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3 Fire Proof Bypasses

Fire barriers are often compromised and the homeowner never knows it.

Home fire barriers have been a part of the building code since about 1960.  Homes built prior to that time were not required to have any fire protection and many different fire proofing methods have been added since then.  Fire safety is a big part of building codes as it should be.

Did you know that most house fires start in the garage?

Most of the time even old homes have been modernized with many current fire barriers in place.  Three of the most common breaches in the garage fire barrier are:

    1. Pull down attic stairs
    2. Clothes dryer and bath fan exhaust fan vents
    3. Furnace heat ducts

The bottom of attic pull down stairs is plywood and when closed this does not provide an adequate fire barrier.  The solution is to install fire rated sheetrock on the plywood cover.

For exhaust vents and heat ducts it’s as simple as extending the pipe through an outside wall and building a fire rated box around the pipe.

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These simple garage improvements will protect the home against a fire entering the house.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

If you are interested in more home inspection info – ‘like’ Cities Inspection’s Facebook page.

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Aluminum Wiring = Trouble

Because of the high cost of copper, electricians began using aluminum wiring between 1968 and 1974.

Determining that a house is wired with aluminum is not as easy as it may seem. You might start with determining if the electrical panel was installed during the period in which solid aluminum wiring could have potentially been used. After that only a seasoned home inspector or a certified electrician should check to see if the wiring actually is solid aluminum and if that wire has caused heat damage.

To start, you must look at the cut end of the wire to determine if it is a solid or coated wire. Silver wiring is not necessarily aluminum.  It could be copper wire with a tin coating. Similarly, copper wire may not be what it seems. Aluminum wiring was sometimes coated with copper to prevent a chemical reaction between the aluminum wire and its mounting hardware.

The main concern is aluminum wire alloys, produced in the period 1964 to 1981, expanded more than copper wire when they got hot and shrank more when they got cold. This continual expansion and contraction caused loose connections, overheating and eventually house fires.

What should I do if my house has aluminum wiring?

The best solution is to completely rewire the home. This can be very expensive, so there is a code approved alternative. Copper pigtails (a short copper wire) can be connected to the aluminum wires, creating a bond between the approved devices and the wire. This bond will stay secure and prevent overheating.

There are two devices approved to bond the copper pigtails to the aluminum wire. The best is a COPALUM connection which is a form of cold welding and can only be performed by a trained and certified electrician using specialized tools. This is a very costly process. The next best is AlumiCon connectors which are a newer, simpler and less costly alternative, to COPALUM. These devices also must be installed by a licensed electrician.  Amateur installation of AlumiCon connectors is not approved because improper bonding of the wire to the connector can cause serious overheating.

Never let anyone attempt to connect the copper pigtails to aluminum wire with a wire nut. This method has been extensively used in the past. It will absolutely cause overheating and maybe a house fire!  

Aluminum wiring is an issue that should be addressed immediately. Start by calling an ACI Certified Home Inspector for analysis.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

‘Like’ Cities Inspection’s Facebook page for more great tips on things to watch for in your home!

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Is That Room Legal?

Homeowners, realtors and home inspectors can have different views as to what constitutes a habitable room. Why does this matter? Because a converted room, such as a porch, basement, or attic, finished into “living space” may not be quite as livable as expected. So let’s have a look at it here.

According to the International Residential Code (IRC) and the MN State Building Code, habitable rooms are used for cooking, eating, living, or sleeping.

Because a room does not meet a habitability requirement does not mean it is not legal. The term habitability is misleading in that a room can be used for whatever purpose the homeowner chooses.  The following rules are guidelines for existing homes and requirements for newly built homes; a room must have:

  • Light – sunlight through a glazed window equal to 8% of the room floor area.
  • Ventilation – open able window equal to 4% of the room floor area.
  • Ceiling height – 7’ minimum.
  • Total area – 70 sf. minimum.
  • Width – 7’ minimum.
  • Bedrooms must have an egress sized window, but do not require a closet.
  • Kitchens are an exception – they do not need to meet the size or window requirements, but would then be required to have mechanical ventilation ducted to the exterior.

Non-habitable rooms are bathrooms, laundry rooms, closets, and hallways. These spaces are not required to meet any of the above requirements; however, bathrooms must have either a window or exhaust fan ducted to the exterior.

When purchasing a home or finishing a room be sure to take these rules into consideration, it could affect your investment.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

Cities Inspection’s Facebook page has more interesting info on inspections and property issues. Check us out and ‘like’ us!

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Let’s Look Closer At Deck Failure!

There are just two basic reasons for decks failing. The first is overloading and the second is improper construction.

Overloading: deck failure usually happens unexpectedly. We have been using the deck for several years, even barbecuing for the family without a problem. But today we are having a graduation party. Fifty teenagers’ crowd the deck which has never carried more than seven people! The music starts, the teenagers jump up and down, and the deck tears off the rim joist with the deck collapsing towards the house. Unfortunately several people are hurt.

What happened? Floor loads in a house are limited to 40 pounds per square foot or a point load of 300 pounds. That limit is designed to carry some furniture and people walking or sitting in the room. Decks are usually designed to the same limit so our deck was grossly overloaded with a large number of people on it, and absolutely could not carry the extra shock load of the teenagers’ dancing . The reason the deck failed where it is connected to the house (or the rim joist) is that this is the point where the entire load is perpendicular to the direction of the fastener. It is like suddenly smacking the fastener with an ax.

Party on the deck, by all means, but have it checked for structural integrity to be sure that the extra load can be carried. Pay particular attention to the rim joist, which should be bolted in a manner that pulls the deck floor joist and the house floor joist together. Proper hardware and an installation guide are available from your local big-box store.

Improper construction: every existing deck should be inspected to see that it has been properly constructed. Unfortunately, many contractors and local building officials do not appreciate that proper deck construction is even more important than it is in a house. The deck at some point will carry greater loads than the house floor and is being continually attacked by the weather where it has to contend with sun, rain and snow loads.

Any home inspector can determine if your deck is capable of carrying the loads required. Most often a contractor will be able to reinforce the existing structure without the need of building a new deck.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

‘Like’ our Facebook page for interesting info on inspections and property issues!

 

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Too Much Roof Snow?

Can my roof collapse from too much snow load? It’s possible, but highly unlikely.

Since about 1950, cold climate states must adhere to engineering principles that configure the structure of the roof. They are based upon the highest potential roof snow load in your area. The building code will then require the roof be designed and sized to safely meet or exceed those live snow loads. In Minnesota that load is 42 pounds per square foot north of a line that crosses the state just south of Hinckley. The south side of the line which includes Minneapolis and St Paul is 35 pounds per square foot.

How deep would the snow be if there was 35 pounds of snow per square foot on the roof?

Well…if it was light snow it would be 5 feet deep! If it was medium or normal density it would be 2.5 feet deep and if it was tightly packed, it would be more than 1.5 feet deep. The measurement by the way would be uniform over the whole roof. In the real world there will be places that are less deep or less dense. These include areas that are covered by roof overhangs, spots protected from wind, and behind chimneys and dormers. So, if your roof meets current code, you have little to worry about.

However, if your home is hundred years or so old or you have some reason to doubt that it has been built to code, you may wish to remove some snow. Remember though, if you are removing snow you are removing a very good insulator.

If you must remove snow use a roof rake with extension handles. Never stand on the roof or scrape the roof bare as this may damage the shingles. Be very cautious about letting someone who comes knocking on your door remove the snow from your roof. Check their credentials. Make sure they have insurance.

This could become a very expensive mistake!

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

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Is Your Life Worth $25?

This very cold winter has been responsible for many accidents, including deaths from CO (carbon monoxide) poisoning. 

These disasters might have been averted if a properly located and operating carbon monoxide alarm had been installed. For just $25 a battery-operated or for $50 a hardwired alarm can be purchased and installed.

What is CO?  Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that is tasteless, odorless, invisible, and none irritating gas. It also weighs approximately the same per cubic foot as the air in your house. If it is going to poison you, you won’t know anything about it!

What causes CO?  CO is a product of incomplete combustion due to an insufficient oxygen supply. This can occur by not supplying a fossil fuel burning appliance with enough air. Your furnace, water heater, fireplace, automobile either needs to be located in a wide open space or have an outside air supply. There are formulas for how big an open space is needed, but by installing an outside air supply you are assured of having sufficient air for complete combustion. Or carbon monoxide occurs when fossil fuel appliance burners are incorrectly tuned or when the burner exhaust system is blocked or leaking. In other words you are re-burning the original exhaust products. A safe appliance produces carbon dioxide (CO2). Only when there is not enough oxygen in the air or when you re-burn oxygen from the CO2 does the appliance become a CO producer.

All homes should have a CO detector within 10’ of all bedrooms.

What is the action level?  Obviously you would like to have zero CO in your house. But that may not be possible; you should expect a level of less than 15 ppm in your home. Exposures at 100 ppm (parts per million) or greater can be dangerous to human health. At this level the symptom would be a slight headache in 2-3 hours of exposure. People who survive CO poisoning and complain of low to severe headaches and nausea are lucky. They just got a relatively low dose of this insidious poisoning. Elevated levels of CO will simply kill you before you know anything about it.

All systems that burn fossil fuels… Oil, Gas, Wood… should be examined and tuned by an expert annually.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

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What Is Ventilation?

Ventilation is not just air blowing in through an open window and it certainly isn’t the bathroom fan turned on to get rid of a bad smell. 

In a previous blog, I stated that many older houses are now much tighter than the owners believe. Remodeling, changing surfaces and even a coat of paint can do a lot towards tightening the house and reducing its ability to breath. You should, if you own a house that has new siding, exterior windows or doors installed, be concerned that there is an inadequate amount of ventilation. High humidity levels can cause all sorts of visible and concealed moisture damage to a home. Some clues are frost buildup on windows, ice dams, mold and wood decay.

Ventilation, broadly, is an equal exchange of stale air being continually exhausted from the house shell while being replaced by clean atmospheric air at code specified rates.

There are two general methods of ventilation:

  • The first is balanced ventilation. This requires design by an expert in the field. In balanced ventilation two fans of equal volume will be installed. One will suck air into the housing shell from outside and the other will blow stale air from inside the shell to the outside. Often the two air streams pass, side-by-side, through a heat sink material so that the heat being exhausted from the house may be captured and returned in the incoming air. Systems that employ this kind of heat exchange are usually about 70% efficient.
  • The other method is unbalanced ventilation. Unbalanced ventilation can be a fan sucking air into the house from outside and exhausting, by the pressure created, through an existing vent. Or, more typically, it would be just the opposite. Outside air would come in to the house through a lowering of pressure caused by an existing exhaust fan operating in the home. This method is not nearly as efficient as balanced ventilation but it will do the job.

The easiest and most economical way to ventilate your home is unbalanced ventilation. This is something that you can do yourself at a cost of a few hundred dollars. Some homes may already have the equipment in place and it will take little effort to implement. First you will need to select an existing exhaust fan in the bathroom or perhaps in the kitchen that is vented to the outside. Next, you need to create a vent opening in the basement, connect an insulated flexible air duct, and extend this pipe to the floor. The outside vent cover will need a screen to prevent vermin from entering the home. You may already have this pipe; it would be an open pipe near the furnace called an outside air supply. Finally, turn on the exhaust fan and run continuously. This will remove the stale warm moist damaging air in the home , replace it with fresh cold dry outside air and not depressurize the home. You are now controlling the quality and moisture level of the indoor air.

Any exhaust fan in the home will give you a result. Just remember that the smallest fan required by code is 40 CFM. The higher the CFM fan rating the quicker the home will complete a complete air change. Fans are typically rated from 40 to 130 CFM.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

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Can I Use An AFCI In The Place Of A GFCI?

Not if you want to stay healthy!

Both units, although very different in function, look alike in the electrical panel. They look like conventional circuit breakers with a test button on their face and they both attach to the panel in a normal circuit breaker slot and are bonded to the neutral bus bar with a, rear mounted, tightly coiled white wire.

The AFCI, Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter, was introduced to residential electrical codes in 1999 with the requirement to install them in bedrooms and has quickly gained acceptance, particularly with Fire Marshalls, because the device reliably opens damaged circuits that are overheating because of arcing (mini fires). Recent editions of the electrical codes have included installation in most living areas. Unfortunately, there are other over-heating issues with circuits that cannot be detected by the AFCI, such as an electric motor starting or someone pulling a cord out of a live outlet or wires overheating through high current demand meeting high resistance without any arcing occurring.

When must I install these devices?

Never! Installing these critical devices is a job for a licensed electrician. They can advise you as to the necessity for installation of these devices and proper wiring technique. Except for a room addition or replacement of an existing failed device, AFCI’s are usually only installed in new wiring systems.

Where does today’s code require these devices to be installed?

AFCI’s are installed in all bedrooms and living areas, but not unfinished basements and garages. GFCI’s are installed in all potentially wet areas, including kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and exterior outlets. Some circuits can even require the installation of both an AFCI and a GFCI.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

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AFCI or GFCI That Is The Question

Is an AFCI the same as a GFCI and what is a GFI?

AFCI or Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter and GFCI or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter are names for similar looking electrical devices that are used for very different purposes.

  • An AFCI protects an electrical circuit against a specific kind of arcing. It’ function is to prevent overheating and fire because of damaged or broken wires, loose screws and wire connections. It does this by disconnecting the circuit breaker or fuse before the arc creates a fire.
  • A GFCI is very different. It measures current flow over the hot and neutral wires in circuit acting like an off switch if the amount of current in the 2 wires is not in balance. The assumption is the imbalance is caused by current flowing through you rather than the circuit.  Not a good situation because you essentially become the light bulb.

A GFI or Ground Fault Interrupter is what we used to call a GFCI. The electrical code simply changed the term to make it more precise.

In short, 
The AFCI protects your home from fires caused by wires that overheat through arcing.  The GFCI protects you from being electrocuted by current rushing through your body as it takes the path of least resistance to ground. The GFI only makes electricity more confusing to understand than it already is.

These devices save lives…your home is calling out for these improvements.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

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Are Leaky Houses Healthier?

State of MN doesn’t think so and has adopted a new energy code.

Most realtors and homeowners don’t realize since June 1, 2009 our housing has been subject to new residential energy requirements.  If interested you can download the full Energy Code called Chapter 1322 at www.dli.state.mn.us/ccld/pdf/sbc_1322.pdf

The entire MN Energy Code is essentially about 2 principles…

Envelope Performance
This is all about the rate of energy loss through the shell of the building.  Heat loss is caused by the continuous energy load within the house which is called Base Load.  This includes things such as lights, water heating, and cooking power.  We can control these losses by installing more efficient appliances and devices.  Outside air temperature also effects heat loss and this is called Seasonal Losses.  These losses are reduced by the proper installation of quality insulation, vapor barriers, and efficient sealing.

Ventilation
Because our homes have become so tight the rate of air exchange is practically nothing.  The new code requires a complete air change each hour.  Half of the air in a home can be exchanged by a continuously operating mechanical system and the other half by a passive means, like opening a window.  This can be accomplished with kitchen and bath exhaust fans that run continuously, but this isn’t the most efficient method.  A better way are with either a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or energy recovery (ERV), but this way is very expensive.

Without these 2 principles in balance and working together, there can be great risk to the air quality of the home.  

Can you hear the whisper of stale air or mold?

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

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