ASHI HOME INSPECTOR - AUSTIN TEXAS

Austin Home Inspectors don’t encounter radon much because we seldom have basements with trapped air that would cause high levels or radon to sit without air drafts from moving them along.  Recently an article was written by Kate Murphy on “What is Lurking in Your Countertops?  This article is worth reading if you have granite counter tops to know what questions to ask & where to go to for more information.  As  an Austin Home inspector, I do not personally inspect for radon, but if you are concerned if radon is present in your house, then call the EPA.

July 24, 2008 What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? By KATE MURPHY

SHORTLY before Lynn Sugarman of Teaneck, N.J., bought her summer home in Lake George, N.Y., two years ago, a routine inspection revealed it had elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. So she called a radon measurement and mitigation technician to find the source. “He went from room to room,” said Dr. Sugarman, a pediatrician. But he stopped in his tracks in the kitchen, which had richly grained cream, brown and burgundy granite countertops. His Geiger counter indicated that the granite was emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than those he had measured elsewhere in the house. “My first thought was, my pregnant daughter was coming for the weekend,” Dr. Sugarman said. When the technician told her to keep her daughter several feet from the countertops just to be safe, she said, “I had them ripped out that very day,” and sent to the state Department of Health for analysis. The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays. “The health risk to me and my family was probably small,” Dr. Sugarman said, “but I felt it was an unnecessary risk.”

Home inspectors in Round Rock, Texas are expected to know how heat pumps work so they can advise their clients of evaluation needed before the problem becomes the buyers problem.  The following article is good information I can pass on to you for information how heat pumps work for your personal benefit.

The easiest way to recognize a heat pump is at the thermostat. When you remove the cover from the thermostat, you will have dual bubble mercury tubes controlling the heat. These bubbles or mercury tubes are mercury switches, similar to a single pole light switch. The top bubble controls the compressor; the bottom bubble controls the back-up or supplemental heat. The bubbles operate in tandem with the top bubble being engaged about 2 degrees before the bottom bubble. The air conditioning is usually controlled by one mercury tube on the right side of the thermostat. If you see a second pair of bubbles, the air conditioning system has dual compressors, which operate on demand and can operate at lower demand level, which could reduce operating costs. Dual compressors are usually found in commercial units. When inspecting a heat pump, turn the system off. Then move the thermostat up slowly so only the top mercury tube is engaged. You must have the cover off to see this. If you allow both switches to become engaged, and the unit is on, you may have to wait for a time delay to release the supplemental heat or check the supplemental heat first. Once you have the thermostat set properly, turn the system on. Assuming the outside temperature is above the balance point (32 to 40 degrees), with only the compressor engaged (top bubble), and after about 5 to 8 minutes, measure the difference in temperature between a supply and return. The temperature difference should be 18 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the heating mode. The outside temperature will have some impact on this temperature. If the temperature difference is not high enough, the probable causes are a laboring compressor or low freon charge. If it is a laboring compressor, figure about $500 to $600 per ton, plus $250 to $350 if the condensing cabinet fan and coil are replaced. If it is a freon charge, figure $125 to $175 for a charge and service.

As an Austin ASHI Home Inspector, I am a huge fan of radiant barrier in the attic under the roof decking. The big reason, my utility bills are below $175 per month in the hot summers of Austin. Home inspectors are in hot attics every day. The sweat that pours down my face from the time I enter the attic is from poor ventilated attic space & no radiant barrier. Radiant barriers are great because they reduce the amount of heat transfer from roof surface into the attic. Therefore a/c ducts do not get excessively hot so the a/c has to work less to cool the house. The following article will help you to understand why your attic should have radiant barriers.

Radiant barriers are materials that are installed in buildings to reduce summer heat gain and winter heat loss, and hence to reduce building heating and cooling energy usage. The potential benefit of attic radiant barriers is primarily in reducing air-conditioning cooling loads in warm or hot climates. Radiant barriers usually consist of a thin sheet or coating of a highly reflective material, usually aluminum, applied to one or both sides of a number of substrate materials. These substrates include kraft paper, plastic films, cardboard, plywood sheathing, and air infiltration barrier material. Some products are fiber reinforced to increase the durability and ease of handling. Radiant barriers can be used in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. However, this fact sheet was developed only for applications of radiant barriers in ventilated attics of residential buildings.

How are radiant barriers installed in a residential attic?

Radiant barriers may be installed in attics in several configurations. The simplest is to lay the radiant barrier directly on top of existing attic insulation, with the reflective side up. This is often called the attic floor application. Another way to install a radiant barrier is to attach it near the roof. The roof application has several variations. One variation is to attach the radiant barrier to the bottom surfaces of the attic truss chords or rafter framing. Another is to drape the radiant barrier over the tops of the rafters before the roof deck is applied. Still another variation is to attach the radiant barrier directly to the underside of the roof deck.

How do radiant barriers work?
Radiant barriers work by reducing heat transfer by thermal radiation across the air space between the roof deck and the attic floor, where conventional insulation is usually placed. All materials give off, or emit, energy by thermal radiation as a result of their temperature. The amount of energy emitted depends on the surface temperature and a property called the “emissivity” (also called the “emittance”). The emissivity is a number between zero (0) and one (1). The higher the emissivity, the greater the emitted radiation. A closely related material property is the “reflectivity” (also called the “reflectance”). This is a measure of how much radiant heat is reflected by a material. The reflectivity is also a number between 0 and 1 (sometimes, it is given as a percentage, and then it is between 0 and 100%). For a material that is opaque (that is, it does not allow radiation to pass directly through it), when the emissivity and reflectivity are added together, the sum is one (1). Hence, a material with a high reflectivity has a low emissivity, and vice versa.

Radiant barrier materials must have high reflectivity (usually 0.9, or 90%, or more) and low emissivity (usually 0.1 or less), and must face an open air space to perform properly. On a sunny summer day, solar energy is absorbed by the roof, heating the roof sheathing and causing the underside of the sheathing and the roof framing to radiate heat downward toward the attic floor. When a radiant barrier is placed on the attic floor, much of the heat radiated from the hot roof is reflected back toward the roof. This makes the top surface of the insulation cooler than it would have been without a radiant barrier and thus reduces the amount of heat that moves through the insulation into the rooms below the ceiling. Under the same conditions, a roof mounted radiant barrier works by reducing the amount of radiation incident on the insulation. Since the amount of radiation striking the top of the insulation is less than it would have been without a radiant barrier, the insulation surface temperature is lower and the heat flow through the insulation is reduced. Radiant barriers can also reduce indoor heat losses through the ceiling in the winter. Radiant barriers reduce the amount of energy radiated from the top surface of the insulation, but can also reduce beneficial heat gains due to solar heating of the roof. The net benefits of radiant barriers for reducing winter heat losses are still being studied.

Protecting your Home

A home inspection by a professionally licensed Real Estate Inspector is the smartest investment that a homeowner can make. As a home inspector, I find life threatening issues in homes on a regular basis. Generally speaking, the homeowner has no idea that the condition even exists. The people living in the homes we inspect are typically not our clients. In most cases, the home is up for sale and the potential buyer has contracted our services to help assist them in making a responsible decision about purchasing the home. When we explain to the sellers that a life threatening condition exist, they are usually a little embarrassed that they were unaware of the issue. The simple truth is, they are not trained professionals in the construction or inspection industry. Who would expect them to be able to understand all the intricate details of every system of the home?

Obviously not every adverse condition that we observe is life threatening. However, we find many issues every day that should be corrected immediately. By taking immediate action on issues found during the routine home inspection, the homeowner can potentially save thousands of dollars down the road. If you have a nail in your tire; do you have it removed and patched right away or do you drive the car until the tire finally goes flat, leaving you stranded on the side of the interstate during rush hour traffic? I firmly believe that a homeowner can potentially save thousands of dollars over the course of a decade by hiring a professionally licensed home inspector to review the condition of the property every 3 years. It is unfortunate for everyone that homes are not inspected until the seller decides to put the house on the market. This dramatically decreases the likelihood that the home will be in top condition when the buyer’s inspector shows up.

ASHI Home Inspector - Austin Texas

Here is a copy of Bob’s pre home inspection agreements that he requires his clients to sign prior to the inspection date.  The agreement is critical for the client to know what is required of his home inspector in Austin & what the clients responsibilities are before the home inspection begins.  Please read over this agreement.  It is the same you will receive.  If you do not agree or cannot abide with this agreement, then you will need to find another home inspector.

Smith Inspection Services, Inc.©
10109 Majorca Drive Austin, Texas 78717-4515 Office: 512-335-2850 Fax: 512-857-0089

CONTRACT FOR INSPECTION SERVICES
Client/Purchaser: Date of Inspection: , 2008 Time: .m.
Property Address: City/State: TX
Structure: X Single Family

1. Scope. Inspection criteria and parameters shall be the Standard of Practice (SoP’s) pertaining to the licensing of Real Estate Inspectors found in the TEXAS REAL ESTATE LICENSE ACT, made part of this agreement. Inspection shall be limited to primary structure unless otherwise indicated on the report. Only those elements indicated on written report as “inspected” shall be inspected. This inspection is good only for the day that it was performed. Conditions of the structure and its components can change from one day to the next. On-site conditions existing at time of inspection, which encumber or preclude inspection shall prevail over the reporting requirements and will result in the limited or incomplete reporting. Estimation of encumbrances and precluding conditions shall be at the sole discretion of the Inspector. Inspector has no responsibility, express or implied, for latent defects or for defects not reasonably observable at the time of inspection or for defects that would require the removal of major or permanent coverings for observation. Inspector makes no representations concerning the future performance of any item. Inspection is not intended to detect all defects or discrepancies, latent or existing. Opinions rendered are based on the information available to us at the time of the inspection. Inspection report intends to reduce client(s) risk; but will not eliminate client’s risk. Client is advised to ask for & keep all service repair invoices & warranties of service. Inspection report does not include identifying cosmetic faults (regular maintenance items, i.e. soiled carpets, sheet rock blemishes, etc.) which homeowner is expected to perform on a routine basis.

2. Accessibility. Client agrees to make ready or arrange to have made ready all areas of the structure prior to time and date stated above; to provide all normal utilities (Electric, Water and Natural Gas) to the structure and to ensure all equipment is operational by means of normal controls. Failure to make ready may result in incomplete reporting or delays for rescheduling. Failure to make ready shall be considered reasonable cause for additional charges of $125 per hour for re-inspection if necessary or delayed time.

3. Fees and Client Responsibility. The inspection fee is $____. Client(s) agrees to pay for said service. Payment is due upon completion of the inspection or upon delivery of report. Client agrees to pay the above referenced inspection fee and additional fees for systems or components that were not disclosed (or if utilities not turned on) at the time inspection was scheduled. Client agrees to pay for all expenses incurred by SIS for invalid payment or non payment. Out of pocket fees to pursue client for invalid or non payment will be the inspection fee, $125/hour of time spent by SIS plus all attorney fees & court cost. If payment remains delinquent for 30 days or more, SIS/Inspector has discretionary right to turn client into a collection agency. At that time client will have sole responsibility to clear their name & judgments with the collection agency. Client has 48 hours prior to inspection time to cancel without charge. If client cancels inspection within 48 hours of scheduled time, client agrees to pay for one half of the inspection cost payable within 7 days to SIS.

4. Limited Total Liability. Client accepts and agrees that total liability by SIS is limited to the lesser amount of the inspection fee or cost of repairing any listed item not reported as in need of repair at time of inspection or damaged during the inspection.

5. Complaints. If the Client discovers upon move in that a defect or deficiency was concealed by owner(s) & not detected by Inspector, then Client agrees to take all reasonable steps to contact owner(s) & resolve matter prior to contacting Inspector. If the Client lodges any complaint in regard to the inspection or report, Client agrees that time is of the essence. Written notification of any alleged defects or deficiencies must be reported to SIS within 14 days after closing date. Repairs will not be allowed to commence before SIS or hired representative by SIS is allowed to view alleged defect or deficiency except to prevent major damage or mitigate life threatening conditions. Within 7 days of written notice, SIS has the right to re-inspect and to determine if the alleged deficiency was (a) within the defined scope of reporting requirements of the TREC Standards of Practice and (b) existed at time of the inspection. If SIS determines that an error or omission was made, SIS shall be allowed to remedy, by repairing or replacing said deficiency or refund fees (as stated in Article 3), whichever is less, and shall be held harmless by Client thereafter. In the event SIS or its representative determines that SIS has not committed an error or omission, Client agrees to compensate SIS at a minimum rate of $125 per hour including travel time and incurred expenses. Client(s) failure to comply with any of the requirements of this section acquits SIS and Inspector of any responsibility for present or future claims.

6. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration. It is agreed to by the parties that in the event any claims or disputes cannot be amicably settled through direct communication between the parties, such claims or disputes shall, on written request of one party served upon the other, be submitted to binding arbitration in accordance with and governed by the provisions of the Texas General Arbitration Act, Articles 224 through 238-6 of the revised Civil Statutes of Texas. The appointed arbitrator shall be mutually chosen by both parties. Both parties agree to abide by the ruling of the arbitrator. The mutually accepted standards against which the inspection and report will be judged are the Standards of Practice as stated in “1. SCOPE” above. If the client initiates arbitration and fails to prevail in all claims, client will assume the defense of, protect, save harmless & indemnify inspector by paying attorney’s fees, expert witness fees, cost of arbitration, all lost wages of Inspector& all other fees incurred by SIS and Inspector.

7. Disclaimers. NO WARRANTIES OR GUARANTEES are made by the inspector or in the inspection SIS, express or implied, to Client or any other person regarding representation of the future performance of any element of structure. The inspection and report are not warranted for merchantability. Protection against financial loss is available through the Clients purchase of insurance provided by insurance or warranty companies. When an item is noted as not functioning or in need of repair, replacement or for further evaluation by a specialist, the Client agrees to contact a qualified specialist to make further evaluations of the item BEFORE they purchase the property. The Limited property Inspection is not offered nor intended to replace direct consultation with Building Trade Professionals. The inspection and report are neither offered nor intended to eliminate the Clients risk as a Buyer or Seller of the inspected property.

8. Exclusions. (General Exclusions) Inspector does not inspect water wells, septic systems, security systems, low voltage wiring, refrigerators, ice makers, fire protection equipment. Items concealed, missing, underground, behind fastened covers or not otherwise easily accessible, which require moving furniture or personal or stored items, lifting or removal of floor coverings. Any test which might cause damage to structure is not performed. Any environmental evaluation to determine the presence or absence of any suspected hazardous substance including, but not limited to; water supply quality, water supply quantity, air quality, asbestos, asbestos-containing materials, dust, bacteria, molds, fungi, carbon monoxide, combustible gasses, electromagnetic fields, formaldehyde, lead dust, lead paint, lead solder, noise, pesticides, radon gas, or conditions which may cause these hazards or any other toxic, carcinogenic, unhealthy or malodorous conditions. Any information from a seller’s disclosure, governmental agency, or any other source concerning previous property conditions, geological conditions, flooding conditions, hazardous waste conditions, etc. Any violations of building codes, ordinances or other such conditions located on or about the subject property. This includes governing codes, ordinances, permitting, zoning, land use requirements, and/or statutes. Performance to manufacturer specifications or requirements for installation, design or sizing of equipment. Any other component or system explicitly omitted from the survey report by notation or regulation.
(Specific Exclusions – including, but not limited to) Concealed evidence of any damage or concealed evidence of any defect. Any opinion regarding latent defects, energy efficiency, habitability, suitability or insurability. Ancillary electric equipment, attic power vents, automated control systems, photoelectric controls, thermostatic controls, timer or time keeping controls, remote controls, exterior lighting, security systems, intercoms, speaker systems or signal distribution systems, including television, radio, telephone, data, etc. Detached structures (other than those specifically listed in report) including flatwork, sidewalks, driveways, gazebos, waterfront structures, fences, retaining walls, etc. Shower pan performance (Inspector will report visible and factual findings only). Underground components, including sewage disposal systems, plumbing, piping, drain tile, conduit, wiring, etc. Fire alarms, fire suppression equipment, lighting suppression equipment and water treatment equipment. Non fixed appliances such as washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwaves and window cooling units. Solid fuel stoves, space heaters, or solar heating devices. Play equipment, saunas or steam baths. Adequacy of utility services, utility distribution systems, mechanical integrity of plumbing and connections. Presence or damage due to wood destroying insects or organisms, pest or vermin. Wood Destroying Insect (WDI) is a separate report.

9. Choice of Law. This contract shall be construed under, and in accordance with, the laws of the State of Texas. The parties also agree that all negotiations with reference to this contract and performance of all obligations hereunder, shall be performable in Williamson County, Texas.

10. Invalid Terms Severable. If any term, provision, covenant or condition of this contract is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the provisions shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated.

11. Agreement Acceptance. The client understands and agrees that this inspection contract is a part of the inspection report and acceptance of the inspection report(s) and/or payment of the fee will therefore constitute acceptance of this contract. This contract represents the entire agreement between the parties. No oral agreements, understandings or representations shall change, modify or amend any part of this contract. No change or modification shall be enforceable against any party unless such changes or modification is in writing and signed by the parties. Client, by accepting the inspection report or relying upon it in any way, expressly agrees to the inspection contract conditions. If there is more than one client, the signature below represents authority to sign for all parties. Client’s representative can sign in place of Clients. A digital or faxed signature can be accepted and is the same as an original signature.

12. Exclusivity. Inspector’s Property Inspection Report is prepared exclusively for Client and is not transferable to anyone in any form without permission from Client or Inspector. Inspector gives permission for the inspection report findings to be discussed with real estate agents, mortgage loan officers, specialists, or repair contractors related to this contract only. This inspection report may not be forwarded or released to other persons of a different real estate contract. The inspection report may not be released to the media for any reason. The inspection report cannot be used or relied upon by anyone that is not named in this contract. Violators of this contract & SIS inspection report are subject to prosecution under the Texas Civil Statutes.

Client(s) acknowledges that they have read this contract, including the inspection limitations contained therein, and will read the Property Inspection Report, and that they understand the terms, conditions, and limitations of this contract and agree to be bound by them.
SIGNED this ____ day of _________________, 2008 (Signed before time of inspection)

__________________________________________    Client’s or Representatives Signature

ASHI Home Inspector - Austin Texas