Starting the course now.
The stairway located in this home had four or more risers, and did have a handrail on at least one side. It was continuous and ran the full length of the flight of stairs.
Also, the riser heights were seven inches, within the minimum and maximum riser height recommendations.
I am a student attending a home inspection course. We do two or three inspections a week and the attached is photo is of a recent inspection I did. The obvious main issue here is the broken collar beam. I would also say it is on the weak side when it come to insulation as you can see exposed ceiling joist. Anything else in the photo that can be pointed out?
Reading and Writing assignment: Barbeque safety
In the state of Texas barbeque is a family staple. So this topic of barbeque safety can be very helpful to the masses here in Texas. One of the concerns pointed out in this article that was about pets. It seems like almost everyone in Texas has a dog or two. Placing the barbeque in a safe place away from pets and children is always a good idea!
Moisture intrusion was noted through the foundation wall in the left rear corner corner of the crawlspace. This condition appears to be caused by the incorrect ground slope and grading outside the house in this area. In addition, clogged and overflowing gutters were also found on this corner of the house. The inspector recommends that the necessary corrections are made to prevent further moisture intrusion in this area. Doug Day
Attic pull down ladders,
It seems I can almost always find a defect in the installation of an attic pull down ladder. The most common problems I run across seem to be the ladders are installed with drywall screws, loose or missing hardware is found on the ladder, and the bottom of the ladder is not cut to the proper length. I found the information in this article about passing on the different safety concerns to my clients to be helpful. Doug Day
Bathroom ventilation ducts and fans,
I found a lot of useful information in this article. I have never been sure if some of the bathroom problems that I’ve found such as moisture issues, metal corrosion or rust, and peeling paint have been caused by improper ventilation or were caused by the owners not using the fan at all. Checking beneath insulation for proper bath ventilation as well as the helpful tips that are not required such as the recommended vent pipe materials have been helpful. Doug Day
My inspection of attic insulation/ventilation: There is blown-in insulation, about 10 inches thick, however in the middle of the attic where a person might pass when running TV cables, etc., the insulation has been compressed to the height of the 6 inch ceiling joists. This should be remedied for more effective insulation. Also, although the soffit vents are not blocked, there are no baffles to prevent insulation from drifting down and blocking them, these should be installed.
Ventilation is with ridge vents and soffit vents and appears very effective, the attic was relatively cool even though it was a warm day.
The attached photo shows the view of the attic from the garage. There is no firewall installed between the attic in the garage and the attic over the living spaces, this is a potential fire safety hazard.
I read articles on Insulating attics and Inspecting for Ants.
The attic insultion information has been covered rather adequately in the course just taken, though this article is more targeted toward people who are going to install insulation in their own homes. The importance of ventilation is also covered.
Inspecting for ants is something that is beyond the scope of the typical home inspection, however visible evidence that there are ants present, particularly carpenter ants, would be a good thing to include in the report. Damage from insects to the wood of the structure can be important.
Please find attached a photo of a “nail pop” in a sheet-rock ceiling near a wall. I believe this to be an example of " bottom chord of truss up-lift". This wall - ceiling intersection was located in the center of the house, which correlates with truss up-lift theory. The position of the nail head seems to indicate that the process is cyclical. This also correlates with the theory. The condition of truss up-lift is considered somewhat normal, espescially in long span truss systems. However, there are various techniques which mitigate nail-pops and cracks in sheet-rock systems. There exist brackets for joining top-plates and truss bottoms that allow for truss up-lift. Consider also not nailing the ceiling with-in 18’ of the wall.
Re: co2 detectors. Are co2 detectors required? by Fed.? by state? by local? Do they need to be hardwired? battery back-up? What makes a good detector? Do some last longer than others? How long do they last? Are new houses tested for CO2 before occupancy? Are there CO2 detecting meters for inspectors. How do you test a CO2 detector? What’s a good source of information about CO2 detectors? These are just some of the questions about CO2 detectors I’ll need to find answers to. CO2 is a generally undetected menace. Without detectors it is undetected. This makes it insidiously dangerous. Most homes I inspect either have no CO2 detectors or 1 or 2 rinky dink looking plug in units. Seems like recommending a CO2 monitering system installed by a qualified HVAC contractor would be a good idea.
This attic photo shows proper installation of cardboard baffles at each soffit vent with blown cellulose insulation. Notice that the insulation is sufficient to cover the ceiling joists and reduce the probability of thermal bridging. Ventilation is accomplished with soffit and ridge vents. The attic access panel was insulated as well with fiberglass batt.
During this residential inspection I found numerous actionable items inside the attic of a large expansion the owner had done 20 years ago. The first and most important item for safety that needed correction is the gas exhaust vent from the water heater in the forefront of the photo. There is an obvious disconnect and it’s exhausting into the attic space. There is a 2nd disconnect from a renovated bathroom exhaust fan, also venting into the attic space. The Owners spent a good amount of money on renovations for the bathrooms and kitchen, but ignored or were ignorant of many major issues in the house. Ultimately the buyer withdrew from the contract.
Insulation R-Value
by Nick Gromicko and Ethan Ward
This article discussed the R Value of insulation found during homes. The article pointed out how our clients are more and more concerned with the energy efficiency of the homes they own. Understanding the R Value is an important tool the inspector must have so he can adequately report back to the client issues with possible energy loss that could be addressed by adding for insulation. The article lists a table for calculating the R Value of different types of Insulation
Stairway Inspection
by Nick Gromicko
This article discussed Stairway inspections. In the article the author lists the reasons why a proper stairway inspection is so important, including the casualty rates in the USA for 2004. The article then gives a partial list of issues for inspectors to look for during our inspection. This function is very important to help ensure the safety or future safety of our clients.
Reading Assignment #1: Installing Attic Insulation
It may seem counterintuitive but the goal for attic insulation & ventilation is to keep the roof the same temperature as the exterior. In doing so, the potential for condensation inside the attic is greatly reduced because the insulation, in combination with a proper vapor barrier, prevents warm moist air from the conditioned interior below from seeping into the unconditioned attic space. No barrier is 100% effective so the ventilation is necessary to ensure that a draft of cool outside are pulls the rising warm air out of the attic before it condenses on the underside of the roof deck. When installing insulation in blown or batt form, it is critical that all vulnerable points of the thermal envelope are covered but at least 1" of open space is maintained between the insualtion and roof decking; this includes the installation of baffles in the soffit area to keep those vents from being covered by insulation.
Reading Assignment #2: Insulation R-Value
We have all been yelled at for leaving the lights or the TV on when not using them but heating & cooling costs actually account for over half of the energy consumption for the average household. The Dept of Energy has issued recommendations for proper insulation levels based on regional climates and the Federal Trade Commision requires manufacturers to quantify their products ability for thermal resistance expressed as R-Value. Home builders and home owners are able to use the R-Value and DOE recommendations to select optimal insulation protection but it is also critical to follow manufacturers approved installation procedures to maintain the optimal R-value of each product.
During a recent whole home inspection I observed significant deviations (high and low areas) in the floor simply by walking through the home. My routine is to inspect the crawlspace last and did so specifically looking for causes of the uneven floor plane throughout the home.
Almost immediately upon entering the crawlspace I identified the problem to be pier pad settlement when I saw that nearly all of the posts within the post and beam floor system were hanging and not in contact with the concrete piers. Upon further investigation I found what appeared to be bark “chunk” fill throughout the crawlspace and under the vapor barrier.
The home is 8 years old. I don’t know what this contractor was thinking, but I hope that the use of wood fiber organic fill was the worst building decision he’s made. Some posts were 6" away from their concrete supports and even those that appeared to be in contact with the pads were easily moved with a firm strike of my fist. Unbelievable.
Article: AFCI Testers
Modern homes incorporate the use of Arc-fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI) in their electrical system. AFCI circuitry is designed to detect dangerous electrical arcs in branch wiring.
AFCI breakers may service a number of outlets therefore the use of an AFCI indicator device allows you to test the circuit in multiple locations and evaluate its functionality. The unit is plugged in to the outlet and activated at which time multiple pulse of 106 to 141 amp charges are produced for detection by the AFCI protection device, which should cause the device to “trip”.
Because AFCI indicators do not cause actual arcs, but rather waveforms, it is possible that a functional AFCI device will not respond when “tested”. Because of this these devices are better referred to as “indicators” as they do not truly test by creating an arcing condition.
If during the use of an AFCI indicator the AFCI does not trip, but does respond to its integrated test button it should be noted that the use of the indicator is complemental to the test button on the AFCI and it may be suggested that the circuit be further evaluated by a licensed electrician.
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Article: Anti-scald Valves
Anti-scald valves are devices that mix cold water with outgoing hot water to moderate the temperature of the water actually leaving the fixture. A properly functioning anti-scald device protects individuals from burns.
160ºF water can cause scalding in less than 1 second. Scalds account for over 2,000 injuries in children each year and are the source of 20% of all recorded burns. Scalds are not only extremely damaging and painful in and of themselves, but can also lead to numerous other injuries such as falls and heart attacks.
Temperature fluctuations due to uneven water flow rates or simply malfunctioning water heater devices can be easily avoided by installing anti-scalding valves and they are typically simple and inexpensive to install.
Reading & Writing Exercise:
10 Easy Ways to Save Money & Energy in Your Home
The article provides the home owner/tenant with pertinent practices and tips on protecting the home from energy loss and basic maintenance problems. By implementing certain repairs and replacing household items/appliances with energy efficient ones.
The article also explains the fact that hot air rises and gives turnkey solutions that can be implemented starting from the attic on down to outlets, doors and window frames. But strongly pointing out that the attic is where most air leaks occur.
In retrospect many advantages can be accomplished by a home owner/tenant just by following instructions and guidelines provided in this article.
Image is of an interior electric powered exhaust vent installed in the drop ceiling which is centrally located. Is not connected to any ducts contained within the central air conditioned/heating system, instead fan moves interior air directly into the vented attic space. This home is located in geographical climate zone #3, which works well in high humidity climates during summer months.
The photo shown is of an attic and its insulation components. The existing insulation batts are original to the home and appears to be originally installed at 6" deep but has been compressed in areas to around 4" deep. It is recommend that blown in insulation be added to achieve an R value of 38. One major problem many older homes have is that there is inadequate insulation in the attic, which results in air leakage and the formation of ice dams in the winter time. This can lead to a number of problems, most notably water leaking through the roof.
