Garage Door Safety

Automatic garage doors are required to come equipped with safety features to prevent accidental injury. One of the most important features is auto reverse. The door opener should sense an obstruction and stop and reverse. This prevents rhe door from exerting downward pressure and crushing anything trapped under it. As home inspectors we test these functions, and as a home owner you should do the same. For more information on the safety features and methods for testing please click the link.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56868-2004May26.html

Plumbing Traps, Knowing Right From Wrong

 Why we want P-traps vs. the old style S-traps.

 An S-trap is obsolete and illegal because as the water leaves it, it can cause a condition called back syphonage, it pulls all the water out of the trap, leaving a dry trap. Dry traps let sewer gases flow back up through the fixture into the house. P-traps are designed to prevent syphonage. The trap retains a small amount of water after the fixture's use. This water in the trap creates a seal that prevents sewer gases from passing from the drain pipes back into the home.




 http://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Plumbing_Fixture_Traps.htm

Smoke Detector Locations

Smoke detectors save lives. Do you know where they should be in your house? It is required of new construction to have detectors in every bedroom and at least one on each floor including basement. New homes require the detectors to be hard wired and interconnected, which trigers them to all go off when one detects smoke. I also recommend having one in the garage. If your home is older the detectors are not required to be hard wired, but it is a very good idea to install them in all the requred locations.http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1648&itemID=39907&URL=Safety%20Information/For%20consumers/Fire%20&%20safety%20equipment/Smoke%20alarms/Installation%20and%20maintenance%20tips