Wenatchee Home Inspections- Fire in the Hose

Wenatchee Home Inspections- Fire in the Hose

As a  Wenatchee Home Inspections service one of the items that we seem to find frequently is poor dryer ducting. This usually has couple main reasons, the ducting is inaccessible or in a place that no one has ventured in many years and everyone seems to be very familiar with the flexible foil/plastic ducting, so it's okay, right! WRONG!






All too often the dryer duct will terminate in a crawl space that can elevate moisture levels which is an invite to wood destroying insects and organisms (and one heck of a mess). The duct should terminate to the exterior of the home.


















But the main reason for proper dryer ducting is fire. The Product Safety Commission estimates that in 1998, clothes dryers were associated with 15,600 fires. My friends in the fire department will verify this fact.

       

Dryer fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct. Lint will block the flow of air and allow excessive heat build-up. Dryer fires will most likely start in the dryer venting and lint trap.

Standard building practices typically state that the dryer duct be no more than 25 feet long. It should be 2.5 feet shorter than 25 feet for every 45-degree bend and 5 feet shorter for every 90-degree bend. Ducts should be smooth metal with a minimum diameter of 4". Flexible ducts shouldn't be used. The ducts shouldn't have screws or connectors that could collect lint. The male ends of the duct should face the direction of the airflow.








The duct should vent to the outside and the vent should be at least 3 feet from any other opening. The vent should also have a cap with a damper to keep vermin out of the home. There shouldn't be a screen over the opening since it would trap lint.








Some signs that may be time to clean or replace your ducts are; if clothing is still damp at the end of a typical drying cycle or drying requires longer times than normal, clothes are hotter than normal at the end of the drying cycle, the outside of dryer gets very hot, the outside exhaust vent flapper does not open very much indicating low exhaust velocity, the laundry room becomes more humid than it is usually and a burnt smell is evident in the laundry room.
With a little maintenance of the duct work and dryer you can help prevent this scenario from occurring.

Wenatchee Home Inspections- Fire in the Hose



NCW Home Inspections LLC-509-670-9572NCW Home Inspections, LLC is located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington.

Wenatchee Home Inspections- In Hot Water again

Wenatchee Home Inspections- In Hot Water again



The CPSC (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) estimates each year, approximately 3,800 injuries and 34 deaths occur in the home due to scalding from excessively hot tap water. Most of these accidents involve the elderly and children under the age of five. The CPSC suggests all users to lower their water heaters to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This is to prevent these accidents. This decrease in temperature can conserve energy and save money also.

Many adults can suffer a third - degree burns if exposed to 150 degree water for about two seconds. At 140 degrees it will take about six-seconds of exposure. At 130 degrees about thirty seconds of exposure will cause a burn. Even if the temperature is 120 degrees, a five minute exposure could result in third-degree burns.









Here is the dilemma-
A residential dishwasher needs 140-160°F (60-70°C) degrees for proper cleaning.


Most licensed plumbers know you need about 160°F (70°C) water for washing and 180°F for sterilization in lieu of chemicals. Water below 125°F (52°C) can allow germs to grow inside the hot water tank (you want an incubator?).

One solution to the temperature dilemma is to use a quality mixing valve to allow hot water (160°F to 180°F) to go to the dish washer and laundry machines that will kill germs and use these tempering valves to control the temperature of the water after these devices to go throughout the system.
At the shower body or faucet you can add such safety devices called pressure/temperature regulating/valves, Temperature Actuated Mixing Valves or balancing valves etc.





All of these devices will help protect you from being scalded when someone else flushes a toilet or runs the sink and the pressure drops.

The same when the hot water is used say in a dish washer this sudden drop in temperature or pressure will not shock someone in a shower.

Contact your local licensed plumber and he will help you with a design to fit your needs.

Wenatchee Home Inspections- In Hot Water

NCW Home Inspections, LLC is located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Kittitas County, Douglas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington.
NCW Home Inspections LLC-509-670-9572

Cle Elum and Chelan Home Inspections- Elk

Cle Elum and Chelan Home Inspections- Elk

In route to a recent home inspection in the the Cle Elum area I came across this herd of elk (or wapiti). I find elk to be one of the most beautiful of the deer family. The elk is a large, powerful animal with an adult weight averaging over 400 pounds.
 
In the spring elk often group together with the cows and calves in one herd, the older bulls in another herd and the younger bulls in still another herd. Young and old bulls may be found together, and yearling bulls may be found with the cow herds from time to time.
 
Like this herd they are often made up of an older dominant cow, her sisters, their daughters and their daughter's daughters etc.

The older bulls often remain apart from the cows until the beginning of the rut in late August/early September, and stay with them until November.
Elk of both sexes and all ages may be found together in the winter, especially when food sources are limited.

Cle Elum and Chelan Home Inspections- Elk


NCW Home Inspections LLC-509-670-9572NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more...                            

Leavenworth and Wenatchee Home Inspection- Flipped Out

Leavenworth and Wenatchee Home Inspection- Flipped Out

There are shows and people out there claiming that you can make a lot of money “flipping Houses”.

With a statement like in the Monteglong's video's, "Imagine being able to get you and your family out of debt and to be able to change the legacy of your family by becoming a real estate millionaire".

I have watched many of these types of shows on HGTV, DIY and so on… but found that most of these "flipping" shows leave a lot of details out.  Often the practices on these shows are not what I want performed on any home I want to own or for any client of mine.

These homes are based on cosmetic value and not proper construction technique. Many times very obvious issues are covered up and hidden to the unsuspecting buyer thing they are getting so much value for money.

When performing a home inspection if I sense that the home had been flipped I go into super sleuth mode. I will look for issues with electrical, HVAC and plumbing. I will look for structural modification that may have not been executed correctly.

Many of these issues can have huge price tags down the line to repair.

At NCW Home Inspection I am the “buyers advocate”.

NCW Home Inspections, LLC,                located in Wenatchee WA             509-670-9572.
North Central Washington Home Inspections, LLC proudly serves Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington.

Cities served Wenatchee, Leavenworth,Cashmere, Chelan, Cle Elem, East Wenatchee, Quincy, Oroville and all areas of North Central Washington.

www.ncwhomeinspections.com

"The Confluence of Quality and Integrity"

Leavenworth and Wenatchee Home Inspection- Flipped Out