safety: Home Inspection Video Blog - Safety Egress - 02/17/10 12:02 PM
This home inspection video blog is about safety egress. In a bedroom, two exits are needed in case of a fire. One exit is usually the door to the room, and the other usually an open-able window or another door. This video shows a safety hazard that did not follow the rule. I hope you enjoy it:
I hope this gives you a little more information about a professional home inspection and its value. Be safe out there.
Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection
(c) 2010 Joseph Lang … (0 comments)
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safety: Home Inspection Video Blog - Hand Rails - 01/13/10 03:46 PM
This home inspection video blog in Fontana, CA is about hand rail safety. I often see safety issues with hand rails which should be immediately repaired. Stairs are a very common place for accidents and injuries. The elderly and the young are most susceptible, but everyone is at risk. I hope you enjoy the video blog below.
I hope this gives you a little more information about a professional home inspection and its value. Be safe out there.
Posted by Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection
(c) 2010 … (8 comments)
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safety: Clearance, Cans on Isle 3 (A Home Inspection Blog) - 11/03/09 11:25 AM
Okay, I have to admit, this is not a blog about the supermarket or department store. But it is about something I find quite often in attics. It has to do with older "canned" recessed lighting. Look at the picture below:
The picture is of the older canned lighting in the attic. If you look on the white can, just above the metal box in the picture, you can barely see a white label with red letters. The label generally reads something to the effect of, "Warning, risk of fire, 3-inch minimum clearance needed to combustibles." Of course "combustibles" refers … (6 comments)
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safety: A Real Knock Out Home Inspection Blog - 08/05/09 11:49 AM
Of course as home inspectors we are very concerned about safety. Some safety items are more serious than others and some can be expensive or cheap to repair.
Main electrical panels are always a concern for safety. With all the power for the entire house running through the electrical panel, it's not to be taken lightly. Look at the picture below:
There is a missing breaker in the area labeled "dryer." In and of itself that's not a problem. The problem is leaving that space open. There are plastic covers that will fit in that area to cover … (2 comments)
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safety: Beware While Shopping Foreclosures! - 06/16/09 02:46 PM
I would estimate that about 80 - 90% of the homes we inspect these days are foreclosures... at least they're vacant. We often find very interesting things during these home inspections. But the warning I give you today does not concern home inspections (please read my other blogs for that).
We come across a lot of black widows at vacant houses. I'm no spider expert and have seen quite a few black widows in my life. I knew they are poisonous but never realized how dangerous they are. I was watching a show the other day with a name similar to … (4 comments)
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safety: Recalled Attic Furnace Info (A Home Inspection Blog) - 03/03/09 09:57 AM
My last blog was about a recall, so I'll continue that theme. I came across this a few weeks ago.
Now I didn't inspect this house, I simply saw it as I was driving, so I stopped and took a picture. Though I can't be sure, it looks like the fire was caused by the attic furnace (the rectangular box to the left of the chimney).
The recalled attic furnaces were built between 1983 and 1994 and were installed horizontally. The issue was a NOX rod that was defective and started fires. The Torrance Fire Department … (6 comments)
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safety: AFCI Breaker Recall Info (A Home Inspection Informational Blog) - 03/02/09 09:40 AM
Part of being a good home inspector is being familiar with recalls. One such recall is listed below.
AFCI breakers were instituted for safety beginning in 2002 and are required in bedroom circuits. They provide protection against arcs, which could lead to scorching, overheating and fires. They are a good safety item. However there was a recall from the Consumer Product Safety Commission on some Square D AFCI breakers with blue reset buttons, as shown below. These are located in main electrical panels.
As a home inspector I have information for recalls on my laptop and print them out for additional information for my … (9 comments)
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safety: Condo tid bits (A Home Inspection Blog) - 02/12/09 11:07 AM
There are some items in condos that separates them from a normal single family residence home inspection. One of those items has to do with the picture below. Can you guess what it is?
Okay, I admit it, this is a tough one, especially when you're just looking at the picture and weren't on-site to see the layout of the units. The issue is that there were three units and this view was of the middle unit attic space. The attic was not separated. Someone could go up in the attic and crawl into another unit with no restriction... that's … (8 comments)
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safety: Stair Safety (A Home Inspection Blog) - 02/10/09 09:38 AM
Stairs are always a concern during a home inspection because they are one of the most likeliest places for an accident or injury to occur. An important aspect of safety are the hand rails. Hand rails are needed so you can grasp on to something in case you lose your balance. Having lived in 2-story homes all my life, I can assure you that hand rails have saved me a few times.
Take a look at the picture below. Do you see a problem? (I think the tape measure might give it away)
Yep, you guessed it, the hand … (3 comments)
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safety: Bollards... say what? (A Home Inspection Blog) - 01/29/09 09:44 AM
Have you ever heard of a bollard? Probably not. Don't feel ashamed, you're one of millions of Americans that simply are in the dark on the subject. It's actually a very rare Northeast African bird... just kidding.
Maybe the picture below will help you?
Okay, that was a trick, I admit it. The bollard is missing in the picture. A bollard is a pole that is installed in front of water heaters and furnaces located in garages that prevents vehicles from hitting those units to promote safety. Not only do you want to protect the appliances but you also … (4 comments)
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safety: Don't Open the Closet (A Home Inspection Informational Blog) - 01/23/09 10:56 AM
There are so many items that are looked at when Pillar To Post performs a home inspection. Some are major and some are informational or suggestions. We don't expect that everything on our home inspection will be taken care of immediately, but we want to provide a list that one can go through and hopefully complete to get their house in tip-top shape.
See any problems in the picture below?
The angle of the picture isn't the greatest so it might not be as easy to see. I was trying to show that the hallway closet door will hot the … (8 comments)
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safety: Give 'Em a Hand (A Home Inspection Blog) - 01/22/09 04:58 AM
Below are some nice and looooooonnnnnnnnnnnnngggggg stairs to get to a house.
Of course safety is always the first concern on our minds during a home inspection. Can you imagine walking down these stairs and losing your balance? That would be disastrous. Or what about a young child, an elderly person or someone with a disability going down those stairs? A hand rail would be a very wise investment for safety and one that was recommended to our clients. So go ahead, "give 'em a hand"... a hand rail that is.
I hope this gives you a little more information about a … (4 comments)
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safety: On The Edge (A Home Inspection Blog) - 01/12/09 09:13 AM
This is one of the more interesting items I've found during a home inspection. Take a close look... can you see the problem? And no, I'm not talking about the dust on the lens that caused some spots.
It's not the guard rails or hand rails. Those are fine...
Look at the little "walkway" the builder made. At the top of the stairs all the way to the left and it ends at the top of the guard rails on the left. The builder essentially made a little "walkway" that a small child could walk on and … (12 comments)
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safety: What a Crack Up (A Home Inspection Blog) - 01/06/09 12:04 PM
My last blog was about safety and I'd like to continue with that theme again today. Tempered safety glass is another serious safety item in a house. This glass is like those in windshields of vehicles. It can break but is made and designed not to break into shards like typical glass. There are many areas within a home that require tempered glass. Here are some examples, but is not an exhaustive list: in doors, windows close to doors, windows in bath/shower areas, windows in stairways, windows close to the floor, etc. Within the list just mentioned there are still certain … (14 comments)
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safety: Watch Your Step (A Home Inspection Blog) - 01/05/09 12:00 PM
It's 2009, I wish everyone a blessed, joyous and prosperous year. One of my goals for 2009 is to blog more often, so I guess I'm off to a good start with my first blog of 2009.
There are many aspects to a home inspection, but the one I take most to heart is occupant safety. I want everyone who lives in the house and everyone who visits the house to be safe. As they say, "Safety first."
I came across this at a home inspection late this past summer.
The problem here is railings. Railings consist of … (7 comments)
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safety: An 8-ft Tall Child, Dog or Cat? (A Home Inspection Blog) - 04/22/08 12:29 PM
I love to laugh and my job as a home inspector provides many opportunities for this. Last week I came across this in a garage.
If you look above the spring you'll see the laser sensors for the garage door. I wrote about laser sensors in The Eye of the Tiger. The laser sensors cannot be any more than 6-inches above the floor for child and pet safety. I even had a friend of a client once tell me she knew someone's child who was killed by a garage door, so it's a very serious safety issue.
So back to the story. … (17 comments)
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safety: My Cousin Vinny's Home Inspection - 04/15/08 04:02 PM
I remember the line from the movie "My Cousin Vinny" where Vinny is examining a witness in court and states, "Well, I guess the laws of physics cease to exist on top of your stove."
Well it appears I encountered this during the weekend.
If you look right above the microwave, the bottom of the cabinet is about 1 1/2-inches higher, there is a gap in between. There should have been two bolts in the cabinet that secures the top of the cabinet to the microwave. If you've ever seen one of these units installed (above the stove) there is a metal plate … (13 comments)
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safety: Argghhh Matey, Walk the Plank! - 04/15/08 10:06 AM
It's quite common to see the furnace located in the attic in this area. When the furnace is in the attic there should be a light in case someone needs to work on the unit and there should be a platform so you can get to the unit and have access easily.
The other day I was in an attic and came across this.
That's what a platform to access the furnace looks like in an attic. However, if you look closely at the very left part of the plywood you'll see it's not secured to the truss. They evidently cut the plywood about … (13 comments)
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safety: Bracing for the Big One - 04/11/08 06:08 PM
Another earthquake safety item in California are braces for the water heaters. The braces keep the water stationary during an earthquake to prevent the unit from falling over or from a gas line, water line or electrical line from breaking. Most people are familiar with earthquake braces and that two are required.
However there is one aspect that few people seem to be aware of. A water heater between 53 and 75-gallons requires a 3rd earthquake brace at mid height. This is due to the extra weight of such a large water heater. However many builders and plumbers don't seem to be aware … (11 comments)
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safety: Automatic Gas Shut Off Valves for Earthquakes - 04/11/08 05:53 PM
I still don't see very many of them but there is a relatively new safety item called an automatic gas shut off valve. It is a valve that goes on your gas line, near the meter, that will automatically shut off in case of an earthquake (obviously a California issue). Here's what it looks like.
The shut off valve is the red box near the wall.
I have heard that some insurance companies are now requiring them when someone buys a home. If you're looking into buying a home you might want to check on that. I've heard the minimum price starts at $300 … (10 comments)
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