Give Your Home a Checkup

Why should I give my home a checkup?

  Well that's an easy one to answer, because you want to keep your home in the best possible condition.  Periodic checkups help identify maintenance and repair issues and you might be able to catch them before they become major concerns.  Like I have say often "It's easier to stay caught up then it is to get caught up"

Spring tips

• Check all the fascia and trim for deterioration
• Always have a multi-purpose fire extinguisher accessible.
• Review your fire escape plan with your family
• Have a professional air conditioning contractor inspect and maintain your system as recommended by the manufacturer
• Check for damage to your roof
• Gutters and downspouts
• Check your windows and doors
• Repair all cracked, broken or uneven driveways and walks to help provide a level walking surface
• Check your water heater
• Check the shutoff valve at each plumbing fixture to make sure they function
• Clean clothes dryer exhaust duct, damper, and space under the dryer
• Replace all extension cords that have become brittle, worn or damaged
• Inspect and clean dust from the covers of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
• Replace your furnace filter
• Clean the kitchen exhaust hood and air filter
• Check your electrical system
• Run through a severe-weather drill with your family

Check all the fascia and trim for deterioration

These areas can become weathered and worn and may lead to potential water damage.

Have a professional air conditioning contractor inspect and maintain your system as recommended by the manufacturer

Maintenance should include:

• Cleaning the evaporator coil
  
• Lubricating fans and motors
  
• Tightening or changing the belts
  
• Checking electrical safeties
  
• Checking the drain pan for leaks
  
• Testing the capacitors
  
• Check the condensate drain
  
• Test the crankcase heater
  
• Calibrating the thermostat
  
• Visually checking the wiring for potential short circuits

These steps can help decrease the chance of fire, save money by making the system run more efficiently and help prevent breakdowns.

Things you can maintain:

• Check the condensate hose to be sure it is not blocked with algae.
  
• Clean the outside condensing unit screen of leaves.
  
• Listen for unusual noises.

Check for damage to your roof

Inspect your roof, chimneys and vents from the ground with binoculars or from a ladder at the eaves.  Do not get on the roof if the pitch or weather conditions present a safety hazard.  If you spot any problems, it is recommended you hire a professional to do the work.  Roof coverings should be checked in spring and fall for any visible missing shingles, damaged coverings, moss build up, nail pops, or other defects.

Gutters and downspouts

One of the best ways to keep your basement dry is to control water run off from your house.  Gutters, downspouts and extensions are installed for exactly this purpose.  Make sure there is no leaking in the joints or in the corners.  The extensions should be in place and the slope next to the house should slope away from the house at a 1" per foot for 5 -6 feet.

Check windows and doors

These can be an enormous source for lost energy.  Maintain the caulking around the frames on the exterior.  Inspect all doors and windows for proper fit, chipped or peeling paint, cracked or missing caulk and loose or missing putty.  Check storms for weep holes, they allow water to drain from the window sills.  Check weatherstripping on the doors and windows, make sure it fits snugly.

Repair all cracked, broken or uneven driveways and walks to help provide a level walking surface

This will help prevent guests and family members from slipping, tripping or falling.

Check the shutoff valve at each plumbing fixture to make sure they function

Know the location of all valves and what equipment and water lines they serve. Teach all family members.  Every one in the house should know how and where to turn off the main water supply.

Check your water heater

• If you have a gas-fired water heater, check to make sure it is venting properly. Light a match next to the vent and wave it out (don't blow it out). See if the smoke is pulled up into the vent. If it isn't, have a professional inspect and repair it. Otherwise, carbon monoxide and other combustibles can build up in the home.
  
  
• Check around the base of your water heater for evidence of leaks. If your water heater is over 5 years old, it should be checked monthly for any leakage or rusting at the bottom. If water leakage or rust is found, the water heater should be replaced.

Clean the clothes dryer exhaust duct, damper and space under the dryer

Poor maintenance allows lint to build up in the exhaust duct and cause fire.

Replace all extension cords that have become brittle, worn or damaged

Exposed wires may cause arcing, which will produce heat and can start a fire. Care should also be taken to keep appliances and their power cords away from water or a heat source because this will damage the cord's insulation.

Replace or clean your furnace filter

It should be checked once a month and replaced or cleaned as needed. Some filters are reusable and are supposed to be taken out, washed with a hose and re-inserted. A dirty filter can lower the efficiency of the heating/cooling system, increase heating costs and cause fires.  Date the filter to know for sure the last time it was changed.

Clean the kitchen exhaust hood and air filter

Keeping this clean of cooking grease will help keep a stove top fire from spreading.

Check your electrical system

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• Trip and reset the circuit breakers regularly.
  
  
• Remove any combustible materials such as paper boxes or flammable liquids from the area near the main electrical panel. Sparks caused by arcing inside the panel can ignite material stored nearby.
  
  
• Check all electrical outlets for loose-fitting plugs they are an indication of a worn out receptacle. Worn receptacles should be replaced as they cause overheating and fires. Also check electrical outlets and switches to be sure they work properly. If any switches, outlets or receptacles do not work, have a qualified electrician determine the problem and fix it to avoid fires inside the walls of your home.
  
  

•  Install safety covers to help protect children from electrical shock. Any appliance or tool that gives even the slightest shock should be unplugged and checked by an electrician or repair shop.  

• Check Ground Fault Current Interrupted (GFCI) outlets.  Trip them and reset them every month to make sure they work properly.

Always have a multi-purpose fire extinguisher accessible

Make sure it is Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listed or Factory Mutual (FM) approved. Check the gauges to make sure they are charged and ready to use.

Plan and practice a severe weather action plan

Sit down with your family and go over what to do in case of severe weather.  Know where to go, have flashlights, batteries, candles on hand and readily accessible.

Ask for help

If there are things that you don't understand about your house, ask for help.  Not every home owner has the proper tools, ladders and knowledge to do a good home checkup.  You could always bring in a professional home inspector to do a maintenance inspection for you, and then you could decide what projects you can do yourself, and what ones to hire out.

Crawl Spaces

Every once in a while I have the pleasure of inspecting a crawl space.  Upon exiting, I usually get a host of comments and in some cases a little shock of how dirty they can be.  In Wisconsin most houses are built with a full basement due to the fact that you have to excavate below the frost line for the foundation footings and you may as well go the rest of the way for the full basement.  Besides,  the basement IS the best place for a man cave.

Though homeowners rarely think about that small space under their houses, builders should give crawlspaces careful consideration. Some of the most common—and damaging— building problems stem from moisture in crawlspaces. Poorly constructed crawlspaces can contribute to mold problems, indoor air problems, and inefficient operation of the home’s mechanical equipment. Carefully considering design and construction of crawlspaces, as part of an overall quality construction strategy, can reduce problems for both builders and homeowners.

Now for the big question, vented or unvented.  To explain this in simple terms, the diagram shows the differences and identifies them as heated vs. unheated.  Crawl spaces used to be built with vents to the outside air.  The thinking behind that is it will cut down on moisture and humidity with the moving air through the vents.  The heated crawlspace has insulation on the floor and walls of the space.  The unheated version has the insulation under the floor, leaving the space to get cold and create a list of potential problems like the ones mentioned.  The moisture contributed to the conditions in the first picture.  In the winter time, the floors would be very cold and any duct work run through there would make the mechanical systems inefficient and cause high utility bills, not to mention the possibility of a frozen water pipe bursting.  By closing up the vents, and moving the location of the insulation and opening the crawl space to conditioned (read heated) the benefits start to become evident.

To have a conditioned crawl space, we have to have certain criteria met just like a full basement.  The foundation walls need to be built on footings with drain tile and a sump pump.  The wall system must not leak air or water.  A drainage system for roof water to be collected and drained to a correctly sloping grade so the water flows away from the crawl space.  Next, a continuous and sealed high quality 6 mil polyethylene vapor retarder on the ground in the crawlspace and protect it with a concrete scratch coat or a layer of gravel.  The purpose of the vapor barrier is to keep the moisture in the ground where it belongs, IN THE GROUND.  The walls need to be insulated to the proper thickness for your area.

Benefits of unvented crawlspaces.
Crawlspace vents effectively become the “determined hole” in a home. In winter, warm air exiting the attic or ceiling creates a negative pressure at the lowest openings in the home. This negative pressure causes cold air to enter through the crawlspace vents and rise through holes in the sub floor to the first floor. This phenomenon creates the “cold floor syndrome” prevalent in cold climate homes with vented crawlspaces.

The cold air can also carry unwanted moisture and gases from the soil, and odors from the crawlspace into the home.  In unvented crawlspaces, the walls, instead of the floor, should be insulated to limit heat transfer from outside to inside the crawlspace, and vice versa. When properly built, an unvented, insulated crawlspace helps to eliminate problems with comfort, odor, and health associated with mold, mildew, and bacterial growth.

Once the crawlspace is insulated and unvented, it should be treated the same way as any other space in the house—supplied with a certain amount of heated or cooled air from the mechanical system. Conditioning the crawlspace can help the mechanical components that are housed in the crawlspace (the air handler, duct work for the first floor zone, and plumbing line, for example) operate more efficiently and last longer because they are not subject to temperature and humidity extremes.

Ideally, the crawlspace temperature should be about 55°F to 65°F year-round. All ducts should be well sealed with mastic to prevent unwanted air leakage. This air leakage increases energy consumption because the outside air has to be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer.

Will these improvements increase construction costs? Probably not significantly. You can save money when replacing underfloor insulation with wall insulation, because the square footage of crawlspace walls is typically significantly less than the square footage of the first floor. The required insulation R-value is generally lower for crawlspace walls than what is required for floors.

What is a Home Inspection

What exactly is a home inspection.  People ask that question a lot.  The short version is a comprehensive, objective evaluation of the house.  More and more lenders and real estate professionals are encouraging home buyers to get a professional home inspection to help protect their investment.  

 Home buyers want to know the house they are purchasing is safe, structurally and mechanically sound, as well as free of health risks. A certified home inspector’s evaluation will provide a solid foundation of information vital to your home.    The report should point out and explain any and all deficiencies found and in most cases provide helpful maintenance tips to keep your home in top condition.  One of my favorite lines would be “It’s easier to stay caught up then it is to get caught up”. 
 
A comprehensive inspection starts outside the house looking for anything that might affect the foundation of the house from the outside.  Things like improper slope on the grade around the house, correct gutters, downspouts and extensions.  It is very important to get the water away from the house when it rains.  Also be on the lookout for maintenance tips like caulking around windows and mechanical penetrations and trimming bushes and trees away from siding.  The inspector should walk on the roof whenever it is possible.  Weather conditions, slope of the roof, and sometimes the type of roof dictate if that is a good idea.  The chimney should be examined from the roof whenever possible.

Another part of the inspection is the grounds of the property.  Looking for safety hazards, maintenance issues, condition of the driveway and sidewalks, siding, windows and other items are standard.  The garage is usually included in a standard inspection however any additional buildings may be an up charge.

Once inside the house, the kitchen is a good place to start.  Plumbing, fixtures, counter tops, cabinets, as well as walls ceilings and the floors in all the rooms are all under examination.  GFCI protected outlets should be installed with in 6 feet of water, like in the kitchen and bathrooms. The attic is a big component that requires a trained eye to catch subtle clues of what has been going on up there over the years.  The amount of insulation and ventilation is key information to help know if what is there is adequate.  Any leaks, old or current, along with any structural defects should be noted. 

Now comes the fun part, the basement.  In newer homes with a finished basement it’s a lot easier, but in some 100 year old houses it’s a completely different story.   The first few steps into the basement your nose will be one way to notice moisture via musty, mildew odors, or a cleaning product to mask those smells.    People will not usually finish a basement that has a moisture problem but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to always be looking.   Foundation problems, plumbing, electrical, hvac, the water heater are all examined and the condition reported.   

The inspection is now almost done.  The summary of the inspection is important and should be reviewed with the customer.  Customers are encouraged to be present during the entire inspection so any issues that come up can be discussed at that time, rather than try to explain it later.  A list of safety issues, maintenance items, and major repairs should be provided.  A list of deferred repair items is a great idea so the buyer knows up front of the pending repair costs and knowing how much money needed to cover the cost of those repairs.  

A comprehensive home inspection should take anywhere from 2 - 4 hours with additional time for larger houses and extra services added in like wood destroying insects, mold, and radon ( we will cover each of these in future topics).   Before you book the inspection, be sure he is licensed and ask what associations they belong to, most states have adopted their standards of practice from one of the national associations.  Wisconsin, for example, uses the American Society of Home Inspectors as theirs. 

If your buying, you want to know that the home you’re considering is safe and sound.  You want to avoid unwelcome and costly surprises.  If you’re selling your home, you will need to make full disclosure of any and all deficiencies.  You’ll want to know what, if any, repairs to make so you can market your home most effectively.  Which ever side of the “For Sale” sign your on, a quality home inspection is vital.

Appliance Recalls

I was performing a home inspection today and I was taking down the model number and serial numbers of all the appliances, like we do for all of our home inspections, when the customer said that she wasn't that interested with the idea of having the appliances checked for recalls.


That's when it dawned on me.  I wasn't explaining it the right way.  So here is a short ( I mean short ) history lesson.  In 1974 the  Consumer Products Safety Commission mandated that when a known risk is apparent, the manufacturer must notify the consumer.  This is why there is warranty cards to fill out, so the manufacturer knows who to contact in case of a recall.  Now here is a sticking point, when someone moves, the recall notice goes to the new address, not with the person buying the house with appliances included.  That is reason number one for the Recallchek, not the number one reason. 


80% - That is the number of recalls that result in fires from:

• Improperly insulated wiring
• Overheating motors/ relays
• Component failures you can't see

A recalled appliance might work fine, and even the most trained expert with all the proper equipment can't detect the slight engineering  defects.  These components, like relays for example, over heat over a period of time and can melt down and stop working.  That is a good scenario, the worst case scenario, cause a devastating fire.

So if you hear someone talking about a recall, don't think inconvenient failure, think catastrophic failure and how it might effect your family.  And keep in mind, if there is a recall on an appliance, the manufacturer will make the repairs in-home, and most of the time for FREE.  The Recallchek report informs you who to call and how to go about getting it fixed.  Like I said, its FREE, so why would you risk your families safety.  Get them checked and get them fixed.

Spring Cleaning Your Yard

Well the temperature in our part of the world was tickling 60* and with the Robins starting to show up, that means one thing.  Spring cleaning for your yard.  Not the kind that includes moving furniture and hanging rugs on the clothes line, but the kind that will make your lawn the envy of your block.  Don't worry, it will only hurt for a minute, unless you don't wear gloves that is.

There is not a lot you can do until all the snow is gone in your yard and it dries out a little.  If you leave sloppy foot prints when you walk on it, you need to wait just a little bit longer.  So stay off your lawn until it stops looking so moist.  Once it dries up, its time to get to work.

Now come the easiest thing you will do to your yard.  Pick up any trash, debris, that the melting snow has uncovered.  The tree branches, kids toys,  and whatever else has blown in  has to go, grass doesn't grow under that stuff.

Now comes the part where the gloves will come in handy.  Raking.  I know it sucks and you might be saying, I just did that before winter.  Well hopefully you did rake in the fall, but its got to be done in spring too.  It picks up any leaves you missed, our the ones your neighbor missed, you know the one that just lets the leaves from his trees blow into your yard, yea, that guy.  Those wet leaves have to go so they don't become a breeding ground for mold and bacterias that will grow and spread out over your lawn like a bad suit.

To roll your lawn is up to you, but know that it does not need to be done every year.  If you do roll your lawn, don't use too heavy of a roll, or you run the risk of compacting the soil too much, and that does not help the roots.


Other than feeding and reseeding your lawn, your pretty much done until its time to start cutting you beautiful lawn.  If you can get an early start on your lawn, it will start growing earlier and that is key to a great looking lawn.

Vital Home Inspections: Who We Are

This is a commercial we had made to highlight one of our unique services Recallchek.  We take down all of the model and serial numbers off of the appliances and send them in and have them checked against a database with millions of recalled appliances.  If there is a recalled appliance on the list, the customer is notified of who to call and how to get it fixed, often for FREE.  we offer this service for free in our Comprehensive Home Inspection Package. 

Vital Information: Spring Ahead

Vital Information: Spring Ahead: "EditSpring Aheadby Vital Home Inspections on Friday, March 11, 2011 at 4:38pmWell its that time of year again when we have to turn our cloc..."