Inside Edge
  • Home
  • Services
  • Mike's Blog
  • Contact
  • Qualifications
  • FAQs
  • Sample Report
  • Pricing
  • Guarantees

Mike's Home Inspector Blog

InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Three Common Issues (With Easy Fixes)

6/22/2021

0 Comments

 
As any homeowner can tell you, running a house can be an expensive endeavor. The costs of many repairs can run into the thousands, and it can be incredible how much damage even a small water leak can do. In my career I run across many issues that can be repaired for very little cost, usually as a weekend DIY project. These are probably the three most common issues I see:
 
Negative Grading/Clogged or Missing Gutters
As home inspectors, we often joke that moisture is our sworn enemy. While water is obviously essential for life and for a safe and healthy home, it needs to be contained properly. The biggest issue I see in homes is poor exterior drainage: most particularly when looking up to the rain gutters. For example, I recently inspected a property that only had gutters on one side, and they were almost completely clogged with debris. Most residential roofs are designed to rapidly force water off the surface and this extra force had compacted the soil and created a negative slope towards rather than away from the foundation. Water has a way of finding the tiniest cracks to find its way inside and particularly in a finished basement can cause significant damage before being detected. Be sure to keep those gutters clear (or install them if they are missing) and check the ground near your home to make sure it is sloped away from the foundation.
 
Clogged Air Filters
Most HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning) units such as HRVs (Heat Recovery Ventilators), Furnaces and Heat Pumps have air filters and, in my experience, are rarely if ever cleaned. The main implication can go from poor air quality and increased energy consumption up to premature system failure. Just like a vehicle, each manufacturer has a recommended schedule for replacing or cleaning filters and this should be followed as closely as possible to maximize efficiency and safety. On a side note, a future project I would love to be a part of is creating (or improving) an app that allows easy and efficient maintenance planning and scheduling like what is used in the commercial building services industry. In the meantime, please check your filters and replace as necessary!
 
Dryer Vent Issues
I have yet to come across a home that had perfect dryer ventilation. There are several issues I regularly see when it comes to dryers.
  • Inefficient setup: it should be as short and straight as possible.
  • Improper materials. Flexible vinyl dryer hose in this inspector's opinion should be banned and never used. It allows lint to build up and can lead to a dryer fire and is not designed for the high temperature of dryer exhaust. The ideal material is rigid metal although that can be easier to install in theory than in practice. 
  • Clogged/stuck vent and lint build up. As mentioned, the flexible hoses are the worst offenders but all ducts trap lint over time and need to be cleaned. Another issue is unapproved screens on the vent: they are great for keeping pests out, but they also keep lint in.  

According to my research, Halifax averages about one reported dryer fire a month and that is one too many as they can be easily prevented with regularly cleaning. A clogged dryer can also lead to greatly decreased efficiency, moist air expelled into the home (remember, moisture is the home inspector's sworn enemy) and is usually an easy fix for homeowners.
 
These three items should be checked regularly (usually every season) and with summer just starting why not do them this weekend? The best way to repair an expensive issue is to stop it before it happens. Your house and your home inspector will thank you! 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021

    Categories

    All
    AED
    Aerial Photography
    AFCI
    AI
    Air Conditioning
    Aluminum
    Anode Rod
    Ants
    Arcs
    Arsenic
    Asbestos
    ASD
    Attic
    Autism
    Balcony
    Basement
    Brick
    Building Inspector
    Carbon Monoxide
    ChatGPT
    Children
    Chimney
    Chinese Drywall
    Christmas
    Circuit Breakers
    Cliches
    Clocks
    CO Detectors
    Communication
    Concrete
    Contractors
    Copper
    Cost
    Criticisms
    Current
    Data
    Deck
    Doors
    Drains
    Drone
    Drywall
    DWV
    Eavestroughs
    EIFS
    Electrical
    ERV
    Exterior
    Failed Seals
    Female Inspectors
    Fiber Cement
    Fibreglass
    Fibreglass Shingles
    Fireplaces
    Fire Safety
    First Aid
    First Time Homebuyers
    Flips
    Flooding
    Flooring
    Fluoride
    Foundation
    Framing
    Fuses
    Garage
    Garage Doors
    Garage Safety
    Gfci
    Growops
    Heating
    Heat Pumps
    Hgtv
    Hoarding
    Home Inspectors
    Hrv
    Humidity
    HVAC
    Ice Dams
    ICF
    Infrared
    Insulation
    Ionization
    Joe Mazza
    Kitchen
    Kitec
    Knob & Tube
    Lead
    LGBT
    Manufactured Houses
    Marijuana
    Masonry
    Meth
    Mike Holmes
    Mineral Wool
    Mini Homes
    Misconceptions
    Mobile Homes
    Moisture
    Mold
    Newcomers
    New Inspectors
    Oil Tanks
    Open Concept
    Orangeburg
    Patina
    Personal Decor
    Pests
    Photoelectric
    Plumbing
    Polybutylene
    Pressure
    Price
    Professionalism
    Psychrometrics
    Radon
    Rain Gutters
    Real Estate Agents
    Regulations
    Remodelling
    Renovations
    Resistance
    Ridge Vent
    Roofing
    Rust
    Safety
    Scams
    Septic
    Sewer
    Sewer Scopes
    Sheds
    Shipping Containers
    Siding
    Smoke Detectors
    Smoking
    Soffits
    Staircases
    Steel
    Stove
    Structure
    Stucco
    Sump Pump
    Swamp Coolers
    Temperature
    Termites
    Trailer Parks
    Trees
    Value
    Ventilation
    Ventless Heaters
    Vinyl
    Voltage
    Walls
    Wasps
    Water Heater
    Water Testing
    WDOs
    Windows
    Wiring
    Wood
    Wood Rot

    RSS Feed

Picture
Inside Edge Home Inspections Ltd. 
Halifax, NS
902-209-9921
[email protected]
Proudly Serving the HRM & Central Nova Scotia
Picture
  • Home
  • Services
  • Mike's Blog
  • Contact
  • Qualifications
  • FAQs
  • Sample Report
  • Pricing
  • Guarantees