This is a picture of a garage door taken during a wind mitigation.
The door is the original which was installed when the home was built in 1976.
No wind born protection or bracing is present.
This is the weakest point in the building’s openings.
Hello. I have completed my continuing education and now I will wish you well. I have looked at the gallery and found a lot of information there. Electical knowledge being the most rewording as most home owners do not undersand how powerfull it can be. take the time to explain and they will recommend you to their friends. Go luck.
I chose to read Inspector Safety: Three-Point Control for Climbing Ladders and Ladder Safety. The articles were informative and as inspectors ladders are a crucial tool that we use daily, so ladder safety is important. I am a professional firefighter, as well as, a home inspector and have had many hours of training on ladder safety. I learned something new from both articles and the tools that are available to help for applications that we face in the field were great. The Spectoscope is a tool that I think I will invest in because on multi-level homes it looks very useful and could diminish dangers that I have faced in the past in an effort to do my best for my clients.
Hello Everyone,
Im posting a picture and essay on this thread about a scorched buss bar i found behind a main panel in a home inspection i completed.
I believe it is the result of a lightning strike as opposed to a power surge or loose lugs/connections.
What leads me to believe this is the scorch marks are evident on the buss bars and not the lugs which tells me the loosest connections in the lightnings path was found to be where the breakers clip on to the buss bar, there it is apparent electricity encountered its first resistance and the black scorch marks are what happens when high voltage can no longer be contained and “escapes.”
This escaping process produces a very intense flash of light and heat which tends to leave scorching marks.
I can’t speak for all Home Inspectors, but as for me and my practices i make it one of my main priorities to open and inspect behind the main electrical panel. This is the electrical heart of any dwelling and inspecting this and taking photos documenting its condition is a great way to know the overall electrical health of that dwelling.
Without opening this panel you never have know that a major electrical event happened here.
After the home inspection process is complete and the home buyer goes forward with the purchase, their next step is to shop around for ‘Home Owners Insurance’ and if the home is more than 10 years old the insurance companies will want a “4-Point Inspection” completed on the property. This will give them a snap shot of the age and condition of the 4 main components of a home, i.e., ROOF, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING and A/C.
One of the main questions on the Florida 4-Point Inspection Form is “Is the electrical system is good working order?”
Without seeing this scorching behind the main panel and thus putting it on your inspection report to be evaluated by an Electrical Professional, this new home buyer can be stuck footing the bill of replacing the entire electrical panel themselves before being allowed to ascertain home owners insurance. (Average cost of replacing an electrical panel ranges from $1,500 - $3,500!)
All of this can be avoided if we make it a habit to safely inspect behind every electrical panel.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks,
~ Keith
Keith Maniscalco
Native Inspections LLC
HI8470
The above shows the gable end to a certain section of the house. The house’s roof structure contains a combination of gable ends and hip ends. Attached structures account for less than 10% of the perimeter, making the house’s general roof structure a hip roof.
Research Article: Wind Mitigation
Wind mitigations are an important part of the home inspection process for homeowners in Florida. There are many aspects of a house that reduce wind damage and loss, including proper: roof deck attachment, roof covering, SWR, doors, protection of openings, roof shape, and roof-to-wall connections. Important areas to inspect during a wind mitigation include the carport (garage) and garage door, the attic, the general roof geometry, and all windows/ doors/ areas of egress.
How to perform a wind mitigation inspection.
This is part of the class on getting my Wind Mitigation certificate. The subject i choose to read was about how to prevent from getting sued. Substantially abiding by InterNACHI’s Standards of Practice provides a strong defense against a claim that you failed to perform to a level of care or acceptable practice for the inspection profession. Incorporate.
As a shareholder in your incorporated inspection company, you enjoy limited liability for the corporation’s debts and judgments against the corporation. No inspector should operate as a partner or sole proprietor… ever. Take every one of InterNACHI’s online courses.
We all know that many claims against inspectors are frivolous. Education and training won’t prevent such suits from being filed, but education and training will help you prevail in court. Each of InterNACHI’s online courses produces a Certificate of Completion. You should be prepared to produce all your certificates as evidence of your professionalism. However, the dates of completion have to precede the date of the inspection in question, so complete them now.
Furthermore, education and training are key to performing high-quality inspections, which eliminates frivolous suits. Knowledge is a powerful tool you can use to stay out of court–or win, if you should find yourself there.If you are going to hire a helper, use a contract.
I prefer to hire helpers as independent contractors rather than employees. A good independent contractor agreement makes it difficult for a helper to:
This home has a gable to gable roof structure. Therefore, the inspector will mark “non hip” on the wind mitigation form.
Wind mitigation
This article explained the high percentage of costs associated with wind damage on insurance premiums. At sometimes 70%, a wind mitigation inspection can save the homeowner a considerable amount of money. The inspector will inspect, openings, roof structures and coverings and roof tof wall attachments as part of the inspection.
Upon completing the CEU, I have a better understanding of Wind Mitigation regarding certain techniques of residential construction. The overall purpose of wind mitigation is to limit damage caused by strong wind. Just by knowing / inspecting certain components of a home, I can help homeowners save a good percentage on their insurance premium.
I also learned that there are certain components of wing mitigation. These include garage doors, roof covering, roof shape, deck attachment, roof –to- wall connection, and secondary water resistance. Together, they protect the home from wind damage. Wind Mitigation helps protect the home from damage. By knowing the generally accepted standards of practices, I now have accurate information of a standard wind mitigation inspection process. I am also aware of ways that a building interacts with wind.
hello hi everyone my research is on garage exterior
during my research i learned that truss should not touch interior walls which can cause real bad damage . It is so important to inspect those connections
because you may find the wrong nails and also how its attached which can lead to structural issues. Also learned that all GfCi should be protected at all cost
This garage door was inspected for impact rating. The door is made out of steel and has windows, The door has 6 track mounting brackets and is a overhead sectional door. The home owner has no paper work for the door and the windows have no rating marked on them or coverings. This door is not rated.
This is my entry for the wind mitigation Essay and Image
With the photos included and a measurement of entire perimeter I’ve measured 105 ft of hip and 50 ft of gable. So in conclusion I have geometry of 155 total ft by 50 ft of gable 49%. This dose not qualify as a hip roof.
These are my entries for the Write Essay for the wind mitigation course
Bat House Inspection by Nick Gromicko and Bathroom Ventilation Ducts and Fans by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard
Bat House Inspection by Nick Gromicko
Being a Floridian inspector, mosquitoes are a very important way of life here. the way to control them starts with a understanding and education of how natural ways to do this starts with a good bat houses and removing standing water.
Bathroom Ventilation Ducts and Fans by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard
The most frequent problem I see in attics are improper venting of ducting of bathroom fans. The moisture that is pulled from this room is enough to put mold in the wood in the attic. Also under sized fans is another flag I often encounter.
This photo is a single wrap that does not wrap over the top of the truss. I chose B - Clips on the form, first box. I checked the boxes for minimum 3 nails and the box with less than a 1/2 gap from truss. This photo was from a recent wind mitigation I performed.
taking again
This is a non-rated unprotected skylight. A search of the County building permits verified the date of installation, manufacture and material installed (amazingly). In my experience, unless it is a recent installation, home owners rarely have documentation. I have the county permits site bookmarked on my phone and computer. I find it best to research these sites prior to the inspection. The more I know about the house prior to the inspection the better.
This is a photo of a sliding patio door on a home built in 1979 and the patio door has an accordion type shutter for windborne debris protection. No sticker or data plate indicating compliance with Florida Building Code or Miami Dade County Building Code was found. Some sort of documentation indicating compliance would be needed to give opening protection credit. This house did have a hip roof and a roof installed after the 2004 hurricanes.
For my research essay I chose to look at gallery images of Clay Tile Roofs and Cement Tile Roofs. Here in my area of coastal Florida tile roofs are quite popular. One thing that I have noticed over the course of inspecting these roofs is that although both clay tile and cement tile roofing have an estimated lifespan of up to 80 years, in my experience the cement tiles are much more likely to have problems with cracking and breaking. The old Spanish style clay barrel tiles seem to hold up the best, by far.
