Protect Your Home This Winter

With the weather abnormally cold for this time of year, many are worried about their homes.  We had a question come into our office yesterday “Should I leave my faucets running so they won’t freeze?”  A lot of people are asking what t hey can do to protect their homes.  Here’s an article with some tips to endure this winter weather!

(ARA) - When people think of winterizing their homes, most often their heating bills spring to mind - along with insulation and weather stripping. The winter months bring not only high energy bills, but also an increased chance of certain kinds of damage to your home and its contents.

A few precautions can help protect you from serious losses and disruptions this season.

Indoor floods

While home fires make headlines, water damage is more common and often just as severe. The most frequent cause is faulty or broken pipes. In fact, Fireman’s Fund Personal Risk Consultants see a surge in water damage during the first three months of the year, when pipes are most likely to freeze and burst. Be sure to insulate exposed pipes.

If you leave your home to spend time in warmer climates or even just a weekend on the ski slopes, always leave the heat on in your home and set it to at least 55 degrees. Don’t let high fuel prices tempt you into going lower. The pipes that come in through your foundation or run through external walls can reach temperatures much lower than the setting on your thermostat.  Have someone check on your home while you are away.

A foolproof way to protect your home from broken or leaking pipes at any time of year is to install an automatic water shutoff system. Attached to your home’s main incoming water line, the device senses increased water flow caused by a burst pipe and automatically shuts the system off. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company recommends the Leak Defense System from Sentinel Hydrosolutions. A 5 percent premium discount is available to policyholders who use this system, so let your insurance agent know if you install one.

Chimney and furnace fires

While fire presents a year-round risk, certain causes of fire occur more frequently during the winter. Chimneys, boilers and furnaces are particular risks. Approximately 25,000 residential fires begin in a fireplace or chimney every year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Why so many? Over time, a layer of unburned carbon-based residues (sometimes referred to as fireplace creosote) builds up along the inside walls of your chimney and can eventually catch fire. The solution is to have a trusted, professional chimneysweep clean and inspect your chimney annually.

An annual inspection is just as important for those with furnaces and boilers. And, remember, your furnace room should never be used for general storage. Wood scraps, old books, paint, solvents and other flammable liquids are significant fire hazards and should be removed and stored elsewhere.

Ice dams and old trees

Snow and ice storms can create a number of potential threats to your home. One of these is ice damming, which occurs in the days after a snowstorm.

Icicles hanging from your eaves, while they may be beautiful, usually indicate that a dangerous ice dam has formed. An ice dam is a build-up of ice that can form at the edge of your roof when snow melts but is blocked from draining. When more snow melts and is trapped behind this ice, the resulting water backup can soak through your roof and cause damage to ceilings, walls and more. The most common causes of ice dams are clogged gutters and insufficient insulation, both of which are easy to remedy.

Mature trees on your property represent another potential hazard during storms. Strong winds or frozen water that covers old branches with a heavy coat of ice can lead to failure and collapse, a clear threat to your home or other nearby structures. Have a trusted horticultural expert take a look at your property’s mature trees and prune or cut down unstable specimens.

For more advice on how to protect your home from winter’s severe weather, visit www.firemansfund.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Have any questions or need anything in your home checked out?  Give us a call for an Inspection or Home Physical!  Or you can schedule right here online.  Have a warm and happy winter!

How is Your Home Indoor Air Quality?

Protect Your Family - Test Your Home Indoor Air Quality

Home Indoor Air Quality

Whether you are looking to buy a home, sell one, or are just interested in good home maintenance, you want to make sure the air in the home is safe to breathe.

Buying a Home?

When you are buying a home, always select a home inspector that will diligently review the structural, electrical, and plumbing components of the home before you buy. This way, any issues uncovered can be corrected by the owner or within the purchase agreement.

But how do you determine if the Indoor Air Quality of the home will jeopardize the health of you and your family?  See how a low-cost Indoor Air Quality Assessment can find potential hidden issues with a home and protect your future investment.

Selling a Home?

If you are selling a home it is wise to have a pre-inspection done to make sure no hidden issues will present themselves when a potential buyer has made an offer to buy your home.

Many home buyers are now requesting Indoor Air Quality audits.  See how you can use a low-cost test to make sure your home air quality is within safe limits and to identify potential issues that can be remediated prior to putting your home on the market.

Homeowners interested in improving your home’s air quality?

Rising concerns with potential health effects caused by airborne chemicals and mold growing in the home have led many people to check their home’s indoor air quality.  See how a low-cost indoor air quality assessment can reveal if there are any potential health risks associated with the air you’re breathing every day.

Here are some important facts to know:

1.      The USEPA has reported that home air can have 100 times more chemicals inside than outside.

2.      The USEPA has also reported that adults and kids now spend most of their time indoors (90%).

3.      The CDC has reported that 20+ million adults have asthma, and the National Asthma Survey has reported that asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease among children. These numbers continue to increase annually, suggesting that the indoor environment plays a contributing role in this trend.

4.      Mold growth can be present within the home and be hidden behind walls or underneath carpeting or flooring.

5.      Hurricane Katrina trailers showed the USEPA the prevalence of Formaldehyde in certain building materials and how the concentration of this known cancer-causing agent can be many times the safe level.

How can I know if my home air quality is safe?

I have chosen to offer my customers Home Air Check™ Professional, a state-of-the-art test that allows me to see the unseen and provide you with an assessment of the home air quality.

1.      Home Air Check Professional is a low-cost test designed to measure the chemicals in the air and find hidden mold.

2.      Home Air Check Professional can be easily performed at your convenience on an area of up to 2,000 sq. ft.

3.      Home Air Check Professional reports the total amount of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) found in the home and whether they are within a safe range.

4.      Home Air Check Professional predicts the source of the VOCs through an industry-leading Contamination Index™ and determines if they are from safe sources (e.g., gasoline, potpourri, dead animals, contaminated drywall, or other sources).

5.      Home Air Check Professional is so sensitive it monitors for the chemicals released by actively growing mold, whether they are behind walls or underneath the carpeting or flooring.

6.      Formaldehyde can be measured and reported individually for an additional charge, if there is a concern that building materials in the home might contain and release this known carcinogen.

Get peace of mind that the air in your home is safe to breathe. Call us today at 678-364-1111 about performing an accurate, affordable Home Air Check Professional test.

Atlanta Customer Attends Inspection Prepared

Questions often asked by prospective customers typically include a number of various questions regarding our inspection services and what to expect.  One of the things that is important to us is having the customer attend the inspection.  In fact, our office makes whatever adjustments necessary to accomodate the customer’s schedule.  I just have to share with everyone a recent experience with two incredible customers in the Atlanta area.  It was such a joy to serve Drew N. and Tonia E .recently.

Initially, I showed up to the inspection and found nearly a dozen people inside the property.  Most were family members and also the seller was present.  After a few short moments, everyone cleared and the inspection process began.  Drew and Tonia were so engaged in the process by asking great questions, taking copious notes, and as you can see Drew brought his own headlamp!  As an inspector I couldn’t have asked for better clients.  What a great pleasure it was to serve them.

Buying or selling real estate is always a big decision for anyone.  Attending the inspection is strongly encouraged.

Book your inspection online and join us for your inspection today!

Areas we serve:

Greater Atlanta Home Inspections including Newnan Home Inspections, Peachtree City Home Inspections, Sharpsburg Home Inspections, Fayetteville Home Inspections, Tyrone Home Inspections and more!

Practice Home Fire Drills

Family safety should be taken seriously in every household, whether the children are youths or teens. You should also have a family fire safety plan, especially if you have elderly parents living with you. Everyone in your household needs to know and understand the family safety plan.

Grim Statistics:

• There were 1,584,500 fires in the United States in 2003
• Fires resulted in 3,925 deaths, 18,125 injuries, and $12.3 billion in damages
• Residential fire represented 25.4 percent of all fires and 77.4 percent of structural fires
• Eighty percent of civilian fire fatalities occurred in the home

These statistics show that family safety is a serious concern across the United States. Take your family fire safety seriously and come up with a plan for the event of an emergency.

Family Safety Plan Step #1: Install Smoke Alarms

A smoke alarm detects even the slightest puff of dangerous smoke and sets off a siren that alerts your family to the danger, giving everyone a chance to escape. Install a smoke alarm in every bedroom, the hallway, and the kitchen.

Family Safety Plan Step #2: Try Vocal Smoke Alarms

For families with young children or elderly adults, a vocal smoke alarm is an effective alternative to a regular smoke alarm. A vocal smoke alarm uses a recording of your own voice instead of a siren, as studies show children wake up more easily to the sound of their parents’ voices. You can even record family fire safety instructions, such as “Maddie, wake up. There’s a fire. Climb out your window and meet us at the mailbox.”

Family Safety Plan Step #3: Buy a Fire Safe

A fire safe can withstand temperatures of up to 1700°. Keep vital documents, such a birth certificates, marriage licenses, wills, and insurance policies in a fire safe to make recovery easier when the smoke clears.

Family Safety Plan Step #4: Buy a Fire Extinguisher

If a small fire breaks out, an easily accessible fire extinguisher can keep it from growing into a large engulfing blaze. Always keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, the hall closet, and near BBQ pits and grills.

Family Safety Plan Step #5: Feel the Door

Instruct your family to feel doors and door knobs before opening them. If the door is hot, there are flames on the other side, and they need to find another exit.

Family Fire Safety Plan Step #6: Lay Low

When escaping a house that is on fire, teach your family to stay low to the ground under the smoke to avoid inhaling the deadly fumes.

Family Safety Plan Step #7: Stop, Drop and Roll

Instruct your family that if their clothes catch on fire, they should stop, drop, and roll to extinguish the flames.

Family Safety Plan Step #8: Assign Helpers

If you have small children, elderly parents, or pets, assign a family member to be in charge of aiding those who need help escaping.

Family Safety Plan Step #9: Have a Meeting Place

Make sure everyone in your family knows to gather in one place once they have gotten out of the house, so you can easily count heads and know that everyone made it out safely.

Review your family safety plan every year and always make sure you have fresh batteries in your smoke alarm. Family fire safety saves thousands of lives each year, and it can save yours, too.

Ralph Winn has over 35 years of education and experience in the security industry. Are you one of the many Americans who have begun to look into improving their security system? This is an important matter and the Home Security Store offers the best protection against burglary and vandalism.

Stay up to speed with breaking security news and technology.

Clothes Dryer Safety Tips

As a seasoned home inspector we routinely observe this type of arrangement with dryer vent hoses that are severely crimped. This compromises the air flow significantly and lengthens the operating time required to dry clothes properly. Be sure to check yours for proper air flow.

Here is another example of a dryer exhaust vent that is contributing to not only lengthy dryer cycles, but it’s also a potential fire hazard because lint is quite flammable (just ask the Boy Scouts…they use it for starting campfires). The photo was taken for one of our customers who requested a builder warranty inspection (first year of new construction). The lint accumulations happened in 11 months!!! Check yours!

Here’s a an interesting photo taken during a new construction inspection. What was forgotten you ask?

The dryer vent connection!

Hope you have found something useful here.
Gary Sloan, CMI
Advantage Inspection Peachtree
Atlanta - Peachtree Georgia

What are Parents Thinking?

Invariably we are summoned to perform a construction phase inspection for customers interested in ensuring their home is being assembled in a quality-like manner. This is usually not a challenge at all until the loving parents bring toddlers or small children. Folks, this is not a friendly environment for adults let alone little, curious ones.

There are numerous hazards found on virtually any construction site. Some that come to mind are:

* loose materials (during framing and roofing)
* sharp materials (including metal flashing that is razor sharp)
* electrical hazards (such as poorly maintained extension cords)
* dusty conditions (during sheetrock phase)
* silica dust generated from cutting fiber cement board (commonly known as Hardiplank)
* fall hazards (including temporary stairs without rails and scaffolding that looks like inviting “monkeybars”)
* hazardous materials such as paints, sealants, adhesives, gasoline
* Equipment movement like dump trucks, backhoes, forklifts
* And so on.

While inspecting a home in Atlanta, I was walking around the exterior of the home with the customer while looking up at the roof shingles. Just then I glanced down at the cluttered job-site to witness a rusty nail in a long 2×4 pierce the bottom of my left shoe and penetrate into my foot. I believe one of the small bones in the foot was kind enough to prevent the nail from coming out the top of my shoe. Very painful! I couldn’t help but mutter a profane word while thinking about the derelict contractor who knowingly left this nail exposed. Maybe I should have been more alert. I don’t know. I finished the inspection with blood pooling in my shoe. The customer felt bad. I felt pain. The point is…even a trained home inspector with tons of construction site experience is not immune from an unknown safety hazard. What chance do playful children have?

Don’t get me wrong. Inspectors love children. We love them enough to request parents make arrangements to not bring them to an active construction site and unnecessarily expose them to these conditions. So I beg of you parents with little ones…use good judgement and prolong the childrens’ invitation to the home until it’s near completion.

Caring for your home and your loved ones…The Home Inspector Community Across America

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