safety tips: 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 … (13 comments)
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safety tips: Does the Right Hand Know What the Left Hand is Doing? - 04/02/08 11:17 AM
I came across this the other day during a home inspection. Air Conditioning condensers have a data plate which has various information on it. One part being the maximum and minimum breaker or fuse size allowed. This particular data plate indicated the minimum size was 30-amps and the maximum size was … (11 comments)
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safety tips: Chim Chim-e-ney Chim Chim-e-ney Chim Chim Cha- OUCH! - 04/01/08 02:32 PM
I couldn't help but think of Mary Poppins and good old Dick Van Dyke when writing a post about chimney vents. Unfortunately this is not a funny situation. The silver cylinder is the vent for the chimney.
Of course fires burn in a fireplace and the combustion gases, heat and smoke … (13 comments)
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safety tips: Smoooookin' (or at least it could be soon) - 03/10/08 01:56 PM
Now you have to say the title of this post like Jim Carrey did in the movie "The Mask." Smooookin'
That's they only way to get the true effect.
Sometimes items that need correction are very simple, yet the danger if they aren't are very serious. I saw this the other day while … (4 comments)
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safety tips: Do You Still Have That Spark? - 03/09/08 01:06 PM
Well hopefully your chimney doesn't. I see this all the time.
It's a chimney without a rain cap or spark arrestor. Here's what one looks like.
Without this an ember from the fireplace can go up the chimney and land on the roof or nearby vegetation and cause a fire. Also, rain can enter … (8 comments)
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safety tips: Give 'em a Hand - 03/09/08 06:42 AM
Many people seem to take hand rails for granted. Sure, when you're young you go up the stairs two-at-a-time and hardly every touch the hand rail. But as we mature our bodies aren't what they used to be.
So I think the elderly and disabled are many times forgotten when it comes to hand … (14 comments)
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safety tips: Get a Whiff of That! - 03/03/08 06:44 PM
I came across this the other day at an inspection:
The two pipes are called flues, one was for the water heater and one was for the furnace. These flues are where the combustion gases terminate to the exterior. However the issue is the openable windows. The flue and window to the … (12 comments)
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safety tips: Extreme Makeover - Home (Inspector) Edition - 02/27/08 04:35 PM
I went from this:
To this:
And for $1,999.99 and 6-months of your time, you can too!
Okay, so where am I going with this? I had been using the first mask shown to go into attics and crawlspaces. Then I read an article about how cheap the first masks are and that they … (18 comments)
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safety tips: My House Almost Went Up In Flames Today! - 02/11/08 07:06 PM
Today I did not have an inspection scheduled in the morning so I thought I'd help out with the dishes. I loaded up the dishwasher and the started on the hand washed items. After about 10-15 minutes I smelled something weird. I stopped and looked around and saw something by the … (65 comments)
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safety tips: Aren't Guard Rails Overrated? - 01/21/08 12:52 PM
The people in this home obviously thought so. Look at the picture, I cam across it a few days ago during a home inspection.
There should be a guard rail at the right hand side of the bottom of the stairs from the wall to the tile along the line where the stairs … (3 comments)
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safety tips: Realtors Need to Alert Others About Potentially Hostile Clients! - 01/18/08 10:30 AM
Please read this as a reminder that you should always be aware of your surroundings when in someone's house. This is for anyone in the real estate industry and this is serious. Yesterday I had an inspection. I arrived early and knocked on the door. There were two occupants, husband and wife. The man seemed a little … (30 comments)
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safety tips: Have You Come in Contact with the Flu or the Flue? - 12/10/07 10:01 AM
A flue is a pipe that is usually attached to the top of a furnace or water heater. Fire is needed to heat up the water heater, furnace, etc. When there is a fire, combustion takes place. Then you have combustion gases that are created. These gases are harmful to breathe, … (6 comments)
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safety tips: You're all wet! - 11/28/07 01:39 PM
Look at the picture below. See any problems? It has a self-closing exterior cover, so it's okay, right?
The problem is that the permanently installed timer never allows the cover to close. Therefore, when it rains water can intrude and get into the electrical connection... not a good thing.
What's needed when something … (16 comments)
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safety tips: Get a grip on it! - 11/26/07 02:35 PM
No, this post is not about being stressed out or any other psychological problem. It's about getting a grip... literally.
While reviewing some inspection pictures recently, I cam across one that I thought could be educational.
One aspect of safety that most probably never think about are stairs. Of course everyone knows you can … (12 comments)
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safety tips: Does it REALLY matter if it wasn't required when the house was built? - 11/06/07 01:14 AM
I'm sure this is a hot topic with real estate agents, but guess what, it's a hot topic with home inspectors too. Often I will go over a report and point out safety items to the buyer. I do explain that they were not required when the house was built... but … (59 comments)
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safety tips: Always Keep Your Personal Safety In Mind in the Real Estate Industry - 10/30/07 11:57 AM
Entering someone else's home always opens you up to the unknown. Make sure you stay safe out there. I was a Probation Officer in my past life and thought I'd offer some "food for thought" and some safety tips.1. Follow your gut instinct. You have it for a reason. No, I … (23 comments)
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