Tampa Bay Home Inspector Blog

Dirty A/C filter and evaporator coil

In order to change the temperature in your home, your heating and air-conditioning system draws in air from return vents, pulls it over coils to heat or chill the air, then blows the air through ducts to supply the rooms in your home. Air filters are stationed at points where air is pulled into the system, i.e., walls, ceilings or at the air handler. The filters trap air-born particles that get sucked in with the air and help to prevent them from blocking the blower and clogging up the coils. Clogged coils can’t heat or cool the air passing over them which cause damage to the system. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever had your clothes dryer turn off well before your clothes are dry?  Or maybe the dryer has to run through 2 cycles to dry the clothing? Have you noticed lint built up on the wall behind your dryer or on the floor of your attic? These are common problems that I see while performing home inspections in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties.  If any of these are occurring in your home, it’s time to take a look at the lint within your dryer exhaust for possible clogs. Read the rest of this entry »

Broken Window Sill

“Oh, those are just tiny little settlement cracks on the window sill…been there for years…no big deal”.  

 If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard that line a thousand times from homeowners who follow me around during the inspection and donate their 2 cents as I notate cracks on the window sills and walls of their home. 

 The fact is that cracks on concrete window sills always start off small.  Over the years, water penetrates the cracks and causes rust and corrosion on the metal reinforcing bar which is the backbone of the concrete sill.  Read the rest of this entry »

Reinforced Hoses for Washing Machines and Dishwashers

A washing machine does not have to be in operation to leak or have a hose burst.  Actually, most of the worst washer-related home damage comes from burst hoses on washing machines that are not in use.  That is why it is important to regularly inspect both the hot and cold water supply hoses.  A burst water hose can flood a home while you are at work or away causing thousands of dollars of damage. Read the rest of this entry »

 Childproofing Your Home: 12 Safety Devices to Protect Your Children

7.  Use corner and edge bumpers to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces. Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture and fireplace hearths to help prevent injuries from falls, and to soften falls against sharp and rough edges.

Be sure to look for bumpers that stay securely on furniture and hearth edges.

Typical cost of a corner and edge bumper: $1 and up.

8.  Use outlet covers and outlet plates to help prevent children from electrical shock and possible electrocution.

Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them.

Typical cost of an outlet cover: less than $2.

9.  Use a carbon monoxide (CO) detector outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. Consumers should install CO detectors near sleeping areas in their homes. Households that should use CO detectors include those with gas or oil heat or with attached garages.

Typical cost of a carbon monoxide (CO) detector: $30 to $70. Read the rest of this entry »

Childproofing Your Home: 12 Safety Devices to Protect Your Children

About 2.5 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child-safety devices on the market today. Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet easy for you to use. It’s important to follow installation instructions carefully. In addition, if you have older children in the house, be sure they re-secure safety devices. Remember, too, that no device is completely childproof; determined youngsters have been known to disable them. You can childproof your home for a fraction of what it would cost to have a professional do it. Also, safety devices are easy to find. You can buy them at hardware stores, baby equipment shops, supermarkets, drug stores, home and linen stores, and through online and mail-order catalogues. Read the rest of this entry »

The most serious consequence of an improper ventilation setup is the potential accumulation of mold in attics or crawlspaces.   Health problems caused by mold are related to high concentrations of spores in indoor air. “Spores” are like microscopic seeds, released by mold fungi when they reproduce.  Every home has mold.  Moisture levels of about 20% in materials will cause mold colonies to grow.  Inhaling mold spores can cause health problems in those with asthma or allergies, and can cause serious or fatal fungal infections in those with lung disease or compromised immune systems.

In order to grow, mold fungi require that the following conditions are present:

Improper Install on Bathroom Vent.

• Oxygen
• Temperatures between approximately 45° F and 85° F
• Food.  This includes a wider variety of materials found in homes
• Moisture

If insufficient levels of any of these requirements exist, all mold growth will stop and fungi will go dormant. Most are difficult to actually kill.
Even though mold growth may take place in the attic, mold spores can be sucked into the living areas of a residence by low air pressure.  Low air pressure is usually created by the expulsion of household air from exhaust fans in bathrooms, dryers, kitchens and heating equipment.  Read the rest of this entry »

Bathroom ventilation systems are designed to exhaust odors and moist air to the home’s exterior. Typical systems consist of a ceiling fan unit connected to a duct that terminates at the roof.

Bathroom ventilation fans should be inspected periodically for dust buildup that can impede airflow. Particles of moisture-laden animal dander and lint are attracted to the fan because of its static charge.

The most common defect related to bathroom ventilation systems is improper termination of the duct. Vents must terminate at the home exterior. The most common improper terminations locations are:

• Mid level in the attic space
• Beneath the insulation
• Below the attic ridge or roof vents

Improperly terminated ventilation systems may appear to work fine from inside the bathroom; you have to look in the attic or on the roof. Sometimes poorly-installed ducts will loosen or become disconnected at joints or connections.

Ducts which leak or terminate in attics can cause problems from condensation. Warm, moist air will condense on cold attic framing, insulation or other materials. This condition has the potential to cause health or decay problems from mold, or to damage materials such as drywall. Moisture also reduces the effectiveness of thermal insulation.

www.frontlineinspections.com

Los Angeles Times

Two reports released recently raise hope that the country’s tide of home-loan defaults may finally be starting to recede, but the picture is far from clear. Credit data giant TransUnion said serious delinquencies — home loans on which borrowers are at least 60 days behind on payments — fell slightly across the nation in the first quarter of 2010, marking the first such decline in three years.  More

I’ve inspected quite a few homes lately that have had substantial rodent infestations the attic.  Rats can cause a great deal of damage from chewed wiring to damaged ductwork to destroyed insulation to the most disgusting smell upon entering the front door.

A/C vent filled with insulation and debris from rodent activity

What many people don’t realize is that rodent activity can also cause severe health problems which could even be fatal. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a list of at least 11 diseases that are spread by rodents and/or rodent urine and droppings.  Even rodent urine, dried in a powder form, can be extremely toxic.  There have been many home inspectors who have gotten extremely sick and some deaths have even occurred from inhaling dried rodent urine during an inspection.  Click to view information on Hantavirus Read the rest of this entry »