Home Safety in Palm Beach County -Be Safe ~ Not Sorry...
Michael Thornton is everyone's favorite Inspector around Active Rain. His post reminds us that for smoke alarms to be effective they need to be placed correctly. And, if you are looking at an older home, make sure spindles on your staircase guardrail meet safety standards.
How do you know? Make sure you have your home inspected by a professional home inspector BEFORE you sign on the dotted line.
Please take a read to make sure your home is properly inspected!
Be Safe ~ Not Sorry...
When potential buyers look at a property, they are looking at the aesthetics not the functionality or safety features. When the untrained eye looks at the photo below, one sees a sees a cool looking stairwell, loft and a nice clean open space.
However, the trained eye of the home inspector sees something different.
1. Even though this is an older property, the balusters (spindles) on the guardrail and handrail exceed the current 4” spacing required for child safety.
2. The placement of the smoke alarms on both levels of the property are incorrect. Typically, they should be place within 12" of the ceiling.
Properly placed smoke alarms are vital for the safety of you and your family. In most states, properties that have been rehabbed need to be brought up to current standards of safety. These are some of the issues found with this property:
1. The alarms were not wired together – when one-alarm signals, all should signal.
2. The alarms were not installed in the bedrooms. Current safety standards require all smoke alarms to be placed in each bedroom and hallway of in each level of the property.
3. There was no function smoke alarm in the basement or the garage.
Did you know...
· Smoke alarms monitor the air 24 hours a day, every day. After 10 years, it's been on the job for over 87,000 hours. At this point in its life, it stands a 50/50 chance of failure. Do you want to trust your life to an aged device?. If you don’t know how old your alarm is, or if it is more than 10 years old, replace it.
· The battery back up in all alarms needs to be replaced annually.
· Smoke alarms need to be tested monthly.
· Vacuum the outside covers periodically to remove dust, dirt particles and insects.For all your inspection needs in the Brentwood, Franklin & Nashville TN real estate marketsCall us today:Complete Home Inspections, inc.The guys with the hats...615.661.0297Brentwood, TNScan the QR code below for business card info
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