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

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are one of the most complex systems in any home. No matter what type of system your house has, it is guaranteed to have many components that work together in a complex way to produce or remove heat from your home.

I have come to have immense respect and appreciation for knowledgeable, experienced and qualified HVAC technicians. They are some of the most regulated of all contractors and typically require a great deal of education and training to be competent in their field. These experts are truly worth their weight in gold.

That being said, it is a wise practice to have your heating and/or cooling system thoroughly evaluated and serviced by a qualified HVAC technician every year. This is especially important if your system is ten years old or older. Having an expert service your system annually (and ideally shortly before the heating season) will help it to perform more efficiently and last longer.

Schedule servicing for your system before you forget, and set a reminder for yourself to do it every year. Be sure that the technician who provides the service documents his or her name, the date, and what was done and that the service record is left at the unit for reference. This is helpful for you as well as anyone else who may own the home in the future.

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

Clogged gutters are an all-too-common problem. Houses surrounded by trees and dense vegetation are especially prone to clogging from leaves and other debris. You’ve probably heard about gutter guards, but you may not know much about the pros and cons of various types.

Several types of gutter guards exist: foam, mesh, perforated, brushes, reverse-curve, etc. The goal of each type is to allow rain water to freely flow into gutters while blocking debris from entering. Of course, some gutter guards work better than others.

Some types can simply be inserted into gutters, while others must be secured and require more work to install. As you probably guessed, “more work” in this case means “better,” as it typically does.

From experience, I can tell you with confidence that I feel reverse-curve gutter guards do a better job than the other types. They completely block the gutter, but their rounded edge (which looks like water would cascade right off of it) actually causes water to follow the curve and go right into the gutter. They allow water to flow freely into the gutter while preventing nearly all debris from entering, which is exactly what you want a good gutter guard to do.

Although other types of gutter guards can be installed easily by just about anyone, reverse-curve guards should be installed professionally because they are permanently secured to the edges of the roof rather than being placed in the gutters.

You should consider installing gutter guards if you don’t already have them. Any of the options are better than nothing, but reverse-curve guards are a great option if you can afford them. If you don’t, be sure to clean your gutters at least once, if not twice, a year to ensure they function properly.

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

Most houses I inspect – especially older homes – have a chimney. In my area, most chimneys are brick and have clay flue liners. Unfortunately, most of those chimneys do not have a cap.

Caps are necessary on chimneys because they help prevent water, debris and wildlife from entering the flue and causing obstruction or damage to the liner. If the flue becomes blocked because no cap is present to stop items from entering, exhaust gases and smoke can quickly backdraft into the house and become a safety hazard.

Ideally, the cap is fitted with a screen to help block things from entering the chimney. Screens were not common years ago, but good contractors install them regularly now.

If you have a chimney that is missing a cap, contact a reputable chimney company to have one installed. It will preserve your chimney and protect your family, and is a very worthwhile investment.

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

If you don’t already know, drip edge is a type of flashing installed on roofs. It is typically metal and narrow and has a lip at the bottom that points outward to direct rain water outward. While drip edge is located along multiple edges of a roof, it is the edges of the eaves (bottom portions) of roofs where we inspectors see the most issues with drip edge.

The most common issue with drip edge is that it sits too high above the gutter. Drip edge should overlap the inside portion of the gutter so that water running down the roof will run off the bottom lip of the drip edge and directly into the gutter. Often times, gutters sit an inch or more below the drip edge. While most water will still enter the gutter in this case, some may run behind the gutter onto the fascia (the board the gutter is secured to) and down toward the foundation. The issue in this case isn’t improper installation of the drip edge because it can only be installed along the edge of the roof. Rather, the gutter being installed too far below the drip edge is the issue. To correct the problem, the gutter must be moved up and the back of the gutter slipped under the drip edge.

Other times the gutter is installed high enough, but the drip edge sits behind the gutter rather than inside it. In this case, water will tend to run along the drip edge behind the gutter and some water will inevitably run behind the gutter and down toward the foundation. I do not come across this problem as often as the first, but it is still fairly common. A qualified and experienced contractor would never install drip edge behind a gutter because that defeats its purpose entirely.

These issues are obviously easier to spot when it’s raining. You can see exactly where the rain water is going and whether it is all running into the gutters. No one likes being out in the rain, but to an inspector rain can be a great indicator of defects. But even if it’s not raining, you can see if the drip edge is overlapping the back of the gutter as it should be. If it’s not, you may want to consider having a contractor come out to correct the installation of your gutters.

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

Most homes I inspect have a fair amount of insulation but not enough to maximize energy efficiency. Insulation is a very complicated topic with so many types and the science of heat transfer. My goal in this post is to clear up some of that confusion so you can maximize your home’s energy efficiency.

First and foremost, houses need to be properly air sealed to be energy efficient. Air sealing is so important that a home that is well insulated but not air sealed will not perform at all up to par with expectations. Step one in preventing heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer is air sealing your home. While this can be done in a few ways, spray foam is typically one of the best options, and closed cell spray foam in particular.

After thoroughly air sealing all gaps, insulating your home well should be the next priority. Check your climate zone to find out the minimum recommended R-value for your area. The R-value refers to the insulation’s ability to resist air movement. The higher the R-value, the better job the insulation does at preventing the movement of air by trapping air particles in small, empty pockets. Here in western Pennsylvania, the minimum recommended R-value for attics is R-49; in your area it may be different.

There are many types of insulation, and all serve their purpose in certain circumstances. Common types include fiberglass batts, blown insulation (cellulose or fiberglass), mineral wool, rigid foam, and closed cell or open cell spray foam. I recently insulated and refinished my own attic and used all of these types, excluding fiberglass batts and open cell spray foam. I spray foamed around windows and all electrical and plumbing penetrations, blew fiberglass onto the floors behind the knee walls and above the collar ties, installed rigid foam behind the knee walls, and installed mineral wool batts between the rafters along the diagonals. As you can see, different types of insulation are better suited for different applications, and consulting a qualified insulation expert is definitely a good idea.

Adequate air sealing and insulation is homeownership 101 – right up there with prevention of water intrusion. When your home is properly sealed and insulated, it is more energy efficient, more comfortable, more capable of preventing ice dams and other problems, and less costly to heat and cool. I strongly encourage you to check the type and depth of your insulation and add more if necessary. As a general rule, insulation should not be compressed and should be left “fluffy” because compressing it actually decreases its ability to resist air movement and, thus, its R-value.

If you view insulation as something not so important, think again! Have a professional come out and evaluate your home’s energy efficiency, and consider air sealing and adding insulation as recommended. It will take a while to make back the money you spend in utility bill savings, but it will be well worth the investment in the long run and you will see and feel the results immediately.

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