Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Insulation must be installed properly or it will not work efficiently. It needs to be uniform and not compacted. If there is a gap in the insulation, air will travel though this faster. Insulation is to be located away from moisture.
Research & Writing Assignment:
When inspecting an Electric Panel box, safety needs to be the number one concern. Making sure the floor is dry, there are no sharp edges or screws, Rust or gaps that include rodent intrusion are a few of these. There must be a work area that is open and allows for a quick exit from the area if needed.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Description : Insulation in walls
Observation: I observed indications of lack of insulation in the walls of condo.
I checked for insulation by turning off the power to the outlet, removing the electrical outlet cover, and probing in between the electical box and the wall to see if any resistance was felt on the wooden probe or if any insulation fibers could be seen or pulled out. I also used a flashlight to look in between the outlet and wall cavity. The probe slid in and out very easily without any resistance. There was no evidence of fibers on the probe and I could not see any form of insulation using the flashlight.
Improve: Lack of insulation can increase annual heating and cooling costs of the home
because of loss of energy.
To make your home more energy-efficient and comfortable; Recommend a home energy
audit and/or professional contractor.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Image: of AUTO REVERSE TEST on garage doors
While inspecting garage doors, some important things to keep in mind is to check the presence and functionality of the photo-electric eye beam.
“It is required by Federal law that homes with garage door openers manufactured after 1992 must be quipped with photo-electric eyes or another saftey-reverse feature that meets UL325.” (Pg. 188 of this course).
Photo-electric beams should be installed no more than 6 inches from the floor.
To test the reverse feature using the remote: stand by the door as it is closing. Wave an item across the path of the beam to trigger the reverse function. When the beam wavelength is broken it tells the door to open because of an object in the way. This is an important safety feature. If disrupting the path of the eyebeam does not work then it should be repaired/replaced by a certified professional.
If you do not have a garage door opener: simply hit the wall push button to activate closing the door. Perfom same steps described above to test functionality of photo-electric beams.
I am currently working on the How to Inspect the Attic, Insulation, Ventilation & Interior Course.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
The kitchen window in the picture was opened and closed as it is required. No signs of leaks were observed. There are no signs of water penetration around the window or in the wall. The window does have a defective inner and outer stop.
Research & Writing Assignment:
From the Library of Inspection Articles, the Garage Doors and Openers article was chosen. According to the article, defects in the garage door components could be potentially dangerous and could cause injury. It is important to understand that an inspector should not attempt to fix garage doors. The article also states that all garage doors should have a manual release handle and warning labels. Additionally, if the garage door was manufactured after the year 1992, it should have door edge sensors or photoelectric eyes.
Research & Writing Assignment:
For my essay I chose blower doors, blower doors can be used for energy audits. They work by using 3 variables pressure flow and leaks or holes. Interior pressure is raised to 50 pascal a meter on the door measures the cubic feet of air per minute that amount of air determineshow the leaky the homend is.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
On this home I know observed a full soffit vent it was unobstructed by insulation in the attic.this is a very effective form of ventilation with one exception there is no ridge vent. The attic does have a gable vent but the gable vent is not large enough.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Here are photos I took of an attic with blown in insulation. There was evidence of past and present possible leaks in the roof structure that should be monitored by the home owner. The insulation did cover all of the attic space, minus the opening to the attic space, which was not properly insulated resulting in energy loss.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I chose my article on 10 ways to save energy in your home at the link provided “https://www.nachi.org/increasing-home-energy-efficiency-client.htm”. This article taught me simple tips to learn ways to increase energy efficiency. This is a good article to review after covering the course topic of insulation and ventilation.
Research & Writing Assignment:
When making a recommendation on your attic inspection. You should let them know to not let children in the attic. They should make sure the lanyard is out of childs reach. There can even be a locking mechanism of some sort installed.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is an image of a missing attic access panel. This hole in the ceiling is a direct leak and waste of home energy to the attic space. The duct work is correctly insulated though. This area should be permanently covered and insulated and a separate access should be made.
Research & Writing Assignment:
https://www.nachi.org/gallery/?level=picture&id=574
This image shows the correct way to test for safe railing baluster spacing. This is an easy test for baluster safety, often balusters are incorrectly spaced. Sometimes it is easy to spot incorrect spacing and doesn’t require anything more than looking at them.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a double hung window, both the bottom and top sections can move. It is in good condition and shows no signs of a broken seal or fogging. It opens and closes correctly and does not fall on its own. The lock functions correctly as well.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I studied several images pertaining to insulation. The main area I focused was in the attic. Attic insulation should be to the top of the joists at minimum. The r-value required varies based on what zone you are in. The access points of the attic should be insulated as well.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
I was inspecting the attic. There is a lot of personal items being stored on plywood that is nailed into the rafter. so either there is no insulation or the insulation is compressed under plywood so it’s not very energy efficient. Recommend hiring a licensed insulation installer for recommendation to improve efficiency in the attic.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Read the article “Garage Door Openers”. If the garage door has an automatic garage door. First, check the springs make sure they are not broken. Then look for the red handle to release garage door from the opener. Manually open the door see if the door opens and closes easily. If its tough to open or close recommend a licensed garage door contractor to evaluate. It could be the springs that need to be adjusted or replace.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
While inspecting the attic it was noticed that the insulation was quite high near the edges of the attic where the soffit ventilation is located. From the inspection it could not be determined if the insulation was fully blocking the vents. Recommend installing baffles to ensure proper air flow.
Research & Writing Assignment:
The location of a vapor barrier is very important and varies depending on your geographical location. In both cases the vapor barrier should be on the warmer side. Colder regions should have the barrier on the inside so the doesn’t freeze.
