Archive for the ‘Ask a Home Inspector’ Category

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Peeling Paint In Bathroom

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

Ted W writes, I repainted our bathroom a few months ago & now the paint is kind of flaking off in areas, what would cause this?

More than likely Ted it is from hairspray on the walls, I have run into this problem myself & this what I did. Scrape any areas that have peeled or look like they are going to peel. Paint over then with an oil based primer like Kilz & when it is dry repair with drywall mud. After these areas have been sanded, prime all of the walls with the same oil based primer & then repaint with 100% acrylic enamel eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss, which will hold up well to moisture. You shouldn’t have any further problems after following these steps. I know from now on I will always prime a bathroom wall with the oil based primer in hopes of eliminating all the additional work that I & now you have experienced. Thank you for sharing your question.

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White Stains On Chimney

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Pat M writes: My new brick chimney has white streaks down the sides. Both the builder & the mason say the stains are normal & will go away on their own, but I am still concerned. Are they a long-term problem that I will have to worry about when my warranty runs out?

The white stains described are probably either efflorescence or calcium carbonate. Efflorescence occurs when water dissolves salts in brick & mortar, bringing them to the surface & leaving them on the face of the wall, these stains can usually be removed with water & a brush.

Calcium-carbonate stains are also caused by water in the brick which dissolves calcium hydroxide in the mortar & when exposed to carbon dioxide in the air forms calcium carbonate. These stains are thick, hard, crusty, & are not water soluble. Muriatic acid must be used to remove these stains.

Water in the wall is the cause of each case & an initial outbreak is fairly common & not a serious problem. If either persists over time, however, it is an indication that water is entering the brickwork on a regular basis & corrective measures would need to be taken in order to identify & repair the point of entry.

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A Better Asphalt Sealant

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

Evan S says, Temperatures in the 70′s the other day got me to thinking about some spring time projects around the house, one if which will be re-coating my asphalt driveway. Are all asphalt sealants the same?

Funny you should mention that Evan as I found my mind wandering down the spring time “honey-do” list myself that day. many of the driveway sealers sold in retail stores are nothing more than thick paint & can be a waste of money. What you want to do is buy a more professional product that contains more sand, known as “solids content”, which helps to seal the whole thing so that water doesn’t get into & under the asphalt. If there are large cracks in the driveway then these will need to be filled with the appropriate caulk or filler prior to sealing. Most of the retail brands have a solids content of around 24% whereas professionals generally use a sealer with around a 52% solids content

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What Should I Ask A Home Inspector?

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

Owen wrote:
I am thinking about purchasing a house. What questions should I ask when I’m
looking for a home inspector or should I use my Real Estate agents usual home
inspector?

Owen, one of the big questions used to be if they are a member of one of fraternal organizations such as, ASHI, NAHI, or NACHI because these organizations each have their own code of ethics & standards of practice that their members are supposed to follow. But in a state, such as Tennessee or Kentucky, where home inspectors are now required to be licensed that question wouldn’t make it to the top of my list because the State has their own standards of practice, insurance & education requirements. Now I would say the most important question you should ask would be what was their background before becoming a home inspector. I have been involved in home building my entire life with hands on experience & a working knowledge of the trades involved in building a home & a week or two of home inspector classes is just no substitute for that when it comes to helping you make your decision on probably the biggest investment of your life.

On whether or not to use your agents usual inspector, that depends a lot on the agent. There are a lot of good agents out there that genuinely do have their clients best interest in mind & if you have one of those agents then I would say sure go ahead & use their inspector. But, there are also agents out there that only want to get the house closed & get a commission check & if you have one of those agents you are in trouble because they usually have an inspector that will gloss over anything that may “kill the deal”, & unfortunately you may not even know or notice what was not reported until a few years down the road or perhaps when you decide to sell & the buyers inspector reports it & now you get to foot the bill for the repair just like the seller should have when you were buying the home.

Be an educated consumer, do your research, get a qualified home inspector!

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Why Do My Lights Flicker ?

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

Andy Thomas asks, Whenever I turn on an appliance in my house the lights throughout the home flicker, why? Should I be concerned about the safety or condition of the house wiring?

A slight flicker is fairly normal when a big motor load such as an air conditioner or washing machine starts. If all the lights dim, then return to normal when a small appliance is turned on, then it is a system problem & the cause will be somewhere between the breakers in the service panel & the utility pole. If your neighbors are experiencing the same problem when everyone is running their air conditioners the problem could be that the the distribution grid, the transformer or the drop isn’t able to supply enough energy. Another possibility would be a loose connection at the main breaker. A qualified electrician will be able to find & fix your problem, or rule your side out & get your service provider to inspect it’s side. If the problem is in the main panel, someday it will fail catastrophically, so that situation would be urgent.

It’s a different problem if some lights dim & some get brighter, this would indicate a compromised neutral connection between the service panel & the transformer. This is an immediate danger because if the neutral connection is lost higher than normal voltages will destroy or damage appliances & could start a fire. The utility service provider would normally respond immediately if this condition is found.

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Reboring A Door

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

Keith D asks? I bought new doorknobs to install in my older home, but the existing holes are too small for the new locks & there is no wood to engage the pilot bit of my hole saw. How do I enlarge the holes?

Keith, there are 2 ways you can go about this, one is to use a hole saw that is the same size as the current hole in the doors & drill a hole through a scrap piece of 2x material. You can now place this plug on the hole saw for the new locks (usually 2-1/8) & it will act as a guide to keep the hole saw steady. The second option would be to drill the 2-1/8 hole in a scrap of plywood or 1x, center it over the hole in the door & clamp it in place as a guide. On both of these methods do not drill all the way through the door, to avoid splintering remove the bit & move to the other side & repeat. There is also a good chance that the hole for the latch in the side of the door will be too small as well. If it is too small it won’t be by much & I have had good luck with using a 1 inch hole saw instead of a paddle bit, start slow & it will work it’s own way in. Good Luck!

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Hairline Cracks In Retaining Wall

Friday, February 29th, 2008

George B asks, Last year I poured an 8 inch thick concrete retaining wall on thick footings at the frost line with plenty of rebar. We poured the wall in a single pour & used a vibrator to settle it, the temperature that day was around 100 degrees F. Now there are vertical hairline cracks at about every 10 feet in the wall. What would have caused this?

There are several things that can cause cracking, adding water to the mix partway through the pour will result in unequal curing & possible cracking. Over using a concrete vibrator at any one spot can separate aggregate from the mix, causing weak spots that are susceptible to cracking, & unless you altered the mix to allow for the temperature, using type II cement or adding a retarder, the concrete would have cured at an accelerated rate, which can cause cracking.

 Also, if the wall was not covered & kept moist for the first week, then the water would have evaporated prematurely, causing the concrete to dry & crack rather than cure. If the pattern of the cracks matches that of the rebar, then hot rebar could be the cause. That rebar at a temperature of 100 degrees is hot enough to drive the water from the concrete that is surrounding it, causing a differential cure rate & cracks.

Fortunately, hairline cracks are more cosmetic than structural. Seal the cracks with a masonry caulk that will prevent water intrusion & damage than can be caused by freeze/thaw cycles & monitor to make sure the cracks do not get bigger.

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Best Wood For Exterior Trim

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Charles T asks, I am going to make custom casing for a traditional wood front door & do not want to use synthetic material. I can use more expensive material in this small area, but don’t want to use teak. Which wood resists rot & holds paint well.

Teak doesn’t paint well because it’s too oily. Western red cedar, redwood, & mahogany are all good choices in ascending order of price. If the entry is sheltered, ponderosa or eastern white pine would also work well. For extra protection I would also recommend back-priming.

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Problems With Stair Riser Height

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

Billy S says,  We were originally going to have a vinyl floor in our addition, but have decided to go with 3/4″ hardwood, the stairs have already been installed & the change in flooring means that the first step will now be 3/4″ shorter than the rest of the steps. The contractor has said that either we can live with it or pay to have the stairs torn out & re-framed. Please tell me there is another option.

I think you will be glad to hear this because there is a relatively simple fix for this problem. You will need some scraps of 3/4″, 5/8″, 1/2″, 3/8″, 1/4″, 1/8″ luan. Glue & screw the 3/4″ to the first step, 5/8″ to the second, 1/2″ to the third & so on. In this fashion you will make up the difference in the riser height (step height is rise & depth is run) & still be within the code allowance of up to 3/8″ variation in riser height. but best of all you will not notice the difference when walking up & down the stairs. Another common problem I see with rough framed stairs is that the installer forgot or didn’t know to cut the tread thickness off of the bottom of the first stair. This will give you a first step that is an 1-1/2″ taller than the rest of the steps (if you use 1-1/2″ treads) & a last step that is 1-1/2″ shorter. In this case you would be better off removing the stairs to correct the problem, but I am glad we have another option for you.

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How Often To Change Your HVAC Filter

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

Joyce M asks, How often should I change my air conditioners filter? 

 Are the return air vents in your house covered with dirt? If so, you’re not cleaning or replacing your filter often enough! You should replace or clean the filter once a month. With forced air furnace systems, air recycling from the interior of the home to the furnace blower first passes through the air filter which is designed to catch  dust and debris and help clean the air before it cycles through the home again. When filters become dirty or clogged, it cuts down on the efficiency of the furnace, but over time it can cause parts to wear out faster.

Remember to check your owner’s manual for the recommended filter type.

A disposable furnace filter is made of a fiber mesh in a cardboard frame. You can find the size of the filter printed on the edge of the frame. There are special filters available that will do a much better job than the average disposable type. The pleated panel filters usually cost around $5 for the average heating system and are much better at removing dust particles because there is much more surface area to filter with, picture it this way, if you were to remove a pleated filter from the frame & flatten it out it would end up quite a bit wider than it’s dimension inside the frame.

Most package filters have an arrow stamped on them to indicate the direction of air travel through the filter. An arrow on the edge of the frame indicates the correct direction of airflow through the filter. Air flows from the return air duct toward the blower, so the arrow on the filter should point toward the blower and away from the return air duct.

Washable filters should be washed and treated every month, I have seen filters that say they are good for 3 months, I have never used one of these & possibly would change my mind if I tried one, but I would caution against leaving any filter in place for 3 months. I just don’t see how it could not end up restricting the air flow after that amount of time.

Hey, I know what, why don’t I get one, try it, & then let you guys know what I think. O.K. that’s what I’ll do.

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