Author: hillinspections

Most homeowners take pride in maintaining a nice looking landscape. Inviting curb appeal is always charming, whether you’re trying to sell your home or simply trying to present a welcoming exterior that enhances the beauty of your home and neighborhood. Unfortunately, this often comes with a cost.

I see vegetation against the structure of nearly every house I inspect. Bushes, small trees, and other forms of vegetation are often planted close to the house and growing right up against it. The problem with this is that vegetation is an inviting environment for moisture and pests. In addition, roots of larger plants can grow underground against the foundation and cause damage over time.

The rule of thumb in preventing these problems is really very simple. Vegetation should be maintained at least 6 inches from the exterior. The farther away the better, but no one could be expected to have no vegetation anywhere near their house and still expect it to look nice. Six inches is far enough to offset the likelihood of common vegetation related issues while still maintaining that close-to-the-house look that we all desire.

Similarly, trees overhanging a roof should be at least ten feet away from the roof to prevent damage. This distance can’t guarantee that no trees will ever damage the roof, but it is a good and workable compromise that makes damage less likely while maintaining the beauty of a stately tree.

Be sure to periodically trim and maintain the plantlife around your home to avoid unexpected and costly problems. If you’re uncertain of how to go about this maintenance, contact a landscpaing professional to take care of the overgrown areas and enhance the beauty of your property. Whether you hire someone else or you do the work yourself, you’ll be glad that your landscaping is still appealing but no longer a potential threat.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com

Just for fun, I like to explain the process of air conditioning to nearly all of my clients. The puzzled looks and gasps I always receive remind me of my own reaction when I first learned about how air conditioning actually works.

We know that heating systems work by adding heat to our homes, so it stands to reason that air conditioning systems work by adding cold air to our homes. While this seems true when we stand over registers and feel “cold” air coming out, this is actually not accurate.

In reality, there is no such thing as coldness. “Coldness” is not a measurable source of energy. Heat, on the other hand, IS a measurable source of energy, so there is really either heat or the absence of heat. So how do air conditioning systems work? Not by adding cold air to a space, but by removing warm air from a space. All heating and cooling systems function by either adding or removing heat from a home.

An air conditioning system uses refrigerant to absorb heat inside a house. As the refrigerant absorbs heat it changes into a low-pressure, low-temperature vapor. It makes its way to the outdoor condensing unit (condenser), which contains a compressor. The compressor then compressed the vapor, which causes it to change into a high-pressure, high-temperature vapor. As it moves through the condenser, it is condensed into liquid, at which point it releases energy (heat). If you hold your hand above an outdoor condensing unit, you should feel warm or hot air blowing out the top.

So the system is actually absorbing heat from inside the house and transporting it outside. As the refrigerant moves back inside the house in a cooler liquid form, it travels through an evaporator coil and blows cooler air (air with less heat) into the space. This gives the impression that the A/C system works by providing us with “cold” air, but in reality it is the removal of heat that makes the home drop in temperature.

Of course, this isn’t a “must know” piece of information, but it’s still a pretty fascinating fact. The next time you run your air conditioning system, think about how it’s actually functioning to remove heat from your home to cool off the interior and make you more comfortable.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com

A “double tap” is when two wires are under the same lug (screw) in an electrical panel. As an inspector, I see double taps all the time, and I’d like to address the issue to provide some clarification for anyone who has seen this issue come up in their home inspection report.

In my neck of the woods, double taps are very common. In fact, very few panels that I inspect are free of double taps. Often times, they exist because the electrician simply ran out of room in the panel, but other times there’s plenty of space and the double taps are an indication of sheer laziness on the part of the electrician. Double taps can exist at breakers with hot (black) wires or at bus bars with neutral wires. Double tapping is permitted with two grounding wires but not with hot or neutral wires. Neutral wires are frequently double tapped with grounding wires, and this is also prohibited. This is because hot and neutral wires are energized (have continual electrical current) and need a secure connection for the electrons to move along their intended path. The metal screws provide this secure connection, and placing two or more wires under the same lug makes it less likely that a completely secure connection can exist.

Without a secure connection of energized lines, arcing and other shock or fire hazards are more likely to occur. If a panel has run out of room and another circuit is desired, it’s relatively easy and inexpensive for an electrician to simply add another hot wire to a breaker. Likewise, if a bar is full with neutral and ground wires, the most simple and cost effective way to solve the problem is to just double up the wires. Unfortunately, these options, while simple, are prohibited for safety reasons.

If there is not enough space in the panel to avoid double tapping, the best options (which comply with modern safety standards) are to either add a sub panel that feeds off the main panel or to upgrade the existing panel to a greater service amperage. Either option will solve the problem of double tapping and prevent shock and/or fire hazards if done correctly.

Now, I will tell you that most of my electrician friends don’t see much harm in double tapping neutral wires with other neutral or ground wires. You should be aware, though, that these types of double taps are prohibited by the NEC (National Electrical Code), and if there’s one thing I’ve learned as an inspector it’s that codes exist for good reasons. They make sense, ensure safety, and despite popular opinion, are not usually burdensome or unreasonable.

If your panel contains double taps of black hot wires or white neutral wires, you should consider having a qualified electrician make necessary repairs to ensure safety. Yes, it’s possible that you may never have a problem, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com

Let me start this post by making it clear that nothing can replace a pest inspection conducted by a well-trained and experienced professional inspector. Still, there are some things every homeowner can do to periodically check for pests on their own.

When I use the term “pests” as an inspector, I am primarily referring to wood-destroying insects (WDI) that can potentially damage structure. Other pests can certainly be a nuisance, but they will not slowly but surely destroy your home. Wood-destroying insects, such as termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and powderpost beetles, on the other hand, can (and do) cause substantial damage that amounts to a lot of money in repair work each year.

For starters, be sure that no wood is against the exterior of your house. People often place piles of firewood against their houses, but this is an inviting area for wood-destroying insects and should be avoided. Likewise, vegetation should not be right up against the structure because it, too, is an ideal environment for pests. So, step one is making sure that the conditions around your house are not conducive for WDI.

Next, you can check your window and door sills for any insect parts, like wings. Certain wood-destroying insects swarm (fly away to create new colonies) and their wings are often found after swarming has occurred. Tap on the wood trim around windows and doors, baseboards, and so on, and see if you can hear a buzzing sound from a group of insects. If you come across any areas of soft wood, it may be an indication of WDI damage. If you see mud tubes, which look just like they sound, you know you have a current or previous problem.

A can of compressed air is a very useful tool for checking for pests of all kinds. Place the narrow tube into the nozzle on the can and spray any areas where insects are most likely to be (the bottom of siding, trim, electrical and plumbing penetrations, etc. Use a mirror with an extendable neck to see behind hard-to-reach areas. Check areas where dampness may be an issue (under sink cabinets, in the basement and attic, and so forth) to ensure there are no signs of WDI.

If you thoroughly evaluate your home with these steps, you will have completed a pretty thorough pest inspection on your own. If you do come across any wood-destroying insects or suspect you may have, be sure to contact a qualified exterminator for immediate treatment.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com

Most people immediately panic when they see cracks of any kind in a home, assuming the house is on the brink of collapse. While this may be the case in rare occasions, most cracks are not a cause for immediate concern.

You would think that houses settle most as they get older, but houses actually tend to settle most in the first several years after they’re built. Think of a new pair of shoes or a baseball glove that need broken in before they have “settled” into that place of perfect comfort. Once the house “breaks in” to the soil, so to speak, the settling typically mellows out and takes much longer to occur over time.

Regardless of the age of your home, you’re likely to see at least some minor cracks in places, and you should know the basics of how to determine whether they are normal or something to be concerned about. As a general rule, horizontal cracks – especially in foundation walls – are of greater concern than vertical cracks. This is because horizontal cracks often indicate lateral movement where the foundation wall is being pressed inward from soil pressure. As the soil surrounding the foundation swells with water, pressure is exerted on the foundation walls and horizontal cracking toward the center of the wall often occurs. This is one of the reasons why preventing water intrusion at the foundation is so vitally important. If the soil beneath the corner or center of a concrete block wall experiences heaving (upward force), you may notice step cracking, which, as its name suggests, resembles a stair case pattern along the mortar joints of the cinder blocks. If a large, jagged crack is present and wider at the top than the bottom, it indicates upheaval of the soil near the center of the wall. If the crack is wider at the bottom, it indicates upheaval at the corners.

It is common to see some small cracks on interior walls above the foundation. You may see them, in particular, near corners of doorways or windows, and often running more diagonally than straight up and down. This is usually not an immediate cause for concern, but you can follow the crack down and examine the underlying structure to see if any foundation issues exist that may require further evaluation or repair. If your roof is composed of trusses, you may see some cracks near the center of the ceiling/walls from a phenomenon known as “truss lift” where the top chords of trusses expand and bow out, pulling the center of the bottom chords up and away from the center of the house.

When cracking seems severe, checking your windows and doors can also provide some additional clues. If settling is significant, your doors and windows may be out of balance and especially difficult to open and close due to movement and shifting of their frames. You can usually see and not just feel this because uneven gaps may be visible – particularly around doors.

If you see cracks, or if some arise over time, don’t panic and assume your house is bound to cave in. In most cases, that’s not the most likely scenario. However, you should be diligent about periodically examining your home for any concerning cracks and should consult a qualified foundation contractor or structural engineer if any major or concerning cracks arise. When it comes to structural issues, it’s always better to be safe than sorry, but you should also understand that every house will settle over time and not every indication of settling is a sign of impending disaster.

*To visit our main website, go to http://www.hillinspections.com