Termites like boxed lunches

Crawl space maintenance is like going to the dentist. With a few simple and relatively easy maintenance steps you can keep the underside of your home from needing a root canal.

One very poplar issue I find is wood debris. When a home is built some of the wood framing or sheathing members will need some adjustment. Holes are bored, notches are cut and ends are scrapped to allow wires, pipes and pieces to fit. All of this adjustment adds up to a lot of wood scraps. If a contractor, make that human, can pass the clean-up buck they will. Eventually the wood that should-have-been cleaned up will get covered up, never to be seen again.....

Enter wood destroying organisms. (Termites, beetles, carpenter ants and fungal rot) These critters are opportunists. Most of the time wood destroying organisms will need relatively moist wood. If they can't find an easy meal they go elsewhere.

All of those wood scraps that are in contact or close to the moist ground are a perfect snack. Once all of that wood is consumed the hungry critters will start to look for their next meal. Mm mm wood.

I know the termites will be disappointed that I suggested the removal of their boxed lunch. The contractor was very kind to think of the wood eating critter's busy schedule. The box of cellulose is the perfect thing for the modern WDO's hectic lifestyle.

Grow mold in your attic (vent to the soffit)

Ah mold. It is such a hot button. I know just by putting the word MOLD into my title this post will get attention.

People are interested, but I am still surprised at the lack of knowledge or the inaccuracy of knowledge (even you agents who need to know the basics).

This is not intended to be a general knowledge post. (go here for that) This is a heads up for everyone on the issues concerning a currently accepted means of exhausting bathroom vents. Currently it is acceptable to duct bathroom vents to an attic vent. This is usually a good thing and definitely better than venting directly into the attic. Recently I came across a very new home (only four years old) that had some mold growth in the attic. Not really a huge amount, however mold spores are microscopic and you cannot determine if it is affecting Indoor Air Quality without getting a lab involved. With closer investigation it could be noted the exhaust fan for the shower and toilet area was ducted to the nearby soffit vent. This is currently acceptable however in this case it was the root of the issue.

The way an attic vent system works is like a chimney, as the roof heats cool air is pulled into the soffit vents and hot air is exhausted out the ridge vents. So as the diligent home owners ran their exhaust fans during the steamy shower all of the warm steam was pointed at an intake vent!! All the moisture exhausted toward the vent and promptly turned around and was able to condense on the cool attic surfaces as the soffit vent did its job.

Spray foam in back light

Here is a photo that just reminded me of Charles. I just thought he would get a kick out of how this particular can had taken on a life of its own. This can of extruded foam was in the crawlspace of a home that, "had been totally remodeled (re-muddled)." Spray foam seams to fill that gap between lack of knowledge and big holes in things. Merry Christmas Charles.

The Bomb in your Basement or Garage

Although in Salem Oregon water heaters do require a Minor Label for professional water heater installation, many handy home owners tackle this job on their own.

Here are just some of the things that well meaning installers can get totally wrong:

Lack of Straps: Water heaters in this area should be strapped on the top third and bottom third, to resist movement in a seismic condition. Water heaters are bombs, high temperature water under pressure can be an explosive combination. It is important to prevent the tank from moving.

Flue issues: This is absolutely important with gas appliances. If you don't get the flue right you can allow carbon monoxide to freely enter your home. This particular flue was built out of vinyl dryer ducting. The plastic had been melting into a puddle on the top of the tank.

This is this home owners solution for the flue exhaust. The home owner may have thought that a clothes dryer and a gas fired water heater were basicly the same thing.

Here is a picture of the draft hood in action. Notice the lighter's flame tipped away from the hood. This means that flue gases, instead of going outside, are coming inside! This is potentially a deadly setup that has apparently been in place for years.

These are just some of the many things that can be done wrong by a less-than-handy handy person.

Ever been torpedoed by a Real estate Agent?

Earlier this week I got a message that said, "Hi I got your name from a friend of mine and he says that you are the best. I am going to schedule my inspection on your website. Give me a call if I did something wrong or you need more information."

Fantastic! I love referrals like that. And in a little bit an email shows up on my phone that says the client has scheduled himself and we are all set.

Again fantastic! I love my website and online scheduling.

A little while later I get a call from his 'wonderful' agent, "I need to know if you are going to do a P & D. If not, I am going to find another inspector."

No big deal. I have never worked with this agent and was actually looking forward to meeting her and showing her how detailed and helpful I could be for her and her client.

I call her as soon as I squeeze out of the crawlspace and she says, "… can you hold?" ………….5 minutes later……….I say, "I would be happy to do a Wood Destroying Organism Inspection for our clients."

"How much do you charge…….Hmmm. That's more than my clients are willing to pay. Let me call and talk to them. I will call you back."

I started to have a bad feeling. I was pretty sure the client knew exactly how much the price was since he set the inspection up and he had to click on the price to finalize the appointment.

I called our client. He told me that his agent had everything set up with her inspector and she was going to do it her way because her inspector was cheaper and he would get paid out of closing and it just worked better for her.

I said, "She told you what to do about your inspection?............Ok. I am sure her inspector will do a wonderful job. Thank you."

 

Three hours later
his agent calls, "yeah he doesn't need your services. Bye."

 

Bummer. I don't have any issues with an agent having a comfort zone of professionals she works with but come on. Not that I would have been willing to get paid out of closing but I may have matched the other inspector's price. I guess I just would have preferred the agent telling me about the deals her inspector gives and giving me a chance to compete like a capitalist.

Oh well. I am absolutely happy with the current agents who feel comfortable enough to refer me on a regular basis and finding those agents has taken work.

 

How about you?

Have you ever been torpedoed?

My solute to Lazy Workmen

This is my tribute to all of those hard working plumbers, heating and air contractors, electricians and less than knowledgeable homeowners who just don't care about their job and how it affects the structure of the building they are working on. Without you guys, us home inspectors would have a lot less to report on.

The pictures to the left show industrious contractors that although they understood the requirements of the systems they were installing they didn't care how it effected the rest of the home's structure.

Here are a few guidelines on how and when floor joists should be cut

According to the 2003 IRC:

R802.7.1 Sawn lumber. Notches in solid lumber joists, rafters and beams shall not exceed one-sixth of the depth of the member, shall not be longer than one-third of the depth of the member and shall not be located in the middle one-third of the span. Notches at the ends of the member shall not exceed one-fourth the depth of the member. The tension side of members 4 inches (102 mm) or greater in nominal thickness shall not be notched except at the ends of the members. The diameter of the holes bored or cut into members shall not exceed one-third the depth of the member. Holes shall not be closer than 2 inches (51mm)to the top or bottom of the member, or to any other hole located in the member. Where the member is also notched, the hole shall not be closer than 2 inches (51 mm) to the notch.

And when the roof truss gets in the way of the satelite dish installation……. R802.10.4 Alterations to trusses. Truss members shall not be cut, notched, drilled, spliced or otherwise altered in any
way without the approval of a registered design professional. Alterations resulting in the addition of load (e.g., HVAC
equipment, water heater) that exceeds the design load for the truss shall not be permitted without verification that the truss
is capable of supporting such additional loading.

Hi My Name Is Jim and I am an Addict

I think I may have an addiction. I hear admitting it is the first step to recovery.

I first realized I had an issue when I recently posted a blog and saw my standing in my town go from 10th to 9th. A few more blogs and a lot more time spent learning from others and commenting on their fantastic thoughts and ideas and I have moved up to 6th.

I am constantly thinking about SEO and how I can improve my web presence. I spend time at night brainstorming blog subjects that might be interesting for other people.

I am now starting to think about the copyrighting my blogs and other things I never thought I would be concerned with.

Yes I have a problem, but I feel that this network just might be the support group that will help me.

Mold is Everywhere

Mold is everywhere.

Mold/ has microscopic spores that are airborne and are able to easily blow around the world. Due to the spore's ability to be in the air there is no place on earth that does not have fungal spores present. (except maybe special industrial clean rooms and operating rooms) With this knowledge of mold/fungus we can draw the conclusion that there is no such thing as a, "mold free," house. All homes have spores present the spores are waiting for a conducive environment to grow. "Conducive environment," means: temperature, food and water at the right levels.

Molds/fungi grow best between 50 and 80 degrees F.(the temperatures most of us find comfortable)

They can eat any organic material. (read: your home's framing, sheathing, flooring, carpeting, paper faces on insulation and drywall, and most everything else in our homes)

Water is really the one thing we can and should control to stifle mold/fungus growth.

Leaks, plumbing or rain water, and poor ventilation are the two main offenders who often work together to help mold grow and reproduce.

Even though mold is everywhere we can control its growth. By vigilantly maintaining our homes, ensuring proper ventilation and repairing leaks promptly we can ensure that our homes do not become mold food.

Have you tested your GFCI’s lately?

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters: They are a wonderful safety item that has been required around water since the '70s and according to the CPSC could prevent over two-thirds of the approximately 300 electrocutions still occurring each year in and around the home. Installation of the device could also prevent thousands of burn and electric shock injuries each year.

GFCI's continually monitor what goes out through the hot side and what comes back through the neutral side. Power always flows in a loop so these devices can tell when a ground fault happens.

Ground Fault: Is where the loop of electricity, instead of properly running out the hot side (into the thing that's plugged in) and back in to the wall on the neutral side, gets shorted (the power jumps out of the loop = you might get shocked).

That jump/shock is very likely to happen when you are handling your mixer, weed trimmer, curling iron, ect…. and you reach for something that can allow a direct flow of electrons to go right in to the ground (faucet, water pipe)

So how and how often should you test my GFCI's? If you look closely on the GFCI it will say, "Test Monthly." To properly test you should plug something in that you can see is on, like a lamp. Then press the test button. The buttons should 'pop' and the lamp should go off. Then reset the button and the lamp should come back on.

If the test doesn't happen like that it may be time to replace your hard working GFCI.

If that is still to much work I would be happy to come and inspect the function of your GFCI's.

A swell in the window sill

I was inspecting a home the other day and when I met with the client, and asked her, as I always do, "Is there anything you may have noticed, that you have questions about."

This is not only to address their specific fears and concerns but also so I am given a heads up on a potential defect. My client and their agent directed me over to a the window sills. Right along the edge that is closest to the window a small swell could be noted along the entire length. The sills were Medium Density Fiber (MDF) board and MDF is a wonderful historic indicator of past leakage. The swelling definitely appeared like moisture absorption however no other indicators were present. If the windows were allowing storm water to enter the home there should be staining at the top of the window and there was none. There should have been more evidence of leakage on the south windows, since that is where most all of our wind driven rain comes from and all of the windows on every side of the home seamed to show evidence of this swelling.

That night while I was writing the report and thinking about what might have been going on with the sills, I realized the only thing different about these windows is that there was not a bead of caulk between the widow and the window frame. The carpenter had done such a great job all of the reveals where beautiful and perfect. The painter thought maybe he didn't have to caulk.

As the previous owner cleaned the sills with a damp cloth that small gap would suck up moisture. The MDF where it had been painted was relatively resistant to moisture damage so no issues on the painted surface however the gap that had been perfect enough to not caulk exposed the vulnerable MDF that was not even primed. (sponge)

The moral of the story is: Caulk. (as a verb and noun) Gaps, even perfect ones, will trap water and cause cosmetic issues that will be challenging to repair.

Crawlspaces: Need Love and Attention too

Crawlspaces are a very popular way to build a home in the Salem, Oregon area. With a crawlspace the home is up off the ground, so most importantly to the builder, there is less concrete and that equals less money. Being up off the ground also allows the homes to stay away from the water that is frequently bubbling up from the ground when the rains come down. Over all this area is ideal for crawlspaces however there are some things that most homeowners don't realize:

• We live in a maritime climate. That means it does not freeze very hard (or at all) most winters. Those silly Styrofoam crawlspace vent plugs should be strictly reserved for the 3 days of below freezing weather we get every 2 years. At all other times the crawlspace vents should be left open! The times your crawlspace will need to be vented are in the winter when the water tables rise. If the vents are all plugged the standing water will create a very conducive environment for wood eating/destroying organisms. Molds, beetles, termites and carpenter ants all benefit from the moist stagnant environment those little plugs foster. Moisture content of 18% wood becomes a good food source for things that eat wood. If the moisture content of the wood can be kept below 18% (through effective ventilation) the wood will not be food.
  
• You Must Monitor your Crawlspace. This does not mean that you actually must go in to your crawlspace (but you probably should). But you should at least open the hatch, peek and smell. The smell is the important. If you smell musty sticky rotting wood…. that means more investigation is needed! The sniff test is great to do year around but especially in winter. I have seen crawlspaces that passed the sniff test and had inches of standing water. If the vents are open, even if there is a little water under there, the moisture doesn't effectively raise the moisture content of the wood structure.
  
• Mechanical and Plumbing need attention too. Crawlspaces are also wonderfully suited to maintenance. Although crawlspaces are not the best places to hang out, if you need access to plumbing wiring, ductwork, it is all there. In order to monitor these components you will need to enter your crawlspace, or hire a professional inspector. Leaky shower/tub drains, disconnected ducts, and leaking supply lines are all very common repair items that I see often. If the leaks are left unchecked they will give the wood eating creatures all the moisture they need to call your house home.
  

 

At minimum, every 3 months you should pop that crawlspace door open and squeeze into to the tight, dark, dirty, creepy hole that is your crawlspace. You will save yourself money and get to know your home on a level you never thought possible!

Air conditioning your Home when it’s cool outside (how to ruin your AC unit)

I came across an outdoor AC compressor the other day that was running at full speed. This was not immediately unusual, because it is August. Then I realized that at this early hour of the morning the outdoor temperature was only 50 degrees Fahrenheit! Upon closer inspection I noticed one whole side of the compressor was covered with about a 2 inch layer of ice!!

After I ran into the home and quickly turned the air conditioning off, I took a side bar with my clients and explained how an Air conditioner works: Through the powerful processes of evaporation and condensation the AC unit is able to absorb heat from the inside air and exhaust it outside. Right before the coolant enters the home it has been cooled and evaporated so it is a low pressure gas. After the warm house air is passed over the cool coil the coolant that has absorbed that heat travels outside is compressed and is a high pressure/high temperature liquid. Now the outdoor air which is cool compared to the compressed high temp liquid (100 degrees F is much cooler than 180 degrees F) is passed over the coils and heat is exchanged. Then the liquid is evaporated and it is cool again and cycled back in to the home.

The fatal flaw that can be noted on a cool day, is the inside air is not warm enough to absorb an adequate amount of heat from the gas. This causes ice to form. The ice covers the small metal fins that the air is blown through to exchange heat. If the heat cannot be exchanged the low pressure/low temperature gas cannot continue to drop in temp. Eventually the compressor, which should only compress gas, will try to compress liquid. When the unit tries to compress liquid the AC unit is toast.

The outside temperature being above 65 F is critical to testing AC units. For around 6 months of the year home inspectors in Salem, Oregon cannot test the AC system because the outdoor temperatures are too low. On most units there will be a fuse or switch near the outdoor unit. After September it may be a good idea to turn the unit off to prevent accidental cycles.

August

Home Care:

• Cooling system (if installed) is working overtime in this month. Make sure the outdoor unit has at least 2 feet on three sides of free air. Keep the fins on the compressor clean as well. Depending on the model of compressor this may be a professional HVAC tech's job. Keeping your compressor clean will be well worth it in terms of efficiency and life expectancy.
  



• Caulking and Paint: This is a wonderful month for these absolutely necessary items on every homeowner's addenda here in Salem Oregon. A good rule of thumb is, "if the crack is too big to be filled with paint, caulk it." Sealing the openings in the siding and trim around windows will not only make your home look better it will also prevent moisture from entering the wall system and you will also slow down energy loss from air infiltration. On real wood (trim and maybe siding) in the Willamette Valley think about painting every 4 to 6 years. If you wait longer than 4 to 6 years you risk damage and the preparation for the new paint will take much longer than it would have.
  



• 
  
  
  Clean gutters: Depending on the age and size of the trees around your home this may be a monthly to quarterly adventure. Even if they just have a little crud in the bottom, get it out. That crud can build up fast at the first nice storm and plug all of the tight bends downstream and underground.
  
  
  
  

  
  

Yard care:

• Trim bushes: Maintain a space of about 18 inches around your home. Trim the bushes that have grown to have contact with your home. Plant contact with your home can create a very conducive environment for rot and carpenter ants love to travel from a plant in to a home. This should be the last time this year you trim on woody perennials. The trimming will stimulate growth and if you trim too late in the season the new growth will not have time to harden off and it will die.
  
  



• Lawn care: Continue to mow weekly. At the end of this month switch from your summer (primarily Nitrogen) fertilizer to a winterizer (higher in Potassium) to help our cool season grasses establish a deep root system.
  

When questions on your home arise feel free to call or email me, your friendly home inspector, for trouble shooting and further helpful advice.

Jim Allhiser

President

Perfection Inspection Inc.

jallhiser@perfectioninspectioninc.com

503.508.4321

Roofing and Creative home owners

Roofing is one of the few skilled professions where being a licensed contractor is not required if you do it on your own home here in Salem Oregon. Hiring a licensed contractor is definitely encouraged, however a home owner with a little DIY initiative can tackle the job on their own with no distractions (like code enforcement inspections) from the city building department.

A roof shingle system is one of the few things on a home that will wear out. Unlike siding that can be painted and painted and preserved for eons, there is nothing to do about your roof shingles wearing out. There are things to do to extend the roof's life. Adding ventilation, keeping debris off, treating moss and having a very steep roof will all prolong the life of the roof however even the best ventilated, cleanest, and steepest roof will generally only increase the life of the shingles by 20 years max.

Enter the creative home owner:

One way or another most homeowners will face a roof replacement at some time. Just like most trades you do not have to be a Harvard graduate to install a roofing system. The steps are, overall, very straight forward and logical. The problems most unskilled craftsmen face will be at tricky transitional zones: flashings, valleys, roof-to-wall and the dreaded skylight. It must be a testosterone thing but from what I have seen as a home inspector if problems are encountered they are handled one of two ways: Gallons of roofing tar, or scab-it-in and forget-about-it.

I guess maybe I have seen some roofs that have been replaced by home owners who knew enough to know that they needed some advice. That is what the internet is for as far as I am concerned. Those roofs maybe just flew under my radar mostly because they were done properly. So thank you very much to those homeowners who stopped and asked.

Gutters/Downspouts: the most important system on your home in Salem, Oregon

I am a home inspector in Salem Oregon. Home inspections are generally based on a perfect home. The one issue with that is that there is no such thing as a perfect home.

The job of a competent home inspector is to see and comment on everything. It would be impossible to determine what our clients did or didn't care about in the thousands of components and systems that we look at. So we comment on everything and let our clients determine what they find important and significant.

Of course there are exceptions such as, in the Salem area of the Willamette valley Oregon, gutters and downspouts. If there is one system that needs to work perfectly it is the gutters and downspouts.

It has everything to do with how we receive rain. In our area the rain comes down relatively slowly. Very seldom do we get sudden volume, like an inch in a few hours, like other parts of the country. Our rain just seems to be slow and constant for about 5 to 6 months.

This means that grading is not terribly important. The soaking rains will soak in to the soil before they have a chance to run towards your home.

Gutters and downspouts however have an absolutely critical role in moisture management. If they are not fully functional they allow excess water to spill on around or under your home for 5 to 6 months. If the gutters are plugged or the seams leak they will spill water on to the soffit, fascia or splash water against the siding for 5 to 6 months! All of this wood and water is an ideal condition for things that eat wood. Fungus, wood boring beetles, and termites will all enjoy the easy refined cellulose meal that is your home.

Even if the gutters appear to be fully functional above ground there is the, out-of-sight-out-of-mind, below grade downspouts. The downspouts going below ground has been very popular for the last 20 years. This is a major source of water intrusion for the crawlspaces in our area. When newly installed the downspouts should hug the foundation around the perimeter of the home and flow toward the storm drain. This is one of the first items to be installed on a new home and possibly vulnerable to damage until it is covered during final grading. If the concrete walkway poured over the pipe damages or disconnects the pipe, it can dump all of the water collected on the roof on to the soil near the crawlspace. This condition can lead to water in the crawlspace but also foundation movement.

Homes are not perfect. Lack of maintenance, wear and age can all have effect on homes. If you own a home in the Salem area of the Willamette valley keep your eyes on your gutters and next time it is raining, investigate your downspouts. They are one of the most important components of your home.