How To Clean A Dryer

How To Clean A Dryer

Unlike your washing machine, your dryer will need some ongoing regular maintenance to keep it working properly and safely. Let’s talk about how a dryer works first. You put wet clothes in and it spins them around with hot air and the exhaust vent sends the damp air outside. The hot moist air should end up outside, not in the crawl space or garage.

When your clothes are being tumbled around they tend to lose bits of fabric or tiny fibers, this is usually caught in the lint trap. Always keep the dryer lint trap clean, it will be located inside the dryer door or on top of the dryer for ease of access. The best way I have discovered is as simple as using the dryer sheet to clean the filter trap. The dryer sheet picks up all the lint, keeps your hands clean and lint free and then you just toss them out.

If you allow lint to build up inside the exhaust pipe it can overheat creating a potential fire hazard especially if you have a gas dryer, and your new energy star dryer can lose its energy efficiency.

Here are some tips to clean out the exhaust pipe.

• First unplug the dryer (we don’t want anyone to get electrocuted).
• Pull the dryer out away from the wall so you can get behind it to work.
• Take a screw driver to loosen the screw on clamp (this is what holds the pipe on the dryer)
• Reach into the hole where you took the pipe loose from and pull out any lint or debris (a vacuum works well)
• Now reach into the pipe as far as you can and pull out any lint (again the vacuum works well for this). Most build up will be within the first twelve to sixteen inches
• After all the lint has been removed put the pipe back on the dryer and replace the clamp. Tighten the screw back down snug. We don’t want it to blow off when the dryer is put back in use.
• Now go to the outside and remove the vent cover and clean this end out.
• Look inside to see if you missed anything.
• Plug the dryer up and run on fluff for ten minutes. This will blow out any loose particles left in the pipe so don’t stand in front of it.
• Check the outside for good clean air flow; you are ready to put the vent cover back on.

To have a quality home inspection done by a certified Indiana home inspector give us a call today or booked online and have one of our three licensed home inspectors perform a home inspection for you.

Carbon Monoxide

Just when you think you’re safe, a recent nationwide survey has uncovered that a majority of American homes are dangerously under-protected when it comes to fire and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Even those equipped with smoke and CO alarms are at risk according to the study, which revealed that two-thirds of U.S. households are not in compliance with the national recommendation for the number of smoke alarms set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Even more alarming is the 90 percent of homes that do not meet the recommendation for number of carbon monoxide detectors, including 40 percent that report having zero working carbon monoxide detectors.

“These statistics confirm what we’ve feared for years – that far too many homes in this country are not as well protected as they should be against the dangers of fire and CO,” says Deborah Hanson, director of external affairs for First Alert, a leader in residential fire and CO detection devices. “What’s more troubling is that many people don’t realize that their families are at risk.”

Despite the low number of NFPA-compliant homes, nine out of 10 respondents to the survey reported feeling “certain” their homes are adequately equipped with smoke alarms, and 62 percent reported the same for CO alarms.

“There is a clear and concerning lack of awareness among homeowners regarding the number of alarms required to fully protect a home and its residents,” adds Hanson.

The current recommendation by the NFPA (www.nfpa.org) is to have at least one CO alarm on each level and one in or near every bedroom or sleeping area. For smoke alarms, homes should have one installed at the top of each staircase and one in every bedroom or sleeping area. To put this into perspective, the average-sized home in America – a two-story, three bedroom house – would need a minimum of four smoke alarms and five carbon monoxide alarms to comply with NFPA guidelines.

In addition to installing the recommended number of alarms, The Home Safety Council (www.homesafetycouncil.org) suggests implementing the following precautions at home to help protect against fire and CO poisoning:

* Regularly test smoke and CO alarms -Regular maintenance is just as important as having the correct number of alarms. Be sure to test alarms monthly and replace batteries twice a year. Smoke alarm units should be replaced every 10 years and CO alarms every five years. These are simple tasks, but vitally important when it comes to home safety.

* Plan and practice a fire safety drill -Identify exits and if necessary, equip second-floor rooms with escape ladders. Practice actually going through the motions, and finally, identify a meeting place outside so everyone is accounted for.

Add a “network” of smoke alarms – Many homeowners may not realize there are alarm networks available for home use, which are wirelessly connected and “talk” to one another to alert to a fire in a different room. First Alert ONELINK alarms are connected, and if one alarm goes off, all alarms sound and can “tell” homeowners the location of the fire.

“Each year nearly 3,000 Americans die from home fires and CO poisoning claims another 450 lives,” says Hanson. “Our goal is to bring these numbers down by continually educating consumers about the dangers of fire and CO and teaching them how to protect themselves, their families and their homes.”

While Certainty performs its home inspections, we use sniffers to tell us whether there is a leak around your furnace.  If you would like to have a home inspection done by a qualified home inspector give us a call at 866-417-9591 or book your home inspeciton online

We serve all of Southern Indiana and Louisville Kentucky including, Jeffersonville, Clarksville, New Albany, Sellersburg, Seymour, Bedford, Madison, Columbus, Paoli, Corydon

Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite

The Real “Blood Suckers”

“Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite tonight”

I remember telling my children and smiling whenever I said it, but now it’s real.

Bedbugs are back! And it looks like they are here for a while. Everyone is talking about them, they have been found in local homes and even hospitals.  There is a lot of information about Bed Bugs almost everywhere you look but there are many facts and several myths. Here is a short list I have put together of each.

Facts

• Bedbugs do not have anything to do with cleanliness, they can infest the cleanest of homes and hotels and bed bugs are routinely found in 5 Star Hotels. They are very common in university dormitories where there is lots of people moving in and out
• Bedbugs prefer human hosts, but they will bite pets
• You can pick bed bugs up in Hotels in your luggage. Bedbugs are great at hitch hiking back to your home in your suitcase whenever you travel
• Bedbug infestation can wreak havoc on the human psyche; it is very unnerving to think an insect may be feeding on you during the night. It can cause anxiety even after the infestation has been eliminated
• Bedbug Infestations are expensive. Having a professional to get rid of the bed bugs can be expensive.  Different treatment solution may be used but more than one trip by a professional is usually necessary to solve the problem. Sometimes bedding; mattresses, furniture, electrical equipment and clothing may have to be discarded compounding the problem. Mattress covers that are bed bug proof are available
• Bedbugs are hard to kill, but pesticides, heat and cold are all used in controlling them
• Bedbugs are most active at night usually at the very early hours of morning
• Bedbugs are very mobile, they can travel across the floor up furniture easily in a very short period of time

Myths

• Bedbugs only infest houses and Hotels that are not clean
• Bedbugs cause diseases. (Bedbugs are not vectors of other diseases like mosquitoes and ticks, although they leave an itchy welt and some people may experience an allergic reaction.)
• Bedbugs will crawl all over you, (Bedbugs will crawl on you but they prefer to crawl up to their host and bite with their piercing mouth parts without crawling on them. One of the common characteristics of a Bed Bug bite is that they appear in a row; this is because the bed bugs will line up on the sheet and bite level with the sheet they are on)
• Bedbugs only live a short period of time. (Bedbugs can live up to a year without feeding and can multiply very fast.)
• Evidence of bedbugs is hard to see,(Bedbug bites are little red dots usually in a row. They leave little red dots on the sheets.)

Tips:

• Adult Bedbugs are about ¼” long, oval and are reddish brown and do not have wings. They are very flat with long slender legs and antennae.
• When you travel and first get into a hotel room, pull back the sheets and look along the seams for the Bedbugs especially near the corners. Even if you do not find active bugs and see the red spots near the seams continue to look. They also like to harbor along the headboard and around picture frames on the walls close to the bed. In severe infestations you may see them along the walls at the carpet.

Being diligent and inspecting your hotel room when traveling and being aware of your surroundings even when going to the movies (yes, they have been found in theater seats) is the best prevention of the Blood Suckers

Inspection Checklist

Item	OK	N/A	Comment	Item	OK	N/A	Comment
Kitchen				Mechanical
Stove/ Range				Water Heater
Refrigerator				Heating System
Microwave				Air Conditioning
Dishwasher				Garage Door Opener
Garbage Disposal				Smoke Detectors
Faucets
Light fixtures				Bathrooms
				Faucets
Living Areas				Tub/Shower
Floor (under rugs)				Whirlpool
Light Fixtures				Leaks/Stains
Ceilings/Walls				Walls/Ceiling
Switch/Outlets
				General
Outside				Doors
New Damage				Windows
Missing shingle tabs				Water Stains
Exterior lighting				Missing Items

48 Hour walk through Check List If there are any new development found that were not seen during the Home Inspection because of obstructions, please call your Home Inspector or Realtor	Look at the home to be sure everything is present and in working condition. If problems         are found notify your Realtor as soon as possible

Notes:

This checklist is meant to be a useful tool for you to use when doing your 48 hour walk through before finalizing the purchase of your new home.  Contact your realtor as soon as possible if you discover other problems that have occurred that need to be fixed before moving into your new home.  Don’t forget to call Certainty Home Inspections back before your one year warranty runs out to perform a one year followup on your home purchase.

Garage Door Safety & Maintenance

On a recent home inspection in Jeffersonville Indiana we decided to do an article on garage door safety; just stop and think about this, a garage door may be the heaviest working part of your home. Most people have never given very much thought to all of the safety features of a garage door, or even just how hazardous a malfunctioning garage door may be.

As often as your garage door is used it is really important to take into account your maintenance and safety conditions. There are various moving things which may come loose and fail possibly resulting in someone to getting injured. The garage door is a motor-driven piece of equipment which is frequently being opened and closed above your vehicle in addition to your entire family.

Over time there has been several unique kinds of garage doors installed in garages of which consist of individual panel doors that will kick out to one piece roller doors, however the most familiar style is most likely the panel garage doors. These kinds of doors are actually simple sections hinged to one another that are hanging on tracks using a spring system to help with raising the garage door. They may be manually operated but today many of them have a garage door opener which has a remote opening devise allowing you to operate the garage door from inside your car or truck.

The following are some maintenance ideas to keep the garage door safe and secure and last for several years;

•             Visually look at your garage door for any cracked areas notably where the garage door opener attaches at the top of your garage door

•             Check to be confident the door rollers are not loose or damaged, and lubricate them once a year or if you ever start to hear noises

•             If the garage door has the safety sensors, test them monthly by means of closing the door and blocking the beam being very careful to not have anything in the route within the door in the event the reverse detectors do not work

•             Doors built after 1993 have got the reverse sensors together with the pressure sensing unit. To try the reverses sensing unit device; put a roll of paper towels on the garage area floor under the garage door and once the door opener detects the pressure it should reverse and begin to open

•             Look for loose nuts, mounting bolts or anchoring screws then tighten as needed

•             Do not allow the young children to spend time playing using the garage door since there are a number of pinch points on your garage door, and ensure the garage door opening and closing button is beyond the reach of children

•             Visually check out the garage door springs, there are two common styles of garage door springs; torsion springs as well as extension type springs. For those who have extension springs there should be a safety cable going inside the springs for safety

•             Be sure the whole family understand and learns how to utilize the emergency safety release option

Safety First; you can do some minor repairs like tightening loose bolts but if the springs need work get in touch with a professional garage door service provider for making the repairs.

If you don’t know how to maintain the safety of your garage door, you can contact Certainty Home Inspections to have a home inspection done on your Indiana or Kentucky home which will allow one of our home inspectors to check out the safety of your garage door for you.

Log Home

Contemplating on buying a Log Home, here is a few points from a residential home inspector

On a special note there are a few facts that you already know; Log Homes surely have that unique comfortable majestic style along with beauty no other home can declare.

Not only are log homes picturesque they are very sturdy and strong, green and energy efficient and they have got very good resale value when they have been properly maintained.

Being a qualified home inspector I wish to bring out a certain amount of facts about purchasing and maintaining a log home.

For everybody who is reading this article and own any type of log home take advantage of this important information to maintain your home, but if you’re in the process of buying a log house consider these facts while you are working with a Realtor and prepared to make an offer to buy.

I’ve had the privilege of observing and inspecting log houses that are over one hundred years old and they are in good condition because they were actually taken care of, however I’ve additionally inspected 16 year old log homes with major failure on the wood logs as a result of inferior design, style and routine maintenance.

The following information is about log homes that are no more than twenty-five yrs. old.

There are several different kinds of logs and patterns but the majority of the moisture problems and repairs and maintenance tend to be simply the exact same.

The following is my top ten listing of things to look for when you are purchasing a log home

1.            Hire a local home inspector who has knowledge about log homes

2.            Look to see if there is any timber rot or any type of past water damage on the house logs especially in all of the ends and corners on the house logs. You may have to work with a ladder to evaluate all of these places

3.            Check all the logs for wide cracks in between the logs as well as around the chinking, finding just a few of the logs that have split should be expected in any log home

4.            Look for insect/ pest damage; Look along the underside for any visible termite or any type of boring insect destruction. Investigate along the outside wall structure in addition to all of the gables and overhanging trim for small round holes produced by carpenter bees

5.            Check the decks and porches to be certain they’re fastened and flashed in the correct way; it is extremely common to discover water damage and mold underneath decks

6.            Check the soil clearance to the logs, twelve inches is actually what is recommended; but you should not accept any logs in contact with the soil or landscaping

7.            Log walls will certainly shrink with time so check every inside as well as the exterior entrance doors to be sure every one of them will open and close adequately

8.            Make certain all the windows open and close properly

9.            Look for darkening places on the logs, mold as well as mildew upon the log structure

10.          Check all the exposed rafters as well as the framework specifically where the roofing surface sits over the logs and there should be an 18” or more overhang on every log houses

All log houses are extremely energy efficient; the thermal mass of the logs happens to be the magic formula. The logs really have excellent insulation benefits but the simple fact that getting those house logs up to a suitable constant temperature lets the HVAC unit/ units to preserve the comfort level inside of the log house.