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Archive for the ‘Home Safety’ Category

Electrical Outlets Dangerous? Shocking!

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 by Inspector Bob

“Electrical outlets can pose hazard,” the newspaper headline  reads. Sounds obvious, right? Like “water is wet.”

Each year in the United States, between 3,000 and 5,000 people, mostly young children, are injured by inserting objects into electrical outlets.
These injuries will be prevented by a change in the National Electrical Code: as of 2008, all new homes are required to have tamper-resistant outlets. These outlets incorporate “shutters” that only open for electrical plugs, and not things like paper clips and screwdrivers.

Ask to see this tamper-resistant outlet sample.

Ask to see this tamper-resistant outlet sample.

Although these outlets are now required on new construction, there is no regulation requiring their installation in existing homes. However, installing these outlets is a relatively simple job that can be performed by any electrician; it’s also something a homeowner can do as a DIY project. Many home improvement books have complete instructions on how to replace outlets; just be sure to follow all the safety precautions.

At Inspections by Bob, we pride ourselves in keeping up with the changes in building technology, and work to keep our clients up to date on what they can do to make their homes safer. This means we are members of many associations, not just inspection-related. This includes the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI), the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), and more (for a complete list, please visit our web site).

The Home Checkup: A Gift of Safety

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 by Inspector Bob

Are you stumped about a gift idea for your parents? They probably don’t need (or want) more things that need dusting, and restrictive diets mean food gifts are problematic. Health issues may make travel gifts impractical. So what can you do?

You can give them (and yourself) the gift of Peace of Mind, with a Home and Safety Maintenance Checkup.

Home Safety shouldn't be left to luck.

Home Safety shouldn't be left to luck.

During  the Maintenance Checkup, we will ask questions about how the systems in the house are working. Are there drainage issues? Have the occupants noticed problems with the roof? How’s the plumbing? Then we go through the house and look at all the systems, noting whether they seem to be working properly, or require maintenance, or are safety hazards.

The Maintenance Checkup can reveal safety issues, such as electrical systems unsuited for home health equipment. It can also identify areas of “deferred maintenance” – things that should have been done over the years but have been put off (such as replacing filters or dealing with a drippy faucet).

A Maintenance Checkup Report is not the same as the Home Inspection we perform for real estate transactions. It focuses mostly on the upkeep of the systems in the house, and the safety of those systems. It can also include a Radon test, if needed, and water testing if the home is on well water.

This certificate will be personalized for your recipient.

This certificate will be personalized for your recipient.

We will send you (or your recipient) a handsome personalized certificate announcing your gift, and will schedule the inspection at their convenience. Reports can be sent to you and/or to the recipient; the choice is yours. Home Checkups start at just $299 for homes up to 2500 square feet, and $100 per additional thousand square feet. Radon and water tests are an additional $150 each. We can perform Home Checkups anywhere within our service area of Central Maryland. Checkups can be done on any type of dwelling, from Assisted Living rental units to single-family homes.

To order your Home Checkup Gift Certificate, contact our office at (301) 208-8289.

Natural Gas Leaks

Friday, October 9th, 2009 by Inspector Bob

One thing will stop me dead in my tracks when I approach a house: the smell of gas.

Natural gas or propane leaks are emergencies.

Natural gas or propane leaks are emergencies.

There is no such thing as a “small gas leak”. Any natural gas or propane leak is an emergency to be addressed immediately. The vital thing is to leave the house without operating any electrical items. Don’t use anything that could create an ignition source. That means don’t turn lights on or off, don’t use the telephone, don’t operate any switches at all. Leave the house (don’t lock the door) and call for help from either a cell phone or a neighbor’s house.

Response time for leaks is usually very low; I’ve seen Washington Gas trucks show up within minutes. They know how dangerous these situations can be!

Did you know that what you smell really isn’t gas at all? Natural gas and propane are odorless. To alert you to leaks, an odorant called Mercaptan is added to the gas. It is important to teach your children about this odor; once you’re exposed to it you will remember it for a long time. We have a limited number of scratch and sniff cards that let you smell an example of the odorant, so you know what to be alert for. Contact us if you’d like to have one.

Here is a good educational video from Washington Gas that outlines the importance of safety awareness. Although they only address natural gas, the same care should be taken for propane.

Washington Gas safety video

Dual-Key Deadbolts

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 by Inspector Bob

I always cringe when I hear these touted as “safety features”. They are anything but.

Did the occupant of this house have to search for a key?

Did the occupant of this house have to search for a key?

It’s a nightmare scenario: in the middle of the night, your smoke alarm goes off. You wake up to a house rapidly filling with dense smoke. You crawl to the front door and try to open it, but the deadbolt is locked. The key to the deadbolt isn’t in the lock, because you didn’t want to give a burglar easy access by cracking the glass in the sidelight and reaching through to unlock the door. So the key is somewhere else… probably resting on the piece of trim directly over the door. Reaching it means standing up in the hot fumes, fumbling to find the key. If you manage to find it, you then need to get it into the lock, with your eyes watering and lungs burning. You’ve lost precious escape seconds.

Egress doors should not be key-operated from the inside.

Egress doors should not be key-operated from the inside.

 

All exterior doors should have single-key deadbolts, with a knob on the interior to unlock it. If the door has a glass inset, or there are glass sidelights, you can reinforce these with stronger glass to prevent break-ins. Belongings can be replaced; it is far more important to make sure the occupants of a home can get out in an emergency.

Not what you want to find on an egress door.

Not what you want to find on an egress door.

Fire code calls for egress doors that do not require “special knowledge” to operate. The location of a key qualifies as special knowledge.

College Dorm Safety Checklist

Monday, August 31st, 2009 by Inspector Bob

Moving your child into a college dorm can be a hectic time. In between the clutter and chaos, it can be too easy to overlook possible safety hazards. Most colleges are vigilant about safety, but it is always smart to check for yourself that you are leaving your child in a safe environment. Dorms have to comply with different regulations than privately-owned residences, and standards can also vary state by state. Here are some general guidelines for what I looked for when we brought our daughter to college this year.

Egress

A small dorm room

A small dorm room

Any room used as sleeping quarters must have a window large enough for not only the occupants to escape, but also for a fully-outfitted firefighter to get in. Make sure there is no furniture blocking the window.

Smoke Detectors

Every room should have one of these.

Every room should have one of these.

Every room should have a functioning smoke detector. There should be either a steady “ready” light, or one that blinks occasionally. We do NOT recommend testing the alarm on your own, as it will likely be connected to a central monitoring station, and testing an individual unit would probably bring the fire department running.

Sprinklers

Most newer dorms have sprinkler systems.

Most newer dorms have sprinkler systems.

Most new or renovated dorms will have automatic sprinkler systems. Older buildings may not yet be retrofitted.

Pull Stations and Fire Extinguishers

Pull stations should be easily accessible.

Pull stations should be easily accessible.

These should be located in easily-accessible areas throughout the building. You should be able to see one from every dorm door.

Fire-Rated Doors and Fire Exits

Dorm rooms should have self-closing doors that are rated to withstand fire damage longer than normal residential doors. Exterior fire exit doors should be clearly-marked, with illuminated signs leading to them. Hallways leading to fire doors should be kept clear of clutter. Make sure your child knows the location of every emergency exit; he or she should also know how many doors are between their room and any exit, since hallways can be shrouded with smoke during a fire.

Electrical Safety

Outlets in the dorm room should be tightly secured, so plugs stay firmly in place during use. Loose or wobby outlets should be reported immediately.

Bathrooms

These outlets can save lives.

These outlets can save lives.

Anywhere you have water and electricity in close proximity, all outlets should be protected by Ground Fault Circuit Interruption (GFCI). These special outlets are identified by either a “Test-Reset” button on the outlet, or a label.

Hot Water

Bring along an instant-read thermometer and test the temperature of the hot water. It should be 120 degrees or less. Anything higher than that is a burn hazard. If you don’t have a thermometer handy, you can get a rough idea by turning on the hot water and testing it with your hand: if you say “ouch” before ten seconds are up, it’s too hot.

Security

Exterior doors should be self-closing and self-locking. Access should be allowed only by code, key or key card.

What About Off-Campus Housing?

It is common for older students to move from a dorm to an apartment off-campus. A well-run apartment building will have most, if not all, of the safety features listed above. However, the temptation to save money may lead the student to seek a cheap alternative, such as a basement room in a shared house. Such rentals can be risky, especially with regards to fire safety. I have seen illegal basement apartments where the bedrooms are windowless, and the only egress was through a galley kitchen.

Some Last Advice

The best thing you can do for your child is to teach them to be aware of their surroundings. My daughter knows to look for smoke detectors anywhere she plans to sleep, and knows why egress windows are important. She knows that her college has “safety stations” throughout the campus, which she can use to summon help. She also knows that she is responsible for her own safety now, and we have given her the knowledge to do just that.

Dorm room all set up... Time for college to begin!

Dorm room all set up... Time for college to begin!

Why am I still finding Polybutylene Pipes?

Thursday, July 9th, 2009 by Inspector Bob

When Polybutylene was first introduced in the late 1970s, it was supposed to revolutionize plumbing. It did change the industry for a while, until the troubles began.

It turned out that the “crimp” type fittings would corrode, and start to leak, then they would corrode faster, and eventually the pipe would blow off the fitting and flood the house.

Damage caused by polybutylene pipe failure (source: www.polybutylene.com)

Damage caused by polybutylene pipe failure (source: www.polybutylene.com)

There was a well-advertised class action lawsuit and subsequent recall where the manufacturer would pay to have polybutylene replaced, but that ended a few years ago.

Obviously when there is a recall and the manufacturer is forced to pay for the replacement, there is a latent defect and there should not be an argument about replacing it. Yet, I still get push back from sellers saying “It hasn’t leaked yet!”

There are cases where homeowners insurance companies have denied claims resulting from water damage due to polybutylene pipes bursting. Some insurance companies will not issue coverage at all to houses with polybutylene.

Typical polybutylene pipes at a recent inspection

Typical polybutylene pipes at a recent inspection

After all these years, Home Inspectors have learned a lot about polybutylene piping, the different types, and the different connectors.  There are some connections which were NOT recalled and have never, and may never, leak. The problem is MOST houses have a combination of connection types with at least ONE of the worrisome copper crimp type connectors somewhere just waiting to fail when you are away on a long weekend.

If you have the crimp type Polybutylene you should probably have it inspected, and if you are planning to sell, have it REPLACED as that will be the opinion of most Home Inspectors. It is not a matter of if it will fail, but when.

Crimp-type fittings are the ones most prone to failure.

Crimp-type fittings are the ones most prone to failure.

Make absolutely sure there are none of the recalled connections under a toilet, connection to a shower control, or to a hose faucet. There are places I have found them on houses that were SUPPOSED to be crimp free.

For more information on polybutylene pipes, as well as pictures of the various connection types, visit http://www.polybutylene.com.

Hot, Hotter… Too Hot!!

Friday, June 5th, 2009 by Inspector Bob

Why don’t I go into very hot attics?

Essentially, because I might not make it out alive. Yes, a hot attic can be fatal. We have all read about dogs and children being killed in hot cars, but your ATTIC can be just as bad, if not worse, because it has been cooking all day in hot sunshine.

Temperatures this high can be fatal.

Temperatures this high can be fatal.

I routinely see attic temperatures well above 140 degrees, and at those temperatures, even if there is a pull down stair and an adequate walkway, just entering it can be dangerous. Contact burns are very likely at those temperatures; touching wood will hurt, and touching a metal surface such as a bare pipe, truss-plate or nail will burn the skin within a few seconds.

Getting the Facts

When I went looking for information for this post, I called OSHA, NIOSH, CDC, the fire Department, ASHREA and many more agencies, and scoured the internet for rules, standards and recommendations. There were none; lots about the symptoms of heat stroke, and that it can kill, how to treat it, drinking water and more, but nothing about how hot and how long. Then I found a VERY good document published by, of all people, the Coast Guard.  Wow… I like the internet.

The Coast Guard has the best documentation on exposure vs. temperature.  Interestingly, their chart STOPS at 125 degrees F.  Speaking with one of the authors of the document, the reasoning was that the Coast Guard  would be unwilling to subject their people to temperatures higher than that.  At 125 degrees, the working time appears to be about 7 minutes.

The chart below gives the accepted work times (Personnel Heat Exposure Limits) for three different levels of activity. The “A” times are for the least amount of activity (just standing in the room); the “C” time is heavy activity (such as lifting or constant motion). As a Home Inspector, I would follow the “B” curve — I’m moving around, but not doing heavy work.

Source: US Coast Guard

Source: US Coast Guard

So, for a 125-degree attic, my maximum exposure time is about 15 minutes; after that, I’m in serious danger.

What About the Stuff?

People aren’t alone in suffering ill effects from attic heat. Furnaces and heat pumps installed in attics don’t last as long as units in basements. They wear out VERY Fast. Even if the unit has 3/4″ of insulation on the cabinet, if the attic is 146 degrees, and you are trying to cool air to 68 degrees, you are going to have issues including stress on the equipment, condensation, thermal deformation and more. Never mind trying to service it during a heat wave (or touching the metal cabinet). No technician should attempt a repair in such a brutal environment.

As for storing stuff up there: DON’T. Natural materials such as cotton, wool, silk, or leather, will usually tolerate temperature extremes. But synthetics such as polyester, nylon, plastic and other “modern” materials and fabrics can melt, deform, stick, release toxic fumes, and otherwise are heavily damaged by exposures to such temperatures.

Attic Fans

Attic Fans are a MUST if your roof has no shading from trees, and is highly recommended for any roof with significant southern exposure. Passive “ridge vents” are not enough; on stagnant, humid days they are pretty much ineffective, and that’s when you’d need the most ventilation help.

It’s important to choose the correct fan, and install it properly. This is an example of a correctly installed attic fan.

Properly installed attic fan

Properly installed attic fan

Here’s a very creative solution spotted during a past inspection. It’s really not wise to improvise when safety is at stake.

This is NOT an attic fan. At least, it shouldn't be.

This is NOT an attic fan. At least, it shouldn't be.

Installing a fan isn’t enough; you need to run power to it as well!

Attic fans need electricity to work!

Attic fans need electricity to work!

A excessively hot attic can degrade the shingles, the roof decking, any equipment in the attic, the wiring in the attic, affect your cooling bill (substantially) and more.

How hot is too hot?

It looks like about 120 degrees is the 1/2 hour limit, and that is also the maximum recommended temperature setting for water heaters, among other things. That is what MY attic fans are set for.

I carry a laser thermometer to check attic temperatures before venturing up the ladder. On hot summer days, I will inspect the attic space first, before it’s had the chance to heat up — but even then, it might still be too hot to enter.

Don’t take chances with a hot attic. You can be overcome by heat and find yourself unable to reach safety before succumbing.

Venting About Dryer Vents

Thursday, March 19th, 2009 by Inspector Bob

Almost every Home has one, most of the time we don’t think about it, and it is a contributing factor in a third of all house fires. It’s your clothes dryer vent.
The purpose of a clothes dryer vent is to transport the hot, moist,lint-laden air from the clothes dryer to the outside of the home. That sounds simple enough, but there are MANY things that can interfere with this very simple process, and that can lead to a catastrophic fire.

Step One: Dryer to Vent Pipe

Ideally, the dryer should line up with the connection point on the laundry room wall and just pushing the dryer to the wall would connect everything and there would be no “connection”.  I have only seen this ONCE in 6 years.

Unfortunately, what I see most often is a complete 12-foot-long section of flexible dryer vent hose used to span an 18-inch gap, with all the extra length twisted up and stuffed in a pile behind the dryer, like in this house:

Excess dryer vent hose stuffed behind dryer

Excess dryer vent hose stuffed behind dryer

Why This Is a Problem

First of all, just using the flexible spiral pipe can void the warranty on most dryers. Next, the 12 foot length of that coiled-up pipe has just used HALF of the total length of dryer pipe allowed. And last, regardless of what the package says as to approvals and the like, flexible dryer pipes are a FIRE HAZARD. Why? Because they are not SMOOTH on the inside, so they collect lint, causing “hardening of the dryer vent,” just as arteries in the body are blocked with cholesterol.

Clogged dryer vent

Clogged dryer vent

Once the dryer vent becomes clogged, the dryer takes longer to dry your clothes, has to work harder to dry those clothes, and costs you more money to dry those clothes.  As the dryer is now working harder, it gets warmer, and since the lint can no longer get out of the dryer, it backs up into the dryer, where it builds up and leads to a dryer fire.

The Solution

Best: Use a piece of sheet metal pipe to go the needed distance.
Next Best: Use a METAL dryer connector
Acceptable: Use a piece of SMOOTH BORE Flexible Metal Pipe

We have only connected the Dryer to the Pipe that hopefully goes outside… Now we need to look at THAT pipe…

Step Two: The Vent Pipe

This is the pipe that carries the hot, humid, lint-laden air through the walls of your home and exhausts them to the outdoors.

This pipe should have no interior obstructions, including screws and other fasteners. You want an absolutely smooth interior. The joints need to be facing the OUTSIDE, the pipe needs to be supported, and it needs to be SHORT.

The rule for many years has been that a dryer vent pipe should be no longer than 25 feet as measured from the inlet where it connects to the dryer to the outside exhaust point. Each 45-degree elbow counts as 2.5 feet, an elbow as 5 feet. If the dryer is on an outside wall, we have no problem, but often the dryer is in an alcove in the middle to front of the house. We might have a 90 degree bend at the dryer to go down below the floor, then another elbow to turn it towards the outside, and then because the builder doesn’t want the exhaust vent on the front of the house we go all the way to the back of the house, 35 feet away. So lets calculate what the dryer might be trying to breathe through:

  • 12 feet of crinkled/crumpled dryer hose immediately behind the dryer
  • One 90 degree turn (counts as 5 feet)
  • 2 feet of pipe to get to the basement
  • Another 90 degree turn (counts as another 5 feet)
  • 35 feet of pipe

So the dryer is trying to push all that wet lint out a pipe equivalent to 59 feet long when the MAXIMUM is supposed to be 25 feet.

This dryer vent hose could be a major safety issue.

This dryer vent hose could be a major safety issue.

Is there a solution for this long dryer vent?  Yes, there are specialty “booster fans” that can go in the dryer pipe to “boost” the flow.  Those fans have their own rules about where they need to be, but they solve SOME of the problems.

Fantech Brochure

Fantech Booster Fan

Fantech Booster Fan

Other Issues

Dryer pipes in attics need to be insulated. Think about it: you have a metal dryer pipe running through unheated space. This pipe is carrying hot, humid air loaded with lint. In winter, the pipe will be cooled by the cold attic air. The moisture (and the lint) will condense inside the pipe, leading to clogs.

During the 1970s, the energy crisis led people to stop “wasting” the heat from their dryers by venting them inside the house. This isn’t recommended; most gadgets designed for trapping the lint don’t work very well and need to be emptied often. Even venting into a crawl space can invite problems.

I’ve seen dryer pipes that go up through the roof, 2 floors straight up. Hmm; that 25-foot maximum doesn’t say anything about which direction. However, pushing wet lint straight up is certainly harder than pushing out horizontally.

Why Am I So Picky?

Why am I so picky on dryer vent pipes? Because they have the very real possibility of killing people or destroying their homes. Here’s one example about a tragic Massachusetts fire:

Dryer Fire Kills Lexington Mother

I was telling this to one of my clients during an inspection and he held up his hand to signal me to stop. ”Bob, you don’t need to say any more… those ‘people’ you speak of whose home caught fire? I was one of those people… We HAD a fire start in the dryer in our last home.”

This isn’t an urban legend; this is real and very very preventable. THAT’S why I am this picky about dryer vents.

More Information

FEMA statistics on dryer fires

Consumer Reports article on Dryer Venting Safety

Consumer Product Safety Commission advisory on Dryer Safety


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