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 An S-trap is obsolete and illegal because as the water leaves it, it can cause a condition called back syphonage, it pulls all the water out of the trap, leaving a dry trap.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

Why Do I Need A Home Inspection?

Why do I need a home inspection?

The Importance of Proper Bathroom Venting

   Lack of proper venting in bathrooms is a very common occurence. Simply not having any venting or improper vent terminantion. Proper venting is critical to removing moisture from your bathrooms. This moisture can cause many issues, the biggest issue being mold. Mold in the bathroom on walls and ceilings, and mold in the attic if not properly terminated to the exterior. Most of us will not travel to our attics too often and the ongoing effects could be creating serious damage and health implications.
http://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Bathroom_Ventilation.htm

Inspecting Your Roof

Inspect Your Roof and Flashings
Checking annually is a good idea but even better is to check in the fall before winter weather and again in the spring after the winter. In New England we can have extreme weather events throughout the year and during these events are when most roofs can suffer damage beyond normal wear and tear. Again the goal being to catch and repair the situation before it causes other major issues.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/inspecting-your-roof#b

Ice Dams: Signs of Trouble

 

    While icicles hanging from your eaves may look beautiful, anyone who understands houses well knows icicles are a sign that something bad might be going on under the roof. Ice dams form when the upper section of the roof is warm enough to cause the snow to melt and the bottom overhang and gutters are cold enough to freeze the runoff into icicles. The typical cause of a roof being too warm is air from inside the house seeping into the attic and
heating it up. When water from melting snow gets to the bottom exposed section where the eaves begin, it re-freezes and creates a dam, and then the water accumulates behind it. The two most important factors in preventing ice dams are insulation and ventilation. For more detailed information please read the article below.

http://bct.eco.umass.edu/publications/by-title/preventing-ice-dams/