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Termite damage is very destructive to a home and the occupants. Unfortunately termite activities are very common in New York area. Turn over to our termite section for more information.

Electrical System

Is your electrical panel safe? The main electrical panel is the heart of a home's electrical system. Many issues and problems arise from the main electrical panel which will cause overheating, melting, fire and shock hazards. Below we have listed some common problems associated with the electrical system of a home:

Federal Pacific Electric Panel (FPE) - This electrical panel exhibits a very serious defect. The panel itself and the breakers will appear to work perfectly normal under normal load. However, upon an over-current, short circuit or similar condition, the breakers installed on this panel can fail to trip causing electrical fire/shock. Home owners beware of any remedial circuit breakers to replace the FPE breakers. Any remedial circuit breakers attempt to fix this issue will not perform correctly and ultimately lead to failure.

Aluminum Branch Wiring - This type of branch wiring was used in homes from the 1960s to the early 1970s. Some of the homes we inspect will face with this defect. Aluminum branch wiring will cause fire hazard in homes inflicting serious fatal injuries to the occupants. Aluminum wires have great expansion levels and likely cause micro-fretting and arcing at wiring connections. These conditions will cause overheating at wiring connections between the wires and devices such as switches and outlets or at splices in junction boxes. The wiring connections can overheat enough to start an electrical fire without ever tripping a circuit breaker.

Double-tab Wiring - This defect is likely due to the poor workmanship of the electrician installing the electrical panel. On occasions, two or more wires are occupying the same circuit breaker connection. This condition will cause overloading of the circuit breaker and will cause electrical overheating and fires.

There are many other issues such as inadequate grounding, oversized breaker/fuse combined with undersized wirings, missing main breaker switch, improper panel screws, undersized main entry wiring, this list goes on and on. Only upon a professional home inspection with us will you be sure that the home is free of such hazardous problems. It is common that some of these problems or defects will occupy your home. Once we uncover these issues, you will be able to make a sound judgment and make any necessary repairs as needed.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)

The GFCI is a must electrical circuit protection device. A GFCI will automatically trip and stop the flow of current to any plugged in devices preventing electrical shocks. The most common locations to find GFCI outlets are in the kitchen and bathrooms where there is a wet source. The National Electrical Code (NEC) requires that electricians must follow GFCI device instructions.

Although there is no strict requirement that all wet locations must install a GFCI device, we always recommend installation of a GFCI device when we feel there is a hazardous condition. The GFCI device has two buttons in the middle of the face, a test button (normally red in color) and a reset button (normally black in color). Although most GFCIs are easily observed by the distinctive face, not all GFCI devices work the way they are intended to. Sometimes defective GFCIs are installed without testing. An installed GFCI device might not be properly grounded. A failed GFCI will not protect the users. In addition, sometimes an outlet might not resemble a GFCI device, but when properly wired up with another GFCI device, a normal outlet can operate like a GFCI device. This is called series wiring, which allowed up to 4-6 regular outlets. Our home inspection service will put all these doubts to rest as we test for all GFCI and will inform our clients if there are any potential hazards for missing GFCI devices.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a natural fibrous silicate minerals used for many different purposes such as thermal insulations, fire retardant ceiling panels, exterior sidings, interior floorings. Asbestos itself in stable form is not a health hazard. However, when manipulated to become in friable form (airborne), asbestos becomes dangerous as microscopic fibers can be inhaled by occupants.

Inhalation of airborne asbestos will lead to lung cancer Mesothelioma that's untreatable causing death. Asbestos insulation on heating distribution pipes are a common problem in older homes. We often advise clients that when asbestos material is intact, it is best to leave it alone and encapsulate it. Removing asbestos materials require highly qualify professionals and quickly become very expensive. Some home owners may choose to remove this highly dangerous material by themselves, at Inspect-Rite, we will know when a job is performed by amateurs. In such case, the house is likely to be contaminated by asbestos materials in friable form. It will become more expensive to fix this problem. Other forms of asbestos are seen in flooring, sidings, ceiling panels etc. You can also read more at Environmental Protection Agency about asbestos hazards, regulations, publications and resources.

Foundation Cracks

Many foundation defects are only seen after it has been built and which result in structural damage that needs repair or other further actions. Large displacement cracks, foundation wall bulge or leaning, settlement vertical V cracks, horizontal cracks, diagonal cracks, step cracks or other damage are all indications of potentially larger problems that may require immediate remedial actions. Different types of cracks at different location and different types of foundation will mean different issues. Most foundation cracks are caused by improper footings, frost or root heaving, improper backfills, heavy vehicle loadings, hydrostatic pressures and/or house settlements. How do you tell if a crack is active or not? Look for signs of repairs, do they look old or recent? Look for repeated patches. For any cracks not patched, look inside the crack with a flashlight to see if there are dust and dirt buildups. When cracks appear recent, active monitoring is a must! Cracks can grow at a constant rate, accelerating rate, decelerating rate, seasonal rate or can be a one time crack due to near by blasting or constructing activities. Some bulging cracks on structural brick walls can be very serious and need immediate attention if the bond courses are broken. Sudden catastrophic wall collapse can occur. Some other cracks are less importance such as shrinkage cracks from cured concrete. On some concrete block foundation walls, shrinkage cracks may occur which may possibly invite water penetration. Foundation cracks can often extend inside the house interior walls. A foundation defect will cause structural movements.

This is just a quick summary on the many different types of cracks that occur. If you spot a crack, have it inspected and repaired as necessary to avoid further damage! With our expertise, we will guide our client through every step to make sure proper actions are taken as needed. Foundation cracks are common and can develop either from inherited foundation defects or subsequent environment changes. But all cracks should not be neglected!

Lead Poison

There are many different products that contain lead. These products include but not limited to building materials, jewelry, toys, etc. Part of our primary focus of the home inspection is to pinpoint if the house have any sources of lead such as lead paint or lead piping.

Old houses built prior to early 1970s interior paints are likely to contain lead. Lead paints are dangerous to infants and developing children causing serious brain injuries. Lead usually enters the body through ingestions. Chipping lead paints are sweet and naturally attracted to children. Lead can also enter the body through inhalation of lead dust particles during house renovations and paint stripping. In addition, some houses have lead piping to deliver drinking water. In such cases, lead can leech into the water source causing elevated lead levels in occupants. Also see CPSC Document 426.

There are many other important components to a house such as the heating and cooling system, foundation walls, ductworks, plumbing and venting systems, roofing system, etc. A professional home inspection will reveal possible issues and problems with these components of the house. We encourage you to take download and take advantage of our quick guide to help you with your home-buying process.

* Please note that a home inspection process do not cover or include any certification or requirements to inspect these items. Our home inspection service, however, will go above and beyond the home inspection standards of practice and make note of these items as observe. Any observations related to above are for additional information only. The inspection report is NOT a certification for the presence or absence of these items.