Not all fires are the same. Some fires smolder and smoke for hours before flaming up and some fires burn quick without much smoke.  It makes good sense to install an alarm with duel detection features.

The most popular type sold in the U.S. today is the Ionization alarm. This type monitors ‘ions,' or electrically charged particles in the air. Air molecules in a sample chamber are ‘ionized' by a radioactive source. This allows a small electrical current flow. Smoke particles entering the sensing chamber change the electrical balance of the air. When combustion (smoke) particles enter the alarm, they obstruct the flow of the current. An alarm is pre-programmed to sound when the current gets too low. Ionization smoke alarms respond first to fast flaming fires. A flaming fire devours combustibles extremely fast, spreads rapidly and generates considerable heat with little smoke. This alarm is best suited for rooms that contain highly combustible materials like cooking fat/grease, flammable liquids, newspaper, paint and cleaning solutions.

Photoelectronic alarms contain a light emitting diode (LED) which is adjusted to direct a narrow infrared light across the unit's detection chamber. When smoke particles enter this chamber they interfere with the beam and scatter the light. A strategically placed photodiode monitors the amount of light scattered within the chamber. When a pre-set level of light strikes the photodiode, the alarm is activated.Photoelectronic smoke alarms respond first to slow smoldering fires. A smoldering fire generates large amounts of thick, black smoke with little heat.

Photoelectronic models are best suited for living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens because they often contain large pieces of furniture, such as sofas, chairs, mattresses, counter tops, etc. which burn slowly and create more smoldering smoke than flames.

Photoelectronic smoke alarms are also less prone to nuisance alarms in the kitchen area than ionization smoke alarms.

I suggest the use of a duel detector that uses both the ionization and the Photoelectronic features. Together they should provide a home with maximum protection and an ample warning in the event of a fire.

Concrete Cracks

One of the most common questions I receive during my inspection orientation concerns concrete cracks and concrete failure. Why is the home's concrete cracking and is this a shoddy job?

The fact is, when installed properly; concrete is one the most durable and long lasting products in your home. But, there are well-established rules and guidelines with respect to installation that can affect its durability, strength, and resistance to cracking.

Let's look at a few reasons concrete cracks:

•1)      Excess water in the mix.

It's no secret that concrete is heavy. When it's being poured from the truck the concrete is stiff and hard to maneuver. In an effort to make it lighter and easier to move some contractors often add water to the mix. But the excess water also greatly reduces the strength of the concrete.

As the concrete cures or hardens, it shrinks. This shrinkage is one of the main causes of the cracking and the wetter or soupier the mix the greater the shrinkage. It's not uncommon to shrink as much as ½ inch in 100 feet. So, a low water to cement ratio during installation is the number one issue effecting concrete quality and any excess water reduces this ratio. The result - increased cracking.

What you can do about it? Well by the time the home is being inspected not a lot. But during the construction period one way to help combat cracking is choosing a reputable contractor who will make certain the concrete has the proper water mix as its being poured. Is it more expensive to pour stiff concrete? In terms of labor cost...yes. But it pays off in the long run.

•2)      Rapid Drying of the concrete

Once the concrete is poured and in place, add water! Wait a minute...I thought we just said don't add water? Well now we want water...that's right! The ideal technique to cure concrete is to keep the concrete wet as it goes through the curing process.

Concrete that dries too fast will crack, so you want to slow the hydration or chemical reaction process the concrete goes though. As it cures concrete is transformed from a liquid or plastic state to a solid state. This process continues to occur for days and sometime weeks after you pour.  Adding water to slow down this reaction time will help lessen the propensity of the concrete to crack. How do we add the water? Several ways:

1. Water cure-the concrete is dampened or mist sprayed after the pour to help prevent mix water evaporation.
2. Water retaining methods-use coverings such as sand, canvas, burlap, or straw. These products are kept continuously wet for the entire curing period.
3. Waterproof paper or plastic film seal- applied as soon as the concrete is hard enough to resist surface damage. Use caution here; plastic films may cause discoloration of the concrete and you don't want that if you intend to do not stain or use it as a finished floor surface.
4. Chemical Membranes- this kind of application should be made as soon as the concrete is finished. Note: curing compounds can affect adherence of resilient flooring, so you may want to contract your flooring contractor and/or chemical membrane manufacturer for further guidance.  

•3)      Improper strength concrete poured on the job

Concrete's strength is measured in pounds per square inch (PSI). Once fully cured, the higher the number the harder the concrete and, the higher the PSI the longer the cure time. There are minimum standards for concrete strength. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) minimum standard for residential construction is a PSI reading of 2,500. Too much water in the mix can lower that number and weaken its ability to resist stress.

•4)      Lacks of control joints.

Control joints help concrete crack where you want it to. The joints or seams should be of the depth of the slab and no more than 2-3 times (in feet) of the thickness of the concrete (in inches). So a 4"concrete slab should have joints 8-12' apart. Longer sections tend to crack more often.

•5)      Weak subsurface or pad.

The sub grade must be prepared according to your particular soil conditions. Some flatwork can have concrete poured right on native grade. In other areas 6"of base fill may be required along with steel rebar installed for added strength.

Any areas beneath the slab that are not to be filled with concrete; i.e. plumbing and other mechanical trenches should be brought back to grade in compacted lifts. That means a 24" deep trench would be backfilled 6" at a time, each "lift" being mechanically vibrated or packed so it is left compact.

If the excavated areas are not compacted when backfilled, the loose soil will, in time, settle and leave the concrete over that area with no support. That zone then becomes a prime place for concrete to settle. Since the soil next to the excavated area is native soil or tightly compacted, the un-compacted trench can literally become a thoroughfare for water.

•6)      Temperature

Never pour concrete in sub-freezing weather conditions.  Like the human body, concrete must be warmed or covered in the winter.

Both fresh and newly-hardened concrete lose moisture and heat rapidly in cold-weather conditions. You must protect cold weather concrete against early freezing to assure strength development and job progress.

If you do attempt to try your hand at cold weather pours, use insulation blankets or heated enclosures to maintain concrete temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit for at least three to seven days. Then maintain the concrete temperature above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for at least four more days. Cold air retards the evaporation rate and setting time of concrete.

 If you inspect your home and find a cracked driveway, walk or patio and wonder if it's the builder, the sub-contractor or the supplier, remember that you'll have to ask a number of other questions before getting a good concrete answer.

An in-depth inspection of this holiday season reveals that, unlike many fads and remembrances that have come and gone, the aforementioned is based, in part, on faith and love and has continued to inspire throughout the ages. Some daily maintenance is suggested during the year by sharing the abundance of who you are through loving-kindness. Although some aspects of the investigation were found to be beyond our scope of understanding, we find that the season is manifest through the promotion of good will and that the greatest gift that one can give this holiday season and in fact all year long is in the sharing of your love. In summary, we hope the best for you in the coming year and that you have a Happy Holiday Season!

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year!

One of the most important aspects of hiring the home inspector is in the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge and understanding of the professional. His or her in-depth understandings of the principles of residential construction are paramount. The inspector's perspective, reporting methods and opinions may vary based on the apparent facts and the inspector's ideals.

In the State of Mississippi, to help eliminate inconsistent reporting and establish a more unified profession, certain standards were adopted. In order to create this standard Mississippi chose the American Society of Home Inspectors' Standards of Practice as a guideline. The state also adopted ASHI's Code of Ethics to guide inspector conduct. Section 2.1 of the standard reads in part: "The purpose of these Standards of Practice is to establish a minimum and uniform standard for home inspectors"...

However, the establishment of a minimum does not limit the inspector to the quantity of information reported, the means by which the report is delivered or the arrangement of the report details. Each individual inspector is left to provide the details of the report as they deem appropriate, as long as they include, at the very least, the minimum standard adopted.

In section 2.2. the standard reads:

The home inspection report should include what's been inspected, the recommendations to correct or monitor those items that have been inspected, if deficient, the reasons for including the deficiencies, and if a system or component is not inspected, the inspector is to give a reason why they were not inspected.

Care should be taken to assure that your home inspector has included the above items in his/her reporting methods.

Click here for a complete copy of the standards and code of ethics.

Gary Smith

SafeHome Inspections

www.garynsmith.net

601-454-5559 wireless

I was asked not long ago by a fellow home inspector how he should/could explain to his client that the house he just inspected is a piece of crap and not worth any amount of money? How can I tell my customer to RUN, not walk away from this deal?

My response was to report what you see and keep your personal feelings out of the mix.

You are hired to see and report your findings on the conditions of the home. Giving advice on whether or not to buy is not part of your job and is a very bad idea.

Where do you draw the line? One too many items on your list? Will you tell them to walk after say...3 items, 4? or is your number 12? What list of issues should you or do you use that would motivate you to grab your client by the hand (or throat) and "get their attention"?

The most important aspect of what we do in this profession is communicate. When we make determinations about what we see we do so from the facts which are obvious (the light does not come on when I throw the switch) and we have the opportunity to comment on the color of the light switch, whether it's dirty or clean, if it's cracked, and/or a long list of other issues we could use to communicate the facts.

When we take the facts about an issue and mix with that our personal convictions we begin to transform the facts into philosophical ideas based on our own convictions. When we begin to introduce our own "personal values" we project those values in a manner that transforms the reporting of facts into subjective, philosophical ideas. We begin to dilute the facts into emotion.

When we include emotions in our fact finding we are no longer held to what we see but how we feel about what we see based on our own personal experience about the issue...and that is where the door is pushed wide open and "miscommunication" steps in. Because I will not feel the same about what I see as another inspector will. Or a home owner. Or the agent. Or anyone else. We all will see the issues from a completely different set of "values".

Commenting about whether or not someone should make a purchase is not why we're hired, the facts become clouded by the inspector's convictions, and the report is transformed from factual to emotional. And that's dangerous...

A home inspector should stay unbiased and keep his/her personal opinions to themselves.

The good thing about the Jackson, MS metro, and anywhere there are a number of choices for inspectors, is that there are those who will openly give advice on another's purchase decisions. But for this inspector, giving advice on the purchase is a bad idea.

Gary Smith

http://www.garynsmith.net/

Dear Gary,

I am working on a remodeling project at home and am told that the holes I bore in my studs to feed the plumbing and wiring must be of a certain size. Is this true and if so what size is appropriate not to weaken the stud and to meet city building code requirements?

Richard-Jackson, MS

Richard,

The diameter of drilled holes in studs should not exceed 40 percent of the stud depth, and the minimum edge distance to the boundary of the hole shall not be less than 5/8-inch. When studs are doubled, drilled holes should not exceed 60 percent of the stud depth. Holes of maximum diameter should not occur in more than two consecutive studs. Adjacent holes, or holes and notches should not occur in the same cross section. As an example, a 2x4 can have a maximum hole of 1 3/8-inch or 2 inches if studs are doubled.

I hope this helps and good luck with your project!

Gary Smith

Home Inspector-Home Builder

Exhaust Fan 10

Compactors 6

Dishwashers 9

Disposers, Food Waste 12

Dryers, Electric 13

Dryers, Gas 13

Freezers 11

Microwave Ovens 9

Ranges, Electric 13

Ranges, Gas 15

Range/Oven Hoods 14

Refrigerators, Compact 9

Refrigerators, Standard 13

Washers 10

Water Heaters, Electric 11

Water Heaters, Gas 10

Air-Conditioners, Room 10

Air-Conditioners, Unitary 15

Boilers, Electric 13

Boilers, Gas 21

Dehumidifiers 8

Furnaces, Warm-Air, Electric 15

Furnaces, Warm-Air, Gas 18

Furnaces, Warm-Air, Oil 20

Heat Pumps 16

Humidifiers 8

You have your home under contract, the appraisal has been ordered and things are moving pretty fast. The sales contract states that your buyer has ten days in which to conduct a property inspection. Now two of those days are gone and you don't have much time to waist.

Here are some tips for preparing for your home check-up.

1. Unlock all gates and doors to allow free access to rear yards, storage rooms and other areas normally locked or off limits.
2. Plan to have pets contained or boarded to prevent bites, lost pets, or a frightened inspector.
3. Remove personal items from underneath pull down stair ways, attic access doors and scuttle hole crawl spaces.
4. Remove personal items from in front to the electrical panel. Especially important in storage rooms.
5. Replace burned out or broken attic and crawl space lamps.
6. Have available any permits you acquired while remodeling or having repairs made since you moved in.
7. Provide the inspector with a disclosure statement on your home.
8. If you have a system or component that does not operate tell the inspector and give a reason why and how long it has not worked.
9. Do not rush the inspector or interrupt their inspection. Usually a home inspection will take about 2-3 hours.
10. Make sure all windows and doors are in proper operating condition.

According to the American Society of Home Inspectors, (ASHI), a residential home inspector is responsible for inspecting the readily accessible systems and components of your home. They are to inspect the systems and components and report on the areas which, in the professional opinion of the inspector, are deficient or significantly deficient. The inspector is to state a reason why those items are deficient and report their recommendations to correct or monitor the reported deficiency.

The inspector is also to report on the items not inspected and give a reason why those items were not inspected.

Great care should be taken by the inspector to leave the property in the condition they found it. With your help and these tips your inspection will be a smooth process and you'll be unpacking in your new home soon.

Gary,

My sister-in-law's sister is buying a home and the dryer vent blows into the garage.  My brother (who builds some too and been in and around construction all of his life) said that the dryer vent at the home discharged into the garage and he believe this was against code. Can you tell me if this is the case?

Lisa

__________________________________

Lisa,

Your request for clarification introduces somewhat of a dilemma that home inspectors find themselves in from time to time. Allow me to attempt to explain some of the parameters and boundaries that are in place with respect to code violations and the home inspection. I believe for the most part this question involves interpretation.

First and foremost we (licensed inspectors) in the state of Mississippi are not "Code" inspectors. We have no jurisdictional authority or ability under State law to enforce code. Code enforcement responsibilities are held by the building official in the county or city in which the building construction permit is issued.

Mississippi does not have a uniform building code. Each community governs this process independently. In some locations (since there is no state policy) use the 2003 International Residential Code (IRC) and some use the 2006 IRC. Some use a much earlier version. Some locals don't have a permit office at all and a builder (or individual, since any one can build a home) does not have to apply for a permit or have his/her work monitored in any way at all.

As a licensed home builder for over 24 years, I have seen codes evolve, change, die, be introduced and enforced by the building official in many ways. As part of my responsibilities as a contractor I try and build by code rules. In order to build by code I have, over the years, owned several different versions of the IRC code book. The latest is the 2006 IRC.

With reference to the 2006 IRC Code for One and Two Family Dwellings:

Chapter One

Part 1-Administrative

DUTIES AND PROWERS OF THE BUILDING OFFICIAL

                SECTION R104 General. (in part)

"The building official is hereby authorized and directed to enforce the provisions of this code. The building official shall have the authority to render interpretations of this code and to adopt policies and procedures in order to clarify the application of its provisions."

This code section goes on to explain the process of application for construction, how and when they inspect, how and when their records of inspection are kept, and rules of how their actions are protected when they enforce or carry out their duties for the state. In the sections of how and when they inspect, with respect to finalizing the process and allowing a family to live there, after the last inspection is finished the building department (with approval from the building official) a certificate of occupancy is issued. With this document in hand, the builder (as far as he/she is concerned) is officially finished with the home.

Specifically, with respect to dryer vents, the 2006 IRC Mechanical Code reads:

Chapter 15

EXHAUST SYSTEMS

SECTION M1501 General.

Outdoor Discharge.

"The air removed by every mechanical exhaust system shall be discharged to the outdoors. Air shall not be exhausted into an attic, soffit, ridge vent or crawl space."

SECTION M1502  CLOTHES DRYER EXHAUST

M1502.1 General.

"Dryer exhaust systems shall be independent of all other systems, and shall convey the moisture to the outdoors."

So...based on the code book the building official (in my opinion) allowed the vent to be discharged into the garage in his attempt to define "outdoors"? I am very cautious in my attempt to decipher his/her reasoning.

Yes, you could make a case that you personally don't want the dryer vent to terminate in the garage. As a suggestion, put it on a punch list and ask the builder to change it. But, since the house has all the necessary utility hookups I am of the impression that the building official has already issued a certificate of occupancy. Most likely he/she will explain to you that the home is finished. Maybe he will work with you and change it? As a builder if this were my client, I would attempt to resolve the issue.

Gary Smith - Mid MS Inspections

I am a one man inspection company. I know it's important to answer the phone and I do the best I can to catch all of my calls. In the past I have missed a call or two. It's hard to get to some calls if your hands are full of tools or you are in a deep conversation with a client.

The other day I missed a call and didn't get a chance to check the message until the end of the day. After returning the call to one particular client I learned that they had booked another inspector just 1 hour after my not answering the call.

With respect to the inspection contingency what is the average length of time a buyer has to respond to the contingency? 3 days? 7 days? 10 days? 

Home Inspections in Central MS - Gary N Smith