof vent is installed.
Read the article “Inspecting the Bathroom Exhaust” by Nick & Ben Gromicko. Proper venting is very important including venting trough the roof and as straight as possible. Where a bend is necessary the first 3 feet must extend straight before a bend. The Intermittant type fan most commonly used in my area should have 50 CFM.
