Why Is My Gas Bill $500.00 A Month?

During a recent 1 year warranty inspection the home owner asked if I could determine why his gas bill was so high.  I found a big leak in the flex gas pipe near his furnace.  He is lucky his family was not harmed by gas inhalation or an explsion.  In short, just because it is new does not mean it is safe.

Sewer Gas Venting Into the Attic.

This plumbing vent is loose and disconnected in the attic.

This Water Heater Can Kill You!

I found this deadly situation in a 1 year old $900,000 home!

Foundation Issues on a Crawlspace Home.

Watch this video on structural issues

Are Your Deck Joists Properly supported?

All of the floor joists under the deck of your home need to be supported with a ledger strip or with joist hangers. Unsupported floor joists are a real safety issue.

Nashville Home Inspection 

Every Time An Advancement In Structural Engineering comes along, So Does A Bigger Moron!

In the past few years, Wood I-Joists have been used in increasing numbers for building new homes.  Quite simply, Prefabricated Wood I-joists are environmentally sensitive products. The design of prefabricated Wood I-joists allows a manufacturer to utilize smaller diameter, faster growing, and generally lower quality trees and still produce a quality product. Secondly, when compared to other building materials, production of wood materials uses less energy and produces less carbon than materials such as steel and concrete.  

I-Joists are very strong when used as the manufacturer recommends.  The web portion can be drilled to accommodate plumbing pipes and electrical wiring.  The trouble begins when some “Moron” with a big hammer beats huge holes in the webbing with no regard for structural integrity or human safety.  Large, non symmetrical holes are not allowed and severely compromise the structural integrity of the joists.  The joists can sag and even break, compromising the structure of the floor and home.  Tile and wood flooring can crack and break.  Ceiling and walls can develop cracks.  The cost of repair can be huge!  Below are photos I took in 1 year old homes. 

   

Luckily I discovered the problems before the one year builder’s warranty was up.  The builder will have to pay for the costs of repair.  Not my client.

Common Problems with Fiber Board Siding.

Fiberboard Siding (often referred to as Hardboard Planking) was manufactured by several companies including Louisiana-Pacific®, Masonite®, Weyerhaeuser® and Georgia Pacific®.

While this type of siding was made by numerous manufacturers, each company’s fiberboard siding is made in roughly the same manner and tends to have the same issues.

After this siding has been installed for some length of time, it tends to expand slightly. This causes the area around the nail heads to become damaged.  This in turn allows moisture to penetrate into the siding and deteriorate it.

As the moisture level increases, the siding’s edges tend to expand. This expansion breaks the paint, which, in turn, allows rainwater to be absorbed by the siding causing a breakdown of the glue holding the wood fibers together. Deterioration of the siding increases as the moisture content of the siding rises.

Fiberboard siding also tends to expand and contract along its length, thus breaking the seal where the boards’ join together.  This contraction breaks down the caulk that was applied during installation, again leaving the siding vulnerable to water penetration.

It is critical that the caulking on this type siding be maintained in good condition. Also, regular repainting of the siding is an absolute must.  Hand painting of the bottom of each course of the siding with a brush is the only way to ensure that the exposed fibers of the siding get sealed. 

It may be possible to slow down the deterioration of fiberboard siding by regular painting and caulking; however, home owners should be aware that there will be problems with their siding in the future.

Home Seller’s Pre-inspection Checklist.

At Nashville Home Inspection we understand that many times the inspection process is time sensitive and essential for an expedient closing. That is why we have prepared this pre-inspection checklist so that we can do our job efficiently.

First, we would like to answer some of the commonly asked questions about our service: 

What is a home inspection?
 
We are a real estate support service that evaluates the overall structural, mechanical and electrical condition of the home. We examine nearly all-visible construction components and evaluate whether these items are still serviceable. We make notations of items that may need attention to help preserve their long-term integrity. We also give our client helpful advice on general home maintenance. 

Is this a building code compliance inspection?

No. Many homes were built before building codes were ever established. When building codes were established, many counties adopted (or enforced) their own version of these building codes. It would be impossible to verify the governing code for every time period in every county and make a compliance type inspection.

We inspect residential resells for function and safety.  In other words do the systems and components of the house function properly and are there safety hazards present.

Home sellers, please do the following:

Confirm that all utilities are on and pilot flames are ignited. 
Please provide keys for all doors & gates.
Please make sure that all domestic animals are secured. 
Change or clean dirty A/C filters. Clean range exhaust filter if there is a greasy build up. (fire hazard)
Check batteries in smoke detector.
Free windows that have been painted shut. 
Replace torn weather stripping around exterior doors. 
Replace any missing switch or receptacle covers.
Clean gutters and down spouts.
Trim back any tree limbs that may be touching the roof of the house.
Keep foundation vents open. (except in frigid weather)
Have your HVAC system serviced if it has been over a year since the last service. 
Call Nashville Home Inspection (615)- 573-4468 if you have any questions about how to prepare your house for inspection.

How often should I change my smoke detector?

Some manufacturers recommend replacement after 5 years. If you don’t have the manufacturer’s information and your smoke alarms are 10 years old or older, it’s time to replace them with new ones. Since smoke alarms can become desensitized over time, replacement is strongly advised.

If possible, replace old smoke alarms with interconnected alarms. These alarms are linked together so if one alarm is activated, all alarms will sound. In the event of a fire, this gives you extra time to help get family members to safety. You may also want to consider a monitored smoke/heat detector installed by a home security company.

Test smoke alarms once a month and change the batteries in your smoke alarm at least twice per year. Also, be sure there is at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home and inside or near sleeping areas. In addition, only purchase alarms certified by Underwriters Laboratories (U.L.), an independent testing organization that sets quality and use standards for electronic and consumer products.

How often does the air filter for my heating and air conditioning system need to be changed?

Are the return air vents in your house covered with dirt?  If so, you’re not cleaning or replacing your filter often enough!Here’s a question we get asked on a regular basis; how often should I replace the air filters and my furnace?

You should replace or clean the filter once a month.  With forced air furnace systems, air recycling from the interior of the home to the furnace blower first passes through the air filter which is designed to catch a dust and debris and help clean the air before it cycles through the home again.  When filters become dirty or clogged, it only cuts down on the efficiency of the furnace, but over time it can cause parts to wear out faster.

Remember to turn the power off to the unit before you change the filter and check your owner’s manual for the recommended filter type.

A disposable furnace filter is made of a fiber mesh in a cardboard frame.  You can find the size of the filter printed on the edge of the frame.  There are special filters available that will do a much better job than the average disposable type.  The pleated panel filters usually cost around $5 for the average heating system and are much better at removing dust particles.

Most package filters have an arrow stamped on them to indicate the direction of air travel through the filter.  An arrow on the edge of the frame indicates the correct direction of airflow through the filter.  Air flows from the return air duct toward the blower, so the arrow on the filter should point toward the blower and away from the return air duct.

Washable filters should be washed and treated every month.