Author: buildinginsights_vkv4y8

High Humidity and Your Cabinets

Wood products in humid climates are especially susceptible to expansion due to the extra moisture in the air. The wood will absorb this moisture, causing it to swell or expand. If wood products are exposed to excessive moisture for an extended period of time, they may not resume to their original size. The key to controlling expansion and contraction is to control moisture in the wood by controlling the humidity. A common issue experienced with wood kitchen cabinet doors would be that they start to rub together. The minimum moisture content for decay to propagate is 22 to 24 percent, so building experts recommend 19 percent as the maximum safe moisture content for untreated wood in service. Water by itself does not harm the wood, but rather, wood that has consistent high moisture content will enable fungal organisms to grow.

 

Low Humidity and Your Cabinets

In low humidity conditions, wood will give off/release moisture and contract or shrink in size. During winter in colder environments, cabinetry will shrink from the dry heat produced by your home’s heating system. As the wood loses moisture, gaps will appear at the joints between the cabinetry pieces. Painted doors will also reveal seams at the joints as this natural movement occurs. Unfinished lines may appear around door panels. When the cabinetry regains its lost moisture under produced humidification or during the summer months, these gaps will often close and be less noticeable. This occurs with all wood products such as Kitchen Cabinetry, Millwork or Furniture, and will occur in any environment.

 

The ideal conditions for your wood cabinets is approximately 21-22°C or 70°F with a humidity level of approximately 35%-55%.

When the snow needs clearing, you get out the electric snowblower and get the job done! Unfortunately, one of the dangers of electrical devices is is mixing damp conditions and electricity. If you plan on using electrical equipment while you work outside, it is important that your equipment is plugged in to a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). A GFCI monitors the flow of electricity in a circuit. If there is an irregularity, even a very small one, the flow of electricity is shut off, preventing an electric shock. 

Since ground fault circuit protection was adopted in Canada over 40 years ago, the number of people dying annually from electrocution has been steadily reduced from over 800 to less than 200, and much electrical equipment and other infrastructure has been saved from damage. For this reason by federal electrical code, all outdoor receptacles must be GFCI. Be sure to test your GFCI plugs regularly with the “test” button. When they trip, you can use the “reset” button to reset the protection.

Don’t know if you have the proper GFCI plugs protecting you and your home? Book an inspection with us today and be sure!

When you’re looking into buying a new home, knowing the signs of rodent activity can save you from buying a home with furry roommates, damaged structure and possibly dangerous diseases. Cleaning up after rodents can cost a homeowner thousands of dollars! When you’re looking at buying a home, watch for these common signs of rodent activity.

Tunnels and burrows around the home can be signs of nesting inside the home. Be sure to look around and behind flower gardens and bushes where rodents can come and go while being concealed from predators. Inside the home look for evidence of nests in places like basements and attics. Look for shredded paper, plastic or insulation that rodents use for creating their nest.

Rodents like rats and mice can leave up to 180 droppings in their wake every day. These small black cylindrical leavings are possible sources of disease and should be an immediate warning sign if seen inside the home! 

If you happen to peek under the kitchen sink and see pest control products, this is a good indication there might be a rodent issue in the home. Traps and boxes of poison are also a sign that the owner has had or currently has a rodent problem. 

Rodents’ teeth continuously grow and they must gnaw at hard surfaces to reduce the size of their growing teeth. Watch for frayed electric wires and bite marks on wood trim. You may also see holes in plastic. Favourites to chew are chair legs, baseboards and insulation.

The smell of rodent urine is described as “musky.” Rodent infestations have a similar smell to an unkept pet cage. This is because all animal urine contains ammonia. If you catch the smell of ammonia, follow your nose and start to look for other signs.

Rodents tend to use the same paths repeatedly and so day after day, they will leave “grease” trails. Look for the grease left by their coats up against walls and on floors.     

Finally, even if the rodents have been eliminated from the home, their damage to foundation from burrowing, damage to wiring and frame due to gnawing may still exist. Chewed wiring poses a fire hazard and possible diseases from their droppings can pose health risks for your family. If you have any doubts about potential rodent activity in a home you are thinking of buying, book a pre-purchase inspection with us. 

Thermography or Thermal Imaging is a revolutionary tool for use in home inspections. It can detect various problems such as moisture behind a wall, air leakage related to missing or damaged insulation, problems with HVAC or electrical systems, problems with seals in windows, structural issues like missing studs or thermal bridging and even find pests or rodents. Our thermal imaging camera operates by detecting variations in thermal infrared energy.

All objects emit some form of thermal energy or infrared heat. When using a thermal imaging camera, it is the differences in infrared heat coming from surfaces that help us determine problems. The camera itself does not highlight specific problems, it instead shows a gradient of infrared heat from “cool” to “warm.” It is up to the trained eye of the operator to be able to know how to interpret the infrared map on the camera screen. When combined with the knowledge of building structures a camera operator can pinpoint an amazing array of problems invisible to the naked eye.

It takes more than a thermal imaging camera to be able to properly identify issues with a structure – it takes years of experience and knowledge of building problems, knowing how heat escapes and moves through building materials to properly make use of the technology of thermal imaging. Don’t trust just anyone with a camera! Trust the experience and home inspection certification of Building Insights to help you inspect your building with thermal imaging!

If you’ve found yourself the owner of an older home, or are looking at one, you may have a type of wiring called Knob and Tube. While modern homes have copper-based wiring covered in a plastic insulation sheathing, knob and tube wiring was created before our capabilities with plastics was at this level and so the wire was insulated with rubberized cloth fabric. The wire needed to flow through large open spaces to allow the heat of the wire to dissipate and so ceramic tubes and knobs were used to ensure the wiring did not touch the wood.

Unfortunately, Knob and Tube wiring had several drawbacks, not the least being that the wiring could not touch anything lest the heat conduct and start a fire. As we renovate and changeup older homes, the risk of fires from Knob and Tube wiring increases by any materials that end up close to this wiring. In addition, the rubberized sheathing loses its elasticity over time and can leave the wiring exposed. This is not only a shock hazard but an additional fire hazard. This wiring also did not support ground wiring and so outlets that are Knob and Tube are only two prongs and will not be compatible with grounded devices.
Your insurance company has likely told you to have this wiring replaced if you have a home that contains it and the likelihood of home fire increases the more you modify your home or any of the wiring of Knob and Tube. If you’re buying a home with Knob and Tube wiring, do have an inspection done first. We can let you know for sure if this outdated wiring is in your future dream home.

 

Your insurance company has likely told you to have this wiring replaced if you have a home that contains it and the likelihood of home fire increases the more you modify your home or any of the wiring of Knob and Tube. If you’re buying a home with Knob and Tube wiring, do have an inspection done first. We can let you know for sure if this outdated wiring is in your future dream home.

We’ve had yet another thaw this winter followed by a deep freeze and a common issue that causes cracks in foundations is the freezing and thawing of moisture in the soil around your foundation. Cracks are started when the concrete of your foundation, which is porous, has water in it that freezes. Freezing water expands and causes deterioration of your foundation. With multiple freeze-thaw cycles like we’re getting this winter, this process is repeated many times. Eventually, these cracks can get larger and become a real problem with the stability of your foundation.

The culprit in this cracking is excess soil moisture. Depending on factors like the drainage of your soil and how well the water coming off your home roof is routed away from the foundation could determine how much water is getting access to your home foundation. If you’ve seen how an overfilled ice cube tray freezes, then you’ve seen freezing water at work. Water is one of the few liquids on earth that expands when it freezes and there is very little, including concrete that can resist the pressure of the force of freezing water. 

A well-graded property, combined with well-maintained water spouts from roofs with water directed away from the foundation are great ways to reduce the water in the soil around your foundation and hence reduce the chance of cracking. Keep your foundation dry and safe, and your home investment will stay sound! If you’re concerned about foundation problems with your current home or an upcoming home purchase, have us inspect your property and give you a full report. 

Another cold snap is on the way and when it does our furnaces work very hard to keep our families warm! The last thing you want when your family is expecting to come home to a nice warm house is furnace problems, so here are a couple of the common issues homeowners experience and some possible solutions to get the heart of your home working at its most efficient! 

Here are some of the most common furnace problems and how you can solve them to get the most heat out of your furnace!

Furnace only blowing cold air or not generating enough heat:

• The air filter could be dirty. Check and change at every 1-3 months depending on the type of filter you have and how many humans and pets you have in your dwelling.

• Air distribution could be uneven. Check to see if other vents have heat and think about partially closing some to distribute heat better

 

Furnace won’t turn on / only works for certain periods of time:

• Your air intake could be blocked by snow or other obstructions and the furnace can’t get air. Go outside and check the intake pipe.

• Your thermostat could be faulty or the schedule not set properly. Try changing the batteries as a first step.

Problems you can’t fix yourself 

Your furnace is noisy:

• There should be no squeaking or rattling! This could mean there is a clogged burner or something loose in the mechanical aspects of the furnace.

Your furnace is setting off the CO detector:

• This dangerous situation should not be avoided! Exhaust pipes or the heat exchanger may have cracks and may be leaking dangerous gasses into your home! Do not ignore this problem and call for maintenance or inspection immediately!

If you suspect problems with your furnace or air distribution, why not have us inspect your HVAC and give you a full report on the health of your system!

With cold temps here we close our windows and seal up our homes against the draft of the brisk Canadian winter and while no home is completely air tight, sealing up our homes certainly leads to less air exchange, and hence a possible buildup of carbon monoxide. Known as the silent killer this odourless gas is a by-product of combustion, so while an electric stove would not generate CO (carbon monoxide), a gas stove would.

Other sources of CO can be gas fires, oil burning furnaces, portable generators, charcoal grills and anything that burns gas or a fuel in order to create heat. When CO is breathed in, it replaces oxygen in our blood. A person exposed to CO may notice something wrong but may not know where the symptoms are coming from. Symptoms are flu like and may include loss of balance, vision problems, memory problems and eventually loss of consciousness.

If household appliances are well services and used safely they should produce negligible quantities of CO gas but older appliances that have not been serviced frequently can lead to a higher risk of CO emission. Have chimneys and flues swept and checked once a year, be careful when using gas powered tools inside rooms and think about ventilation. Do not leave gas powered motors like cars or lawn mowers running in garages and make sure generators are more than 20 feet away from all windows. Above all, install CO detectors if your smoke alarms aren’t already equipped with this functionality. These additional detectors can easily be plugged in to outlets and should be installed near combustion devices. 

The holidays mean pulling boxes of decorations out of the attic or garage, untangling strands of lights and finding all the pieces for light up Rudolph or inflatable Mr Snow Man. Before you get up on the roof and start installing your tribute to Clark Griswold’s neighbourhood illuminating Christmas light display, take a second to inspect all of your decorations that use electricity.

Start by running your hand down the length of the electrical cord starting at where it meets the device and going to the wall plug. Take special care to look for stress on the cable where it meets the device that is being powered and also at the plug head. Inspect the plug head for loose or bent prongs. Bent prongs should be straightened. Check the length of the cord for any signs of rodent chewing that may have exposed the copper core of the wire. Any signs of damage to your decoration that show the copper of the wire is a sign that this particular decoration has performed admirably, but should not be used this season. A $19 set of Christmas lights isn’t worth a fatal electrical shock or a fire.

When you’re ready to plug your display in, be sure to try and use as few extension cords as possible, and if you do use them, ensure they are exterior extension cords that also have no frayed plugs or chewed sheathing that causes the copper of the wire to be exposed. If you are using extensive powered displays try to distribute the electrical load. Avoid using “taps” or “splitters” as electrical resistance at those points can make plugs very hot and be a fire risk. Above all if your home plugs are showing signs or smoke damage or melted plastic, book a home inspection to have us look at your electrical! This could be the sign of a potential fire hazard lurking in your walls. 

Owning a home includes an expensive, never-ending list of things to repair or enhance.  Unfortunately, many of your home’s core systems may end up needing replacement too. It’s important to be financially ready to replace them when the time comes.

Your home’s air conditioning and furnace are two of the most expensive items to consider. Fortunately, they are also two of the longest-lasting items in your home. An average air conditioner should last 15 to 20 years, if properly maintained by having regular filter changes and seasonal servicing. Furnaces have a similar lifespan, with higher quality ones having a greater likelihood of lasting the full two decades. HRV systems also have a similar lifespan.

Though they take on more daily wear and tear, your roof’s shingles last far longer.  The most common type – asphalt – can last between two and four decades, even though their warranties may not be that long. Fiberglass shingles can last more than five decades. Steel shingles are becoming more common in our area, and though the cost is much more, they should last at least 50 years. Even less common, clay shingles can last up to 60 years, and concrete tiles can last up to a century.

Whether you use your garage for cars or as a workshop, their doors often need replacement after 20 or 25 years, and although it might depend on how many times you use it, a motorized garage door opener might only last 10 to 15 years. 

Unfortunately, this is only a partial list and there will be many other things that need replacement over time. A home inspector can help you identify before you purchase your home what systems might need replacing shortly after you take possession of your new home.