Always something new in this business



At a home inspection the other day a resourceful home owner reused his beer bottle cap to stop a drain leak on his aged water heater.

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Outdated smoke detectors & some different types

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In the recent past months I have found a very  high percentage of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are outdated. A majority of detectors require replacement every 10 years or if they "chirp" even after replacing the battery. Our state home inspection standards require us to: "Check the presence or absence of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms" So, we are not required to test these devices, though it's very rare that we do not. I came across this article recently and felt it worth sharing. In short, the article is stating several states now require combination units to be installed in new homes, which I think is a huge step in the right direction. The full article is in the Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/home_and_garden/2016/03/27/01-state-code-embraces-photoelectric-smoke-alarms.html Prices on these units are typically less than $25. each. Certainly not worth waiting until it's too late
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Defective afci breaker

AFCI protection is sooo important.We often recommend GFI protection and forget to recommend AFCI's. Testing one inside a sub panel recently it did not trip as required leaving the bedroom circuit unprotected. If you have one in your panel you should check it per manufacturers recommendations, typically once per month. An  arc-fault circuit interrupter  ( AFCI ) also known as an  arc-fault detection device  ( AFDD ) [1]  is a  circuit breaker  that breaks the circuit when it detects an  electric arc  in the circuit it protects to prevent electrical fires. An AFCI selectively distinguishes between a harmless arc (incidental to normal operation of switches, plugs, and brushed motors), and a potentially dangerous arc (that can occur, for example, in a lamp cord which has a broken conductor). AFCI breakers have been required for circuits in residential bedrooms by since 1999
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Are fogged windows a cosmetic issue?

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By now you have probably seen a fogged window or two. There are some that can be repaired, however it will not have the insulating gas between the panes of glass as it did originally. The only way to do this is to replace the window assembly.  A typical double pane window here in the south, will have an R value of somewhere between 2.0 & 3.0. After it looses it's seal this diminishes even more. To put this R value in perspective, insulation in your attic built locally here today would be an R38! Huge difference. So, window manufactures also take into account U values which is how well or poorly it transfers heat. R-value, U-value or U-factor – R-value indicates the resistance to heat flow through a window. U-value, the inverse of R-value, indicates a window’s tendency to transfer heat. Both R-value and U-value are measures of heat flow through a window. This is a sample of how a new window might look.
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