Protect Your Property From Power Surges

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Maybe you know this story: There’s a thunderstorm. Lightning strikes nearby. The power cuts out for a moment, then returns.

But when you try to switch on the TV, it doesn’t seem to work.

In the United States, power surges are responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of property damage every year. Surges can instantly overload and short out the circuitry of home electronics.

Over time, surges can also cause cumulative damage to your property, incrementally decreasing the lifespan of televisions, computers, stereo equipment, and anything else plugged into the wall.

Learning more about surges – what causes them and how to prevent them – can help save money and keep your property safe.

How Does A Power Surge Cause Damage?

In the United States, most homes use electrical power in the form of 120-volt, 60 Hz, single phase, alternating current.

However, the voltage is not delivered at a constant 120 volts. With alternating current, the voltage rises and falls in a predetermined rhythm. The voltage oscillates from 0 to a peak voltage of 169 volts. Most appliances and electronics used in the United States are designed to be powered by this form of generated electricity.

During a power surge, the voltage exceeds the peak voltage of 169 volts.

A spike in voltage can be harmful to appliances and electrical devices in your home. An increase in voltage above an appliance's normal operating voltage can cause an arc of electrical current within the appliance. The heat generated in the arc causes damage to the electronic circuit boards and other electrical components.

Smaller, repeated power surges may slowly damage your electronic equipment, too. Your computer or stereo may continue to function after small surges occur until the integrity of the electronic components finally erode and your television, cordless phone, or answering machine mysteriously stops working. Repeated, small power surges shorten the life of appliances and electronics.

Where Do Power Surges Come From?

There are several sources of power surges. They can originate from the electric utility company during power grid switching. A common cause of power surges – especially the most powerful surges – is lightning. Power surges can originate inside a home when large appliances like air conditioners and refrigerator motors turn on and off.

Power surges can enter a home through several pathways. In the case of lightning, it can take the path of the cable TV or satellite dish cable, through the incoming telephone lines, or through the incoming electrical service line.

How Can I Protect My Property?

Point-Of-Use Surge Protection Devices (SPDs), combined with a good grounding system, should protect your electronic and electrical appliances from most electrical surges. An SPD does not suppress or arrest a surge; it actually diverts the surge to the ground.

One familiar point-of-use surge suppressor looks like a regular plug strip. However, unless it specifically says so, don’t assume your plug strip offers surge protection.

You can also install special electrical outlets that offer surge protection. Surge protection outlets are useful in locations where there isn't room for a plug-in surge protector, such as near a countertop microwave oven.

The Two-Tiered Approach

Point-of-use devices can protect particular appliances in your home, but a more comprehensive approach to surge protection is to combine point-of-use devices with another device, like a service entrance surge protector or an electrical panel surge protector. By installing two tiers of surge protection, you’ll be able to protect your home from all but the most powerful surges.

Service Entrance Surge Protection Devices usually mount in or on your main electrical panel or at the base of the electric meter. Using a service entrance surge protection device provides protection for your entire electrical system; they protect things such as motors, lights, outlets, light switches, and all the other "hard wired" items in the house that do not plug into an electrical outlet and can't be connected to a point-of-use surge protection device. And if the power surge is created by a lightning strike or power fluctuation on the utility lines, the service entrance surge protection device can reduce the power surge to a lower level before it gets to the point-of-use surge protection device.

Service entrance surge protection devices will either be Transient Volt Surge Suppressors (TVSSs) or secondary surge arresters. It’s difficult to compare the capabilities of a TVSS to a secondary surge arrester because the two are tested differently. Consult an electrician for further advice on how to install a service entrance surge suppression device.

More To Consider

• Make sure any surge protectors you purchase are listed as UL Standard 1449. This is a national benchmark and means the product has been thoroughly tested.
• Select a point-of-use surge protector that has an indicating light and/or audible alarm to show when it needs a replacement.
• Look for SPDs that come with a manufacturer's warranty. Some warranties cover only the device; others also cover any damaged equipment connected to the device.
• Direct lightning strikes are powerful enough to overwhelm even the best surge protection; that said, the ultimate surge protection is to unplug equipment from the wall if you suspect a surge might be coming.

Information here was taken from State Farm Insurance

FOUNDATION ISSUES

UNDERSTANDING FOUNDATION PROBLEMS

Most homebuyers are careful to have a home inspector check for foundation problems before they sign purchase papers. But that shouldn’t be the last check. Recognizing early warning signs of trouble can forestall damage that costs tens of thousands of dollars or even jeopardizes the full value of a house. Luckily, some of the warning signs are easy to spot. Here’s what to look for.

 Inside hints

A floor that’s not level is one tip of a possible foundation problem. Some people can sense this easily; others never notice even when a floor sags a couple of inches.

If you’re in the latter group, there are other ways to hear your house whispering that the foundation is rising or sinking unevenly: A door begins to jam or fails to latch; cracks appear in walls, especially over doorways or windows or where walls meet ceilings; cracks open in vinyl or ceramic tile over a concrete floor. Windows that fail to budge or to close completely also hint at foundation problems, assuming the culprit isn’t just sloppy or sticky paint or rotten wood frames.

Slab foundation problems

If you have a slab foundation, a structural engineer can help determine whether these signs point to normal settling or to structural damage. Expect to pay $500-$700 for a structural engineer to inspect your foundation and provide an evaluation, and as much as $2,000 for a full set of drawings for an engineered solution.

If it’s a structural problem, your foundation is settling unevenly and has the potential to skew or pull apart the framing unless you take action. Best case: You can get the house level again just by keeping soil near the house evenly moist, either by irrigating during dry weather if you live in a damp climate or by switching to landscaping that doesn’t need irrigating if you live where it’s usually dry.

Worst case: You need to underpin the foundation with helical screws or concrete piers. Installation costs $1,200-$1,500 per pier, with one every 6 to 8 feet.

Outside, take the long view

Moving outside, check to see if your foundation is straight by sighting down the length of your foundation wall from each corner. You should see a straight line. A bulge or divot in either a block foundation or a poured concrete wall could signal that the foundation has shifted.

Check for leaning walls with a level. If the top of the foundation sticks out beyond the walls in one area, the foundation wall may have tipped. Any signs of shifting or bowing means that the soil may be expanding and contracting, putting pressure on foundation walls, and remedial steps are necessary.

The poke test

If your house has a poured perimeter foundation and it appears to be shedding sand, poke it in a few places with a sturdy screwdriver. The concrete should be so dense and hard that you do no damage. If you can excavate a hole, the concrete could be deteriorating because the mix contained dirty or salty sand, or too much water. This problem, common in homes built in the early 1900s in some parts of the country, has no remedy short of a new foundation, perhaps a $35,000 prospect.

Checking crawl spaces

In the basement or crawl space, look for foundation problems that may include a system of posts and concrete supports, or piers. Posts should stand straight and be firmly planted underneath the beams they support. Bottoms of posts should rest firmly on concrete piers.

You shouldn’t find puddles or see framing that’s wet. Check for rot by probing wood posts with a screwdriver or awl.

Puddles and other signs of moisture in a crawl space may indicate poor drainage around the perimeter foundation. Be sure that gutters aren’t plugged, and that soil slopes away from the foundation at the rate of 6 inches for every 10 horizontal feet.

Reading cracks

Concrete and block foundations usually have at least a few cracks. The trick is recognizing which are insignificant and which are serious.

As concrete cures, it shrinks slightly. Where the concrete can’t shrink evenly, it tends to crack. Cracks where there is an L-shape section, such as where a foundation stairsteps down to follow a hillside, are probably shrinkage cracks, especially if they meander and taper down to a hairline. These aren’t a structural issue, though you might need to plug them to keep the basement or crawl space dry. Hairline cracks in the mortar between concrete blocks are also rarely worth worrying about.

If you find small cracks (less than 1/16-inch wide), paint over them with a concrete waterproofing paint (about $25 a gallon). Then check periodically to see whether the paint has cracked, which means the gap is opening up under pressure.

Stairstep cracks in masonry joints are a bigger concern, especially if the wall is bulging or the crack is wider than ¼ inch. A plugged gutter or other moisture problem outside is probably exerting pressure on that part of the wall. You’ll need a structural engineer to help identify a cure, which can include bolting on steel braces ($500-$700 each, often spaced about 6 feet apart along the wall) or using epoxy to glue on straps of carbon-fiber mesh ($350-$450 each, similarly spaced). 

Horizontal cracks are most serious, and indicate that water-saturated soil outside froze and expanded, pushing in and breaking the foundation. Perhaps gutters backed up and heat was off for an extended period during especially cold weather. The consequence: You probably need a whole new foundation.

Horizontal cracks also occur because of problems with underlying soil. If you have soil that expands when damp and shrinks when dry, you face the same range of solutions as if you had a slab foundation. Hire a structural engineer to help you sort out your options.

Effective Water Management

 

Effective water management is essential in keeping your home dry. Improper slope or clogged gutters can lead to a leaky basement. Hopefully by the end of this short writing you’ll have a better understanding of how to keep water out of your home.

First off let’s talk about your gutter system. Keep them free of debris and make sure the downspouts drain far enough away from your house. You should either clean out your gutters several times a year or put on gutter guards to prevent leaves and debris from filling your gutters. If you don’t you can have water overflow the gutters back behind them and possibly into your home. Also make sure your downspouts don’t empty directly next to your foundation. You want to divert that water away from your home not next to the foundation where it might have the chance to seep into your basement. Adding downspout extensions will divert the water away from the foundation and help keep your basement dry.

If the soil around your house is sloped towards your home then water won’t flow properly away from your house, it will have a chance to possibly come into your basement. Make sure that the soil slopes away from the structure at least 6 inches in the first 10 feet. Having more slope is a good thing to get that water away from your home. Also make sure there aren’t any places where water can sit near your foundation. Adding soil as necessary will help give you that proper slope.

Properly diverting water away from the structure at the exterior is always the best way for properly managing water. Adding a French drain to the outside of your house can effectively manage water in those areas where proper slope is almost impossible to achieve. Remember you always want to stop moisture before it gets in so adding any type of water intrusion system to the interior of the structure is not your best course of action. Manage the water from the outside and it won’t have a chance to get to the interior.

More Ventilation

Part 2

 

By now you’re wondering what that last blog has to do with home inspections. Quite a bit actually. Most inspectors get up on to the roof if they can to be able, to tell the condition of the shingles. If the shingles are aged prematurely a home inspector has an good indication that something further is going on. 

 

Inspectors look for signs of moisture throughout the home. Most signs of moisture come from a leak from somewhere, like a leaky faucet. But sometimes an inspector will note a mold like substance in a closet with no apparent source of leaking. Sometimes moisture from washing machine, dish washers and even breathing can collect in different areas and condense on the walls. This moisture gives mold a chance to grow. When an attic is under ventilated or has too much insulation, we as home inspectors know we may find additional issues with moisture in the home.

 

Most inspectors will also get up into the attic and determine how much insulation is present, if it is installed properly and if there is plenty of ventilation. Improperly installed insulation, such as a kraft paper faced insulation installed with its facing upward can trap moisture underneath of it and promote mold growth. Also, blown in insulation that is blown covering soffit vents can lead to heat buildup and possibly damaged shingles. Home inspectors also look for the proper amount of insulation. In our area we should have at least a R-38. What is R-value? R-value is simply the resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value the greater the insulating effectiveness it has. Each type of insulation, from batts to blown in insulation has its own R-value so make sure to follow the manufacturers’ instruction when adding new insulation. Here is a link to an interactive guide on how much insulation you may need in you area.

 

An attic may not seem like a very important area, especially since most home owners will never see it. But as you can tell by this reading, an attic contains some very important components of your house. If an inspector doesn’t, at a bare minimum, open up that attic hatch and poke his or head up there is doing their client a big disservice. Inspectors will also be looking at plumbing, electrical, and structural members.

Understanding proper ventilation in a home can be a daunting task. Even professionals will argue about the best way to properly vent attic spaces. You may be wondering why attics need to be properly vented. There are several reasons for properly venting an attic and we hope by the end of this writing you’ll have a better understanding.

First, let’s start off with how proper ventilation can help with heat transfer. In an improperly vented attic on a nice hot day heat will build up on the roof surface high as 170 degrees and that heat will transfer into the attic space. This can raise the attic temperature to 140 degrees or more.  In an inadequately vented attic all of that heat can then transfer down into the living space raising the temperature to an uncomfortable level and that will cause your utility rates to go up as you try to counter this by using air conditioners and fans. In order for your attic to be properly vented you will need balanced airflow. That means you will need the same proportion of intake and exhaust vents. Proper airflow will help cool the underside of the roof helping with the heat transfer but it won’t completely eliminate it. Oddly enough newer home with heavy insulation the effect of heat transfer is magnified. Heavy insulation holds more heat and the best solution is to have a properly designed ventilation system to handle the extra heat. Taking out insulation can negatively you and your home at other times of the year.

Next, improper ventilation can affect your roof itself. You’re probably asking how a lack of vents can affect the shingles. As heat builds up in the attic that heat can cause your shingles to warp and distort over time. This will lead to premature aging of your roof and replacing a roof can be a significant cost.

This next one is something that almost no one will think of. Every time we cook or take a shower or bath, every time we wash clothes or dishes and even every time we breathe we put moisture into our home. Now what does that have to do with an improperly vented attic? A lot actually. An average family of four can put 2-4 gallons of water vapor into the air per day! That moisture vapor will naturally rise into the attic space and in improperly vented attics that vapor will condense onto the insulation, joists and even the sheetrock. All that moisture can lead to damaged wood, compressed insulation and sometimes even mold.

We'll discuss more ventilation issues later. But keep in mind, a well ventilated home is a much healthier home.

For more information, you can log on to our web site at www.thejardineoffice.com or simply call Matthew or Hank at 314-308-6489.

How Often Should You Check Your Home?

Checking your own house periodically can prevent disasters

Home inspectors use all of their senses when inspecting a house. An experienced inspector can draw several conclusions within the first few minutes of a home inspection. Actually, as soon as we pull up to a house, we can pretty well determine what we are in for. Many of the problems we see and report on could have been avoided. Here are some things you can (and should) do periodically to maintain your house.

At least once every six months, take some time to care for your prized investment – your house. Pick a quiet time of the day when the kids are away, no gardeners are blowing leaves, and you have about half an hour of free time. Turn off the radio, iPod or TV. Quietly walk around the interior of your house and listen. Really listen for drips, leaking water, and running toilets.
One common source of leaks is in the toilet tank. If you hear running water it is usually caused by one of three things; a high water level, a worn flapper, or a worn valve.

Brittle Flapper

The simplest problem is when the level of the water is set too high. You will see water pouring over the top of the spill tube. Adjust the float to shut the water off before the level goes over the top of this tube. If you still hear water trickling at the toilet when the valve has stopped, your flapper valve may be worn out. Over time the flapper valve becomes brittle. It will no longer create a good seal and water trickles through. This constant flow of water can cause a lot of problems. It can deteriorate the wax seal under the toilet which leads to floor damage. It can also cost you money because tens or hundreds of gallons of water per month are going down the drain. One telltale sign of a worn flapper is “phantom-flushing”. That’s when your toilet mysteriously fills with water periodically by itself. Flappers are inexpensive and easy to replace. We recommend replacing all of them throughout the house at the same time.  If the water continues to flow after changing the flapper and adjusting the level, the valve itself may be bad or your water pressure is too high. Flush the toilet and observed the water flow. If it is spraying really hard, or if the valve whines when shutting off your pressure regulator may have failed. Call a plumber or buyer a pressure gauge  and have it checked. If the water pressure appears normal (50 – 80 psi max) then your toilet fill valve may be worn and requires replacement. Changing the toilet fill valve is fairly easy and a reasonable do-it-yourself project. You’ll also want to listen for dripping tub and shower faucets. Again this wastes water, but it can also rust out components in the tub and drain.

Tub Drain

  Fixing this might be beyond the average homeowner. So get a plumber to do it. It will save you money in the long run.

Your water heater can cause a lot of trouble particularly if it is more than 10 years old. If the water heater pops or gurgles when it is heating water, replace it. This indicates pending failure and poor efficiency. You are hearing sediment at the bottom of the tank. Over the years, sediment from the water and the rusting tank settles at the bottom. This layer of gunk acts as an insulating layer. When your water heater tries to heat water, the flame must stay on longer to heat the water. By the way, simply flushing your water heater once a year can prevent this. To wrap up your plumbing inspection, check all of the valves under the sinks, at your clothes washer and behind the toilet. These valves

Corroded Valve

commonly fail, and can flood your house. If you find valves that have excessive calcium build-up, have them replaced immediately. We recommend changing them all even if you find one that is deteriorated. The others will follow.

Another item that should be checked periodically is your electric panel. Now if you have any concerns about your electrical system you should not do this yourself. Rather, call an electrician. But if your electric panel is in good condition open the lid and listen for buzzing breakers. You can also gently rest your hand on the breakers to see if they are excessively hot. If either of these conditions

GFCI receptacle

exists you should have your panel checked. Your GFCI receptacles must also be checked periodically. They have a built-in test button. Go ahead and test them. If they do not trip, or reset, they need to be replaced.

There are many other items that should be checked at your house including the roof, windows, garage door, heating and AC system, and appliances. Plumbing and electrical systems cause the most problems. Most home inspectors will provide a maintenance inspection for homeowners. It is a good idea to have your house inspected periodically. Catching some of these items early can save you money in the long run.

The Jardine AmeriSpec Office
www.thejardineoffice.com
hjardine@amerispec.net
314-308-6489

Born in a Barn?

Were you born in a barn and brought up outdoors?

This was a question I was asked frequently as a kid. Kids have little concept of hot and cold---let alone what it takes to heat a home.  Leaving doors open as they run outside is common.  It always has been common, and probably always will be common.

But doors and windows are not the only thing that wastes energy when they are left open.

As an inspector, one of the most common things I find left open on a home is the fireplace damper. When the wind blows past the top of the chimney it creates a negative pressure on the chimney resulting in drawing huge amounts of conditioned air out of the home---especially if windows and doors are left open.

This is incredibly wasteful in both summer and winter when we are expending energy to either heat or cool the home.

I would bet that more than 50% of older style fireplaces that I inspect have their damper open at the time of inspection.  Of course modern fireplaces have glass doors that help with this problem.  Most likely the best solution is a gas insert that will actually contribute to the heating of the home instead of making your house more like a barn.

Do you know if your fireplace damper is open or closed right now?

For a home inspection or just have questions, please call us at 314-308-6489 or visit our website at www.thejardineoffice.com