Many new home buyers will see their new home for the first time during their PDI inspection. Most builders do not encourage buyer to visit the new home site during construction, siting insurance concerns, but other builders welcome purchasers and allow them access to their home during construction.

Your Pre Delivery Inspection is a mandatory inspection required by Tarion and is conducted using Tarion’s checklist or a similar list supplied by your builder.

Many home owners are over whelmed by the prospect of inspecting their new home and often hire a professional home inspector to accompany them during the PDI inspection. I personally always recommend that the home owner notify the builder in writing that they will be bringing a home inspector as some builders are very resistant to having a professional inspect your home.

I recommend that the home owner bring a copy of the Tarion check list that is available on their web site and keep track of all items that they have looked at and any deficiencies that require the builders attention. As a professional home inspector I use a more in depth check list  which covers basically but not limited to the following:

·             structural components including foundation and framing, including probing a representative number of structural
components where deterioration is suspected or where clear indications of possible deterioration exist.

·             exterior wall covering, flashing and trim.                                        

·             exterior doors.

·             attached decks, balconies, stoops, steps, porches, and their associated railings.        

·             eaves, soffits, and fascias where accessible from the ground level.

·             vegetation, grading, surface drainage, and retaining walls on the property when any of these are likely to
adversely affect the building.

·             walkways, patios, and driveways leading to dwelling entrances.

·             roof covering.      

·             roof drainage systems.            

·             roof flashings.        

·             skylights, chimneys, and roof penetrations

·             interior water supply and distribution systems including all fixtures and faucets.

·             drain, waste and vent systems including all fixtures.                        

·             water heating equipment.

·             vent systems, flues, and chimneys.                                

·             fuel storage and fuel distribution systems.

·             drainage sumps, sump pumps, and related piping.

·             electrical service drop.                                                

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Hardwood Flooring – Maintenance  and Care

Hardwood is one of the best choices when it comes to flooring options. Hardwood floors are preferred over carpet flooring because it does not retain allergy causing pollen. Also, carpets need a lot more cleaning and maintenance than hardwood floors. Carpets also tend to smell over time, while hardwood doesn`t.

Aside from carpets, hardwood floors also beat other synthetic materials in the sense that hardwood floors are more durable and elegant. Hardwood floors will add style, grace and value to your home that other types of synthetic flooring can`t do. If you want a romantic and warm tone to your home, hardwood floors will also have an advantage over other extracted flooring material like stone. Beyond these however, one of the best benefits of having wood flooring is the ease of cleaning these beautiful hardwood floors.

Cleaning hardwood floors entail occasional sweeping with a regular broom to get rid of dust that may have settled on the floor. Be sure however that when cleaning hardwood floors, you use only a soft broom that will not scratch the polyurethane varnish off the floor. You can also even just use a slightly damp mop immediately followed by a dry one to make sure that dust will be thoroughly picked up in cleaning hardwood floors. One thing you cannot do in cleaning hardwood floors is to scrub with a hard brush on the floor surface. By doing this, you will create marks on the even and shiny finish of your hardwood.

Another thing is that you should not excessively wet the area when cleaning hardwood floors to avoid the water from seeping into the wood and making it swell. Swelling, which results from incorrect methods of cleaning hardwood floors, will cause the wooden planks to become uneven and in some cases, chip off. Be very careful not to spill or mop up quickly any spills that may occur on your hardwood.

Generally, modern wood stains and polyurethane varnish finishes the wood and gives it a protective coat that will shield it from untoward accidents like spills and the like. You also don`t have to worry about too much wear and tear on the hardwood floor because the usual protection from the varnish usually lasts for years before a reapplication is needed.

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Floor Drain Primer Line – What is this??

Have you ever just been casually looking around in your basement, typically around your furnace area, and thought: what is this?

Well the “what is this?” is infact a priming line for your floor drain.

Let’s start at the beginning here. According to the Ontario Building Code and the National Plumbing Code, a floor drain must have something called a trap seal, what this means is that there must be water in the trap to prevent sewer gas from coming into the house.

What is a trap? It is a pipe that is either formed or pieced together to form the letter P (this is one of the common traps that we’ll discuss) . They are found in such places like under sinks, under showers, and of course they make up part of the floor drain. But because the traps in the floor drains do not get used as much as traps elsewhere in the house, the trap seal dries up and allows sewer gas and other smells into the house. This is the importance of a priming line.

So what’s a priming line? A priming line is a plastic or metal water line that is attached at one end to something that when in use, supplies water to another location. In most cases the priming lines are connected to the taps on your laundry tub, the taps in the kitchen (under the counter) and attached to the toilet tank (running up the back side of the tank). From their connection point they run through another pipe and eventually end up connected to the floor drain to maintain the trap seal – stops in the intrusion of sewer gas.

What if you don’t have a primer line – what do you do? You can make sure that all traps have water in them simply by running the taps for a few moments. Take a container, pour it down the floor drain, if you have a bathroom in the basement that you hardly use, run the taps in the sink and tub/shower. If there is a laundry tub that is not used to often… again, run the taps, get that trap seal working again.

By doing all of the above, you will maintain the trap seal, you should be minimizing the chances of sewer gas into the house and eliminating any unpleasant odours that make occur.

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Eaves Maintenance Essentials for Every Homeowner

Eaves trough a.k.a. Rain gutters, are an essential but often overlooked component of homes. Eaves trough prevent water damage to outdoor property, roofs, foundation, and landscaping, and also help protect against leaks, which is why regular gutter maintenance is absolutely essential. Although eaves replacement and repair is best left in the hands of a professional, most homeowners can take care of maintenance on their own with a little know-how.

Eaves Trough: Slope is Essential

When eaves trough are installed by a contractor, they are positioned in such a way that they are slightly sloped towards the downspout. This allows water to be expelled efficiently. An important part of regular gutter maintenance is checking the slope of rain gutters. An easy way to do this is to climb up on a ladder and spray water into the gutters with a hose. The water should flow smoothly towards the downspout. If it simply sits there, the slope probably has to be adjusted. There are different opinions about the ideal slope of rain gutters, but a one inch slope for every 20 feet of gutter is a common suggestion.

Using a line level, locate and mark the high point and low point for your gutter. Then, readjust your eaves trough by repositioning the hangers. Replace any rusted or damaged hangers and screws.

Eaves Maintenance: Fixing Leaks

Again, use a ladder to access your eaves and spray water into them using a hose. Then, look to see whether any sections of your eaves are leaking. Most leaks in sectional rain gutters will occur at the seams, and this problem is relatively easy to fix. Simply apply silicone or caulking along the seams. Be sure to seal both the inside and outside of the trough.

Eaves Maintenance: Repairing Holes

Eaves trough can develop small or large holes over time. Small holes can be easily repaired with roofing cement. Simply use a putty knife to distribute the cement evenly and fill in the hole. Bigger holes can also be repaired, although it will take some extra effort. In addition to roofing cement and a putty knife, a sheet metal patch large enough to cover the hole is also necessary. Set the sheet metal patch into a generous quantity of cement. Then, place the metal and cement (cement on bottom) over the hole. Finally, place more cement over the sheet metal using the putty knife.

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Copper Plumbing and Your Home

Older homes which have not had their plumbing distribution upgraded can sometimes experience pin hole leaks in their pipes which is the first sign that their whole plumbing supply systems may require replacement.

Copper pipe can be eaten away by corrosion. The common causes of corrosion are; PH of water, O2 in water, presence of minerals, temperature of water and the velocity of the water.

Water PH – This is an issue where the PH is low. Low PH can lead to early corrosion of pipes which can be avoided with water treatment systems. (water softeners) This option is usually not available to apartment buildings etc where the consent of all tenants would be required.

Oxygen – Introducing fresh oxygen to your water system is supplying organisms that eat away at your plumbing distribution system.

Minerals – The coating of minerals on your plumbing distribution systems can sometimes protect and slow down the corrosion process happening in your copper pipes.

Water Temp – High water temperatures increase the rate of corrosion. Organisms thrive in warmer water which greatly accelerates the damage to your pipes.

Velocity –   Water travelling at a faster rate “scours” the pipe from minerals etc which causes wear to pipe. Creation of water bubbles and their collapse also cause creation of pinholes through a process known as Capitation.

Most plumbing systems are estimated to last 20 years before replacement is necessary. Pin hole leaks usually occur on hot water lines and then move on to cold water lines which then involves the whole system where an economical decision must be made to keep repairing or replacing complete system.

Copper pipe comes in different grades based on the thickness of the copper pipe wall. The thicker the wall the longer life expectancy. Copper comes in three grades, M for thin wall pipe used mainly inside homes, L for thicker wall pipe, used mainly outside for water services and K, the thickest, used mainly between water mains and the water meter. Copper lasts a long time, is durable and connects well to valves.

If you are replacing your plumbing in your home ensure you know type of copper pipe is being installed. Upgrading to thicker pipe is not an expensive procedure where labour is the major cost.

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Your furnaces heat exchanger is the most valuable part of your furnace. The heat exchanger creates the separation of harmful gases and the warm air used for heating. The four main problems encountered with heat exchangers are Rust, Cracked, Clogged and Overheating.

Rust – This is by far the most common problem found with heat exchangers. Air conditioners and humidifiers mounted above the heat exchanger are two of the major causes of rust creation.  A leaking air conditioner drip tray, a condensate line leak, both of which can cause rust and eventual failure of your heat exchanger. Humidifiers are by far the most common source of rust in your furnace.  Cheap design and hard water, coupled together, create the perfect match for allowing moisture and water into your furnace. The common drum humidifier which rolls through a tray of water, the level of which is controlled by a float, commonly gathers calcium and other hard water particles, which then causes the float to fail and water enters your furnace.  The majority of humidifiers I inspect have no inside parts and the water line has been disconnected or turned off. The cold air return plenum usually has signs of water leakage from the humidifier down to the furnace. This is always an indication that a furnace technician should be called in to throughly inspect the heat exchanger. A visual inspection can not be relied on to detect all possible damage and partial dismantling of the furnace is usually required.

Cracked – Furnaces can be damaged by careless shipping or by being dropped by the installer. This can lead to a cracked heat exchanger that would not be visible to the naked eye or casual visual inspection. High temperatures can also cause cracks in the heat exchanger or maybe a faulty casting or fault in the alloy.

Clogged – This condition is usually caused by accumulation of condesate or soot. Having flue passages cleaned in high efficiency furnace heat exchangers can be a very expensive process.

Overheating – One of the common causes of overheating is the lack of air flow across the heat exchanger. Having a new furnace installed without ensuring adequate duct sizing is a common cause of this problem. Always ensure work is done by competent technician who will ensure duct size and fan blower is adequate for the furnace being installed.

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There are many electrical deficiencies that I regularly come across during home inspections. Commercial inspections are basically the same except they are more related to maintenance in most cases.  Home owners should pay attention to the condition of their electrical system prior to listing their home.  A Master Electrician will issue a certifcate for as little as $130.00 after inspecting your complete electrical system.

Some of the most common items found during home inspections are:

1. Missing outlet and switch covers.  Any opening around the receptable or cover shall be such that a rod 17/64 in diameter will not enter. Rule 26-700 (11)(b)

2. Panel board locations. They must be readily accessible and shall not be placed above counters or fixed applicances. Rule 26-402   One meter clearance in front. Rule 2-308

3. Un-supported wiring.  Cables do not have to be supported within 12 inches of stud passage ( 12 inches ) but are required to be supported every 1.5 m through out the run. Rule 12-510.

4.  Electrical cables on hot-air ducts. Cables are not permitted to run in areas where ambient temperatures exceed 30 deg C.   Hot water pipes and hot air ducts can exceed this temperature and usually installing fiberglass or like insulation to separate is adequate protection.   Rule 12-506.

5.  Electrical connections made outside of boxes.  Connections shall be made in box having separately bushed hole for each cable.  Also connector has to be installed.  Rule 12-506

6.  Steel studs and electrical cables.  When running lomex cable through metal studs a CSA insert must be used. No pipe or other products may be used.  Rule 12-516

7.  Receptacles exposed to weather.  Shall be provided with weatherproof covers. Rule 26-702

8.  Bathroom GFCI outlets. Must be 1 meter away from bathtubs and showers. At least one GFCI outlet must be located within 1 m (39 in) of one wash basin.  Rule 26-110

9.  Receptacles for walls.  Any finished wall, that extends past 450 mm from floor level, shall have outlets located every 1.8 m horizontally.  Rule 26-712

10.  Garage Outlets.  At least one duplex receptacle shall be provided for each car space in garage. Rule 26-714

11.  GFCI outlet protection.  GFCI outlets shoud trip at 3 to 5 ma range.  Outlets should be tested, power will still be provided to outlet even if GFCI is not functioning properly. They are required to be tested on monthly basis.  Rule 26-714

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