A home’s soil may be chock full of contaminants that are potentially toxic to people and pets alike. Find out how to inform and protect homeowners from the hidden dangers lurking beneath their feet in our new article on soil contamination inspection.

Mold inspection is serious business, and a variety of testing methods is available to inspectors who find or suspect mold growth in a home.  One of the most accurate methods is air sampling, which can differentiate between various types of airborne particulates, as well as differences between indoor and outdoor mold levels.  Learn about this method in  Air Sampling for Mold Inspections.

Nightlights are commonly used in homes for comfort and safety, especially for children who are afraid of the dark and older adults who might trip and fall. But nightlights are recalled by their manufactures often because they pose fire and electrical hazards. To find out more, check out our new article on nightlights.

Depending on the region, termites can wreak havoc on wooden structural members of homes, causing extensive and expensive damage.  But they can also cause hidden problems by using insulating concrete forms (ICFs) to locate food sources.  Read about how this problem may be lurking in vulnerable foundations in ICF Inspection and Termites.

In spite of recommendations by universities and the EPA, problem drywall cannot be adequately addressed using testing protocol that puts the emphasis on certain chemical elements as opposed to others.  Read about some flaws uncovered in data studies for testing toxic and Chinese drywall in A Caution on Using XRF Alone for Identification of Problem Drywall.

Every one in a while, you might run into a giant furnace with monstrous-looking ducts running in all different directions. These gravity furnaces, also known affectionately as “octopus furnaces”, use the force of convection to push air throughout a building. They lack the blower fan inherent to forced-air furnaces, which means they’re quieter and kick up less dust, but the benefits pretty much stop there. They are notoriously inefficient and most have outlived their life expectancies. To find out inspection tips and more, check out our new article on gravity furnace inspection.

In the story of the Three Little Pigs, the wolf blows down a house of straw with ease. Modern straw bale houses, by contrast, can withstand high winds a whole lot better. They’re sturdier than most people realize, but they’re also more vulnerable to moisture than conventional homes. To find out more, check out our new article on straw bale house inspection.

The oldest wells were dug by hand, and this low-tech approach still survives today. Their construction is labor-intensive, but it requires few specialized tools. Inspection should be focused on features that keep children or animals from falling into the well, as they’re usually quite wide. A simple lid or stone wall usually does the trick. To find out more, check out our new article on hand-dug well inspection.

Anti-scald valves are designed to lessen the water temperature fluctuations in a building, which are an inconvenience and can potentially cause a person to suffer a burn or slip in the shower. They contain a special diaphragm or piston mechanism that  balances the pressure of the hot- and cold-water inputs, limiting one or the other to keep the temperature within a range of several degrees. To find out more about how they work and why they’re needed, check out our new article on anti-scald valves.

Insulation sold in the U.S. is required to have an R-value assigned to it, but how are these ratings calculated?  Find out how R-values affect the energy efficiency of insulation — as well as why it won’t matter if the insulation is installed correctly but other building components are leaky — in Insulation R-Value.

Home inspectors know that a wide variety of windows is manufactured for increasingly specific installations.  Low-E windows are effective for blocking solar heat and the sun’s rays by reflecting them to keep heat in or out of the home or building, depending on the climate and application.  But consumers should be aware of some controversies surrounding these windows precisely because of their high-reflectivity properties that make them so efficient.  Read all about the benefits and potential problems in Low-E Windows.

As consumers search for the biggest bang for their energy-savings buck, windows take on special significance as an installation that must be as energy-efficient as possible.  Inspectors who perform energy audits can educate themselves and their clients on the importance of solar heat-gain coefficient (SHGC) ratings, especially because these ratings affect a window’s efficiency depending on the climate.  Read all about it in Solar Heat-Gain Coefficient Ratings for Windows.

InterNACHI has a new article on scaffold inspection, full of all sorts of information that will help construction workers stay safe. Learn about safety components such as fall arrest systems and guardrails, as well as strength and size requirements for scaffolds.

The WebMD article deals with home winterization.  Read the entire article here: http://women.webmd.com/home-health-and-safety-9/winterize-your-home-10-tips

As the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history tore through Boulder County last month, it should become more clear to homeowners, fire crews and inspectors that more emphasis should be placed on wildfire mitigation strategies. You might be surprised at just how many strategies are available, from custom window covers to vents that swell up and close when they’re heated, preventing stray embers from passing through them into the house. Inform yourself, check out our new article on wildfire mitigation strategies and inspection.