NEWS & HOT TIPS

Tamper Resistant Receptacles Required in New Homes

Tamper resistant electrical receptacles (outlets) have been required in residential  construction for about a year in Minnesota.  These new devices include a sliding plate that prevents small children from inserting any foreign object into the receptacle.  These outlets are more reliable than plastic caps or plugs, which toddlers can remove, and more convenient than retrofit tamper resistant cover plates.  These devices can be installed as replacement receptacles in homes of any age.  We recommend parents of small children contact a qualified electrical contractor for installation of these devices.

New "Lead Safe" Renovation rules from the US EPA

The US EPA has issued new rules which require renovation and repair firms to use strict new "lead safe" work practices when working on homes built before 1978.  These rules go into effect on April 1, 2010 and include interior work where the surface area of lead is 6 sq. ft or greater, and exterior work where the surface area of lead is 20 sq. ft or greater.  For more information see the EPA brochure on renovation.

A new company formed to remove ice dams.

Hankey & Brown Inspection Service is pleased to partner with The Ice Dam Company in aiding home owners who are suffering from ice dams on the eaves of their houses.  The Ice Dam Company is the creation of Steve Kuhl, an expert on wood roofing and a respected residential remodeling contractor with over 20 years experience in the Twin Cities.  We are proud to partner with an industry leader.  The Ice Dam Company website includes excellent information on why ice dams form, professional removal of ice dams, and a discussion of our diagnostic services.

                        Winter arrives with wind driven powder snow

The early December snow in the Twin Cities came with high winds and was followed by single digit temperatures.  Given these conditions we recommend that home owners CHECK YOUR ATTIC.  The extreme cold can lead to frost on the underside of the roof sheathing.  The best time to check for a frosted attic is early in the morning after a very cold night.  Using a ladder at the hatch, look at the underside of the roof, especially on the north and west slopes.  If the roof sheathing is frosted, warm moist air from the house is getting into the attic.  Frosted sheathing can lead to water damage or mold growth on the roof sheathing.  Waferboard roof sheathing, common in homes built since the 1980's is the most vulnerable to damage, but mold can grow on any wet wood surface.  If you see frost on the attic, a reasonable course of action is to call an insulation firm to have them seal the air leaks from the house into the attic.  These leaks are call "attic bypasses".   Adding insulation, without first sealing these air leaks, will not solve the problem, and may make matters worse.   For more information, see our attic bypass and ice dam information.  

Your attic may also have several small piles of snow which blew in from the roof vents.  This snow will melt and evaporate, and cause no harm unless you happen to have an accumulation in the attic of more than a few square feet.  If the snow has collected in a large area or is more than 3 inches deep, consult a person with experience working in attic to have the snow carefully removed before it melts.   Do not attempt to walk on insulated areas without installing proper supports, or having assistance to prevent ceiling damage.

 Roger Hankey begins 35th year of inspections

On Dec. 1, 2009, Hankey & Brown Inspections celebrated Roger Hankey's 34th anniversary as a professional home inspector.  Our inspection techniques have changed considerably since the days before computers.  Fortunately we no longer work with pencils and clipboards, but attention to detail and listening to clients needs continues to be the primary focus of our work.  We look forward to more years of service to our clients.  Thanks for your support.

Roger Hankey inspecting circa 1983. (Minneapolis StarTribune photo)

                                        AO Smith introduces

90% efficient water heater          

  Energy Audits & Home Performance Audits can lead to big savings.

Both major energy utilities in the Minneapolis - St. Paul metro area offer great deals on energy audits and home performance audits.  Their auditors examine of the insulation, doors & windows, mechanical equipment and analyze home utility costs.  The Home Performance audit is recommended since it includes air leaks tests done using a blower door.  To arrange for these audits contact Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-4999 or CenterPoint Energy at  612-321-5011 (1-800-234-5800, ext. 5011)   

Xcel Energy's Savers Switch: Save money & reduce CO₂ output

Xcel Energy and its predecessor NSP have offered the electrical load management device known as Saver's Switch for nearly two decades.  This is a convenient cost effective way for homeowners to adopt energy saving technology.

This device permits the power utility to briefly cycle off your central air conditioner compressor during periods of peak electric demand, typically in the afternoon on hot humid days.  Your furnace fan continues to operate to circulate air in your house.  Xcel rewards saver's switch installed homes with a 15% rate discount on power used from June to September. We have had a saver's switch for over 15 years and recommend their installation. Click here for more Saver's Switch information.  Eventually, power utilities will offer "smart grid" switches which can enable you to manage home appliance demand for more savings and more comfort control. 

Woodbury Goes Green: A Furnace Replacement Incentive

To encourage residents to install new, energy efficient furnaces and air conditioning systems, the City of Woodbury Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) is expanding its "Woodbury Goes Green" program to include a furnace replacement incentive.

As of June 1, all Woodbury residents are eligible for a $250 discount off a 95 percent Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) furnace and/or a $250 discount on a 16 Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) air conditioning system through this program.

"The federal tax credits that are currently available for qualifying energy upgrades, coupled with the $250 Woodbury discount, make furnace replacement much more affordable to home owners who might be considering a new system," said Karl Batalden, Woodbury's housing specialist. Click here for details.

Federal tax credit for energy efficiency home improvements:  This tax credit is for 30% of the cost of qualifying improvements up to $1,500 in 2009 and 2010.  Click here for more information on this tax credit.

MAR advises inspections for moisture

The Minnesota Association of REALTORS® sellers property disclosure statement includes the following notice to home buyers:

"If you have a concern about water intrusion or the resulting mold / mildew / fungi growth, you may want to consider having the property inspected for moisture problems before entering into a purchase agreement or as a condition of your purchase agreement.  Such analysis is particularly advisable if you observe staining or musty odors on the property." MN:SPDS-4 8/05) lines 213-217

We specialize in checking for moisture intrusion and utilize and use  Infrared Thermography and/or a Protimeter SurveyMaster moisture meter to aid in locating areas of elevated moisture.  We also conduct moisture intrusion examinations for home owners not involved in real estate transactions.  Click here for more information.

Nearly all new free standing kitchen stoves include an anti-tip bracket that helps prevent injuries if a child were to stand on the oven door.  The photo shows this simple bracket.  The bracket is attached to the floor or wall and holds down the stove by trapping the rear foot of the stove.    

PARENTS OF SMALL CHILDREN - CHECK YOUR STOVE! 

While the anti-tip bracket is included with the stove, many installers do NOT install the bracket for you.             

Hankey & Brown now doing InfraRed Thermal scans:

Hankey & Brown Inspection Service now has InfraRed Thermography capabilities.  This means we can conduct noninvasive investigations of buildings, walls, roofs, and mechanical systems to identify air leaks, missing or inadequate insulation, moisture intrusion and other adverse conditions.  We are level II certified thermographers, trained by Snell Infrared. For more information see our Moisture Investigation page.

ASHI Home Inspection Client Bill of Rights:

The American Society of Home Inspectors® (ASHI) recently announced the adoption of its Clients Bill of Rights.  The ten point document is an outgrowth of ASHI's Code of Ethics and ASHI's commitment to customer service and leadership in the Home Inspection profession.  Click here to read the Client's Bill of Rights.

Prepare ahead for Winter Weather and ice dams:

It pays to identify areas of your house that lose warm air to the attic and the outdoors.  We may not receive enough snow next year for these air leaks to produce roof ice dams, but the costly hidden waste of residential space heating energy occurs all winter long.   

Our inspections can save you $$ this winter and beyond by showing you where the heat losses occur and recommending effective remedies.  The house shown above was 9 years old when we discovered the front left room had no ceiling insulation.  Sealing up air leaks can also help prevent ice dams if we do have a snowy winter. 

New products solve heat loss problems of leaky uninsulated attic hatches, attic stairs, drafty fireplaces and dryer vents.  Available from Battic Door Energy Conservation Products.  To see these products, click the link below.

Lower Your Home Energy Bills!  

Remodeled 1948 Minnetonka rambler wins LEED platinum award.

Live Green Live SmartTM  was recently  awarded the US Green Building Council's Platinum Certification Award in the LEED for HomesTM category. Peter Lytle, Exec. Dir. of the project, recently thanked Roger Hankey of Hankey and Brown Inspections for providing the home inspection on the original house prior to the remodel. The house is the first remodeled house to achieve this recognition. Jan. 13, 2008

Roger Hankey (red coat) inspecting the LiveGreenLiveSmart house, with Keith Poets, lead contractor.

Credit card payments now accepted.  Hankey & Brown has adopted the PayPal email payment method.  Invoices (sent to client by email before the inspection) can be paid by credit card through PayPal.  Clients may also pay by check at the time of the inspection.

Roger was shown doing a complete home inspection and discussing how to obtain a qualified home inspector with WCCO-TV consumer reporter Terri Gruca. Click here to see the video.

Corrections & Comment on the video:

Roger is a PAST President of the Heartland Chapter of ASHI. 

According the the State of Wisconsin, Dept. of Regulation & Licensing, there are CURRENTLY 994 licensed home inspectors. (June 12, 2007)

Roger does NOT currently support licensing of home inspectors.  Click here to see a study conducted for the State of Ohio found no significant difference in the performance of home inspectors in regulated vs. unregulated states.    

Click here to see follow up video that ran the next day.    

Helpful Drawings included in Hankey & Brown Inspection reports:

We use many drawings to illustrate concerns and remedies that we report. A typical example of these Carson & Dunlop Illustrated Home drawings is shown below

Properly Maintain your furnace and air conditioner.  

Take time soon to check and/or change your furnace filter.  Also take a minute to check your outdoor unit for central air conditioners (compressor-condensor).  Wash off the outdoor unit if the coils are clogged with dust or cottonwood fuzz.   

Drawing from "The Illustrated Home" by Carson-Dunlop.  

Important Flashing Detail for new construction and re-roofing:

This drawing shows the design and placement of a kickout flashing, used where a sloped roof meets at wall.  This flashing is particularly important on stucco homes.  Lack of a kickout flashing has lead to costly water damage in numerous homes built in the 1990's.

1. Make sure ALL drivers understand that vehicles must NOT run in attached garages, EVEN with overhead doors open. Vehicle exhaust fumes will collect in a garage even with the door open. After the vehicle leaves and the door is closed, these fumes will slowly migrate into the house. The fumes from a cold vehicle engine contain high levels of carbon monoxide.

2. If your kitchen stove has a gas oven, be sure that you either use a range hood VENTED to the OUTSIDE, or open a kitchen window during the first five minutes that the oven is warming up.  This is necessary since all gas ovens make significant amounts of carbon monoxide when the oven burner flame strikes the cool oven surfaces.  After the oven is warm, the carbon monoxide levels nearly always drop to low levels. 

3. Install a CO Experts Low Level carbon monoxide alarm in the house to detect and warn you of low levels of Carbon Monoxide. UL listed alarms available from retail outlets will NOT warn you of low levels of CO. Low levels of CO are particularly harmful for infants, elderly persons, pregnant women, and others with respiratory problems. See www.coexperts.com