Weather Stripping A Window Or Door

Weather Stripping A Window Or Door

In Indiana and Kentucky, all home inspectors will tell you to use weather stripping in your home to seal air gaps around movable joints, such as windows or doors.
To determine how much weather stripping you will need, add the perimeters of all windows and doors to be weather stripped and then buy just a little extra to allow for waste.

Selection
Choose a type of weather stripping that will withstand the friction, weather, temperature changes, and wear and tear of opening or closing of the door or window. For example, when applied to a door bottom or threshold, weather stripping can drag on carpet. Weather stripping in a window sash must accommodate the sliding of panes—up and down, sideways, or out. You want the weather stripping you choose to seal well when the door or window is closed while allowing it to open freely but also allow it to open freely.
Choose a product for each specific location. Felt and open-cell foams tend to be inexpensive, susceptible to weather, visible, and inefficient at blocking airflow. However, the ease of applying these materials may make them valuable in low-traffic areas. Vinyl, which is slightly more expensive, holds up well and resists moisture. Metals are also available, last for years and are affordable
Applying Weather stripping
Weather stripping supplies and techniques range from simple to some difficulty. Consult the instructions on the weather stripping package. Here are a few basic guidelines:
• Weather stripping should be applied to clean and dry surfaces in 20° temperatures or above.
• Measure the weather stripping and the area twice before you cut anything.
• Apply weather stripping against both surfaces. The material should compress when the window or door is shut.
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When weather stripping doors:
• Choose the correct door sweeps and thresholds for the bottom of the doors.
• Weather strip the entire door jamb.
• Apply one strip along each side.
• Make sure the weather stripping meets tightly at the corners.
• Use a thickness that causes the weather stripping to tightly press between the door and the door jamb when the door closes, without making it difficult to shut.

For sealing a window, apply weather stripping between the sash and the frame. The weather stripping should not interfere with the window operation.

For more information on weather stripping, ask your Indiana & Louisville home inspector when you have your home inspection performed.

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Window Efficiency

Indiana home Inspector would like to share some information about window efficiency in the Southern Indiana and Louisville area. Windows provide our homes with light, warmth, and ventilation but in the winter time they can lack on performance. Placing your hand against a window pane on a cold day proves the point. If the pane feels cold, there’s a good chance you can reduce your energy costs by either insulating your windows or installing new ones. Insulating with drapes is a low cost fix to drafty windows and reduce heat loss up to 10 percent and in the summer months they can block out the heat, providing a 33%reduction in heat gain. Interior storm windows are another fix and consist of flexible or rigid plastic installed over existing window panes. If you decide to purchase new windows, be sure to choose energy efficient models that will save heating and cooling costs all year long. Energy Star has established a set of energy performance ratings tailored to four climate zones across the US to guide you in selecting new windows. These ratings are broken down into several catorgories although U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coeffiecient (SHGC) are the most basic. U-Factor simply meastures how easily heat can flow through a window, not counting direct sunligh. The lower the number the more energy efficient it is. SHGC measures how much heat from sunlight can be absorbed by the window. A high number means the window remains effective at collecting heat during the winter. A low number provides greater shading ability and may be best for Southern climates. For Indiana U-Factor of .40 or lower and a SHGC of .55 or greater works best. For more info visit www.energystar.gov

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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

A growing number of states and cities are requiring homes to install a device that detects the presence of carbon monoxide, a dangerous gas that kills 2,000 people a year and sickens many times that number.

Surprising to most homeowners, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning in the U.S. Detectors have been available for almost a decade, to alert people to the gases — odorless and colorless — spewed out by faulty furnaces, stoves and even barbecue grills. However, fewer than one-third of American homes have these inexpensive devices, according to industry surveys.

Just as laws requiring smoke alarms spurred nearly every household to install them during the past 20 years or so, legislators and doctors are hopeful that the new carbon-monoxide detector requirements will have the same effect.

Starting next month, most homes sold in New York state — new or resale — must have a carbon-monoxide monitor. Similar laws have already passed in Rhode Island, New Jersey and West Virginia. A number of other states are contemplating legislation. Action is being taken at the local level too: Cities such as Chicago and St. Louis have ordinances requiring detectors.

“A detector can save families from something they can not control,” says Stephen Gladstone, vice president of the American Society of Home Inspectors. “If somebody doesn’t have a carbon-monoxide alarm and their heating system malfunctions, they might just not wake up.” Nearly a decade ago, tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis died of carbon-monoxide poisoning from a faulty heater.

Legislation seems to have life-saving effects: Cities with ordinances that require carbon-monoxide detectors have much lower death rates from exposure to the gas than those that don’t, according to a study published last year in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

While fires and automobiles are the top producers of carbon monoxide, a typical family home has many possible culprits. Furnaces, kitchen stoves, water heaters, fireplaces, generators, camping stoves and charcoal barbecues — anything that burns fossil fuels such as gasoline, diesel fuel, wood and kerosene — can produce dangerous levels of the gas.

Carbon monoxide is produced when these fossil fuels don’t burn completely. Incomplete or “dirty” burning can occur if rust or grime falls into a furnace burner, if equipment cracks or rusts, if gas pressure is out of adjustment or if there isn’t proper ventilation for these devices. Health officials have seen carbon-monoxide poisoning occur after people warm up their cars in their garages, even for a few minutes.

“It can be produced so easily and it can spill into a home so easily,” says Tom Greiner, an Iowa human-housing engineer who is pressing for a law in his state to require detectors.

Today’s carbon-monoxide detectors don’t go off anytime they sense the gas. Earlier versions of the device (those made before 1998) did that and were tripped off so easily — a car pulling into the garage could cause it to go off — that many consumers saw them as an annoyance and were inclined to ignore them. New models go off when they sense a certain level of gas over a period of time. The detectors measure how many molecules of carbon monoxide are present in one million molecules of air (parts per million). Government regulations state that 50 parts per million is the maximum concentration a healthy adult should sustain over an eight-hour period. (A concentration of 400 parts per million can be life-threatening within three hours.)

Consumers can choose from inexpensive no-frills monitors that simply beep and cost around $15 to fancier $50 devices that have digital displays and flash the concentration detected. There are also combination smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms. Safety experts recommend that an alarm be placed outside bedrooms and on each floor of the house. Some also suggest putting a detector near carbon-monoxide-producing devices such as furnaces. Manufacturers suggest that people replace their alarms every seven years since sensors can degrade and electronics can fail. Companies that sell detectors include U.K.-based Kidde PLC and BRK Electronics’ First Alert.

Symptoms of carbon-monoxide poisoning vary depending on the concentration of gas in the air. Mild carbon-monoxide exposure often mimics the flu or food poisoning — with headaches, nausea, vomiting and fatigue — and is thus commonly misdiagnosed. Higher concentrations of carbon monoxide can cause almost immediate dizziness and nausea and can lead to convulsions, coma and death within a few hours, or even minutes at extremely high concentrations. Small children and those with heart and respiratory conditions are most at risk. And some patients complain of neurological symptoms months and even years after exposure.

Carbon monoxide suffocates the cells of the body: It enters the bloodstream and prevents the release of oxygen to the tissue. The only treatment for carbon-monoxide poisoning is to immediately leave the source of the gas and to administer oxygen.

If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning in your Kentuckiana home, get everyone out of the building immediately, and call 911.  If it is safe to do so open windows to allow entry of fresh air, and turn off any appliances your suspect my be releasing the carbon monoxide.

When needing to test for carbon monoxie in your home locate a home inspector in Southern Indiana or Louisville Kentucky. Be sure to call one that is certified, licensed and insured. Certainty Home Inspections has three licensed home inspectors to make sure we can get your inspection done in the time you have left on your real estate contract. Don’t waste your money on a cheap Charlie inspector, have “Certainty” with your new home purchase.

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Important Propane Gas Information

When heating your home on a cold winters night in Indiana or Kentucky, if you smell gas follow these instructions:

1. No flames or sparks, immediately put out all smoking materials and other open flames.   Do not operate lights, appliances, telephones, or cell phones.

2.  Leave the area immediately.  Get everyone out of the building or area where you suspect gas is leaking

3.  Shut off the gas.  Turn off the main gas supply valve on your propane tank.  If it is safe to do so.  To close the valve, turn it to the right, clockwise.

4.  Report the leak.  from a neighbor’s home , call your propane retailer right away.  If your can’t reach your propane retailer, call 911 or local fire department.

5.  Do not return to the building or area until your propane retailer, emergency responder, or qualified service technician determines that it is safe to do so.

6.  Get your system checked.  Before you attempt to use any of your propane appliances have your propane retailer check the system for leaks.

Propane smells like rotten eggs, a skunk’s spray, or a dead animal.

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Trees As Windbreaks

The biggest and most energy efficient air conditioner and heat assistant is a tree.  A tree provides windbreaks and can keep it cooler in the summer and make it easier to heat in the winter.  A little care taken in the choice of trees and their placement can result in savings when you pay the bills.  Evergreen trees such as pines and cedars are the most efficient blocking the wind.  Trees slow the wind by up to 15 times the height of the windbreak.  Homeowners can save as much as 25 percent on their heating bills with a windbreak on the north side of the house.  Windbreaks on the north and west sides can result in a 33 percent savings.  A row of trees running from southwest to northeast will be the best windbreak since winds usually blow from the northwest.  Hardwood trees are most effective on the east, west, and south sides of your home.  Trees should be planted far away enough that their roots will not damage the foundation.

To book your inspection today call Certainty Home Inspections at 1-866-417-9591.

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Have Your Furnace Inspected

  Have your home heating system inspected to avoid freezing this winter.    The last thing you want in the cold winter is to not have any heat!  A maintenance check by a qualified heating contractor could be all that is needed to ensure that you have adequate heat for your family. 

A furnace usually involves the following:

1.  The thermostat calibration -A faulty or improperly installed thermostat could  keep the home from reaching ita adequate room temperatures. 

2.  The blower.  A dirty blower or its components can reduce or restrict air flow thats needed to ensure proper efficiency.

3.  The heat exchangers.  This inspection is for cracks and corrosion that could make the furnace unsafe to operate.

4.  The filter.  A dirty air filter causes decreased heat efficiency,causing the unit to run harder, comprising the realiability of the unit.

5.  The burners.  Should be cleaned so that they can function properly

6.  The fan.  The fan must be able to operate properly to ensure adequate room air temperatures.

There are many dealers who offer preventative maintenance contracts that will cover periodic inspection an repairs.  Contact a heating and air technician to ensure safety for your family this winter.

To book your complete home inspection in Indiana and Kentucky, call Certainty Home Inspections today at 1-866-417-9591.

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Where Is Lead Found?

Where lead is found In general, the older your home, the more likely it has lead-based paint.

•·         Paint. Many homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint. The federal government banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978. Some states stopped its use even earlier. Lead can be found: In homes in the city, country, or suburbs. In apartments, single-family homes, and both private and public housing. Inside and outside of the house.

•·         In soil around a home. Soil can pick up lead from exterior paint, or other sources such as past use of leaded gas in cars, and children playing in yards can ingest or inhale lead dust.

•·         Household dust. Dust can pick up lead from deteriorating lead-based paint or from soil tracked into a home.

•·         Drinking water. Your home might have plumbing with lead or lead solder. Call your local health department or water supplier to find out about testing your water. You cannot see, smell or taste lead, and boiling your water will not get rid of lead. If you think your plumbing might have lead in it: Use only cold water for drinking and cooking. Run water for 15 to 30 seconds before drinking it, especially if you have not used your water for a few hours.

•·         The job. If you work with lead, you could bring it home on your hands or clothes. Shower and change clothes before coming home. Launder your work clothes separately from the rest of your family’s clothes.

•·         Old painted toys and furniture and painted window seals.

•·         Food and liquids stored in lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery or porcelain. Food can become contaminated because lead can leach in from these containers.

•·         Lead smelters or other industries that release lead into the air.

•·         Hobbies that use lead, such as making pottery or stained glass, or refinishing furniture.

•·         Folk remedies that contain lead, such as “greta” and “azarcon” used to treat an upset stomach.

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Septic Tank Maintenance

Septic Systems

1. Have your septic system inspected at least every three years.

2. Pump your septic tank as needed (generally every three to five years).

3. Don’t dispose of household hazardous wastes in sinks or toilets.

4. Keep other household items, such as dental floss, feminine hygiene products,  diapers, and cat litter out of your system.

5. Use water efficiently.

6.Plant only grass over and near your septic system. Roots from nearby trees or shrubs might clog and damage the system.

7. Also, do not apply manure or fertilizers over the drain field.

8. Keep vehicles and livestock off your septic system. The weight can damage the pipes and tank, and your system may not drain properly under compacted soil.

9. Keep gutters and basement sump pumps from draining into or near your septic     system.

10.  Check with your local health department before using additives. Commercial septic tank additives do not eliminate the need for periodic pumping and can be harmful to your system.

How does it work? 

A typical septic system has four main components: a pipe from the home, a septic tank, a  drain field, and the soil. Microbes in the soil digest or remove most contaminants from wastewater before it reaches groundwater. The septic tank is a buried, watertight container typically made of concrete, fiberglass, or polyethylene. It holds the wastewater long enough to allow solids to settle out (forming sludge) and oil and grease to float to the surface (as scum). It also allows partial decomposition of the solid materials. Compartments and a T-shaped outlet in the septic tank prevent the sludge and scum from leaving the tank and traveling into the drain field area. The wastewater exits the septic tank and is discharged into the drain field for further treatment by the soil. Microorganisms in the soil provide final treatment by removing harmful bacteria, viruses, and nutrients.

                                                                                                                                                         

 A key reason to maintain your septic system is to save money! Failing septic systems are expensive to repair or replace, and poor maintenance is often the problem. Having your septic system inspected  is a bargain when you consider the cost of replacing the entire system. Your system will need pumping every 3 to 5 years, depending on how many people live in the house and the size of the system. An unusable septic system or one in disrepair will lower your property’s value and could pose a legal liability. Other good reasons for safe treatment of sewage include preventing the spread of infection an disease and protecting water resources

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Home Maintenance Tips

TO DO	SPRING	SUMMER	FALL	WINTER
INSPECT FOUNDATION,CRAWL SPACE, BASEMENT FOR CRACKS	X
CLEAN GUTTERS	X
CHECK ALL ALARM SYSTEMS (SMOKE, CARBON MONOXIDE, ETC)		X		X
SERVICE HEATING & COOLING SYSTEMS	X
CHECK ALL VENTILATION SYSTEMS IN KITCHEN AND BATHES				X
REPLACE FILTERS IN HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS	X	X	X	X
CHECK ATTIC FOR VENTILATION AND MOISTURE SPOTS		X
CLEAN THE DRYER VENTS		X		X
CHECK ROOF FOR DAMAGED SHINGLES AND LOOSE FLASHING	X		X
PREPARE OUTSIDE WATER SOURCES FOR WINTER			X
INSPECT EXTERIOR WALLS FOR CRACKING AND WEAR	X
CHECK FOR PLUMBING LEAKS		X
REPLACE WORN FAUCET WASHERS		X
INSPECT ALL ELECTRICAL CORDS, PLUGS & WALL PLATES	X	X	X	X
INSPECT CLOTHES WASHER HOSES FOR LEAKS		X
CLEAN CHIMNEY AND CHECK FOR OVERHANGING TREE LIMBS		X

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Indiana Home Inspector Talks About Hiring An Experienced Roofer

Don’t let amatuer contractors fix your roof.   Paying the wrong person could cost you thousands of dollars in repairs later.  Be sure to hire an experienced roofer to make repairs on your roof.  Extensive patching as seen in this picture can lead to a high maintenance nightmare.    A typical asphalt shingle has a life expectancy of 15-40 years, depending on the quality of the shingle.  According to  your budget and preference, asphalt shingles are available in three tab or architectural and  in a wide variety of colors.

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