One of the most common home repair myths these days is this:

Plain old laundry bleach is the best product to remove mold and keep it away.

Unfortunately, this is untrue and if you’re smelling bleach while viewing potential homes to buy, you may have an unseen problem: mold. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer a lot of really scary information about the health risks due to mold, but what’s important for home buyers to know about mold?

1. Mold can be really bad for your health depending on the type of mold.
2. Mold can easily be hidden in a home you are buying – you may only discover it much later.
3. Mold presence is easier to reliably identify and treat with an infrared home inspection.

Mold requires consistent and constant access to water. Therefore, the presence of mold is a useful indicator of the presence of moisture. Unfortunately, that moisture may be coming from a leak in the roof, inside the wall, where flooding has occurred, and more. The simple fact is that many home sellers have figured out how to temporarily disguise mold and it’s virtually impossible to reliably discover with a visual inspection only.

If you’re viewing new homes and you smell bleach, that may be your first hint that the home seller is trying to disguise a mold problem. If you really like the home and are considering buying it, please contact us for an infrared home inspection to identify whether there is really a mold problem or the sellers just really like cleaning with bleach!

Infrared is quickly becoming the most trusted method for inspecting a home, discovering the root cause of indicated problems, and understanding why your home is working the way it is.

Infrared Home Inspections for Home Buyers

When you’re buying a new home, you want to be sure you know what you’re getting. Some homebuyers can handle a home with a few flaws here and there, but big expensive problems that magically appear a month after you move in are simply no fun. So, know before you buy.

• Are the air ducts leaking? What about the plumbing?
• Are the circuits overloaded or undersized? Is there a risk of fire?
• Are there hot and cold air losses? That equates to lost energy (and lost dollars).
• Are there roof or foundation leaks?
• How’s the air conditioner and heater working?
• Do the windows leak?
• Is the insulation well-applied throughout the house?

Honestly, these are just a few of the problems an infrared home inspection can locate. If you’ve purchased a home in the past, you may remember how you wondered whether the standard home inspection was even worth the money – especially after discovering the new heater had never been inspected after installation!

Infrared Home Inspections for Homeowners and those Selling a Home

Knowing exactly what’s working well and what’s not working means you can make repairs before they get out of control and become expensive.

As a homeowner – whether you are selling or not – an infrared home inspection allows you to discover and understand:

1. Why the temperatures inside your home are different in various areas. Better than any other form of inspection, an infrared home inspection lets you locate and isolate heat loss and cold air infiltration through walls, ceilings, floors, doors, and windows. Knowing this means you can introduce corrective action such as sealing leaks and applying insulation to missing spots.
2. Where that strange discoloration on the ceiling, wall, or floor is coming from. Again, easier than any form of manual inspection, an infrared home inspection lets you locate water leaks, moisture intrusion, and drips that are behind the walls, under the floors, and in the ceilings. No more mystery spot.
3. Whether you have a pest infestation problem or not. An infrared home inspection is invaluable when it comes to determining whether you truly have a pest problem and when everything is just your imagination. We’ve even seen an infrared camera locate a nesting squirrel (who was later encouraged to consider other lodging).

These are just a few of the benefits to the homeowner, but if you are also considering selling your home, having an infrared home inspection prior to putting your house on the market could be a great defense against last-minute expensive repairs you never knew were there.

Plus, if the folks buying your home want an infrared home inspection, you can head them off at the pass by showing them the results of the one you ordered prior to putting the house on the market.

1. Credentials

What credentials does the home inspector have and what organizations awarded them?

While there are schools and Internet sites that will give anyone printable credentials that make it appear that the inspector is qualified, you should only accept credentials from nationally based organizations such as the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI), for example.

See my home inspector credentials as an example.

2. Background and Experience

Ask the home inspector for their background and experience. If they were in construction or in a trade, where did they learn about houses?

Hint: you want to be sure they didn’t simply decide to become an inspector because they were laid off from their last unrelated job.

Ask how long they’ve been in the inspection business, how many inspections they average in a month or a year, and what types of strange situations they’ve encountered and helped buyers out avoid.

3. Home Inspection Report Example

The home inspector should be able to give you a sample home inspection report. Review the report to see if it’s thorough. For example, if the sample report looks a lot more like a home maintenance manual, that’s just fluff.

In this case, you’re not likely to get a lot of information about the actual condition of the house and you may want to move on.

A home inspection report is intended to document the condition of the components of the home, such as the foundation, the siding, the electrical, etc. This is the information that is most likely to affect a person’s decision to purchase a property and this is the information you’re after.

See my home inspection reports for examples.

4. Technology

Hands down, the best people in any business are the ones who are willing to invest in the latest high-quality, useful technology. When it comes to a home inspection, you want your guy to show up with a lot more than a tiny flashlight and a clipboard.

A serious and experienced home inspector will have spent money on such equipment as an infrared camera and will be able to give you a full report on the current condition of the home.

Besides the obvious questions:

• how long will it take?
• what will the home inspection cost?
• do you have the proper experience, credentials, insurance, etc.?

There are some questions you will want to ask your home inspector before they do the inspection, including:

1. What does your home inspection cover? If the inspection is initiated by the homebuyer, the home inspection should cover all the major systems of the home, including heating and cooling, plumbing and electrical, as well as the structural elements of the home, including roof, foundation, walls, etc. Inspections initiated by the home seller are usually done prior to listing the home and these are a great way to be open and fair about the home’s condition and value – often increasing the home’s chance at a faster sale. See a full listing of our home inspection services.
2. What type of home inspection report will I get when you’re finished? Professional home inspectors provide a number of different types of reports, but you should never accept a verbal report. You’ll want a fully documented, written report as a record of the home inspector’s findings. With my home inspection reports, you’ll also get infrared images of areas in the home where I’ve found something potentially problematic.  See an example of the infrared home inspection report you can expect from me.
3. What kind of equipment will you use to do the home inspection? A professional inspector should have and use the most up-to-date equipment available, and with my inspections, you’ll see that I bring an infrared camera which I use to examine the home for problems that are hidden beneath finished surfaces and inside walls. See some photos of other home inspections.
4. Will I be able to attend the home inspection? Absolutely! You should be 100% suspicious of any home inspector who hesitates to have you along on the inspection. I believe the home inspection is an educational opportunity and a real chance for you to dig around and understand the home you are about to buy before you move in.

What’s the big deal? Well, think about it.

• Have you tried to get into your attic lately? Ever noticed that the access is inside the closet – a closet full of clothes and shoes and other stuff? In some cases, the access hatch may have been caulked or sealed over.
• Have you been in your crawl space lately? Ever noticed that there’s big, heavy furniture blocking the entrance?

This happens a lot to home inspectors – they arrive to do a job and they can’t do their job because they don’t want to risk ruining your clothes or cutting the caulk or making a big mess.

Look, we know you are busy and yet you want to get a good home inspection so you can sell your house, or buy a house, or finalize the deal, so help us help you.

1. If your attic access is in the closet, clear out that side of the closet and make sure the entry can be opened without damaging the ceiling.
2. If your furnace area or water heater area is blocked by furniture or other junk, move that stuff so we can get in there and do our inspection. Ditto the crawl space.
3. Stop and take a minute to find your electrical panel. Make sure it’s clear of stuff so we can get in there and do our inspection.

Think about the outside stuff too – like your air conditioning unit. Have the bushes around it grown like crazy? We can push through that – and we’ll try to keep your bushes nice, but perhaps a quick trim wouldn’t hurt? Might help you sell the house anyway.

• wood rot
• structural damage
• premature paint destruction
• tile damage

not to mention a host of health problems.

When you notice a musty odor in your house, it’s never too early to identify the source.

Water can seep unseen into your house in a variety of ways: a leak in the roofing material, small gaps around windows or doors, leaking indoor pipes in the walls or floors. High indoor humidity can be caused from basic activities such as taking a shower, boiling water, and drying wet clothing.

Finding the source of the water can be another problem entirely, but infrared cameras are uniquely suited to this task because they detect minute differences in temperature and can easily pinpoint problem areas.

Steps to reduce indoor humidity include:

1. Preventing moisture from entering the home with a vapor barrier. These may be necessary in the crawlspace, for example.
2. Installing and using ventilation fans in the kitchen and bathrooms to control moisture. In some cases, you may have a vent that’s operating but was improperly installed or has become blocked.
3. Ensuring drip pans are properly draining and drain lines are unobstructed and flowing properly. These can occur around air conditioning units, for example.

A young couple wanted to purchase a home, but during the inspection, they noticed water stains high on an outside-facing wall of the kitchen. The homeowner thought it might be due to a suspected leak in the flashing. A typical procedure at this point would require some level of destruction of the home to search for and repair the leak – a scenario that often kills the real estate deal, but both parties agreed that an infrared inspection would be a good idea. The infrared camera instantly detected cold patterns associated with moisture entry above the water stains instead. Upon further evaluation, the moisture problem was isolated to a section of the siding.

Without infrared thermal imaging technology, there may have been far more damage to the house as the leak was hunted down and repaired.

Anytime you are buying a home, there are several benefits to having an infrared home inspection, including:

• spotting plumbing leaks early – before major damage occurs
• locating wood destroying insect populations before damage is fatal
• locating roof leaks before serious damage occurs
• ensuring the home’s energy systems are running at their best
• and more

Very simply, an infrared home inspection gives the homeowner and the buyer far more information about the true condition of the home than a typical home inspection will and it reassures both parties.

In fact, an infrared home inspection just might seal the deal rather than having it die.

One of the easiest ways to make your home more energy efficient is to locate and seal attic air leaks. Most people think of their ceilings as solid surfaces, but the truth is that your ceiling leaks air into the attic spaces through gaps and openings like:

• light fixtures
• vents and pipes
• ceiling fans
• chimneys and chimney flues
• even the attic access hatch

All of these leak conditioned air – warm or cool – into the attic where it does nothing to keep you and your family more comfortable. This leaking air is essentially wasted energy and wasted energy costs you money.

Gaps around these attic opening point are much easier to find with an infrared home inspection because you’ll have a definitive answer as to which areas in your attic are the most vulnerable.

What homeowners should do with attic leaks

Finding the air leaks is just half the battle – an important part – but only half of the story. Once you’ve found the leaks, you have to seal them. Sealing the leaks with a number of products listed below can have a great impact on your in-home comfort and in reducing your utility bills.

In addition to ensuring that your attic is adequately insulated, your second job is to find and plug any air leaks. Here are some handy suggestions for accomplishing that task:

1. Low-expansion polyurethane foam is great for plugging openings that are 1/4 to 3 inches in size. These are typically leaks around plumbing pipes and vents.
2. Caulk makes a great gap-filler for openings smaller than 1/4″ in size, such as those around electrical boxes.
3. Gaps around the chimney and flue should be covered with aluminum flashing and sealed into place with high-temperature silicone caulk. Be sure to keep the insulation away from the flue and create a barrier between the heated flue and anything  that may be flammable by wrapping flashing around the flue, but leaving a one inch space between.
4. Last, but not least, weatherstrip your attic access hatch so that it doesn’t draw heated or cooled air from your home into the attic.

Tips for working safely in your attic

• Wear a lightweight coverall to protect yourself from the itchy insulation and keep it off your clothing and skin.
• Wear a dust mask to keep yourself from breathing in too much dust and particulates.
• Use a headlamp to boost visibility, even if you have an attic light.
• Watch where you step so that you are carefully positioned on the ceiling joists and consider carrying a small plywood rectangle to kneel upon when necessary.

Many electrical products cannot be truly turned off (and therefore stop hogging energy) unless they are unplugged.

Why? It’s because a growing number of electronic products that populate our homes draw standby power when they are turned off.  Standby power is electricity that is consumed by the circuits and sensors that need to receive a remote signal. While a single device will consumer very little overall power, the typical U.S. home has over forty of these products constantly draining power. Together, these amount to about 10% of residential electrical usage.

What are these energy hogging devices?

A few of them include:

• Notebook computers
• Inkjet and multi-function fax machines
• DVDs/VCRs/DVRs
• Cable modems
• Cordless phones with answering machines
• Desktop computers

Many homeowners find that it pays to have a home inspection expert show them where their home leaks. If that’s you, give me a call at 847.431.8800 or fill in this form to schedule a home energy audit.

Here are some tips to help you understand the basics on caulking.

What is caulking exactly?

Caulking is the process of applying a pliable sealant called caulk to gaps, cracks, or spaces at the joints, sills, and connections around your home to stop air leaks. Caulking gaps and cracks is one of those basic maintenance projects that has to be repeated every year or two. It saves on energy  bills and even prevents moisture and insects from entering your home.

Where do I caulk?

That’s the tricky part – you need to know where you have leaks and these may be less-than-easy to find. If your heat is on, and it probably is this season, you may be able to feel a draft in some parts of your home – often near a window or door. Don’t stop there, however. You’ll want to examine wall and roof vents, skylights, and the places where gas pipes and electrical lines enter your home. Check the joints where siding joins at the corners, and where it meets the roof or fireplace chimney too.

What are the steps?

Caulking is relatively simple. The caulk itself comes in long tubes that can be bought at just about any big box or hardware store. Depending on where your leaks are, you’ll want to buy the caulk appropriate for the surface – wood, brick, metal and so on. Get a caulking gun while you’re at it – that helps you apply the stuff. Fill the cracks you’ve discovered with the caulk with the caulking gun. If you want a smoother appearance, you can use a tool with a flat surface to smooth over the surface, but it’s not necessary.