EI2S Home Inspections, Cedar Rapids IA, Waterloo IA, Marion IA, North Liberty IA, Cedar Falls IA, Waverly IA, Iowa City

Home Inspection Heat Loss, Thermal Imaging, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, North Liberty

mike — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:45:45 +0000

Home Inspection Heat loss can manifest itself in many ways in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, or North Liberty Iowa. The picture to the right is the result of heat loss through a bedroom wall that has a door which leads to a side attic that is similar to a 1 1/2 story home’s attic.

Without insulation in sufficient amount to resist the transfer of heat through the wall, (“R” Value), the heat from the home is escaping into the side attic and causing a perfect outline of the attic area to manifest itself in the frost on the roof. This was a neat find during the home inspection. The apparent fingers leading upward from the outline are soffit baffles that penetrate the upper attic, as they should.

This is a thermal imaging picture of heat loss due to cold air infiltration from a poorly insulated window. The bright spot is a ceiling mounted heat register that was actually blowing well over 91 degrees when this shot was taken. The bullseye is showing 59.7 degrees. That is a lot of cold air moving to the interior of the home to show up that cold on the Thermal Imaging picture. Whether this shot was taken during an inspection in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls or North Liberty it is still a problem and fortunately for the home owner a relatively simple fix. Just use this thermal image, remove the window trim and insulate the deficient area as needed.

Heat loss occurs whether we like it or not. What we have to do is determine how it’s going to happen.

In this Home Inspection case, the builder of the sun room decided to install the vapor barrier improperly. In this region of the country a vapor barrier needs to be installed towards the conditioned space so that the insulation can dry to the exterior. This installation has resulted in warm interior air moving through the insulation and colliding with the cold vapor barrier. We all know what happens when warm air hits a cold surface. The moisture in that warm air condenses onto the cold surface and in this case the result was mold growth.

These are but three examples of heat loss. There are many more examples that can be shared and many more scenarios that occur. I hope that you gain a better understanding of how a home and the way it is insulated can be a benefit or detriment to you the owner and how having a Home Inspection or Thermal Imaging done by Eastern Iowa Inspection Services is always a benefit.

Home Inspectors in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids Iowa the Two G’s

mike — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:37:11 +0000

Home Inspectors in Waterloo,Cedar Rapids Iowa the two G’s that I talk about stand for gutters and grounds.

Here is a perfect example of something I see all the time as a home inspector. Gutters that are full of debris and are either clogged or will be clogged at the first rain fall.

As a home inspector it is my mission to educate people on the importance of keeping the gutters clean and the grounds properly sloped. It may seem like a small thing to some, but at Eastern Iowa Inspection services we view it as a big deal.

See, the gutters serve as a mechanism to get water away from the foundation of the home. Literally hundreds and hundreds of gallons of water will run down the roof during an average rain storm here in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids Iowa and you don’t want all that water running down around the foundation walls.

If your gutters are clean and functioning properly they will carry the majority of that water through the down spouts and away from the foundation.

As a professional home and commercial property inspector I can’t tell you how many wet basements I see in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids Iowa. There’s nothing worse than a nice damp area for mold spores to grow on and believe me, given the opportunity, they will grow. These conditions can usually be minimized, if not eliminated by keeping the gutters clean and the grounds properly sloping away from the home.

One of the things about being a home inspector in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids Iowa is that you get to see a wide variety of problems. These problems vary a great deal in severity from case to case.

Here is an example of what happens when the slope of the finished grade is towards the foundation. This home had the gutter but not the grounds which has over time caused the dirt to literally wash away . Fortunately for them they have a good sump pump to pump that water away. Once they get the grounds sorted out that sump pump will certainly run a lot less.

Instead of waiting for problems to appear, be proactive and contact us. We’ll come out and give you a professional home inspection that you can use as a road map to getting your house in shape. Beyond any safety concerns and items that need to be repaired, we create a really good honey do list of maintenance items around the home.

I doesn’t matter if I am in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls or anywhere in between. The principals remain the same. Keep your gutters clean and the grounds properly slopping away from the home. Otherwise, you may have foundation issues over time that are irritating and costly to repair.

Home Inspector Cedar Rapids IA, Waterloo IA- Are new homes better?

mike — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:18:25 +0000

Home Inspector Cedar Rapids IA, Waterloo IA- Are new homes better?

Home inspector Cedar Rapids, Waterloo Iowa- Are new homes better?

That’s a question that I rarely if ever get asked. I think that most people assume that if it’s a new home, it’s a better home. I would have to ask a question as well, and that is, better in what way?

I have been in homes that were less than five years old that were built by decent contractors and yet were in need of quite a lot.

As a home inspector that services and markets to a very large area in Eastern Iowa including Cedar Rapids, Waterloo/Cedar Falls and all of the surrounding areas I have seen my share of new and old homes.

A short list of some problems I have seen as an inspector in newer homes includes but is not limited to.

Holes in the shingles left from siding contractors scaffolding.
Furnaces in need of replacement because it would cost nearly as much to do the repairs needed to get it back up and running.
Homes built on low lying ground that have sump pumps running almost constantly during the dry season. You better have a battery backup on that one.
Physical holes in the roof that you could stick your finger through from underneath

I think new is great! Don’t get me wrong. But, it isn’t always better.

I have also had the privilege of being the Home Inspector on older homes.

Now we all know that there are homes out there that have been neglected and left in disrepair for many years. We also know what we are probably going to find in those homes.

The older homes that I am referring to are the ones that have been cared for.

As a home inspector one of my favorite vintage of homes in my area is somewhere between the early 1950′s to the mid 1960′s. I consistently see a level of craftsmanship in these homes that I really enjoy. The level of thought that went into the floor plan, the amount of closet space, the quality of the foundation. The rafter systems that look like they grew together even though they are 50+ years old. All these things play into making these homes one of my favorites.

Some of the perceived shortcomings of these older homes may be:

older furnace
insulation deficiencies
older windows
outdated electrical

As a home inspector my philosophy is, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

I have seen gas forced air furnaces as old as 45 yrs and not a thing wrong with them. They may not be as efficient but they work like like a champ. Many gas providers offer generous rebate programs for adding insulation to the home which is great. I have seen as high as a 70% rebate as of late. Older windows if maintained will keep the original charm of the home and often do not need to be replaced with vinyl inserts. If the electrical system is outdated it can be brought up to date by a licensed electrician if so desired.

It’s true that sometimes the new homes may be prettier on the outside and have that VOC new carpet smell, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are better IMO.

Home Inspection, Cedar Rapids IA, Waterloo IA- Are fuses better?

mike — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:22:51 +0000

Home Inspection, Cedar Rapids IA, Waterloo IA- Are fuses better?

Home Inspection, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo IA -Are Fuses Better?

A few times a month during the course of performing a home inspection in Waterloo, IA or Cedar Rapids, IA I will run into a fuse panel.

Most folks in Eastern Iowa automatically assume that fuses are old, outdated, and generally less reliable than circuit breakers. Some would even go as far as to say they were dangerous.

Well, it’s not the fuses that were dangerous. Fuses are typically more reliable than circuit breakers. Why? because the only thing it takes to make them blow is a flow of current that exceeds what they were manufactured to blow at. That’s right they are manufactured to blow at a certain amperage and unless their was a major malfunction in the manufacturing process, they will blow when they are supposed to.

So why did we switch to circuit breakers?

As modern appliances became more numerous in our kitchens and other areas of the home, we found that we needed more circuits to accommodate them. The problem is that there are only so many circuits available, even on the larger fuse panels. So, naturally, we should just double up our circuits on the fuses. The natural affect of this was that we started to blow fuses now and again. Well, gee wiz, we can’t have that, let’s just throw in a bigger fuse, shall we.

You see where this is going don’t you? Of course. When we blew the bigger fuse a couple of times we asked grandpa what should we do and he said “heck son, just throw a penny in there behind that fuse and she’ll never blow again”. Needless to say the insurance companies did not like it when they had to pay for a home that burned down as a result of over fusing or worse yet, sticking something behind the fuse, which may not even show up on an inspection report.

The obvious benefits of circuit breakers were that we could fit a lot more circuits in a smaller package and with that, the need to multi tap was eliminated. Or so it seemed. When you get a home inspection make sure your home inspector knows what he is looking at. There are actually some breakers out there that are manufactured and engineered to be double tapped, as long as the load is considered by a licensed electrician.

So, are fuses better than breakers? The answer is yes. If you are looking at it from a reliability standpoint. And, no from a insurance perspective.

Home Inspection Cedar Rapids IA, Waterloo IA – Polyurethane Roofing

mike — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:44:02 +0000

Home Inspection Cedar Rapids IA, Waterloo IA – Polyurethane Roofing

While taking the order for a recent commercial inspection I was informed that the roofing material was polyurethane. The person who was ordering the inspection from me was no stranger to commercial building, nor am I. I had to ask, are you sure they said poly? The reply was yes. So I said ok and left it at that.

Immediately my mind raced to the application of polyurethane foam to foundations of older homes that I have seen during home inspections, but did not imagine someone would use it on a roof.

Polyurethane roofing has actually been around for some time now and is used as an over-coating option for existing roofs or applied to new roofs as well as to the foundation walls of homes.

It is, simply put, a two part liquid applied under pressure to a surface which expands and forms a seamless coating. Then an elastomeric coating is applied to the top of the foam to keep water out. The coating must be elastic due to expansion and contraction.

I have seen this applied to many foundations in my area while performing a home inspection but this is the first time I have seen it on a roof.

The benefits laid out by the proponents of this are that it is seamless, flexible, light weight and has a good “R” value if the closed cell foam is used. A claimed “R” value of 7.14 per inch of foam.

I don’t want to get the Poly roofing industry on my case here but I have a few issues with this type of application, primarily when used over existing roofs.

First, as you can see in the pic to the left, the top coating can be easily punctured. The material must be applied to a clean and oil free surface. I don’t know too many existing roofs like that.

If a leak does occur, how can we trace it? The coating material does require ongoing maintenance as stated by every company I looked into, and lastly if you had to tear it off…my goodness!

So there you have it. A look at polyurethane roofing from both sides of the coin.

Home Inspections Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, North Liberty IA a day in the life of a home inspector

mike — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:57:17 +0000

Home Inspections in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, North Liberty IA a day in the life of a home inspector can be quite interesting at times.

While performing home inspections I get to see a lot of diverse things. I like to refer to what I see as the good, the bad and the ugly. The good would be older homes that have been well cared for and still maintain their original character and charm.

One of my personal favorites is this home which was built around the turn of the 20th century. The architecture was fantastic. The original finishes were still in place and the home maintained nearly all of its original character. A rare treat out of the many home inspections I perform indeed.

One of the home inspections I performed more recently had some issues that I would call bad. Do it yourself roof flashing, holes in the siding, outdated and unkept mechanical systems. Don’t get me wrong, in my opinion you shouldn’t fix things unless they are broke or you feel the need to replace them. It’s when things are let go and begin falling apart from neglect. That is what I am referring to.

On one of my home inspections I ran into this draft inducer fan which is a perfect example of neglect. Notice how it is visibly clogged with dust, lint and whatever else could get sucked into it. I was quite surprised that it had survived for so long without being replaced. It was running hot at the time of the home inspection so in addition to calling it out as being in need of servicing I also put it as an item to monitor. Who knows how long it had been in that condition, or how many home inspections it had survived until now. Usually these fans will go bad after a length of time on their own and are relatively simple for the HVAC repairman to replace. Keeping the furnace clean and serviced regularly will certainly lend to extended life of its parts.

Last but not least, sometimes while performing home inspections you run into the ugly. I ran into this little rascal on one of my home inspections and about jumped when I saw it. The roof was steep and as you can see there was snow on it, so I was inspecting from the eaves. It’s just a rubber snake, but at first glance you might think otherwise.

Another thing that may jump out is the lovely and improperly installed joining wall flashing next to our little friend. I see this a lot during home inspections That I perform in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls North Liberty IA. I guess it comes with the territory and as you can see, I cover a lot of territory.

In closing, as you can see when performing home inspections you really do get to see the good, bad and the ugly.

Home Inspection Waterloo, Cedar Rapids IA, The Blueprint

mike — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:37:33 +0000

Home Inspection Waterloo, Cedar Rapids IA, The blueprint

Home Inspection Waterloo, Cedar Rapids IA, the blueprint is one way I like to describe the report that we provide.

During a typical home inspection I see a lot of things that I will take pictures of. Not all of these things are an emergency or have to be fixed yesterday.

Whether I am performing a home inspection in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, North Liberty or Waverly, it doesn’t matter. The home inspection report that I generate can be used as a blue print for future use as well as a list of things that need immediate attention.

Some folks like to call this blue print a honey do list. If I’m not mistaken, I have one of those at home to finish myself.

One of the benefits of categorizing and prioritizing the home inspection report is that the client can glance through the report long after they have moved in and look at the maintenance/improvement issues, or only look at the items to monitor and decide what they would like to tackle first. This method of writing a home inspection report really provides a long term benefit to the new owners and that’s what Eastern Iowa Inspection Services is all about. Long term service and long term relationships.

Some examples of maintenance items may be some flaking paint. Providing an FHA loan isn’t being utilized that is something that can be taken care of down the road and not a home inspection emergency. Another example may be some unsealed penetrations on the exterior which can be easily repaired with a bit of silicone.

One more way our home inspection makes for a good blue print is on the repairable items. Sure, some things really need to be fixed as soon as possible because they are a safety hazard or could lead to bigger issues, but there are other things that a home inspection brings to light that can be fixed down the road. All you have to do is go to the My Report page of the website, enter your password, and up comes your report for you to view over and over until you have completed your blue print.

Home Inspection Cedar Rapids, Themal Imaging…Point and Shoot?

mike — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:56:09 +0000

Home Inspection Cedar Rapids, Thermal Imaging…Point and Shoot?

On one of my recent home inspections in Cedar Rapids/Waterloo IA, I was asked about the infrared thermal imaging camera that I was using. The person asked me if it was just point and shoot or what?

My answer was to allow the person to hold the camera and nicely ask them, “what do you see”?

From there I began to explain to them what they were looking at and how it takes more than a Infrared class on the Internet to understand what is going on here.

Not to discount the Internet IR class at all because it is necessary to understand the dynamics of the camera and its limitations / benefits.

There are two methods in which a thermal image is used. Quantitative and Qualitative .

The Quantitative method is typically used in industrial settings. A good example of quantitative would not be a home inspection but rather, checking the temperature of an industrial electric motor for preventative maintenance. If the motor was operating within a certain set of temperature parameters, then it would be deemed acceptable. If however the motor was operating outside of the set parameters or had some type of hot spot, it may be replaced or temporarily taken out of service for repair. This makes thermal imaging invaluable in these types of applications.

The other method for a thermal image to be used is qualitative. This is the best method with regards to the home inspection. The reason for this is that during the home inspection we are not necessarily looking at temperatures as much as we are looking for anomalies. (Things that are not quite right). This is where experience plays a tremendous part in the evaluation of what we see on the camera.

Having a strong background, and experience in the construction field is, or should be a prerequisite for using this technology in a home inspection environment.

During the course of the home inspection anomalies may show up on the camera. This is where the home inspector not only needs to draw on his experience, but should have a high quality moisture meter with him to act as a second witness. If moisture is the suspect, a good moisture meter will be able to confirm or deny any findings.

Having a good understanding of the building envelope, construction practices (both past and present) and proper training is what makes thermal imaging a great asset to any home inspection. As you can now see. Thermal imaging is definitely not point and shoot.

Realtors

admin — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 01:21:12 +0000

With a plethora of Home Inspectors in Cedar Rapids, Marion, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, and everywhere in between, you may ask the question, what sets Eastern Iowa Inspection Services apart?

The answer to that is TEEC, which stands for:

T= Temperament: After 20 years in the residential and commercial construction industry I have seen a lot of things both good and bad which gives me an eye for inspecting that others would not normally have. As things are encountered during a home inspection that could give pause or worry to someone without my background, I am able to see the fix in addition to the problem. This enables me to convey to the client a positive outlook rather than an alarmist attitude. This is why wise Realtors recommend EI2S home inspection services to their clients.

E= Ethics: Unfortunately there are some people in the business world that would sacrifice ethics for profit. As the owner and manager of Eastern Iowa Inspection Services I pledge to you and all who read this that I will never violate the ethical boundaries set forth by my inspection association and my personal beliefs when doing a home inspection. Doing such things only does a disservice to all involved in the process of the real estate transaction and frankly, leads down the wrong path.

E= Experience: When it comes to experience I have it. I have built homes, small businesses and large metropolitan buildings. I have remodeled buildings as new as 2 years and as old as 170 years. I have run a shovel in a ditch and been a superintendent on larger projects. This is the type of experience you should look for in any home inspector. How can you pick it apart if you have never put it together?

C= Convenience: As a family owned business we understand the desire to serve and be fairly compensated. We have taken extra steps in the design of Eastern Iowa Inspection Services to ensure the maximum amount of convenience for your clients. We offer a wide range of Home Inspection Services, to include Home Inspection, Radon Testing, Termite Inspection, Infrared Thermal Imaging and Mold Testing. In addition, we also have several discount programs available to returning Veterans, and area businesses.

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