Spill switches are safety devices placed on modern gas-burning heating appliances. They sense when carbon monoxide spills into the home instead of out the chimney, halting the flow of fuel to the appliance. They must be installed in the correct location, however, and they must respond within 10 minutes of exposure to spilled CO. To find out how they are tested and more, check out our new article on spill switch inspection.

Many homeowners aren’t aware that they can combine a rental agreement with a home purchase, so they get to stay in a house or condo for some time, paying rent to the owner, before finally buying it. In most cases, the renter has the option to buy at a predetermined price by a certain date it if they choose. While the seller loses some freedom in the deal, they get to keep at least a portion of the rent, or all of it if the renter decides not to buy. In slow housing markets like this one, rent-to-own becomes a more popular option. Read more in our new article on rent-to-own-home-leases.

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.

Paul W. Abernathy, Co -Author of the book “How to Perform Electrical Inspections” has just produced an audio cd companion product for the “how to perform electrical inspections” book. This audio cd provides over 13 hours of narrative and additional commentary to this already very popular publication. You will hear Mr. Abernathy explain all the aspects of the book in extra detail while also offering additional wisdom that can only comes from 23+ years in the electrical education industry. Mr. Abernathy has a unique ability to bridge the gap of knowledge between electricians and home inspectors that everyone can understand.

If have not been able to attend one of Mr. Abernathy’s action packed seminars then this is the next best thing

Order the How to Perform Electrical Inspections Audio CD here (pdf).

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.