Air Quality in a Forest Fire

With all the fires burning around us, air quality is horrid. As I write, both Moscow and Lewiston are in the hazardous range, and Pullman is only marginally better.

For those with central air or furnaces, you can use the blower on the system to help filter your air. The thermostat should have a fan setting that you can switch from 'Auto' to 'On'. This will start pulling air through the filter and clean it for you. The cost of running the system in this mode is pretty negligible.

For those of you challenged by the dust at harvest time, this will work, too.

Be safe, everyone.

Letting go...

It doesn't take a lot of strength to hold on.  It takes a lot of strength to let go. ~J.C. Watts

It seems like an easy enough thing to do. But, in reality, letting go of the things that hold us back is so much harder than you would think. That being said, I think that being able to let go of the things that are not helpful to you is probably one of the biggest steps toward being more positive and motivated in all areas of your life. Today, my goal is to let go of the things that make me moody or unproductive, because those are the things that are not necessary for me to worry about. The kids are fighting? No big deal. Tell them to figure it out, shut them in a room and stop worrying. Eventually they will figure it out. And if it suddenly gets quiet, you might just check to make sure WWIII hasn't just happened in your house. Feeling pulled in too many directions? Figure out which ones are absolutely unavoidable and purge the rest. It will make you feel so much lighter and happier. Take the weight off. It's not an easy thing to do, but it is worth it. So start letting go of the things that way you down or hold you back.

Have a great week!

Have compassion...

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama

Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation. ~Henry Ward Beecher

The value of compassion cannot be over-emphasized. Anyone can criticize. It takes a true believer to be compassionate. No greater burden can be borne by an individual than to know no cares or understands. ~Arthur H. Stainback

Step back and breathe...

On a daily basis, we all have obstacles we must overcome to keep moving forward. Some days, those obstacles are less obvious than others. These are things like having trouble getting out of bed, getting stuck in traffic, and sometimes even our own impatience with the world.  Sometimes slowing down and taking a deep breath sounds like the opposite of being productive. So how could that possibly help keep us motivated? I'll let these folks tell you and let it simmer until next week.

Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow- that is patience.  ~Unknown

He that can have Patience, can have what he will. ~Benjamin Franklin

Patience is the companion of wisdom. ~Saint Augustine

It's a beautiful world!

Yesterday, my family and I went boating and swimming. As I was looking around, I was astounded by the beauty of it all. My children, who have been so afraid of getting in the water, were inner tubing and jumping in the water and having a wonderful time. And that was so beautiful. So when today didn't start as planned, I chose to focus on the beauty that I witnessed yesterday.  The beauty that we all see on a daily basis can be a huge motivator. Images like this one can have a huge impact on your day. Hold on to those images and memories and use them to help you get through each day. And look for more moments of beauty to help keep you going through the rest of your week. Happy Monday!

Hello! Welcome to my Monday Morning Motivator

I would say good morning, but I'm late. By about 12 hours. So, instead, I will say welcome to my Monday Morning Motivator. I'll be the first to admit that I struggle on Monday mornings, and today was no exception, which is why this post is coming to you at this hour.  I got very little sleep and morning came way to early for my liking. I was wholly unprepared for all the things I needed to do today. By the way, I'm a mom of 3 (ages 7, 5, and 1.5) and also do part time in-home daycare for 2 (ages 4 and 1) once a week. Today, my 2 borrowed extras came over at quarter to 5 in the morning. I turned off my alarm at 5:45 after coaxing my 18 month old back to sleep because my motivation had taken a vacation. When I did wake up, I did what I always do, and sometimes multiple times depending on the level of motivation I'm harboring for the day.  And that is: make coffee. That's right. Coffee. It was my best friend this morning. It is my motivational kick in the pants when I need one. If you drink coffee, or any other liquid form of motivation, it's sometimes that little something extra we needed to really get going. I will work on trying to improve my positivity about Mondays and will continue to bring my thoughts about how to do that to you here. So until next week, just remember:

Have a great week!

Surviving the Home Inspection Hits #1 On Kindle!

Very excited that my book, Surviving the Home Inspection, hit the top spot (probably briefly given the ephemeral nature of Amazon's bestseller lists) in the Kindle store in the Buying and Selling Homes category.

I'm already planning my next project- deciphering FHA, VA, USDA, inspections for the sellers.

How Much Difference Does Insulation Make?

I did an inspection in Lewiston late last year on a very cute little bungalow near Normal Hill. The home was classic brick with trees lining the street in front. The clients were a young couple buying their first home.

One the findings that we came up with is that there was nearly no insulation. The home had an old beast of a furnace that kept the home warm - when it ran, and it definitely like to do that.

Jack asked me for some advice about how to handle this. We talked about the advantages and disadvantages of blown fiberglass and blown cellulose. One nice thing about our local Home Depot is that they will essentially lend you the equipment to insulate the home yourself if you purchase a set amount of the insulation from them. It's a pretty good deal, one that I took advantage of in my home.

Jack sent me these pictures, a before-and-after of the attic space. It's pretty impressive, though it's going to make it a lot tougher for the next inspector to traverse the attic.

Jack put in about a dozen inches of new insulation. One of the advantages of the blown cellulose that he chose is that it air seals much better than fiberglass. It's also much less expensive.

It always makes me happy when I get a chance to see my advice make a positive difference for the people that I work with. In this case, it's a young couple who just spent one afternoon and made their house much more affordable from an operating expenses perspective.

How more affordable?

Jack sent me the numbers - bear in mind that this has been a really mild winter, so the numbers are a little lower than in a cold year.

• Month 1 - $209 for gas and electric.
• Month 2 - $125 for gas and electric.

So, the bill dropped by 40 percent over the course of a month. Pretty darned impressive and I'm awfully happy for the family. Good job to them!

Surviving the Home Inspection

The Essential Seller's Handbook for Surviving the Home Inspection is now on sale at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I have the price discounted 50 percent for a short period of time.

The trade paperback edition should be ready in two weeks.

Avoiding Frozen Pipes

The Washington Post has an article on what to do if your pipes freeze. Not a current worry here, but worth filing away for the future.

Here's some of the advice that I left:

Let's throw some extra pointers out there . . .
1. Leave the sink base cabinets open to allow better air flow, especially in older homes with poor wall insulation.
2. Make sure you don't have any hoses hooked up outside and that the hose bibs are protected with insulating covers.
3. If your house is vacant, call a friend/realtor/somebody to check on it and make sure the heat is on.
4. If you have a crawlspace, close the vents for the time being. Ideally, any plumbing line in the space should be insulated.
5. If you have a basement look for water lines that are in contact with concrete. Put a piece of insulating material, even some rubber, behind the lines to get them off the walls and fill the air gap. Pay attention to the laundry lines in old houses.
6. Add portable electric heat to spaces where pipes are subject to freezing. Use as little heat as you can and make sure there are no combustibles nearby.

Better to go to overkill on precautions than to deal with a flood.

What are those stripes on my wall?

I had a chance recently to perform a "mold' inspection. The occupant of the home complained of mold growth and was particularly concerned about the stripes that were growing on his walls.

I performed a visual exam the walls but the issue was obvious as soon as I entered. .The striping effect I saw is typical marking that occurs in older homes that limited wall insulation and (generally) a four-inch wall cavity.

The striping is not a biological growth but the result of house energy dynamics and occupant behavior. In the wintertime, the studs are substantially cooler than the cavity spaces. The movement of warm air is to the cooler stud, consistent with the Second Law of Thermodynamics. When the air reaches the painted drywall surface, it deposits oils, dust, and smoke on the surface. The reason that the nails show more on the wall surface is that they are metal and better transmitters of energy, and thus colder.

 A lot older houses that had smokers exhibit these types of stripes. Other causes are the cooking greases and smoke from the kitchen, oil-based air fresheners, wood fireplaces, and candles.

Candles are a biggie.

So my advice is not to panic. Clean the walls, and then assess which of the likely causes put the particulate matter into the air in the first place. Once you determine that, you have a means of control.

What if you lose the key?

You know you spend too much time inspecting when you watch a movie (Zodiac) and shout about the deadbolt lock.

In this case, the protagonist, while trying to deduce the identity of the Zodiac killer, visits a home occupied by a guy that qualifies as slightly north of spooky. Hero flees the basement (sensible), heads up the steps, sprints to the door and - Trapped!

He can't leave because the door has a keyed deadlock.

I normally recommend replacing these with a deadbolt that has a knob instead for fire evacuations, but hey, if you live near an ax murderer and need to leave expeditiously, make the change.

Testing Water Temperature during the Home Inspection

As part of my home inspections, I test the water temperature at a minimum of one fixture, and sometimes, more. The State of Washington Standards of Practice states that the Inspector will report "Whether or not the water temperature was tested and state that the generally accepted safe water temperature is one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit."

Most inspectors simply report the generally safe accepted level and let it go. I don't for reasons that I'll cover here in a moment. First, the following will give you a sense for how hot water can injury. Note that these are for average adults, not small children or the very elderly.

• Water at 100 degF or below is unlikely to scald an adult occupant at any exposure time.
• Water at 120 degF for 5 minutes can cause 2nd & 3rd degree burns on adult skin
• Water at 130 degF for 30 seconds can cause 2nd & 3rd degree burns on adult skin
• Water at 140 degF for 5 seconds can cause 2nd & 3rd degree burns on adult skin
• Water at 150 degF for 1.5 seconds can cause 2nd & 3rd degree burns on adult skin
• Water at 160 degF for .5 seconds can cause 2nd & 3rd degree burns on adult skin

My record for water temperatures, actually measured in a home in Moscow, was 179 degF, hot enough to make coffee with. 150 degF is not all that unusual.

The reason all this came to mind is a report of Legionnaire's Disease in the Bronx. For those unfamiliar with the disease, it is bacterial in nature and a particularly nasty form of pneumonia. It is water-borne but, to infect, it needs to be inhaled.  Think humidifiers or showers where the bacteria in the water is atomized to particles that can be breathed.

The types of systems most likely to create ideal conditions? Cribbing from OSHA, "Warm, stagnant water provides ideal conditions for growth. At temperatures between 20°C-50°C (68°-122°F) the organism can multiply. Temperatures of 32°C-40°C (90°-105°F) are ideal for growth. Rust (iron), scale, and the presence of other microorganisms can also promote the growth of LDB."

Sounds a lot like the well water we have here, conveniently heated to nearly ideal conditions for growth inside our water heaters.

Per OSHA, "Maintain domestic water heaters at 60°C (140°F). The temperature of the water should be 50°C (122°F) or higher at the faucet."

That's why I test the temperature and why, if the client is attending the inspection, we discuss the temperature. I don't call out high water temps as a safety hazard until I measure 130 degF. Even then, the discussion starts first with a question about who will be living in the home with the client.

I explain the state standard, which is based on manufacturer liability standards, as well as energy conservation standards. Then I explain the third leg of the risk triangle, bacteria control.

The reason that I might consider testing at more than one location in the home is that the newer faucets, especially for tubs and showers, have tempering valves. That is, the valve blends cold into the hot to moderate the temperature to safer levels. The place to get the most accurate reading on the output temperature of the water heater is usually at the utility sink since the hot and cold water controls separate.

If I get a low reading but a very fast rise on the temperature, I look for additional test points to confirm my reading. I don't want to inform the client that the temperature is under 120 degF if the test point is subject to tempering.

Depending on their particular circumstances, the clients may wish to leave the water temperature at a higher level than the standard. The point is to ensure that they are well informed on both the pros and cons of setting the water temperature for the home.

Changes Abound

I haven't posted regularly to the blog. Bad Paul.

I did, however, do a full site redesign, and hopefully the site will be easier to use and easier on the eyes. I've moved the blog off the landing page now that I have a decent looking site.

Bells and whistles are coming - some are still in, like online scheduling. A new feature is the ability to sign the inspection agreement electronically. I'm looking at putting a means for paying online as well - I know it sounds simple but the federal regulations,  hoops that come in a multitude of sizes and heights, make it a bit interesting.

You might also notice a name change. I've left the NPI family. This was done at my request and based solely on the changes that we've had in life - the addition of three sons-in-law and six grandchildren, some success in publishing. With the additional commitments of time to personal ventures, I didn't feel that I could properly abide by the requirements of the franchise. Roland Bates, President of NPI, was enormously gracious in releasing me from the non-compete clause in the contract.

For years, I've been the hardest working inspector in the region, frequently working seven days a week. I'm looking to drop that to five and a half days per week. Totally selfish, I know.

I've eliminated a few things, most notably the toll-free number. In an age on unlimited long distance calling on cell phones, the expense does not make sense.

Still coming:

• a complete redesign of my inspection report with the aim of making it more informational and more user-friendly.
• A course for inspectors on residential fire suppression systems
• My book for home sellers, Surviving the Home Inspection (available March 15th)

Should be an exciting year. May yours be equaling exciting and fulfilling!

Play day in a crawlspace!

I've had folks tell me that you couldn't pay them enough to go into a crawlspace. I usually don't have that problem. Today, though, I did it for free.

Why? A) Because it was a 120 year old building that I knew I'd end up referring to an engineer; B) it was a 120 year old building that was totally cool to check out. Went from one basement, all the way through to the other basement addition, climbed out on a piece of abandoned equipment and had to climb up the old elevator shaft on a rickety old homemade wood ladder wired onto some old conduit.

Dang, I got a great job!

Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems

One advantage of being appointed to the State Building Code Council is the introduction to new knowledge. Yes, I know, that sounds incredibly nerdy. Welcome to the world of home inspection. In the model building codes published by the International Code Council, fire suppression systems have been required in commercial settings for decades. The introduction of sprinklers into the home has been much slower. As of now, only 4.6 percent of occupied homes (including multi-family residences) are equipped with the systems but that represents a substantial improvement. The pace of installations has increased as states begin adopting the model code and incorporating it into the new building standards.

Now for the fun stats on dying in a fire. 85 percent of all fire-related deaths occur in the home. You cut our risk by a third if you have smoke detectors. In acknowledgment of human nature, the odds improve to fifty percent if the smoke detectors are working. (Now would be a fine time to check the batteries in your detectors.)

Your risk drops by 80 percent if you have sprinklers installed.

Despite the statistics, the public resists the idea of installing sprinklers. Two factors play into the resistance. The first is cost. Costs continue to drop which is the good news. The bad news is that they still are not inexpensive. The estimated cost in new construction is $1.35 per square foot of sprinklered space.

The second issue is the misinformation regarding the systems. You might be shocked to discover that modern television has fibbed a bit about sprinklers. When a fire sets off the spray nozzles, they don't all go off - just the one that is needed to put out the fire, which it usually manages to do so before the fire department can even get to the home.

If you've ever seen a home after the fire department hosed the place, one sprinkler makes  far less a mess. That is, in fact, how many heads activate in a fire - one. The property loss is usually about 70 percent less with sprinklers, a positive feature for insurance companies.

Another fear is a false discharge. The new systems are designed to prevent that by not activating until a higher temperature is identified. Depending on the system, the activation temperatures is usually150 degrees. At that temperature, the glass bulb that activates the individual head to put out the fire.

I had the opportunity to watch a demo put on a by the Washington Fire Sprinkler Coalition. They tested a system under controlled conditions and the portable system worked beautifully. The fire was extinguished within seconds.

According to the men running the demonstration, this is typical of the response time of the modern sprinklers. If you have these in your home, you can be more confident that, in the event of a fire, you are much more likely to avoid tragedy.

Why don't I automatically trip AFCI's?

Because I don't think the homeowner would appreciate losing a ream of data?

The Antidote for Nastigrams

I wonder sometimes whether home inspections matter a darn given that I get nastigrams from sellers and their agents with depressing regularity. Then I get this from a client, via email: "Hi Paul, I wanted to write and thank you for recommending I get the gas heat stove serviced in the house on Van Buren St you inspected for me in the Spring. That recommendation saved my life, and my dog's life. "

It matters.

High Water Pressure

When I first bought my current home, the water came out of the shower head like a fire hose tackling a four alarm torch job. It was a mite high.

This was okay with most of the family as they were female and had long hair. For those that have not raised daughters, a moment of education. Long hair requires lots of water to get all the shampoo out, preferably at decent pressure so that the hair rinses clean all the way to the roots.

It was also something I was aware of as I tested it as part of my inspection prior to purchasing the house. I do this for most houses I inspect, provided that the water is on, and I can test without making an enormous mess inside. Usually, I use a hose bib on the exterior of the home. As you might imagine, this is not one of my favorite tests in the middle of winter.

Unfortunately, no matter how popular the fire hose effect is for my kids, it’s not good for the plumbing system. The plumbing is actually a highly engineered system, as are all the fitting, fixtures, and appliances attached to the supply plumbing.

To give you an idea of the potential for trouble, think about your plumbing lines and connections as balloons. What happens to the balloon if you put too much air into it? Yep, it pops. The plumbing does as well, though probably (but not certainly) as catastrophically.

You have hundreds of fittings within the home –not just on the pipes, but on the appliances such as the water heater, the dishwasher, and the clothes washer. You also have a multitude of O-rings, valve fittings, and the like on your faucets, their valves, and the shower heads.

That’s a lot of spots with the potential to leak.

High water pressure also causes early degradation of the appliances. Dish and clothes washers are designed to operate at specific pressures, usually 15 to 80 PSI. Increasing these also increases the wear and tear on the equipment, shortening their service lives.

So how do you know if your water pressure is too high?

Well, a pressure washer effect in the shower is a good clue but testing is the easiest way to know exactly what the static pressure is. You can buy a standard water pressure gauge for about $10 at your local hardware store, or even online from Amazon. Simply screw it onto a hose bib outside and read the pressure. You can also test indoors at the washer hose connection but have a small bucket or pan ready to catch the drips.

A word of warning – we do have some municipalities in our region that have separate water supplies for the indoor and irrigation water systems. Make sure that you are testing the potable water supply. The washer supply will be part of the potable system.

What to do if you have high water pressure.

Ideally, you would like to see the water pressure between 40 and 80 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) when you test it. This is considered the normal range though if I tested once, during the middle of the day and hit 82 PSI, I would be inclined to re-test, especially during the peak usage hours to see what kind of pressure drop occurs when everyone is home and using water for showers, cooking, and doing dishes.

If you measure it and you do have high water pressure, correction of the problem is as simple as installing a Pressure Reducing Valve near the main valve where the primary water supply enters the building.

Now, I did say “as simple as . . . .” That doesn’t mean that I recommend that you do it. I recommend that this work be done by a licensed plumber, especially in older homes that may have supply lines that are degrading. It is not an expensive repair and I feel it is worth having a person with the training and proper tools tackle a job that, done incorrectly, would have a geyser spraying across the house.

Is Your Attic Like A Dry Sauna?

Summer time has arrived in Lewiston and Clarkston with it's usual suddenness by bursting upward 20 degrees in just few days to bust the 100 degree barrier. Fortunately, as they say, it's a dry heat.

Pretty much what I expect from attics this time of year.

High attic temperatures are not uncommon and, to a small extent, unavoidable. The average roof acts as a large solar energy collector and, depending on the axis of the house, can accumulate very high heat loads. My home, orientated with a east-west main axis, has extensive roof exposure to the south that matches the arc of the sun through the sky. Ideal when I someday add solar PV to the roof, it now acts to increase my heat loads.

High attic temperatures cause several problems inside and outside the home.

Inside, the heat places an increased load on any cooling systems that you have. I've measure ceiling temperatures as high as 120 degrees from the heat generated in the attic. The less insulation you have, the more pronounced (and expensive in utility costs) this becomes. In high humidity environments, this is even worse due to the nature of water and its ability to act as a heat sink, absorbing the energy. To balance it out, you end up running the air conditioner longer, adding to it's wear.

On the exterior, shingles are subject to thermal cracking. That is, the backing material of the shingles, usually fiberglass, is impregnated with asphalt and over-laid with granules. When the roof temperature climbs, these materials go through a wide range of expansion and contraction, but not at the same rate. The backing material can split or the asphalt cracks, just as you've probably seen it do in a driveway.

Either way, you have shingle damage that will lead to early failure.

Preventative measures include improving the ventilation in the attic. Too little ventilation traps energy as the air becomes superheated. My record for attic temperatures was 154 degrees. I wasn't in there long and it took a good hour to recover. 140's are not uncommon.

Attic ventilation can be improved by ensuring that the appropriate venting is in place. Often I see ridge vents improperly cut. Too narrow a vent does not allow enough hot air to escape, raising the temperature. The same will happen if there is no ridge vent and the static or gable vents don't move enough air.

Another common defect is to have too little air entering the attic space or from the wrong location. Older homes may only have gable vents located of either end of the home. Building science has demonstrated that this creates an air passage way flowing directly from gable to gable without ventilating the lower reaches of the roof assembly.

Improving this in the short term can be as easy as adding new soffit vents to improve air intake, adding a ridge vent (or having it properly cut), or adding an attic fan to increase air movement. All of these, by the way, have beneficial effects on mold and fungus growth.

A longer term approach is to plant trees carefully, determining where they will provide the maximum amount of shade without endangering the home.

Remember that southern face on my house? I have a 100 year old walnut tree on that side and, on the east, a quaking something-or-other (I'm a home inspector, not an arborist. Sorry.) The old folks had the right idea, a century ago.

They did forget to plant on the west corner. I've put in an Asian pear tree. It will be a few years until it gets tall enough but I can wait. When it does get big, it's a two-fer: shade and fruit.