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

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

 

I’m often surprised by the number of homes I inspect that do not have correct wiring throughout. Older homes typically have ungrounded, two-prong receptacles (outlets) because grounded receptacles didn’t used to exist. But even many newer homes have grounded (three-prong) receptacles that are either not actually grounded or are improperly wired.

Let’s begin with a simple lesson on electricity. The easiest way to understand electricity is to think of water. Like water, electricity “flows” in a “current” along a path. Like water, electricity has a certain pressure it flows at and a certain level of “resistance”. The primary difference between the two is that while water enters a fixture from a supply source in one location and ends up in a different location after it is drained, electricity always seeks to get back home to its original source and travels along a continuous circular path. A “circuit” is merely a completed circular path of electricity.

For a typical home, electrical power begins at a plant where electricity is generated. The electricity travels in high voltage through cables and is reduced by something called a transformer, which “transforms” the electricity into a smaller amount that is more suitable for supplying homes – typically 100 amps / 120 volts or 200 amps / 240 volts. Without the transformer reducing the voltage, the amount of electrical power would be too great and our appliances and other devices would be overloaded and fried. The electricity then enters the house’s electrical panel through service entrance lines (usually aluminum) and travels through branch circuit wiring (usually copper) to the various switches and receptacles that power the items we use that require electrical power. The electricity flows to devices on a “hot” wire (usually black) and then back to the panel on neutral wires (usually white), and finally back to the street and the power plant. If a third wire is present, it is bare copper and is the ground wire. If you look at the three slots on a grounded outlet, the shorter slot is the hot side, the longer slot is the neutral, and the small circular hole is the ground.

So what exactly is grounding? Well, like water, electricity always seeks the path of least resistance. Under normal conditions, electricity freely flows through hot lines and back through neutral lines, but occasionally things happen to interrupt that natural flow. Water may enter a receptacle, an object that conducts electricity may be inserted by a child, or a circuit may be overloaded by drawing too much power and the circuit breaker at the panel may fail to trip. In such cases, these things cause a “roadblock” to the current’s normal path, and the electricity is forced to take a “detour” along a different, unintended path. If that happens, we need the electricity to stop as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that is by grounding. As its name suggests, grounding is literally providing a path along a conductor for the electricity to travel to the ground, which does not conduct electricity, so the unsafe current is stopped dead in its tracks. Without proper grounding, people can easily become the source of grounding for the current and be shocked since our bodies are unfortunately good conductors of electricity.

Aside from improper grounding, reverse polarity is another fairly common wiring defect. In this case, the hot and neutral wires are reversed. While this does not always pose an immediate threat and may go unnoticed, there are some circumstances where reverse polarity can pose a safety hazard. For example, if a light socket is wired in reverse, the metal socket becomes energized and touching it will cause shock. Correcting this problem by switching the wires to their correct screws is simple, but all electrical work should always be done by a qualified electrician and the main breaker at the panel should always be shut off to ensure that no accidents occur.

Last but not least, most homes have at least one receptacle that is missing a cover, usually in a less visible area like the back of a kitchen base cabinet or behind the night stand in a bedroom. This may not seem like a big deal, but covers shield the wiring and provide protection that is necessary – especially for young children. Installing cover plates is probably the cheapest and easiest job a homeowner can do, and there’s really no excuse for having receptacles or switches that are uncovered.

Hopefully this post has clarified some things for you about how electricity works and how to spot and correct wiring defects. One nice thing about electricity is that if there’s a problem it usually lets you know right away. Check your receptacles with a tester to ensure that your home is properly wired and safe. Testers are inexpensive and most are accurate and reliable. If you come across any defects, contact a qualified electrician for immediate repair.

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