Research & Writing Assignment:
Grading and drainage
Poor grading and drainage is an issue that is necessary to be reported on as the continued moisture too close to the foundation can cause problems in the future more so than in the immediate and requires continued maintenance to prevent damage.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Grading and drainage
Poor grading and drainage is an issue that is necessary to be reported on as the continued moisture too close to the foundation can cause problems in the future more so than in the immediate and requires continued maintenance to prevent damage.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
I have attached a photo of an electric lantern outside of the home at 902 Pheasant Circle. This lantern has a broken portion of the glass exterior. This could cause an electrical problem if water was to protrude into the lantern. This should be brought to the client’s attention for repair.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
When inspecting an attic it is important to not only being able to identify the type of insulation but also the required R value for your area. in most cases you will need to measure the depth and look at a chart to ensure that the levels are correct for the application and required r value.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Air Flow Through Insulation - Diagram
This diagram shows the heat flow and air flow through insulation with an air barrier versus no air barrier. The diagram with an air barrier shows how air flow and heat flow are stopped at the air barrier. The diagram without the air barrier show how heat flow is stopped, but the air flow goes through the insulation.
Research & Writing Assignment:
When inspecting an attic it is important to not only being able to identify the type of insulation but also the required R value for your area. in most cases you will need to measure the depth and look at a chart to ensure that the levels are correct for the application and required r value. It is important to be able to convey your finding to the buyer and be able to provided recommended corrections
Research & Writing Assignment:
Properly insulating the attic space is crucial to maintaining a comfortable temperature in a household. Doing so properly can cut heating and cooling costs significantly by keeping the warm air in the attic and the cool air inside of the living space. This, combined with an adequate level of attic ventilation is ideal.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Here we have the entrance opening into the attic space. There is a light switch directly to the right of the opening which follows the SOP. There is also an adequate amount of insulation. This particular insulation appears to be made of rock wool.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
These are wet fireplace bricks. They don’t work great. but they are still bricks. It would be nice to swap em out with dry bricks. then they could really keep us warm when we want a nice big fire in the winter.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Here is a set of stairs that I do not have to say are unsafe. Stairs should be built to be safe to use and that is why a code and regulations were developed. Stairs need to have a minimum tread width, a consistent rise with minimum heights also. The stairs are so bad that a handrail might make these just fall over. After inspecting a few set of stairs an inspector will get to the point of knowing that stairs should be inspected in greater detail. When you look and use a staircase there should be a symmetry and flow to them and any run or riser that is different will stick out in your visual inspection.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is an inspection photo taken of a bathroom ventilation fan above a bathroom. The vent fan improperly vents into the attic space and not to the exterior of the home which can cause damage to the insulation and wooden framing members, insufficient insulation is present.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Carbon monoxide poisoning and detectors: Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas that forms from incomplete combustion of fuels, such as natural or liquefied petroleum gas, oil, wood or coal. Exposure usually occurs in the winter months due to the use of gas heating appliances. CO detectors should be placed throughout the house as a safety precaution for you and your family.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Duct tape can be useful on just about anything with the exception of actual duct work. Duct tape fails and degrades under extreme temperature changes. The purpose of taping ducts is to seal and stop air leaks. Duct tape will only provide a temporary fix as the tape will not last long. For this reason, it is recommended that foil-backed tape be used for all duct work.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a picture of a horizontal sliding window. It has two lites and two sashes that overlap, one sash is fixed and the other one slides open or close for natural ventilation. The muntins that are between the two lites are purely decorative, and properly sealed and insulated window shows no condensation in between the lites.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
A missing waterproof outlet cover plate was noted at the receptacle at the
north exterior wall. This condition presents a shock hazard as the electrical connections of
the outlet are exposed and requires immediate attention. We suggest repair to replace the
missing cover plate.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Creating a Home Inspection Brochure - I found there to be a lot of great ideas here to get a new inspector going in the right direction. While I like them all, the testimonial, “Making them want you” as the promise statement, is one that I will definitely add to my brochure in the future.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Condensation in your double glazed windows is a situation to be concerned about. The moisture that is visible in between the panes is a sign that the seal of the window has failed and needs replacement. The majority of the time the window can be replaced without removing the casing. Be aware of companies that claim they can defog the window as this is a temporary fix which will reoccur. Also the window at that point has lost thermal efficiency.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
There are two bathrooms in this house, both have spot vented fans. The guest bathroom works properly and is vented to the exterior of the house through the roof. The fan installed in the master bathroom works properly but does not vent to the exterior of the building but terminates in the attic. Recommendation is to have licensed roofer vent the fan through the roof.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Condensation in double-pane windows is when air (which contains water) cools and the molecules get closer when it hits its dew point to produce water droplets. The gas or air in between the panes of glass can fail if the seal of the unit has failed. The use of silica desiccant is also used to absorb the moisture between the panes of glass. If it fails a fogging will appear and the seal has failed. There is a procedure to repair the windows when they fail but it is still out for debate if the process works.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is cellulose insulation which is blown into the attic. Insulation makes a home comfortable by controlling the movement of heat energy by reducing heat transfer. Therefore, the more insulation, the cheaper the energy bills. Water intrusion destroys homes. Water vapor is released when heat moves to cold. Water vapor is also created in the home by breathing, watering plants, and taking showers. Vapor retarders are used to lessen the movement of water vapor through the building materials. However, air sealing is 10 to 100 times more effective. Depending on the climate, the vapor retarder is either facing inside the home (in colder climates) or outside the home (in humid climates).
