Border Blog
Home Inspector Tells All
My last home flooded three times when we had heavy rains. The water came in through the sewer lines. How can I try to prevent this from happening in our new home?
A back water valve is what you need. These devices have a flapper valve in them that allow the water to leave the house but close when the city sewer water level tries to come into your home. The problem is that about 50% of these backwater valves fail over time. The...
I want to rent out my basement. Are there any restrictions that may prevent me from renting this space?
The greatest impediment to renting a basement suite or even just a room is the types and size of the points of egress. A basement bedroom must have a window that is egress compliant at 3.75sqft. with no dimension less than 15”. You need to consider if the room is safe...
A friend of mine tells me that the new closed cell spray foam is a very good insulating product. Should I pay a little extra for this type of insulation or just put in conventional insulation?
Spray foam is unmatched in its insulating qualities. The closed cell foam is best as it has trapped inert gases in it that resist most types of energy movement including radiant, convection and conduction. This means it saves a lot of heat energy. The greatest...
My 1980’s home has old style wooden casement windows. Several of the cranking mechanisms are stripped and broken. Do I need to replace these windows or can they be fixed?
In the past I have found some used hand cranks at the restore. If you are fortunate you might find some good used ones. Most of these old style cranking mechanisms were notorious for stripping and breaking. The greatest problem was that the wooden windows had a...
We are considering changing our kitchen range hood. Should we vent the new one outside or just let it recycle the stale air?
I have never understood recycling the air in a range hood. I know there are high end units out there that have great filtration systems but let’s face it the average range hood you buy today will have a cheap charcoal filter in it. The other problem with recycling the...
Our baby is one year old and we are worried about his safety on our back deck, specifically with regard to the handrail and spindle spacing. What size opening is safe for our baby?
The standard for spindle spacing is a maximum of 4”. If there are spaces in the railing that a 4” ball will pass through it is technically not up to code. If the spacing is greater than 4” a small child could get their head through the railing and become stuck when...
The best way to describe this device is to say it has a circuit board inside it which is constantly measuring the flow of electrons within the circuit. When one side of the circuit gets out of balance from the other the circuit board detects a fault and trips shutting off the flow of electricity. Think of it as a river flowing underground which resurfaces a short distance away. If the river has always had the same flow and all of a sudden only half the volume emerges from the ground you would know there was a problem. The GFI works the same way. If even a little of the current strays into your body for instance, the GFI will detect it and trip potentially saving your life. We know that as little as 1 amp of electrical current can kill a person. The breaker in most cases will not trip until it reaches a load of 15 Amps. The GFI will trip at 5 milliamps or 5% of one amp.
A lot of electrical appliances such as hair dryers have been ruined by trying to run them on a razor plug. The problem is the razor plug has a transformer in it which reduces the electricity down to around 20 watts. Your hair dryer needs a much higher wattage as does...
: I am told there is a new invention called a GFCI that makes electrical plugins safer in areas near water. Can you explain how these work and why they are safer?
The best way to describe this device is to say it has a circuit board inside it which is constantly measuring the flow of electrons within the circuit. When one side of the circuit gets out of balance from the other the circuit board detects a fault and trips shutting...
My Front entry is always cold, what is the best approach to fixing this?
Weather stripping is the most likely biggest draft stop component on a door system. If you have a poor seal you will have drafts. You can check the tightness of the door seals by placing a piece of paper between the door and the weather stripping. If the bill is snug...
My House was very cold the other night because someone turned the furnace emergency switch off by accident. What is the best way to prevent this from happening in the future?
The furnace switch is generally located in one of two places, in the utility room near the furnace or in the stairwell to the basement. I suggest you go to a local hardware store and buy the red plate cover with the word “emergency” written on it. This should be...
My bathroom wall is all wet again and I just fixed it. There is a window in the shower is that a problem?
Shower walls can be very frustrating and hard to keep dry. One problem I see most often is having a window in the shower stall. It is not impossible to keep the water out of the wall but is very difficult. When you consider that amount of moisture around the window it...
The stairs to my basement are dangerous. Several people who have come to visit have stumbled on the stairs. What might be wrong?
As smart as we think we are there is one thing that can fool us all. A poorly constructed set of stairs will trip up the best of us. The problem with stairs is the brain quickly sets a pattern of the rise and run and moves our legs up and down to match the stairs....
We have a deck that is quite high. It also has a bench seat. Someone told me the seat is not allowed by code, can you explain?
The use of a bench seat usually allows children to climb under or over the seat and fall off the deck. Bench seats need to have a 36” high seat back that prevents someone from falling over the back. If this seat is over 60” from the ground the seat back needs to be...
We are building a new deck this summer. What are the rules for the railings?
There are some standard rules such as no openings greater than 4” but there are other less obvious rules you need to be aware of. Ultimately the rules are there for your safety and the safety of anyone who may use your deck. No railing should be designed in a manner...
I am installing a gas fireplace in my living room. Are there special rules for the gas connections and vent terminations?
The gas fireplace unit will have installation instructions. You must thoroughly read these instructions as each unit will have different rules about haw they are to be installed. For instance many of these units require a special cement board be placed around the unit...
There is a copper wire running from my gas line to my water line. It is in my way, can I remove it, what is it for anyway?
This wire is likely the bond wire and is part of the electrical system. While this wire is important it could be moved. The purpose of the bond wire as I understand it is to prevent the possibility of a buildup of static electricity or stray electrical current from...
My home is older and doesn’t have weeping tile. Should I dig up the walls to add weeping tile now?
I am not an expert but I always say, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. If you have a wet basement I suggest trying other fixes before trying to install weeping tile. Make sure for instance, that the slope drains water away from the home. Also cover low basement...
I live in the country. My septic field is under a hill in the yard. How does this type of system work?
This sounds to me to be a mound system. Most of the time our septic fields are placed in the ground but sometimes the ground in our yards is not suitable for draining away the water in our waste water system. Most of the time this is because the water table is too...
I am building a new home in the country. What design consideration must I be aware of for the septic system?
New rules in the past ten years or so have made designing an onsite waste water system a bit of a science. Here are some general things I would consider if designing a system for you. Using your house plans the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and people in the home...
How do I know if my septic system is up to code?
The best way to check if the septic system is up to code is to call the local authority having jurisdiction. This person or body will inspect what you have and let you know. Having said that, this person is likely to force you to upgrade the system if it is deficient...
I moved to an acreage and have had nothing but trouble with my septic tank pump out line freezing. How do I stop this?
Over the years I have had my fair share of this type of frustration myself. One problem I found was that my electrical ground fault was tripping when the pump in the tank started. Years ago the electrical code required that the electrical connections to the septic...
I live in an older home. My son’s bedroom is in the basement. He has been sick a lot since we moved in. Someone suggested we might have mold, what now?
Mold is a dreadful word to a lot of homeowners. The first sign of a cold and some people think it is their home that is causing it. Having said that it very well could be an allergy to mold that is causing your sons issues. First things first, only you know how...
: I noticed a bounce in the floor of my living room recently. We just had a new furnace installed. Do you think the two are related?
The floor structure is only as strong as its weakest link. If the furnace installers cut a floor joist to install some duct work it is likely the cause of the bounce. By cutting out more then 1/3 of the floor joist you can weaken it to the point that it cracks and...
: I live in an older home. Recently I had my pipes freeze under my kitchen sink. Why might this happen and how can I prevent it in the future?
In older homes the heat source in the kitchen was often placed on an inside wall because it was easier. Today we place the heat source primarily on the outside wall under or near the windows or doors. By not providing heat near the sink in some older homes you often...
Parts of my home are cooler than others. I have vents in every room but they do not all preform equally well. How can I direct the heat to where I need it most while not overheating other rooms?
There is a science to the duct work in a furnace distribution system. For instance, if you vent a duct off the end of a plenum you will get more heat than taking the same vent off the side of the same plenum line. This is usually not something you have control over so...
Contact Us
To Schedule Your Home Inspection Today!
