Proper plumbing should take health and safety into consideration. One of the key safety concepts to consider with plumbing is the prevention of contaminating your house water supply. Almost all of the water that enters your house leaves through the drains. It is essential to keep these systems apart to prevent bacteria from contaminating your […]

After you give your water heater a good visual inspection, there are some other very important safety items you need to check. The first is the Seismic Strapping. These are metal belts that strap the water heater to a wall. The seismic strapping holds the water heater upright in the event of an earthquake. The […]

Can a Water Heater be Dangerous? Water heaters are often taken for granted. They sit in our garage or utility closet and perform their assigned duty day in and day out. If installed correctly they will operate with little fuss for many years. Most of us rarely give the water heater a second thought, but […]

Clothes dryers evaporate the water from wet clothing by blowing hot air past them while they tumble inside a spinning drum. Heat is provided by an electrical heating element or gas burner. Some heavy garment loads can contain more than a gallon of water which, during the drying process, will become airborne water vapor and […]

Statistics compiled from InterNACHI, the worlds largest Home Inspector Association Swimming pools should always be happy places. Unfortunately, each year thousands of American families confront swimming pool tragedies, drownings and near-drownings of young children. These tragedies are preventable. These are guidelines for pool barriers that can help prevent most submersion incidents involving young children. This […]

Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST) has been used since 1989. It replaces the traditional iron pipes for plumbing natural and liquid petroleum (LPG) gas throughout the house. CSST is flexible, easier to install due to fewer connections, and cheaper for the builder to install saving the house buyer money. As with many new products, several […]

When and Where are GFCI Receptacles Required? Saying that disagreements can arise over a home inspection is an understatement. One item that can cause frustration is the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter or GFCI. A GFCI is typically a receptacle with small buttons on it that usually say “Test” and “Reset”. It can also be built […]

All homes are not the same. Just like a vehicle, technologies evolve. The construction methods and safety items are continuously improving.  Older homes may have components that are, well, old. If you are buying a house that was built in the 1950’s or 1960’s, there are some things you must consider so that you are not […]

As if there weren’t enough things to worry about in your home. Now it appears that imported drywall is causing foul odors, damaging copper components, and making people sick. So is this a case of mistaken identity or a true concern? During the 2004 – 2005 building boom, home builders had trouble obtaining enough drywall […]

After you give your water heater a good visual inspection, there are some other very important safety items you need to check. The first is the Seismic Strapping. These are metal belts that strap the water heater to a wall. The seismic strapping holds the water heater upright in the event of an earthquake. The […]