Sump Pump Selection: What Size, Type & Backup System Do You Need?

In this article, I’ll review how often you should test or change some of the most common pieces of equipment in your home to ensure safety and good maintenance. It’s easy to forget about these items or to become neglectful, so hopefully this post will serve as a helpful reference tool.

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be tested monthly. Most detectors can be tested by simply holding the test button for a few seconds; and while the batteries in battery powered units typically last quite a while, they can go bad before expected. Defective detectors pose a major safety risk, and periodically testing them (as well as ensuring they are located in all necessary areas) should be a “must” for every homeowner.

GFCI receptacles should also be tested monthly, and this is something many homeowners don’t think of doing. A GFCI outlet trips (shuts off) when a difference in current is detected, but they occasionally malfunction and fail to trip. To test your GFCI outlets, simply press the test button and make sure the outlet trips. After testing, simply press the reset button to reset the outlet. If an outlet malfunctions it should be replaced by a qualified electrician.

If you have a whole house water filter, it should generally be changed every three to six months. However, the manufcturer’s recommendation should be referenced, and other signs like darkening of the water or reduced water flow will indicate if the filter needs changed earlier than expected.

HVAC filters come in many types and sizes, and numerous factors – especially whether the home contains pets – will affect how often the filter needs cleaned or changed. However, checking the furnace filter every month is a good idea. If a thin layer of dirt/debris is present on the filter, it is time for maintenance.

Dryer lint traps should be cleaned after every load of laundry. Some homeowners do a great job with this, while others don’t clean the trap nearly as often as necessary. Dirty lint traps can easily cause fires, and getting in the habit of cleaning lint after every use is crucial. Besides the actual lint trap, it’s a good idea to also periodically check the exterior dryer vent cover to make sure no lint is trapped in the louvered opening.

It is a good idea to drain tank water heaters once a year if your water supply is public and twice a year if your water supply is a private well. Doing so removes sediment that settles at the bottom of the tank and will help ensure the water heater’s longevity.

Heating systems should be professionally serviced (cleaned and repaired if needed) every year by a qualified HVAC technician. This is all the more important for older systems. A good time for this servicing is in the fall, right before the heating season begins. Likewise, if you have a wood-burning fireplace it should be serviced each year by a qualified chimney sweep. In either case, be sure you keep a record of work performed that includes the date, the work done, and the professional’s name and contact information.

Last but not least, it is a good idea to have an annual home maintenance inspection performed by a certified home inspector. This inspection is comprehensive and invaluable because it provides you with a thorough overview as well as guidance for maintenance, repairs and possible upcoming issues that you would likely not know about on your own. And these inspections are often offered at a discounted rate as they are with companies like ours.

Be diligent about testing and changing these important components of your home as often as necessary to keep your home in a good state of repair and your family safe. Set reminders as needed, and perform the maintenance at the scheduled time rather than putting it off and risk forgetting.

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

Many homeowners know that preventing water intrusion and insulating well are key ingredients for a comfortable, quality and energy efficient home. What most homeowners aren’t aware of, though, is how important it is to also control vapor and air; and those who are aware often don’t know the order of importance for all four factors.

So here’s the order, and we’ll take a moment to review why the order is what it is: 1) Water 2) Air 3) Vapor 4) Insulation.

Now, most people would naturally place water control as number one. Water is, without a doubt, the number one enemy of a home. It can rot out wood (structure), destroy contents, lead to mold growth, invite pests, cause poor indoor air quality, and a whole slew of other problems very quickly. Water is such a threat to structure that the National Flood Insurance Program was created to help aid in flood damage repairs beyond basic homeowners insurance policies.

What isn’t so obvious is the order of the next three items on the list. Most people would place insulation as number two when, in fact, it falls in last place. That’s not to say insulation isn’t important (it’s very important), but it’s not quite as important as controlling air and vapor.

Most good insulation contractors and experts in building science push the importance of air sealing to a greater degree than insulation – especially in modern times after a lot of research has proven its importance. If the home is well insulated but not adequately air sealed, air can freely enter and leave the home through multiple points and much of the insulation becomes almost a waste.

Likewise, if a house controls water and air well but doesn’t control vapor, moisture related problems will develop over time, as well as poor indoor air quality. Vapor control is climate dependent (as is insulation), making it especially difficult to deal with properly. Vapor tends to migrate from the warm side of a wall to the cold side, and some regions are predominantly hot while others are predominantly cold. To complicate things further, the goal of vapor control is to prevent vapor intrusion, but that same prevention measure can also prevent vapor that does get in from escaping or quickly drying. When it comes to vapor control, be sure to discuss options with your contractor and his or her specific reasons for using a certain method in your climate.

Insulation is crucial, but the other three items on the list should be in place and done well in order for the insulation to perform optimally. A house that is fully air sealed but lacks in insulation will typically outperform a home that has plenty of insulation but no air sealing. And a house that controls air, vapor and thermal issues well but doesn’t protect well against water will deteriorate fairly quickly.

If you’re planning to invest in improving the quality, comfort and efficiency of your home, be sure to remember this order. Always control water first (even small leaks), then ensure the house is air sealed well, then make sure vapor is controlled, and finally ensure your insulation levels are sufficient. Do all four and you’ll have a sound, safe and comfortable home that is capable of withstanding natural forces for a very long time.

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

It goes without saying but is worth repeating: home inspections are limited to the state of a property at the time of inspection only. This means a very short couple or few hour timeframe in relation to the much, much longer (decades long) life of the home. Anything can go wrong with any of the many components of a home at any time, so it is important to remember that an inspection is a short snapshot to provide the client with a detailed and general overview at one specific time (usually shortly before the home is bought and sold).

One of many things that could go wrong after an inspection (that is especially alarming) is sewage backup. If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having a backup problem after your inspection and feel it’s something your inspector should have caught, I’d like to take a moment to address why backup often goes unnoticed during a general home inspection.

During an inspection, the inspector runs the water from individual fixtures and from multiple fixtures simultaneously to check for consistent water pressure/flow and verify that no backup issues are observed. By only running water through the drain piping, though, a backup issue may not be immediately apparent. Once a family moves into the house and starts using fixtures in a normal way, many additional things are forced down drains. Waste, toilet paper, food from a disposal, and numerous other materials get sent down drain piping – all of which do not (and cannot) be placed in the drains by the inspector.

Needless to say, these many additional items take up a lot more space than water alone, so if a backup issue exists it will often become evident much sooner to the homeowner than it would the inspector. Indeed, the backup may not be evident at all to the inspector without being able to introduce solid materials into the waste piping.

That being said, a good inspector will run water from fixtures long enough to ensure that if a major backup problem does exist it will be more likely to appear. Ask the inspector you are considering hiring how long he or she typically runs the water to ensure it is long enough to possibly observe backup. Consider also asking him or her for guidance regarding best practices for preventing backup problems (like not flushing inappropriate items as many people do).

So, understand the limitations of an inspection – especially regarding issues like sewage backup – and take time to ask questions and ensure your inspector is doing everything possible (within their limits) to identify defects. It is often not the inspector’s fault that backup wasn’t apparent at the time of inspection; but good inspectors will do the best they can to identify problems and educate their clients.

After you’ve moved in and started using the plumbing system in a more normal way, day after day, be sure to avoid common mistakes that can cause backup. Last but not least, always have the contact  information for a good plumber nearby in case you do run into a problem and need your waste piping repaired. Sewage backup is obviously not an issue that can wait to be remedied.

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

For most homes I inspect that have a well as the water source, I perform a water analysis. This is often required by lenders, and many home buyers want to know that the home’s water quality is acceptable whether their lender requires a water analysis or not. Public water supplies come from a water treatment plant that adheres to strict safety guidelines, but wells are the sole responsibility of the homeowner. For this reason, all homeowners who rely on a well as their primary water source should have their water tested periodically for safety.

While we test for several contaminants here at HPI (bacteria, total dissolved solids, nitrates/nitrites, lead and pH), the one that most people are concerned with is bacteria. I’m often surprised by how many water analysis results show the presence of bacteria in well water.

Fortunately, there are options for eliminating bacteria in well water, and I’d like to focus on what I consider to be one of the best options in this article – an ultraviolet (UV) treatment system. Some well owners rely on chlorination to kill bacteria, and this method is generally effective. The problem with chlorination, though, is that it needs to be done manually and fairly often to ensure the well water is safe. Many homeowners aren’t aware that well chlorination should be performed after all heavy amounts of rainfall, and in many areas that’s a common occurrence. This process of chlorinating, or “shocking,” the well consists of manually adding the chlorination, running the water through each fixture until a chlorine odor is apparent, shutting off each fixture, allowing the water to sit for preferably at least 24 hours, and finally purging the plumbing system of all chlorine. Needless to say, this is a very tedious and laborious task that can cause a good bit of inconvenience, although it does not cost much. In addition, certain strains of bacteria are not always killed by chlorination (although most are), so your efforts may not always be completely effective.

On the contrary, UV treatment kills 99.99% of bacteria and is essentially maintenance-free. A UV system consists of a lamp and sleeve, and the lamp emits ultraviolet light that disrupts the DNA of bacteria, which effectively destroys it. Unlike chlorination which has to be done more regularly and requires some know-how, a UV system only requires an annual bulb change to perform its job. In fact, it’s not much more difficult than changing any other light bulb… you just have to take care not to touch the bulb as skin oils can cause damage, similar to changing a vehicle headlight. The UV system works at all times, so there’s no need for tiresome manual labor.

A downside to UV systems is that they only kill microorganisms. They do not eliminate other possible contaminants in well water that may also be harmful. For this reason, many homes with wells are equipped with other treatment systems in addition to a UV system for bacteria, such as filters, a water softening system, etc.

Many would-be rural homeowners assume that having a well means no fees for water, period. While this can be true, it often is not true – especially if you drink the water. In most cases, well owners will want (or need) to have a treatment system in place to ensure their water is safe, and these systems do cost money.

Typically, well drilling companies that provide these systems will give the option of either buying the equipment outright or leasing it on a monthly basis. If you purchase the equipment, you own it but are also responsible for any maintenance, repair or replacement work that arises. If you lease the equipment, you typically pay per month but the company is responsible for any work that needs done at any given time. It is important to weigh the pros and cons of each option based on your particular wants and needs. In any case, having water treatment systems (like a UV system) installed is a good idea for most homeowners with a private water supply.

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

 

Like bathrooms, kitchens need to be well ventilated. From time to time, I come across houses during inspections that have no mechanical ventilation, and this is an issue that should be remedied as soon as possible to ensure cleanliness, health and longevity of the kitchen components.

Kitchens and bathrooms both experience high levels of moisture (bathrooms more), but kitchens are also prone to something that bathrooms aren’t – cooking residue. To ensure good indoor air quality, kitchens need a way of filtering food particles in addition to expelling moisture.

There are two methods used in most kitchens to accomplish this important task, and both can be either direct to the exterior or recirculating. The most common forms of kitchen ventilation are above-range microwaves and vent hoods. Typically (but not always) vent hoods expel air to the exterior and above-range microwaves provide recirculating ventilation. In both cases, the venting equipment contains a filter screen intended to trap cooking residue as it is drawn upwards, and the screens – like all filters – need to be cleaned periodically to function well.

Fortunately, microwaves and vent hoods both usually have multiple fan speeds, so you can adjust the power of ventilation to suit your cooking needs (low or medium when boiling water and high when cooking a steak on the stovetop, for example).

While either method of ventilation works, venting directly to the exterior is preferred so the air is removed from the interior of the home. This is much easier when the range (stove) is against an exterior wall, and ventilation often proves difficult when a range is centrally located in a kitchen.

If you don’t know whether your kitchen ventilation is recirculating or direct to the exterior, you can easily find out. If a vent hood is present on the exterior behind where the range is located, your kitchen air is almost certainly vented to the outside. If you have a microwave above your range, you can put your hand above the top front portion of the microwave. If the microwave is providing recirculating ventilation, you will feel air coming out the top.

Likewise, if the air is vented to the exterior there is typically square ducting above the vent hood or in the cabinetry above the microwave or vent hood.

If you aren’t already familiar with your kitchen’s ventilation system or don’t know if it is properly ventilated, take the time to check based on the guidelines of this article. If you don’t have adequate ventilation, make getting it installed a priority. If ventilation exists, ensure you are cleaning the filter screens on your above-range microwave or vent hood as often as needed.

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