Georgia Guide For Homeowners:
The Home Inspectors Maintenance Tips:
Proper care and maintenance of your home is vital for all homeowners who care about their most valuable financial asset. As a professional home inspector I have listed a few items I often find are neglected by
the home owner during my inspection. If not properly attended to, these could cause damage to your
home or create a health and safety issue. To avoid costly repairs in the future or when you are ready to sell I have listed a few of these items so you as a homeowner in Georgia are aware of them.
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Crawlspace -- As a general rule if your home has a dirt floor crawl space it is important to keep this area clear of debris like wood, trash, paper, vegetation or other items that will attract moisture, insects, vermin or promote mold growth. Exposed earth adds a continuous stream of water vapor into your home. By keeping the ground in the crawl space area covered with a plastic vapor barrier, (ICC code calls for a 6-mil-thick 0.15mm poly-ethylene barrier) you can help stop moisture from entering your home through the exposed ground. Outdoor air flow is also an equally efficient way to move moisture, keep the crawl space vents closed at all times, winter as well as summer. During the summer months hot humid air could cause condensation, rot and mold. During the winter months, these vents let in freezing cold air making your floors cold and wasting energy. Be sure roof down spouts drain away from the house foundation, this will help keep water from entering the crawlspace area. These simple tips will help in reducing the chance of energy loss, mold growth or wood rot under the floor system in your home. Finally, keep in mind, the crawl space is an area to access under floor mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems only, avoid using this space to store items. The illustration shows a good example of how a properly cared for crawlspace should look. Clear of debris, all systems off the ground, insulated and vapor barrier in place.
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Fireplace -- If your fireplace is a wood burning fireplace be careful what you burn. Avoid burning pine logs, soft woods or household trash in the fireplace. These could cause dangerous build-up in your chimneys flew which could catch fire in the chimney, damaging your chimney or possibly causing a fire in your home. Always burn good dry hard woods in your fireplace and occasionally burn a (flue cleaning log). Check with a Lowe's or Home Depot expert to determine the type and brand best for your fireplace. If your home is equipped with a factory built fireplace keep your fires small, factory built fireplaces are not designed for that hot roaring fire. If you use your fireplace quite often during the cold seasons, you may want to have your chimney flue inspected by a professional chimney sweep before the start of the cold seasons. Also, make sure the damper closes as tightly as possible when a fire is not burning to minimize heat loss.
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Mechanical Systems-- Your homes forced air heating and air conditioning system is the atmosphere of your house. In time moisture and dust can accumulate within these systems creating a wonderful environment for bacteria and mold to grow and flourish. To help prevent this from happening, change forced air heating system air filters monthly, winter as well as summer. Every two to three years have a professional HVAC company come in and clean your heat and air distribution duct work. Have the "A" coil cleaned as well as the drip pan and condensation drain in your air conditioner, this area is especially prone to mold growth. Keep in mind if you see evidence of dust or dirt trails around your register outlets or the air smells funny at the start up of a heating or air conditioning season, your system may be dirty inside or have mold or bacteria and need a good cleaning.
Air Registers, Baseboard Heaters And Radiators -- Regularly dusting of these heat sources will improve the energy efficiency of your home. If possible remove the covers to gain access to the area behind the unit so you can give it a good cleaning, you will be surprised what you may find.
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Septic System-- Most homes in Georgia outside city limits usually use a private waste disposal system to handle waste water created by bathrooms, kitchens and the laundry room. If your home is served by a private septic system and is not on the city's sewer system, there are several things you as a home owner should be aware of to avoid polluting ground water or incurring the high cost of having these systems repaired or replaced as seen in this illustration. The purpose of your homes septic system is to separate solids (sludge) from the liquid waters (effluent) and lighter solids (scum). Bacteria in the wastewater digest the sludge and scum and liquefy the waste products into gases and water. The gases leave via a vent, normally through the roof plumbing vent stack while the liquid is dispersed by a drainage system where it is broken down through natural occurring bacteria in the ground. When your homes septic system is in good working condition you won't even know it is there. However, when septic problems occur it can create a costly invasive mess for the home owner. To avoid problems with your homes septic system keep household cooking oils and greases from being dumped or washed down the kitchen drain. Before washing kitchen cooking utensils, wipe them down with paper towels to remove any grease or oil residue. Garbage should be placed in the trash not down the toilets or drains. This includes chemicals, paints, oils, solvents, acids, pesticides, or excessive cleaning solutions which destroy the natural occurring bacteria in the tank, vital to the systems operation. Keep rain water runoff from the house down spouts, sump pump or any other water diverting devices away from your homes septic system, these will overload the system. Heavy vehicles should stay off of the system as they can cause damage to underground piping and components. Do not build over the tank or drainage system nor plant trees or shrubs over it, as the roots can clog drain lines. Clean or install a lint screen for clothes washer (lint can clog drain field holes). Finally, routine pumping and adding bacteria or yeast to septic system will induce the bacteria cycle. Take steps to conserve water: the less you use, the less enters the system.
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Decks And Patios-- If your home has a deck or patio, you know how great this feature is down here in this Georgia climate. Spring, summer or fall, It's a great place to enjoy your morning cup of coffee or your evenings favorite beverage. However, most patios and especially wood decks are neglected. Being exposed to the out door elements year round can shorten there life or even put you in danger especially if your home has a deck that is elevated. Yearly maintenance in the spring and occasional inspections by a professional in deck or patio repair can enhance the life of your deck or patio. Washing these areas down with bleach, and then pressure washing them will remove any mold growth or accumulated dirt. Rachael loves to help me with this project every spring. Once you have done this, you will notice a big difference as you can see in the illustration. After a good cleaning, always allow the area time to thoroughly dry before applying any sealers or treatments. Check with a Lowe's or Home Depot expert to determine the best type of treatment for your deck or patio. You can also rent or purchase the equipment you need to clean your deck or patio at Lowe's or Home Depot.
Safety Tip--To add a few safety tips when cleaning your deck or patio be
careful after you apply the bleach solution to the surface, this solution will kill
the mold immediately making the surface very slippery. When using a high pressure
pressure-washer, be careful not to let the high pressure water stream come in contact
with any parts of your body, severe injury may result.
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Draft-prone Areas -- Zip up your home's winter coat by caulking, sealing and weatherstripping around all seams, cracks and openings. Pay special attention around windows and where siding or bricks and wood trim meet. Seal areas near electrical boxes and plumbing penetrations as well. By keeping these areas sealed and caulked you will also prevent moisture, insects or possibly vermin from entering these openings and causing damage to the structure behind it.
Siding And Trim Care-- Your homes siding and trim is like the clothes you wear, they both reflect your image and pride. Whether your home is covered in brick, stucco, vinyl, wood or other types of siding materials they all need occasional cleaning and care like your clothes. The best time to care for your homes siding and trim is on a yearly basis during those hot bright sunny days of summer when paint and caulking materials dry quickly. To start, you need to do a thorough inspection of your house. Look for signs of mold growth. Left un-checked, mold will destroy or damage any type of siding material. Bleach and a good pressure washing will kill and remove the mold. Look for areas that show signs of rot or deterioration, areas like soffets, gutter locations, windows or where a wall merges with the roof line or foundation are common areas of concern. If you find any signs of rot or deterioration don't ignore them or paint them over, during a home inspection the home inspector will spot these areas. The building material needs to be replaced. Look for unusual signs of bulging, rippled, spongy or discolored areas on the siding, this could be a sign of insect infestation or moisture intrusion behind the siding. In either case, you will need the aid of a professional. If your homes siding is painted, check the condition of the paint, is it chalky looking, peeling, does it come off on your hand when touched? If either of these are so, then it's time to paint, and the best way to re-paint your home is with a good-old-fashion paint brush and roller. Like the neighborhood teens who love to help and make a little money, applying the paint with a roller and brush has many good advantages compared to spraying the paint on the surface. First, it gets you up close to the siding and trim. If your house has a lapped type siding, you can easily push a good amount of paint into the lap joint of the siding by using a roller. This area is especially prone to rot and deterioration if the paint is applied to thin. It also gives you the advantage of putting the paint on good and thick over all areas of the house, covering and reducing the chance of those missed spots or areas where the paint is applied to thin, very common when the paint is sprayed on. I will agree it is time consuming but wow! When it's done, your house looks great. Keep in mind though, before you paint, clean the siding and caulk first.
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Roofs-- Your homes roof covering is like the siding on your house, it not only adds beauty and appeal to your house, it also protects you from the outdoor elements. Unfortunately over time mold and algae will grow on the roofing material. This not only adds an ugly eyesore to your homes appearance, it also shortens the life of the roofing material. Years ago, stains on asphalt shingled roofs were not a significant problem. Today it is a big problem because the design of asphalt shingles has changed over time. For the last 30 years or so, asphalt shingles have been manufactured using limestone as the base filler. Unfortunately, limestone is a favorite food of mold and algae. The algae or mold takes root on the shingles dislodging the granules which protect and color the roof. It holds water to the roof's surface and can cause decay and rot of the roof's underlayment. If you see signs of mold, algae or any thing growing on your homes roofing materials like in the illustration, you may want to have a professional roof cleaning company clean your roof as soon as possible.
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Building Or Landscaping Projects-- The grounds area around your home is like the icing on a cake. it can really dress up your homes beauty. Properly trimmed trees, shrubs and flower beds add great curb appeal to your property. If you are one of those handy-man or woman types of people and love to tackle a home construction or landscaping project here are some tips that will help you before you start. If building something is in your plans and the structure will be attached to your house, you should avoid any wood to ground contact when placing vertical supports or steps. Mortgage companies frown on wood to ground contact when it comes time to sell your home or re-finance. The illustration gives you an example on how to properly support a deck or structure. Contact your Lowe's or Home Depot store they have a variety of deck and structure building information that will guide you in your project. If your plans include some landscaping around your home, avoid using pine straw or wood chips around your homes foundation. Wood chips and pine straw attract insects, especially termites. Use an aggregate type of material with the proper screening underneath it and grade the area around the foundation so water runs away from the house. Large shrubs planted to close to your house will inhibit air circulation and support mold growth on the foundation and siding surface. Keep a nice wide walk area between your homes foundation and flower beds or shrubs to allow adequate access and air circulation. If you are lucky enough to have large trees on your property, keep them trimmed and keep their branches away from your house. Tree branches that contact your house will damage your siding or roof. They also provide a convenient pathway for vermin to easily access your house.
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Roof System Drainage-- Your homes roof drainage system is an important advantage to your house structure. Lack of gutters or down-spouts on a house could cause deterioration or shorten the life of the building materials around the soffets and fascia trim as well as other areas on the house. It can cause premature erosion of the homes foundation, splash mud onto the foundation or siding all evident in the illustration. It could also cause water seepage into a lower level of the home. If your home has no gutters or down-spouts you may want to invest in having them installed.
However, if your home has a good roof drainage system then up keep of this system is quite simple. Keep your gutters clean, especially in the fall of the year when trees begin to lose there leaves. A simple way to check the condition of the roof drainage system is to inspect them during a hard rain storm. If the water is overflowing your gutters then this is a sign they are blocked. Overflowing gutters place the water right in contact with the homes soffets and fascia areas. Blocked down spouts allow water to spurt onto the siding or trim areas, this can also cause the down spout to pull away from it's mounting. In either case keep your homes roof drainage system in good operating condition keep an eye out for leaks, blockage and sighs of them pulling away from there mounting point. Also be sure your homes down spouts drain away from the house foundation, use splash-downs or plastic drainage piping to control the water flow. All of these materials are available at Lowe's or Home Depot.
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Electrical Safety-- A "GFCI" is a ground fault circuit interrupter. This is an inexpensive electrical device that, if installed in household branch circuits correctly, 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. The GFCI is designed to protect people from severe or fatal electric shocks because a GFCI detects ground faults; it can also prevent some electrical fires and reduce the severity of others by interrupting the flow of electric current.
The Problem-- Have you ever experienced an electric shock? If you did, the shock probably happened because your hand or some other part of your body contacted a source of electrical current and your body provided a path for the electrical current to go to the ground, so you received a shock. An unintentional electrical path between a source of current and a grounded surface is referred to as a "ground-fault." Ground faults occur when current is leaking somewhere. In effect, electricity is escaping to the ground. How it leaks is very important. If your body provides a path to the ground for this leakage, you could be injured, burned, severely shocked, or electrocuted.
Some examples of accidents that underscore this hazard include the following:
- Two children, ages five and six, were electrocuted in Texas when a plugged-in hair dryer fell into the tub in which they were bathing.
- A three-year-old Kansas girl was electrocuted when she touched a faulty counter-top appliance.
These two electrocutions occurred because the electrical current escaping from the appliance traveled through the victim to ground (in these cases, the grounded plumbing fixtures). Had a GFCI been installed, these deaths would probably have been prevented because a GFCI would have sensed the current flowing to ground and would have switched off the power before the electrocution occurred.
How The GFCI Works-- In the home's wiring system, the GFCI constantly monitors electricity flowing in a circuit to sense any loss of current. If the current flowing through the circuit differs by a small amount from that returning, the GFCI quickly switches off power to that circuit. The GFCI interrupts power faster than a blink of an eye to prevent a lethal dose of electricity. You may receive a painful shock, but you should not be electrocuted or receive a serious shock injury. Here's how it may work in your house. Suppose a bare wire inside an appliance touches the metal case. The case is then charged with electricity. If you touch the appliance with one hand while the other hand is touching a grounded metal object, like a water faucet, you will receive a shock. If the appliance is plugged into an outlet protected by a GFCI, the power will be shut off before a fatal shock would occur.
Availability Of GFCIs-- Three common types of ground fault circuit interrupters are available for home use:
* RECEPTACLE TYPE
This type of GFCI is used in place of the standard duplex receptacle found throughout the house. It fits into the standard outlet box and protects you against "ground faults" whenever an electrical product is plugged into the outlet. Most receptacle-type GFCls can be installed so that they also protect other electrical outlets further "down stream" in the branch circuit. Installing these type of GFCIs requires the skill of a qualified electrician and should not be performed by the home owner.
* CIRCUIT BREAKER TYPE
In homes equipped with circuit breakers rather than fuses, a circuit breaker GFCI may be installed in a panel box to give protection to selected circuits The circuit breaker GFCI serves a dual purpose - not only will it shut off electricity in the event of a "ground-fault," it will also trip when a short circuit or an over-load occurs. Protection covers the wiring and each outlet, lighting fixture, heater, etc served by the branch circuit protected by the GFCI in the panel box. Once again these type of GFCIs also require the skill of a qualified electrician and should not be performed by the home owner.
* PORTABLE TYPE
Where permanent GFCls are not practical, portable GFCls may be used, one type contains the GFCI circuitry in a plastic encio-sure with plug blades in the back and receptacle slots in the front. It can be plugged into a receptacle then, the electrical product is plugged into the GFCI. Another type of portable GFCI is an extension cord combined with a GFCI. It adds flexibility in using receptacles that are not protected by GFCls. Each of these can be easly installed by the home owner where needed. Although portable types of GFCIs are not highly recommended due to the fact that they are portable they are still better than nothing untill a perminant type of GFCI is installed.
Where GFCIs Should Be Installed-- In homes built to comply with the National Electrical Code (NEC Code), GFCI protection is required for most outdoor receptacles (since 1973), bathroom receptacle circuits (since 1975), garage wall outlets (since 1978), kitchen receptacles (since 1987), and all receptacles in crawl spaces and unfinished basements (since 1990). Owners of homes that do not have GFCls installed in all those critical areas specified in the latest version of the NEC Code should consider having them installed. For broad protection, GFCI circuit breakers may be added in many panels of older homes to replace ordinary circuit breaker. For homes protected by fuses you are limited to receptacle or portable-type GFCIs and these may be installed in areas of greatest exposure, such as the bathroom, kitchen, basement, garage, and outdoor circuits. A GFCI should be used whenever operating electrically powered garden equipment (mower, hedge trimmer, edger, etc.). Consumers can obtain similar protection by using GFCIs with electric tools (drills, saws, sanders, etc.) for do-it-yourself work in and around the house.
Installing GFCs-- Circuit breaker and wall receptacle-type GFCIs should be installed in your home by a qualified electrician. Portable-type GFCIs may be installed by knowledgeable consumers familiar with electrical wiring practices who also follow the instructions accompanying the device. When in doubt about the proper procedure, contact a qualified electrician. Do not attempt to install it yourself.
Testing The GFCIs-- All GFCIs should be tested once a month to make sure they are working properly and are protecting you from fatal shock. GFCIs should be tested after installation to make sure they are working properly and protecting the circuit. To test the receptacle GFCI, first plug a night-light or lamp into the outlet. The light should be on Then, press the "TEST" button on the GFCI. The GFCI's "RESET" button should pop out, and the light should go out. If the "RESET" button pops out but the light does not go out, the GFCI has been improperly wired. Contact an electrician to correct the wiring errors. If the "RESET" button does not pop out, the GFC1 is defective and should be replaced. If the GFCI is functioning properly, and the lamp goes out, press the "RESET" button to restore power to the outlet.
To Sum It Up-- If your home does not have GFCIs installed where they should be it may be wise to install them for your protection. Lack of electrical protection in these areas will raise a red flag when performing a home inspection despite the age of the home. When it comes to electrical hazards the non-exsistance of GFCIs in the Kitchen, Bathroom, Garrage, Unfinished basement or Crawlspace as well as any outdoor receptical are your first line of electrical protection.
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In General-- As a Home Inspector I have listed several things that will raise a red flag during a home inspection if left unattended. Items like your fireplace, septic system or forced air heating system cannot be seen during a home inspection, but equally if left unattended still could pose a serious health and safety issue.
For more information on these subjects or other areas of concern, click on my "Links" and you will find a variety of web sites that can help answer any questions you may have regarding home safety and maintenance related items.
Thank you:
Keven J. Gehring
Keven J. Gehring
Owner/Inspector
