I looked at the article on Garage Doors and openers. It was a reminder that the garage door is one of the heaviest moving objects in your home. I did not know the garage door is responsible for 20,000 emergency room visits per year and that 60 children have been killed since 1982.
The article recommend labels that should be attached to the door. A spring warning label on the spring, A general warning label on the back of the door, a warning label near the switch and a tension label on the lower panel. I have only seen these on new doors. They are not present on the majority of garage doors I view.
This is a picture of the personnel door from the garage to the house. The door is a metal fire rated door but it does not automatically close. The spring loaded hinges have not been properly set to allow the door to self close to help reduce the risk of fire and fumes from spreading to the home.
Garage doors should have the tracks and rollers visually inspected before operating the door. The door should open and close freely without any grinding or hesitation. Electronic eyes should be mounted no more than six inches above the floor. Auto reverse function of garage doors can be tested by manually grabbing the bottom of the door and ensuring the door reverses by hand.
How to perform a garage inspection was a very informative course. I hadnt given thought to many issues in this course. The safety cable inside the spring for example was new to me. The required GFCI receptacles was also something I was unaware of.
How to perform a garage inspection was a very informative course. I hadnt given the thought of many issues in this course. The safety cable inside the spring for example was new to me. The required GFCI receptacles was also something I was unaware of. The required door closer on the interior door was also a surprise to me.
In this picture an Inspector can observe the condition, and construction type of the garage floor. While also taking note of the driveway, and it’s condition. There are a few major concerns when inspecting a garage. Fire rated walls and doors being one. Ground fault circuitry,
vehicle door condition, working safety devices and secure mounting are also vital to a proper inspection.
In the article 'Garage Doors and Openers
by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard’ I was informed that
approximately 20,000 injuries per year, requiring emergency room care involve garage doors in some way. Since 1982 sixty children have died because of faulty safety devices on garage doors.
Essay on garages and attic hatches and stairs: I didn’t see attic hatches or stairs in the training in material (maybe i missed it) but they have to be included too as part firewall. This hatch and stair covers was made of plywood and was called out as a defect. Finding a fireproof stair/hatch (for reference) too a bit of work, but they do exist
essay on article Attached Garage Fire Containment. How do you determine if outlets in a garage are sealed or not? Do you take off the covers? That is generally not dangerous to the inspector, but is more than a visual inspection. It is slightly invasive. Will check the message board for advice
A receptacle located in the garage on the wall which separates the garage from the family room on the other side. There are a couple of problems in this photo. The obvious is that the cover plate is missing and the wall is open, next you can see that the receptacle is not a GFCI type, in addition, the Sheetrock on the adjoining wall is covered with a panel board approx 1/4" thick. I was unable to determine the condition of the drywall beneath the panel boards.
Reference: Inspecting Residential Attached Garages. IRC 302.5.1 addresses requirements for fire-doors but no mention of door frame or door seals are cited. A significant negative pressure in the home by virtue of a poorly designed HVAC system or due to chimney effect could draw fumes from the garage into the home through small openings in separation walls & ceilings as well as poorly sealed doors.
Attached garage where the wall that was attached to habitable living space was not protected with a firewall of a minimum of 1/2 " gypsum board, which is a poses a fire hazard to the home. Also, the receptacle, which was representative of other junction boxes in the garage was not up to normal standard installed and did not have cover plates.
A Garage Inspection
In the article by Kenton Shepard, we are shown how a garage was haphazardly was constructed by most likely handyman construction. This construction was not up to industry standards and posed a danger to the occupants and property in the garage. The roof needed to be evaluated by a structural engineer to be sure the corrections would be able to bear a load of a roof, especially in a snowy climate. This was exemplified by the other home that had the roof collapsed in on the garage.
In this photo the wall separating an enclosed attached garage and living space is not made of a fire rated material such as drywall. The drywall must be a minimum 1/2". This wall was made of plywood and some vinyl siding.
I decided to choose an article on garage doors. I was unaware that the garage door was one of the heaviest things in the home and was responsible for so many injuries. I was unaware of the 4 labels required and will now keep a lookout for them.
For my reading assignment for the “Garage Inspection course”, I read about garage doors and openers. This is a good read and something to possibly give to clients due to the dangerous conditions associated with garage doors, especially for children.
Here is an example of a defective garage dwelling door. It is a wood panel door, less than 1 3/8" thick. It appears this was originally a door to the exterior, but the pad behind the garage was enclosed and extended to the interior living spaces.
I have observed garages where the attic area has been converted to storage space, with access being provided by pull down stairs. When shopping for these pull down stairs, many home improvement stores carry two types in stock, one being significantly more expensive than the other. Many homeowners buy the less expensive one, not realizing the major difference is that one is fire rated for garage installation while the other is not. Sometimes, this is acceptable, if the attic has an installed firewall in the attic separating the attic over living areas from that over the actual garage.
upon inspection of this garage, I have noticed that although the overhead garage door openers were installed with photo eye sensors the sensors exceeded the maximum distance from the floor-sensor.Maximum height should be 6" and as you can see, these sensors are nearly 12". I recommend lowering for safety.
My article of this assignment is 15 tools every homeowner should own.Although the 15 tools in this list are certainly important and will get you through many situations there is many other tools you will find yourself purchasing the longer you are a homeowner. The most important advice on all tools is knowing how to use them CORRECTLY!!!