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Build-up of radon gas in homes is a health concern and many lung cancer cases are attributed to radon exposure each year. It is estimated that approximately 12% of lung cancers are radon-related, and approximately 21,000 Americans die of radon-related lung cancer each year.

Testing is the only way to find out you home’s radon levels. The EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes. If you find that you have high radon levels, there are ways to fix a radon problem. Even high levels can be reduced to acceptable levels.

To learn more, please view this Radon YouTube Video – Radon – The Facts & The Solutions.

Please visit my Advanced Home Awareness Home Inspections website to learn more about radon and radon testing, and to view NYS State maps that track the incidence of radon throughout the state.

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Both the Center of Disease Control (CDC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have stated repeatedly that sampling for mold in the course of a home purchase transaction is pointless. Why? Because mold is in the air we breathe every moment, and taking air samples will only tell what we already know – “that there is mold in the air”.

As there are no established standards for the analysis of testing results, and therefore no value in completing testing, I believe that providing mold testing services, and charging for these services is not ethical.

Home inspectors that are providing this service are generally taking advantage of a home buyer that has been frightened by the inaccurate and sensationalized stories that the media has released about “toxic mold”. There is no such thing!

“Mold Is Gold” to these inspectors – a nice revenue stream for little work, and totally meaningless information.

If I see or smell what appears to be mold during a home inspection, I will point this out as a potential health risk to some individuals, and recommend that the conditions that supported its growth (moisture) be corrected.  I don’t charge for this – this is all most home buyers need to know, and this information is free and valid.

If you have a medical predisposition with regards to mold, it should be removed. Meaningful mold sampling is generally way beyond a home inspector’s competency level, and if you are susceptible to mold, I would recommend that you consult with an Industrial Hygienist for actual meaningful scientific analysis of the mold, and how it might affect your health.

As one call-it-like-it-is home inspector recently posted on a home inspector’s forum:

“Mold is bullshit. Mold Inspectors are bullshitters. Not liars, but bullshitters.”

“It’s a more insidious threat to truth than lying is. Because the liar, after all, recognizes the difference between true and false. And, he’s concerned about that difference. The bullshitter is just not interested in that. That’s not his program. He’s interested in selling his product . . .” Harry G. Frankfurt, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Princeton University in his book “On Bullshit“.

Please visit my Advanced Home Awareness Home Inspections website to learn more about what the experts say about the mold myth, and how to select an ethical home inspector.

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Rochester NY Home Inspections

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The best surprises when you move into your new home are no surprises at all. Protect yourself and your investment by being made aware of issues that could affect the safety, structural stability, or the re-marketability of your home by hiring the best home inspector you can find. Following are several key points to consider when searching for and selecting a qualified home inspector:

1. Never select a home inspector by price alone. This can lead to disaster. Select the most qualified inspector you can find. You generally get what you pay for. Good inspectors know what they are worth and charge accordingly. You are about to make one of the largest investments of your life, don’t let a few dollars determine the difference between you receiving a thorough and objective home inspection that protects your interest and provides you peace of mind, versus an inspection of little or no value.

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” Red Adair

Recognize – A thorough home inspection may find deficiencies that could affect the transaction. Correcting these deficiencies may be negotiable – or if considerable, may even halt the transaction. Bigger older homes take more time, and therefore should cost more to inspect. Generally speaking, the lower the purchase price, the better the inspector you need!

2. Trust others for home inspector recommendations, but trust yourself for making the inspector hiring decision. Practice due diligence! Seek referrals from friends, family, co-workers, and the real estate professional you are working with, but be sure to call and interview several inspectors and establish your own comfort level in their experience, qualifications, and the services and products that they deliver. Keep in mind, one of the chief assets of any home inspector is their ability to clearly and comfortably communicate with you.

Consider – If you seek references from the home inspector – ask the client if they would hire the inspector again or allow them to inspect a house for their mom!

Be Aware! – If you select your home inspector based solely on a real estate professional’s recommendation, make sure they are referring the home inspector based on merit, and not based on the fact that the home inspector has payed for their referral. Many real estate companies have preferred vendor list. The only qualification to be on these list is the home inspectors willingness to pay to play. (New York State considers this illegal, and ASHI considers this to be unethical!)

3. Please visit my Advanced Home Awareness Home Inspections website to learn more about successfully choosing an ethical home inspector.

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Welcome to my blog for homebuyers and homeowners. Here I will share stories about; how to select a home inspector, issues discovered during home inspections that affected the home’s safety and habitability, energy efficiency issues, sustainability issues, and occasionally on information that is totally unrelated to homes and home inspections. I hope that you enjoy this blog and return often.

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I feel this is a fairly important topic to discuss, as I’ve seen the results of improperly vented bathroom exhaust fans kill more than one home sale, and as a home inspector, the last thing I want to do is to kill a home sale. (the truth is home inspectors don’t’ kill deals…inept contractors & do-it-yourselfers kill home sales when home inspectors discover and report on the results of their shoddy workmanship)

Imagine how an inspector feels when they have completed the home inspection, except for the attic inspection, and discovered no issues of major consequence, but when they access the attic, they discover the that the underside of the roof sheathing is heavily stained with what appears to be mold, and much of the roof sheathing is delaminated and failing as the result of this.

What could be worse? In my, all too frequent experience, the only thing that could make this worse, is when the current homeowner has just had a brand new layer of shingles installed. This is because the only way to correct this is to complete a full tear off of all shingles and sheathing, and to start over.

So the current homeowner just spent $10-15K for new shingles to improve the curb appeal and the marketability of their home, only to have an offer withdrawn due to the buyer’s home inspector discovering both structural and potential health issues with their roof structure. What now?  Now the current owner must tear off and trash the new shingles, plus replace roof sheathing, plus another new layer of shingles.

This begs the question…..did anyone even bother to inspect the attic prior to the reroofing?

Tip: When you are shopping for a new roof covering – don’t hire the cheapest roofer – make sure that the roofer inspects your attic prior to simply adding new shingles, and that any attic ventilation deficiencies are corrected, and the results of these deficiencies are corrected as part of the reroofing contract.

Believe it or not, the above conditions could have been solely the result of an improperly vented bath exhaust fan.

That said….let’s get to the topic of the post:

All manufacturers of bath exhaust fans specify in their installation instructions that their fans must be vented directly to the exterior of homes.

Why is venting directly to the exterior so important, and what is the best practice to accomplish this?

The why is all about moisture control – getting the moisture from the interior of your bathroom safely to the exterior of your home. Moisture is a home’s worse enemy, and an improperly vented bath exhaust fan can affect the health of both the home’s occupants and of the home itself.

One key factor that we must take into consideration when designing an effective method to vent our bath exhaust fans in Rochester, New York, is that we have cold damp winters.

The best practice in a cold damp climate is to vent bath exhaust fans through insulated rigid duct material. (Both PVC and galvanized sheet metal are good duct material choices – never reduce the diameter of this – increasing the diameter is just fine)

Why insulated? This is all about moisture control. When the warm moist air from your bath exhaust fan enters your cold Rochester attic, condensation occurs. Insulating the duct will diminish the amount of condensation that occurs and make it more manageable.

Why rigid duct? The textured surface on the interior of flexible duct will collect condensation, and that textured surface will also increase static pressure which will reduce air flow and make your fan noisier. Flexible duct also has the tendency to droop and water will collect in the duct’s low spots. Standing water supports the growth of all kinds of nasty things that smell bad.

O.K. – insulated rigid duct – what else can you do to control moisture and effectively vent our bath exhaust fans?

Here are few more recommendations:

- Install a short rise in the duct near where it connects to the fan – not too close – establish a straight run of several feet prior to installing a sweeping bend to support the installation of a rise, as placing a sharp bend (as you would have with a 90 degree elbow) too close to the fan’s exhaust port will also increase fan noise. The purpose of installing this rise is to then allow you to pitch the horizontal run of the duct down towards the point that it passes through a gable end and exhausts directly to the exterior of your home.

- Let’s discuss exhausting this through a gable end rather than through the roof. Why is this preferred? You guessed it – it’s all about moisture control. Any moisture that might collect in the duct can now drain by gravity down towards the exterior exhaust point, and let’s face it – one less hole in your roof is always a good thing.

- Don’t even think about venting this towards a soffit vent or even to a manufactured under eave exhaust hood. Why not? If you have soffit vents, any warm moist bath exhaust vented near the soffit vents will likely be sucked back up into the attic through these attic ventilation intake vents and condensation will form on the underside of your roof sheathing. Why is this an issue? Condensation formation on the underside of roof sheathing supports mold growth, and some molds can be unhealthy to some individuals, and all molds can contribute to sheathing deterioration. (TRUE FACT: mold is generally more likely to kill your roof sheathing than to kill you….but that’s a whole other blog topic)

One more TRUE FACT – over 80% of the home’s I inspect have improperly vented bath exhaust fans, and many of these home’s have at least some condensation related staining (most likely some type of mold) on the underside of their roof sheathing. Left unattended and allowed to go unchecked, this can be a real deal killer when you go to sell your home.

If you have not had your attic inspected lately, maybe it is time to call in a qualified home inspector for an inspection. Recognize, a home inspector will provide a fair and objective inspection, as a home inspector is only interested in your safety and the health of your home – not primarily motivated towards selling you repair or remediation services. Please contact Advanced Home Awareness at (585) 245-1190 if you would like to schedule an attic inspection in order to assure your bath exhaust fan is vented properly and to gain a better understanding of the general condition, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of your attic and its installed components.

Welcome to my blog for homebuyers and homeowners. Here I will share stories about; how to select a home inspector, issues discovered during home inspections that affected the home’s safety and habitability, energy efficiency issues, sustainability issues, and occasionally on information that is totally unrelated to homes and home inspections. I hope that you enjoy this blog and return often.

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I’ll start this blog by first defining what a detailed home inspection report is not.

- It is not a home inspection report delivered to you immediately at the end of the physical inspection of the home, either by some type of portable electronic device, or handwritten with a #2 pencil.

- It is not a several page home inspection report prepared from a generic template by someone, other than the home inspector, back in the home inspector’s office via transcribed notes and photos.

No matter how sophisticated on-site reporting technology becomes, it still distracts the inspector from the mission at hand, which is completing a focused inspection of the home. Many inspectors spend as much time fiddling with their hand-held or lap top inspection reporting technology as they do inspecting the home.

And, no matter how competent the home inspector’s office help might be, they were not at the home, they did not see the home, and they did not take the inspection photos, nor are they likely to have the experience and skill-set to analyze inspection photos for issues that might not have been noted during the course of the inspection when the inspector may have been distracted by the attendees of the home inspection, or the sunbathers or pit bull next door.

Preparing home inspection reports by the above described methods benefits the home inspector, not the buyer, by allowing them to rush through inspections and complete 2-5 home inspections per day.

Individuals purchasing homes are making one of the largest investments of their lives, I believe that they deserve a detailed home inspection report.

What is a detailed home inspection report?

A detailed home inspection report  is a report that comprehensively addresses everything the home inspector observes, that is recognized by the home inspection industry as either a safety or structural issue, or a deficiency, that if not addressed will affect the efficiency, comfort, and the sustainability of the structure, as well as the cost of home ownership.

Creating this type of a report is not possible by either of the above home inspection reporting methods.

I typically spend 2-3 hours report writing for every 1 hour I spend physically inspecting a home. Why so long? It is because I am preparing a home inspection report for a specific home, not just filling out a generic report template. My reports typically vary in length from 35 pages to well over 100 pages long, and will include captioned photos wherever they will be useful to explain a home deficiency. Homes vary in age, size, and condition – a 10-12 page generic report template would work just fine if a home inspector only inspected small newer homes built by highly skilled craftsmen, but, this type of reporting method just won’t work for the average previously enjoyed home, that likely has not been properly maintained, repaired and updated by skilled craftsman over its lifetime.

Let’s face it….anyone with a Home Depot credit card can call himself a professional contractor these days!

And…scarier yet…New York State does not require electricians to be licensed. True fact….but rest easy…your barber or hair stylist does require a state license…..good thing, because we all know, that unlike unsafe wiring….a bad hair day and kill you!

I believe that a home inspection report should have a shelf-life. I believe the home inspection report should not only assure that unsafe conditions are resolved immediately, but continue to serve a new homeowner by helping them to maintain, sustain, and live safely, and energy efficiently in their new home.

What are the benefits of a detailed home inspection report?

- Practically every home inspection report that I have ever prepared has identified issues that required correction and many of these issues were able to be negotiated in the transaction, but only due to the detail by which they were reported.

Let me explain – if you hire an independent ethical home inspector, they could well be the only completely objective individual involved in the transaction. An independent ethical home inspector will only report the facts – they will have no vested interest in the transaction, only the homebuyer’s wellbeing.

Many home inspectors, let’s just say – like the ones that use the 2-reporting methods I described above, don’t provide details. When they find a deficiency, their report entry might be – “this condition requires further evaluation and correction by a qualified professional”.

The issue with that statement is that when the homebuyer reviews this with anyone that has a vested interest in the transaction, it can be downplayed, trivialized, or even contradicted with so that it won’t interfere with the transaction.

For example – if that statement were used to described a receptacle outlet (wall outlet) discovered to have reversed polarity, a person with an interest in the transaction might say – oh, that won’t hurt you; it will only make your blender run backwards. (Truth – I heard someone tell a homebuyer this when they didn’t think I was within hearing range).

Here is how I typically describe reversed polarity in the detailed section of my home inspection reports:

Full Report Comments:

Reversed Polarity – The ungrounded conductor (hot conductor/black insulated wire) and grounded conductor (neutral/white insulated wire) energizing the wall outlet are reversed. This is a hazardous condition that can result in potential lethal shocks. Reversed polarity generally requires a simple fix.

Consider a light fixture with no bulb. If wired correctly, the only hot (energized) part of the fixture is the out of the way contact at the base of the socket, and this will only be live (hot) when the light is switched on. If wired with reversed polarity, the more accessible threaded collar is live, and this collar will be live whether the light fixture is switched on or not. Appliances plugged into an outlet with reversed polarity still work, but your risk of shock hazards is greater.

Scenario – A bulb in a table or floor lamp blows – one of the home’s occupants removes this with the intent of replacing it immediately – this person gets distracted and the fixture is left without a bulb – another occupant walks into a dark room reaches into the lamp to turn it on – they touch the improperly energized threaded collar – they are shocked (perhaps lethally)

As reported in the summary section – this condition poses a safety hazard to the home’s occupants and guests and requires immediate correction.

NOTE: On a modern polarized receptacle outlet, the hot conductor (black insulated wire) should supply the shorter (narrower) slot of the receptacle outlet, and the neutral (grounded conductor/white insulated wire should supply the longer (wider) slot. Most receptacle outlet manufacturers use gold colored screws on the hot side, and silver colored screws on the neutral side of their receptacles.

Remember – polarity is reversible….electrocution is not!

It’s all in the details. You can live or die with many of the issues that are glossed over or trivialized by someone with an interest in the transaction. An independent ethical inspector preparing a detailed fact filled home inspection report is doing so to protect the homebuyer. It’s hard for anyone with an interest in the transaction to argue with facts when they are documented in detail within the home inspection report.

But…it’s still done all the time. If the person with an interest in the transaction has their own expert come forth with a different opinion, this is what I advise in my reports:

DIFFERING OPINIONS

Don’t be surprised when a seller, an electrician, or anyone with an interest in the transaction claims something is acceptable when I report that it is not. I have no interest in this transaction – I only have an interest in your personal safety and the safety of your investment. Home inspectors are (objective) generalists conducting an essentially visual inspection and recommending specialists in the appropriate area for specific repairs. Some specialists, and other individuals, will disagree with my opinions. I always defer to specialists opinions, since they are supposed to know more than I do. I’ve put my opinions in writing. I feel you should have those who disagree put their opinions in writing also. Ask them to include their professional credentials, and guarantee that the item is safe or acceptable to operate as it is. If they refuse to do so, you need to establish what weight to give each opinion.

The reality is that if you hire a home inspector that was referred to you by anyone with a vested interest in the transaction, without thoroughly checking this home inspector out yourself, you are in jeopardy of hiring a home inspector that may not have your best interest in mind.

Be aware – there are many local home inspectors available that produce home inspection reports of little or no immediate or lasting value, that essentially just give a home a thumbs up at the end of the home inspection.

Please contact Advanced Home Awareness at (585) 245-1190 if you would like to hire an independent ethical home inspector with only your best interest in mind.

Contact Dave for your home inspection needs.

Providing home inspection and radon testing services throughout the Greater Rochester New York Region – Including Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, and Livingston Counties, and the Northern Finger Lakes Area

Premium Services At Competitive Fees

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In recognition of January being the EPA’s National Radon Action Month, I am offering Free Radon Testing with all scheduled home inspections through the end of January 2012.

(this offer cannot be combined with any other discounts)

Radon Testing Service

Radon Information

Contact Dave for your home inspection needs.

Providing home inspection and radon testing services throughout the Greater Rochester New York Region – Including Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, and Livingston Counties, and the Northern Finger Lakes Area.

Premium Services At Competitive Fees

Past Home Inspection Clients – Please contact me if you would like to have a radon test run in your home. Radon levels are always higher in winter months, and this would be an excellent time to learn your worse case scenario on your radon exposure risks. I’d be glad to provide a generous discount on this service now thorough the end of January 2012.

Meet Public Enemy #1

Welcome to my blog for home buyers and homeowners. Here I will share stories about; how to select a home inspector, issues discovered during home inspections that affected the home’s safety and habitability, energy efficiency issues, sustainability issues, and occasionally on information that is totally unrelated to homes and home inspections. I hope that you enjoy this blog and return often.

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As a home inspector, electrical deficiencies, no matter how simple or inexpensive to resolve are always considered in need of immediate correction, due to their ability to put a dwelling and the dwelling’s occupants at risk of fire and lethal shocks respectively. On a recent inspection of a rural home with a horse barn, I discovered the following hazardous conditions at an electrical distribution panel (sub-panel) in the horse barn.

What is clearly obvious is that rodents (most likely mice of some type) have taken up residence in this panel. This sub-panel is packed full of nesting material, which is combustible and poses an immediate fire hazard. The electrical components within this panel will have the tendency to generate some warmth, and this will attract mice during periods of cold weather. This is why it is critical that panel enclosures be sealed against rodent intrusion. Some mice can actually squeeze through a hole the diameter of a pencil. A close look at the cables entering the top of the panel reveals that two of these cables are installed without cable bushings. Cable bushings are required to secure the cables to the panel enclosure, protect the conductor insulation against abrasion by the sharp edges of the panel openings, to help contain a fire, if a fire was to originate within this panel, and to seal the panel against pest intrusion.

What is not so obvious, without a closer look, is the fact that these rodents have gnawed the insulation off of many of the conductors within this panel. This increases the fire hazard, and also poses a shock hazard to any creature (human, horse, or mouse) coming in contact with this panel.

Due to corrosion and various other improper wiring conditions, this panel was called out as in need of immediate replacement, but compound these conditions with the rodent issues, and I considered this panel to be an exigent safety hazard, and with the current homeowner’s permission, power was cut to this panel at the main service panel within the home.

NOTE: Due to their ability to fit through small openings, mice are not just a problem in horse barns. Mice are commonly found in home’s attics throughout this area, and can cohabitate a home, even a home with cats, and you and the cats might never know they are there. They often just find their way into the home’s attic in the winter for warmth, and leave in the spring.

Unlike fine wine (and home inspectors), electrical components do not improve with age, and most require eventual repair or replacement. Many advancements and improvements of materials have been made over the years, and most electrical devices and materials are judged to be beyond their rated design life at 40-50 years of age. The frequency of electrical fires is disproportionately high in older homes, and outdated materials and devices, unprofessional installations and repairs, and pests can all contribute to the risk of these fires.

If you have not had your old home’s electrical components inspected lately, maybe it is time to call in a qualified home inspector for an electrical inspection. Recognize, a home inspector will provide a fair and objective inspection, as a home inspector is only interested in your safety, and not in selling you electrical repair services and components. Please contact Advanced Home Awareness at (585) 245-1190 or if you would like to schedule and electrical inspection.