Thank You For all of Your Help

Ted,
Thank you for all your help Read more

My inspection was great

Ted was great and very personable. Being this is my first time buying a home, he answered all my questions thoroughly and without hesitation.

D. Flanagan
Middletown, DE

Is Your Vent System Safe?

As a Delaware Home Inspector we see all kinds of things during a routine home inspection. While inspecting the heater and hot water heater I came across the vent pipe that was not properly installed. Anytime you have two appliance venting into your chimney the small diameter pipe should be above the large pipe. This is to help prevent carbon monoxide spilling back into your home if the two appliance our running at the same time. In addition if you look at the picture closely you will also see that the heater vent pipe is not properly pitched, It slopes on a downward angle. If the angle is not correct the heater will have to work twice as hard to get the carbon monoxide out of the pipe, This strain could cause the inducer motor and or pressure switch to fail. Notice the rust on the vent pipe for the heater this is caused by condensation build up, the condensation drips onto the pipe from the hot gases.

When you find your dream home, make sure that you get a thorough home inspection from the Most trusted Delaware Home Inspector, Ted Hinderer of Quality Home Inspections, he serves New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties. Schedule online or give us a Call today at 302-893-1364 for a thorough home inspection. We won’t let you buy the money pit.

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time!

Services Provided:

General Home Inspection
Radon
Termite
Well Water Testing
Spa

It was a pleasure

Good Morning Ted,

Thank you so much for the documents. It was a pleasure to have you as
our home inspector. I really appreciated all your suggestions and help
with this inspection. Anyone I know that is moving down to DE from Fort
Monmouth I will definitely recommended you to them. Have a good day.

Leaking Basement

As a Delaware Home Inspector we see many homes some require only maintenance items to be repaired and others require contractor involvement. On this house the front and rear basement walls have cracks that go all the way thru allowing water to enter the structure, In addition to that the rear entrance door was leaking and damaged. This was one of the homes that require contractor involvement because the cracks will have to be handled a certain way in order for the walls to stop leaking. The heater return air duct was a whole separate issue, The buyer asked if they (seller) could seal that up with spray foam, My reply was no that duct should be taken apart and put back together either with a transition to go around the pipe or move the heater and duct work. The reason is this if the plumbing waste pipe broke not only would you have waste water in the basement but now its in the heater and could damage the motor and controls not to mention think of the foul odor that could permeate thru the rest of the home.

When you find your dream home, make sure that you get a thorough home inspection from the Most trusted Delaware Home Inspector, Ted Hinderer of Quality Home Inspections, he serves New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties. Schedule online or give us a Call today at 302-893-1364 for a thorough home inspection. We won’t let you buy the money pit.

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time!

Services Provided:

General Home Inspection
Radon
Termite
Well Water Testing
Spa

Call 811 before digging to keep the utilities working this spring

 It’s that time of year again when Read more

Act now to prevent costly ice damage later

Ice dams may not be something the average homeowner Read more

Gas Ranges Recalled

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office Read more

Replacing household products can keep you safe

Replacing household products can keep you safe
(ARA) – While people take all manner of precautions to ensure the safety and health of their families, some household products may need more attention and maintenance to keep loved ones and the home environment as safe as possible. A recent study shows that many Americans are unknowingly at risk of illness, injury or worse due to living with and using products that have not been properly maintained or replaced.

“Most of us have trained ourselves to pay attention to expiration dates on food,” says Meri-K Appy, president of the nonprofit Home Safety Council. ”But, how many of us are thinking about the lifespan of the products we count on and live with every day? It’s easy to take for granted our smoke alarms and our pillows, or even our toothbrushes. But the truth is, if you neglect replacing these and other products, you could be putting yourself at risk.”

Following is a list of time-sensitive products that require regular replacement to maintain peak performance:

Smoke alarms – These potentially lifesaving devices have lives of their own and expire after about 10 years or 87,000 hours of service. Yet, a new study conducted by First Alert, a leading manufacturer of home safety products, recently uncovered that nearly a quarter of Americans (23 percent) have either never replaced the smoke alarms in their homes or have not done so in more than six years. Unprotected, these homes and their occupants are in danger of becoming among the 900 lives lost each year in U.S. home fires due to non-working smoke alarms as reported by the National Fire Protection Association.

“It is imperative that smoke alarms be properly maintained to ensure their effectiveness,” warns Tom Russo, president of Jarden Branded Consumables, Safety and Security. “Alarms should be tested every month and batteries replaced every six months for maximum security. If the alarms in your home are approaching the 10-year mark, or if you can’t recall when they were installed, be safe and replace them immediately.”

Carbon monoxide alarms – According to the American Medical Association, carbon monoxide intake is the No. 1 cause of accidental poisoning in the U.S. Still, an alarming 25 percent of American homes are not equipped with any CO alarms and another 23 percent have CO alarms that have never been replaced, according to the recent First Alert study.  The NFPA recommends installing CO alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. To ensure peak performance, replace batteries twice a year and check alarms monthly using the “test” function. When properly maintained, a CO alarm has a life of approximately five years, after which time it should be replaced with a new unit.

“Carbon monoxide is an especially dangerous threat because it attacks without warning and can be deadly,” says Russo. “The value of CO alarms is so critical that more and more states and municipalities are passing laws that require homes to have CO alarms to protect residents from this silent killer.”

Other products that require regular replacement include:

Fire extinguishers – Like their alarm counterparts, fire extinguishers need to be regularly checked to ensure that the pressure is at the recommended level and all parts are operable and not damaged. If an extinguisher is damaged in any way or needs to be recharged, it is best to replace the unit completely, advises the U.S. Fire Administration. Disposable models, like Tundra Fire Extinguishing Spray, come with expiration dates that inform owners when the unit should be replaced.  Additionally, Tundra comes in a compact, familiar spray can design that is easy to operate and store.

Furnace filters – Not only do clean furnace filters help save on energy costs, but they also reduce the risk of fire. Just as full dryer screens can cause fires, so can dirty or clogged filters in the furnace. When replacing an old filter, note that many available products are disposable. But there are other products – such as electrostatic filters – that can be washed and reused time and again, generating even more savings if used and cared for properly.

Kitchen sponges – WebMD cites that kitchen sponges are the No. 1 source of germs in the entire house. They achieve this rank because of their moist, micro-crevices which make great homes for germs to linger in. Many experts recommend replacing kitchen sponges once a week, and at the very least twice a month.

Toothbrushes – The American Dental Association recommends replacing toothbrushes every three to four months or sooner if bristles begin to fray. Researchers have found that toothbrushes can hold microorganisms from mouths and the environment that can cause oral and systemic infections.

Mascara – According to Consumer Reports, mascara should be replaced every three months because it is likely to begin growing bacteria after that time.  It also should be replaced if it begins to smell, is discolored or is used around the time of an eye infection.

Additionally, consumers are advised to replace pillows, medication, hair brushes and sunscreen on a regular basis. Check product packaging for expiration dates and replacement guidelines.

For more information and a complete home safety checklist, go to http://www.firstalert.com/safety_checklist.php. For more home safety tips, visit http://www.mysafehome.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Candlelight Christmas in December

Candlelight Christmas in December (Saturday, December 5, 1 to 6 p.m.)

Make the 24th Annual Candlelight Christmas in Chadds Ford your first weekend date in December ’09. Several private homes from the Chadds Ford area will be on display along with the Barns-Brinton House. Chadds Ford Historical Society’s early holiday house tour takes place Saturday, December 5 from 1 to 6 p.m. Advance tickets for the 24th annual tour are $16, tickets are $20 the day of the event. For more information, call 610-388-7376 or visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org.

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