home inspector mankato: Lasko Fans Recalled
- 04/01/11 05:34 PM
For many homeowners in Minnesota we rely on the assistance of fans during the warm spring or summer days or not having to turn on the AC, just in case it will be another tempermental week of Minnesota weather and the next day decides to cool off. But, before you do this season take a look at the fan you're using. Lakso, a large fan manufacturer recently released a large recall of over 4 million fans which have been in circulation since 2002 and contain an electrical fire hazard. Lasko Recalls Box Fans Due To Fire Hazard WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in … (0 comments)
home inspector mankato: Keeping Fresh Air During Winter
- 12/29/10 06:00 AM
As I wrote in my last post winter is the season for being cozy, sitting next to a warm fireplace and maybe sipping a cup or two of cider. But while spending long days and nights inside the comfort of our homes it's also an infamous time for feeling dry and under-the-weather. With people spending more time indoors, air circulation is compromised, and the level of contaminants increases. Fleeting freshness and moisture take a toll on our skin, throats, noses and overall health, and can be especially harmful to those suffering from allergies and asthma. Up to 72 trillion microscopic irritants, … (4 comments)
home inspector mankato: Fireplace Safety
- 12/21/10 02:10 AM
Winter is officially here and fireplace season for many of us in Minnesota has already begun. But if your chimney and fireplace has not seen regular maintenance and cleaning for some time, then your soothing fire may become a hazardous condition. A solid fuel fireplace and chimney that has not been properly maintained can lead to several problems.
Over time, soot and creosote can build within a chimney and lessen efficency and cause fires. Furthermore, there are many factors that can affect a chimney's performance and the potential for hazards. A lack of a chimney cap or spark arrestor can … (2 comments)
home inspector mankato: Protect Your Home During Cold Weather
- 12/09/10 05:35 AM
Energy costs, burst pipes, power outages, and fires, all potential winter hazards that makes winter not sound so merry, but you can protect yourself and your home. With a little preventative maintenance and preparation you can minimize the inconveniences that ensue during this cold time of the year in Minnesota. Indoor Floods While home fires seem to always make headlines, water damage is actually more common and often just as severe. The most frequent cause for this problem in the winter is faulty or broken pipes. Be sure to insulate along rim joists and around pipes that are more exposed to … (2 comments)
home inspector mankato: Removing Odors From Your Wash Machine
- 11/23/10 12:30 PM
There are some absolutely disgusting things that go in your clothes washer from dirty socks, to infant clothes and more but if you have ever had a wash machine with a bad odor there is no comparison. Over time, you may begin to notice that your wash machine begins to develop an order from a build up of residue. This is a signal that it may be time to clean your washer. To start off decide where the source of the smell is originating. Typically the cause is your washer but every once in awhile it may be from the water … (2 comments)
home inspector mankato: GE Dishwasher Fire Hazard
- 11/04/10 05:28 AM
The following information has been provided by General Electric and the United States Consumer Product and Safety Commission. The United States Consumer and Product Safety Commission and General Electric announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer products. Name of Product: GE ProfileTM and GE Monogram® Dishwashers Units: About 174,000 Manufacturer: GE Appliances & Lighting, of Louisville, Ky. Hazard: Water condensation can drip onto the electronic control board, causing a short circuit and resulting in an overheated connector. This poses a fire hazard to consumers. Incidents/Injuries: GE has received five reports of fires, four of which caused minor damage to the kitchen … (0 comments)
home inspector mankato: Winter Prep For Your Home
- 10/22/10 08:06 AM
In Minnesota and the midwest it's that time of the year again, the time when everyone is outside for a different reason, time to start prepping our homes for winter weather and freezing temperatures. So to help out a little I figured a winter prep checklist wouldn't hurt. Obviously, as you will see this checklist doesn't constitute everything one might do but hopefully this might steer some in the right direction. Heating System Test Run: Turn the thermostat to heat mode and try it out. If it isn't operating properly have a HVAC technician service it. Replace your filter if … (1 comments)
home inspector mankato: Siemens Recalls Electrical Breakers
- 09/29/10 01:58 AM
This past week Siemens Company issued a recall in conjunction with the United States Consumer and Product Safety Commission for approximately 2.2 million electrical breaker units due to a potential fire hazard. Because we inspect breakers everyday and the units in the recall are for the months of June through August 2010, we felt it was very important to provide this information. Please call with any questions. More information can be found at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10354.html Siemens Recalls Circuit Breakers Due to Fire Hazard WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall … (2 comments)
home inspector mankato: Removing That Smell From Your Fridge
- 08/24/10 04:31 AM
There is nothing worse then having a horrible refrigerator odor...and trust me I know. Being a home inspector means you're in a number of houses over a given year and have the chance to take a look at many kitchen appliances and not all of them smell like roses! Many things can cause your refrigerator to have a bad smell such as leftovers, cut onions or garlic, mold, bacteria and mildew growth. If you don't work to eliminate the refrigerator odor quickly, it can change the taste of all the food you have in it, and it can become a very unhealthy situation. Ultimately, getting the smell … (2 comments)
home inspector mankato: Maytag Issues Dishwasher Recall
- 06/22/10 02:55 PM
Below is information provided by the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission announced earlier this month. Please feel free to contact our office for more information. WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product. Name of Product: Dishwashers Units: About 1.7 million in the United States Manufacturer: Maytag Corp. of Newton, Iowa or Maytag Corp. of Benton Harbor, Mich. Hazard: … (0 comments)
home inspector mankato: HUD, CSPC Issue Guidance On Chinese Drywall
- 04/12/10 05:39 AM
Chinese drywall has been a problem for many American families and now the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission and Housing and Urban Development have released a guidance for remediation of problem drywall. Below is the U.S. HUD and CSPC issued information. Help is on the way for homeowners struggling to rid their properties of problem drywall linked to corrosion of metal, such as electrical components, in their homes. The guidance comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which had issued a protocol earlier this year to help identify problem drywall … (1 comments)
home inspector mankato: Sump Pumps And Their Importance
- 03/22/10 06:08 AM
With all of the flooding and water problems many local Minnesota homeowners have had over the past few weeks I thought a great subject to write about would be sump pumps. What are they, and how do they work? Well, unlike many of the appliances or electronic devices in your home, a sump pump is probably something you have bought out of neccessity or prevention. The goal of a sump pump is is to help keep the area under the building dry and to prevent it from taking on water or flooding, for Minnesota homeowners this usually means your basement. Sump … (2 comments)
home inspector mankato: Range Safety and Anti Tip Brackets
- 09/23/09 05:28 AM
Anti tip brackets are something I commonly find missing during an inspection and a very inexpensive and important item every home should have. So what are anti-tip brackets and why should you care?
Anti-tip brackets are metal devices designed to prevent freestanding ranges from tipping. They are normally attached to a rear leg of the range or screwed into the wall behind the range, and are included in all installation kits. A unit that is not equipped with these devices may tip over if enough weight is applied to its open door, such as that from a large Thanksgiving turkey, or even a small child. … (1 comments)
home inspector mankato: First Time Home Buyer? Get An Inspection!
- 07/27/09 08:04 AM
As many consumers are considering buying a house to take advantage of first-time home buyer tax credits, the American Society of Home Inspectors reminds them about the importance of getting a professional home inspection. According to the IRS, the first-time home buyer tax credit allows taxpayers who have not owned another principal residence at any time during the three years prior to the date of purchase to deduct the lesser of $8,000 or 10% of the purchasing price of their home if they purchase before Dec. 1, 2009. This has encouraged many young professionals in their 20s and 30s to consider buying … (1 comments)
home inspector mankato: More Happy Customers
- 07/21/09 02:48 PM
With the busy season in full swing, my phone has been off the hook and my email box flooded...but for good reason! No matter how flooded my email inbox is I always take the time to read past client feedback because I feel it is extremely important to see how previous clients felt about the inspection process and to constantly find ways to improve. Below is just a few of the testimonails from the month of July. "Randy, it was very nice to meet you on Saturday. Thank you so much for walking through everything during the home inspection and for allowing us … (0 comments)
home inspector mankato: How Radon Enters Your Home
- 06/11/09 03:19 PM
How does radon enter your home? Radon, because it is a gas, is able to move though spaces in the soil or fill material around a home's foundation. Minnesota homes tend to operate under a negative pressure - this is especially true in the lowest portions of the home and during the heating season. This negative pressure acts as a vacuum (suction) that pulls soil gases, including radon, into the lower level of the structure. Some causes of home vacuum are: Heated air rising inside the home (stack effect). Wind blowing past a home (downwind draft effect). Air used by fireplaces, … (0 comments)
home inspector mankato: Radon and New Construction in Minnesota
- 05/30/09 02:21 AM
Beggining June 1st 2009, all new houses built in the state of Minnesota will be required to include features designed to resist or reduce the infiltration of radon gas. State health officials say the change is an important step toward reducing Minnesotans' potential exposure to a cancer-causing gas, but more can be done to reduce radon levels in homes, with testing as the essential first step. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. More than 21,000 deaths are attributed to radon each year in the U.S. according to the U.S. EPA. Radon is an odorless, … (0 comments)
home inspector mankato: Another Improper Vent
- 05/29/09 01:09 AM
As you can see in the picture above this vent was located in the attic space of a home inspected with a recently remodeled bathroom. As beautiful as the bathroom renovation was this bathroom contained a large problem with the bathroom vent. The white pipe as shown above is connected to the bathroom vent below but only to be vented directly within the home's attic space. This is a major problem because the humidity and moisture contained within the bathroom through showering and bathing is now being released within the attic space. All vents must be terminated outdoors to prevent moisture … (0 comments)
home inspector mankato: Composite Decking Recall
- 05/19/09 09:27 AM
Composite decking recalled by Louisiana Pacific; decks can detoriate and break, posing fall hazard a potential safety concern. Washington D.C. - The US Consumer and Product Safety Commission , in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a volunatry recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using the recalled product unless otherwise instructed according to the USPC. Name of Product: Composite Decks Units: About 48 million linear feet (decks vary in size) Manufacturer: Louisiana-Pacific (LP) Corp., of Nashville, Tenn. Hazard: The recalled decking can prematurely deteriorate and unexpectedly break. Consumers can fall through broken decking and suffer serious injuries. … (2 comments)
home inspector mankato: 9 Tips for Buying a Foreclosed Home
- 04/13/09 10:27 AM
As I was recently inspecting a foreclosed home in the area that contained a number of repairs I was thinking to myself that more home buyers, flippers and investors should understand some of valuable pointers about purchasing foreclosed homes, when later that week I came across a great article explaining just that. While having a home inspection is an extremely important aspect of purchasing a foreclosed home, there are a number of other items to keep in mind when considering a forclosed purchase. Below is the article I found and one that I hope will shine some light and information about foreclosed … (3 comments)
Pre-purchase Inspections
Pre-Listing Inspections
FHA/HUD Compliance Inspections
FHA/HUD 203k Consulting
New Construction
Roof and Deck Inspections
Energy Audits and Consulting
Thermal Inspections
For many homeowners in Minnesota we rely on the assistance of fans during the warm spring or summer days or not having to turn on the AC, just in case it will be another tempermental week of Minnesota weather and the next day decides to cool off. But, before you do this season take a look at the fan you're using. Lakso, a large fan manufacturer recently released a large recall of over 4 million fans which have been in circulation since 2002 and contain an electrical fire hazard.
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