Air Quality In The Home
Indoor air quality is affected by the tighter air sealing of the home and less ventilation of moisture, air pollutants from household products, smoking and pets. There are immediate and long term health effects from poor air quality. Indoor air quality can contain more pollutants than the outdoor air and proper ventilation should be in place.
This was a hose bib on a jack in the box in Redmond OR, there were 4 of them on the building, the hose bib appeared to be leaking from behind the cover, and when looked at with Thermal imaging it was confirmed it was leaking and being absorbed by the stucco as well.
I read the article on Arc fault testers, I have one that I use on every inspection and it seems to work every time, like in the article it is good to test it at the receptacle to just double check that the breaker is functioning properly.
The attached picture is an example of a bath fan that is improperly vented. This vent should be vented to the exterior through a ridge vent or a soffit vent. If venting through the soffit, be sure to keep the soffit vents at least two feet away.
Keeping your business “green” is much like the way you stay green at home, Recycling! Do your best to go paperless when possible is a good way to start. Even when purchasing office furniture, buy used or new made from reclaimed materials.
This is a heat recovery vent or HRV. This system is designed to minimize heat loss when venting a home. This system is newer to the market and considered a high end system; having minimal maintenance and operation the ongoing costs are minor.
I was aware the 203k program was popular for obtaining loans for fixer or flipper houses. I did not know the program was started in 1961 but only implemented after 1994. As well I wasn’t aware this was a HUD program.
I chose to use an infrared picture of a cooling system operating at or above standards. This was an older unit, but it was well maintained and as a result the temperatures it gives off are perfect and this helps improve the indoor air quality of this residence. I’ve seen newer air condition units not operate as well as this one simply because of poor maintenance.
Indoor air quality plays a big part here in south Florida. With the high temperatures and high humidity, I fell that it is highly important to keep the indoor air quality safe and comfortable just for simple everyday life. Without a good indoor air quality, life is just simply harder. Harder to focus because of the heat, and harder to stay healthy. This is just my opinion on why indoor air quality is so important.
What you see is a hole in the ceiling to a below grade, attached garage. Considering the stack effect in a two story home with this below grade garage, the potential negative pressure created by the attic space could induce this stack effect. The hole in the garage could allow contaminated air from the garage to enter the living space.
“Inspecting the Bathroom Exhaust” is the article I read. I don’t feel measuring the flow rate of a bathroom fan is necessary. Something less scientific like the “toilet paper test” is more than adequate. Also, check the where the fan vents on the exterior to make sure it is connected. I quick peak in the attic is a good idea if it vents through the roof.
The exhaust duct shown in the image appears to be in good shape. A more direct path would be preferred over the installation shown, but since the bend is minor it is acceptable. Unable to see where the duct penetrates the structure to the outside, it can only be assumed to be properly installed. However, it appears that the duct is directed to the soffit area of the roof. The duct appears to be sloped backwards toward the vent assembly. It should be sloped away from the vent.
This fireplace is installed with no fresh air intake . Client is advised that this will create a negative pressure in the house when fire is burning,also may create backdraft if not enough air supply to vent properly.Advise to have adiquit fresh air supply installed.
Dryer exhaust ducts should be constructed of rigid metal ducts with smooth interior surfaces. This means that the flexible duct currently in use, and widely available for purchase, should be noted as a potential fire hazard. The lint expelled from the dryer can become trapped within the ribs of the flexible ducts and provide fuel for potential fires.
This is typical gfci wiring done properly…the adjoining recepticals are all protected by the gfci breaker. This would meet the requirments for a variety of applications ranging from inside a home close to waters sources,to outside a home for outdoor uses. ( providing the proper outdoor all weather covers are used).
The following is essay 1 for the “Indoor Air Quality for Inspectors Course”:
The attached photo is of a ceiling bathroom rated at 50 CFM that is operating, or switched on. A piece of toilet paper was put up to the fan and is being held in place by the suction the fan is drawing, which is correct. This is a simple test to determine if your bathroom fans are producing the minimum suction needed to operate correctly.
Exhaust fans are typically installed in bathroom ceilings and in kitchen range hoods, to provide ventilation. Over sized holes are typically cut in the ceiling drywall for installation of bath exhaust fans and kitchen exhaust fan ducts, leaving gaps where the fan box or duct is installed. While these gaps may be covered by decorative trim (in the case of exhaust fan boxes), those coverings will not stop air leaks. You should take note that when the drywall is not sealed to the edges of ducting or exhaust fan boxes (which themselves may be leaky), conditioned air can leak through these gaps and into the unconditioned attic space, which can create air pressure imbalances, and could lead to secondary issues related to energy efficiency and comfort.
Homeowners should make sure that the work of sealing around exhaust fans and ducts is performed after the fans and drywall have been installed.
from standing in a basement looking too the cavity you can clearly see a copper line for the central air unit extrudes thru the exterior wall through an oversized hole opening providing plenty of air, water and bugs to enter into the basement of the home.
image shows an illustration inside a crawl space in what it looks like when installing 6 mil poly - visqueen sheeting by making sure all of the ground and piping are covered and that all seams overlap and are ducted tape, and the plastic sheeting is 6 to 8 inches up the wall.
Having a bathroom exhaust fan in your home is an important necessity. The purpose of a bathroom fan primarily is to get the moisture out of the bathroom. A fan also helps eliminate odors and reduces fumes from cleaning agents.
Having a bathroom fan installed helps to remove the build up of mold spores in the air, which in turns slows down the growth rate.
