In the indoor air quality slide describing an electronic air cleaner for a furnace, in my opinion, they cause more problems than they are worth. With all the filters in line of the return plenum, restrictions to air flow prevent the furnace blower motor from operating effectively without overheating.
“Meth” or crystal methamphetamine is highly dangerous and addictive drug. People take it by snorting, smoking, injecting, and even eating it. It deteriorates the body by loss of weight, severe dental problems / loss of teeth and extreme itching leading the person to have sores from all the scratching.
“Marijuana Grow Operations” There are many indications that there is a grow house present. Excess amount of power being used to run the lighting. Odors like marijuana, moth balls, or chlorine may be in the air. Also, rooms that always have lights on or windows that are covered for concealment.
While doing a recent inspection, a home had 28 plug-in air fresheners thought out the home. The home had an unfinished basement, odd staining on the basement concrete floor in areas, had recently been vacated and the smell of ammonia/pet urine. Due to the smells in the home, the buyer terminated the contract and meth testing was not done. Additionally, the attic was contaminated with pigeon feces and had 3 dead pigeons. In retrospect, the home likely may have had meth use and/or production in the home.
In completing this course and reading the “Meth Labs” article, it has been enlightening information. While inspectors are not law enforcement, we as a group should probably carry local health agency numbers in the event we do inspect homes that may have meth contamination.
Upholstered objects should not be tested with a wipe test, because of the surface would not be conducive to a flat wipe. Micro vacuuming would be a much better method for collecting a sample on upholstery or fabric. Though micro vacuuming won’t tell the amount of meth, it will tell of the presence.
Much is left to learn about meth house inspection. There seems to not be an approved method for taking samples. I personally think that alcohol would be the best medium to collect samples with. I believe it is safer than solvent and would take a better sample than deionized water.
The ir photos I reviewed were quite enlightening.
They showed clear evidence that the naked eye could not see or discover without further investigation that may have caused damage to the building or building systems or more importantly a safety concern.
The ir camera is a very valuable tool in the right hands or should I say certified operator.
I’m looking at purchasing an ir camera as it will help me in my business expansion.
I choose a propane tank the one in the picture is correct with no need to be alarmed , if the nozzle was greenish I would suspect that it held ammonia gasses. My senses would be on alert for possible meth lab.
Meth Labs are dangerous for home inspectors and their clients, if a home inspector finds signs of a home used as a meth lab he or she should exit and have testing done on the home for meth contamination. Children are more prone to side effects of meth contamination because they are still developing.
Almost all crystal meth today is made with lithium batteries. Lithium, a very powerful chemical that is severely toxic and poisonous to the human body, has recently become an almost uniformly present ingredient in todays meth labs, and is thought by professionals to be included in meth mixtures because it makes crystal meth far more potent, and also far more dangerous.
Methamphetamine contaminated site pose several safety and health risks.it is important to be aware of a house that has used a a “METH LAB”.Pay attention to the outside of the structure upon arrival. Look from blocked out windows, foul smell coming from the
Sewer/septic ( Not the normal odors) dead vegetation around the property and large quantities of trash.
pet’s feces and urine found all around floor and wall corner in crawl space during my home inspection. Recommend a specialist to assess, remove and clean as needed for safety. Also recommend air quality testing to confirm air is good for your family’s health.
the article I read is “Advanced Residential Roof Inspection Course”, slate is graded according to ASTM standard as S1,S2 and S3, and S1 is graded the highest level which has a minimum lifespan of more than 75 years. Almost all slate installed on new roofs in North American is rated S1.
I chose to read an article about asbestos to enrich my understanding of it and to learn about the potential sources that I had no prior knowledge of. Prior to the article, I was aware of the many common places you might find asbestos, however, I had never thought about the door gaskets to wood stoves that the article mentions. While performing an inspection on a home built before the 1970’s, its important to be aware of areas where asbestos might exist, and an old gasket on a wood fireplace that is fraying and breaking apart would be a potential hazard to inform the client about.
Furniture is a common item that may be found in a house where meth has been manufactured or used by the occupants. On a piece of furniture like this couch that contains upholstery that is porous, the best method of sampling would be the microvacuum sampling method to determine the presence of meth. Although the microvaccum method does not represent the mass of meth on the material, the results will help to determine if the couch has been contaminated.
I have breezed by this course many times thinking it was not a problem here until I went to look at a house for a relative who is a real estate agent to give her info on the condition of the house.The home owner was told we were coming but I guess forgot this was on the kitchen counter.He apparently did electrical work around the house when he was high,there were wires hanging out of wall boxes,the panel,the furnace and air conditioning condenser.Not quite sure what he was trying to do but it was not safe.My assistant happened to be a police officer in a neighboring town and he assured me that they would make a return visit later and to forget listing the property for a while.Its amazing after taking this course how much of it I did see in this house.He allegedly cooked in the shed,not in the house.
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Over-Occupancy Rental Laws for Inspectors,On a resent inspection of a foreclosed residence,I found the foreclosed owner had sub rented his house to illegals who work in the blueberry farms in the area.The house was supposed to be empty at the time and the buyer was a developer who was deciding whether to move the house or tear it down.Even the 10x12 shed in the rear of the yard had people living in it.None of the utilities were on including water,I could smell the odors at the front door before even trying to enter.The police were contacted and I believe the house will be leveled.There were 16 people in the house and 5 in the shed.The house was an 800 square foot bungalow.
When completing a meth inspection it is important to check surface areas for staining associated with the chemical reactions caused by the manufacturing of meth. The ceiling is an important area to check especially if it is directly above a suspected cook area.
Collar ties vs rafter ties
Collar ties are actually collar beams which are tension ties in the upper third of the rafter area. A rafter tie is a tension tie that is in the lower third of the rafter area.