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Consumers Guide To Well and Water Quality

Posted by Jeffrey on 21 March 2011, 11:46 am

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Official InterNACHI Education Transcript For Jeffrey Marsh

Posted by Jeffrey on 21 March 2011, 11:27 am


Transcript provided by InterNACHI, the home inspector organization

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Protect Your Family from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Posted by Jeffrey on 21 March 2011, 10:53 am

Protect Your Family from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

 

Safety Tips

  • Have your home heating systems (including chimneys and vents) inspected and serviced annually by a trained service technician.
  • Never use portable generators inside homes or garages, even if doors and windows are open. Use generators outside only, far away from the home.
  • Never bring a charcoal grill into the house for heating or cooking. Do not barbeque in the garage.
  • Never use a gas range or oven for heating.
  • Open the fireplace damper before lighting a fire and keep it open until the ashes are cool. An open damper may help prevent build-up of poisonous gases inside the home.
  • Install battery-operated CO alarms or CO alarms with battery backup in your home outside separate sleeping areas.
  • Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, and confusion. If you suspect CO poisoning, get outside to fresh air immediately, and then call 911.

Know the Symptoms of CO Poisoning

  • Because CO is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses, people may not know that they are being exposed. The initial symptoms of low to moderate CO poisoning are similar to the flu (but without the fever). They include:
    • Headache
    • Fatigue
    • Shortness of breath
    • Nausea
    • Dizziness
  • High level CO poisoning results in progressively more severe symptoms, including:
    • Mental confusion
    • Vomiting
    • Loss of muscular coordination
    • Loss of consciousness
    • Ultimately death
  • Symptom severity is related to both the CO level and the duration of exposure. For slowly developing residential CO problems, occupants and/or physicians can mistake mild to moderate CO poisoning symptoms for the flu, which sometimes results in tragic deaths. For rapidly developing, high level CO exposures (e.g., associated with use of generators in residential spaces), victims can rapidly become mentally confused, and can lose muscle control without having first experienced milder symptoms; they will likely die if not rescued.

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Crawlspace Hazards

Posted by Jeffrey on 16 March 2011, 5:13 pm

Crawlspace Hazards and Inspection

This article was writen by Nick Gromicko and Rob London

It was intended for Home Inspectors as I was reading it I thought it was good information for Home Owners as well. 

Crawlspace

 

Crawlspaces are host to a large number of conditions that may harm the house or inspectors. Never enter a crawlspace without proper personal protective equipment.
 

Crawlspaces are notorious for the nasty discoveries made there by inspectors, and it isn’t hard to figure out why; for one thing, their cool, dark environment attracts undesirable pests and can promote dangerous conditions. And since crawlspaces are mostly unmonitored, hazards can breed there unchecked for long periods of time. The following are some of the more common dangers discovered in crawlspaces:

  • mold and fungus. Just like pests, mold and fungus can grow rapidly in crawlspaces. They are both a health concern as well as a cause of wood decay, which can require a costly repair. Airborne mold spores can potentially enter the living space from the crawlspace. Molds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions), irritants and, in some cases, potentially toxic substances called mycotoxins. Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash (dermatitis). Homes infected with molds and fungus are also much more difficult to sell, often requiring costly remediation prior to closing the deal.
  • pests. Dirt crawlspaces provide the environment that is enjoyed by ants, termites, and various other pests. Termites cannot survive long outside of their mud tubes, which you may see on foundation walls and piers. Carpenter ants should be plainly obvious as well, and both of theses pests can cause structural damage. Also bear in mind that where there are pests, there may also be pesticides, perhaps improperly applied, which is one reason why you should not enter crawlspaces without personal protective equipment. Snakes, spiders, bees and scorpions may also be lingering in the crawlspace, and while they pose little structural danger to the house, they certainly can harm you! Rapid retreat there can be difficult, so be cognizant of escape paths.
  • hantavirus. Crawlspaces are perhaps the most likely sites in houses where hantavirus may be found. This is partly due to the fact that rodents that carry the pathogen are attracted to areas that are undisturbed by humans. Also, crawlspaces are generally dark places that lack ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can rapidly inactivate the virus. Exposure to hantavirus may lead to Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCS), characterized by headaches, fever, difficulty breathing and, often, death. There is no known cure, vaccine or treatment that specifically targets HCS. However, if the symptoms are recognized early, patients may benefit from oxygen therapy.
  • asbestos insulation. Do not disturb asbestos! The microscopic fibers that cause illness become airborne when the insulation is handled or disturbed, and if it appears to be in good shape, it might not be a problem at all. Prolonged exposure to asbestos insulation can cause mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity, as well as asbestosis, in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.
  • standing water or sewage.  Dirt crawlspaces are susceptible to water seepage, which can create a host of problems, such microbial growth, odors, damage to stored belongings, and risk of electrical shock.
  • structural collapse. If the home itself is unstable, it might be dangerous to enter its crawlspace. It is easy to become pinned, trapped or even crushed by unstable crawlspaces. Make sure someone knows that you are inspecting the crawlspace before you enter it.
  • improper wiring. Watch for loose wiring, open junction boxes, or wiring that has become loose and fallen to the floor. 
  • source of energy waste. Traditionally, crawlspaces have been vented to prevent problems with moisture, and most building codes require vents to aid in removing moisture from the crawlspace. However, many building professionals now recognize that ventilated crawlspaces allow a great deal of heat loss in the winter and moisture intrusion in the summer from moist air.
In summary, inspectors and or Home Owners should expect to encounter a number of dangerous conditions in crawlspaces, so they should take proper precautions before entering them.
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InterNational Association Of Home Inspectors

Posted by Jeffrey on 16 March 2011, 4:50 pm

 

Certified by the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors

Central California Property Inspections 

Certified Professional Inspector (CPI) ®

      A proud Member Of InterNachi

 

About InterNACHI. http://www.nachi.org

InterNACHI, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, is the world’s largest inspection trade association. Based in the United States, InterNACHI is both non-profit and federally tax-exempt, and operates in 65 different countries and nine languages.

InterNACHI is the inspection industry’s largest provider of education and training.
These courses have earned more than 600 approvals and accreditations. The online exams and quizzes have been taken more than 3 million times. In 2007, InterNACHI released advanced online video courses in cooperation with NACHI.TV. InterNACHI hosts more than 300 events a year, including classroom courses on thermal imaging and commercial building inspections. Online, video and classroom courses provide successful students/inspectors with Certificates of Completion and state Continuing Education approval for licensing purposes.
InterNACHI operates the inspection industry’s most comprehensive website at NACHI.org. NACHI.org is a monster:  a 220,000-page site dedicated to inspection-related issues, and is also host to a 600,000-post message board that receives more than 1,000 new posts a day. NACHI.org gets over 260 million hits a year, and Alexa.com, an Amazon.com company, gives NACHI.org a traffic ranking that is greater than all other inspection-related websites combined.
InterNACHI operates nearly all of the Internet’s inspection search engines, which include:  the mammoth 430-million page North American Inspector Directory; OverSeeIt.com, a site that promotes independent oversight of residential remodeling and repair projects, including new construction; InspectorNow.com, a site that tracks down and calls the inspector when a consumer needs an inspection; InspectorSEEK.com; CorrectInspect.com; FindanInspector.us; and InspectorLocator.com, a site that allows consumers to search for an inspector based on the services offered, such as chimneys, commercial inspections, energy loss, green certification, IAC2 Certified, lead, log homes, meth testing, mold, new construction, pools and spas, pre-listing inspections, radon, septic, stucco/EIFS, thermal imaging, water quality, WDO/insects, and WETT Certification. InterNACHI controls more than 4,500 inspection-related websites.
InterNACHI also co-manages the inspection industry’s free report-upload platform, FetchReport. FetchReport.com is a robust, unified, easy-to-use upload/download system that works with any reporting system and software. Nearly 2,000 inspection reports are uploaded to FetchReport every day.
InterNACHI also co-administers the MoveInCertified.com Program. MoveInCertified homes have been pre-inspected by InterNACHI-certified inspectors, and the sellers confirm that there are no major systems in need of immediate repair or replacement, and no known safety hazards. The inspection reports are hosted on FetchReport.com. MoveInCertified also offers Green Certification inspections for homeowners and home sellers.
InterNACHI is home to the International Standards of Practice for Inspecting Commercial Properties at www.NACHI.org/comsop, a document packet which includes a Commercial Inspection Agreement, a Request for Documents and Persons With Knowledge form, an Outside Consultant Contract, a Thermal Imaging Addendum, and accessibility and green features reporting forms. InterNACHI provides commercial inspection courses online and throughout the English-speaking world.
InterNACHI operates a free, online, electronic-signature inspection agreement system. InterNACHI’s online Inspection Agreement is signable and legally binding. It allows the client to read and sign the agreement before the inspection, or before they view their report online. InterNACHI’s basic contract is included, but inspectors can make changes, add their own clauses, and/or hide others. The inspector can notify their clients automatically by email when they create an agreement, check the signed status of the agreements quickly and easily, and receive instant notification by email when their client has signed the agreement.
InterNACHI members enjoy free search engine-optimized websites and free hosting through InspectorPages.com. InterNACHI members who form their own local chapters also enjoy free chapter websites and hosting. InterNACHI also provides free search engine optimization, site submission, and search engine-rank tracking.
InterNACHI members have free access and use of AgentData, an InterNACHI-owned database of 1.5 million U.S. real estate agents, for marketing purposes.
InterNACHI members are also automatically made members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and enjoy Chamber member benefits, such as discounts on FedEx® shipping.
InterNACHI also hosts AskNACHI.org, which helps consumers and real estate agents by allowing them to ask InterNACHI-certified inspectors about anything and get answers quickly. AskNACHI.org is a free service.

InterNACHI is partners with many other great inspection-related organizations, such as PRO-LAB, Inspector’s Quarterly, Real Property Times, the International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants (IAC2), and NACHI.TV.
InterNACHI provides its members with over $50,000 worth of free membership benefits, including free, online courses, quizzes and exams,  free environmental  books, free customized websites and hosting, free state-approved Continuing Education, free license plate covers, free access and use of InterNACHI’s image library, InterNACHI’s no-annual-fee credit card, free daily door prizes, the Alternate Dispute Resolution Service, free trademarked inspection taglines, free custom Consumer Verification Seals, free radon inspection agreements, a free e-newsletter system, free decals, free emblems, a free helpline, free exam prep tools, a free company name search tool, free client satisfaction surveys, free mold waivers, free log home disclaimers, free microwave oven-leak detectors, a free online searchable glossary, free real estate presentations, insurance discounts, “Website of the Week,” free inspection graphics gallery, free photo ID, free brochures, free report review, free link exchange, free profile editor, free video and book library, free chat room, free e-mail accounts, free “Authorization to Pay at Closing” forms, free tutorials, free “Avoiding Litigation” CDs, free electrical inspection checklists, free Hold Harmless Agreements, free inspection newsletter, free trade show banners and tablecloths, membership in IAC2, free Infrared Certified certification, free mold inspection agreements, free infrared addendums, free General Liability insurance, free Death and Accident insurance, free InterNACHI pins, and free custom online video commercials to promote your inspection business.
InterNACHI’s next big project, in cooperation with NACHI.TV, is the ultimate inspection training facility, “The InterNACHI House of Horrors.” The project is designed to provide inspectors with very real hands-on training using an actual home intentionally built to contain more than 1,000 real defects.

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