Home Inspectors

Testimony from a Home Inspector in Illinois

I want to order 1/4 case at $99 each and sell them to clients and friends, as I am a home inspector. I already have one of your monitors, which I keep at home AND take to jobs while inspecting furnaces and other gas appliances.

It recently saved my life. My furnace went out, I turned on the stove and the alarm went off!! It was one of those nights when it was 25 degrees below zero with the wind chill and I was opening all my doors and windows!! Thank God for my two electric space heaters and for your CO monitor.

Cheryl

I think the C O - Experts Model 2004 is the best all-around tool, and something I (and we all in this business) need. Always on, always reading, reducing the risk that we'll forget to turn it on and miss finding/confirming a dangerous situation.

Our pattern is to have it in one of the outside pockets on our toolbag, with the top front half completely exposed, always on, and then go down to the basement/utility room, and place the bag down near the furnace/boiler/water heater area. Then we proceed around the basement for 20 - 30 minutes, inspecting the water supply, waste piping, electrical, heat, hot water, foundation, water seepage/penetration, framing, wood-boring insect presence, etc., after the hot water has been cranking, and as the heat is cranking.

The 2004 has ALWAYS registered/gone off as I'm visually seeing (and sometimes when I've missed/haven't yet gotten to) such nasty things as:
- unsealed flue penetrations into the chimney
- very rusted out flue pipes
- flues completely detached from the chimney/exterior vent, expelling combustion gas freely into the basement air space
- poorly designed flues (e.g. I've seen them look like a 2 - 3 step set of stairs, and long runs up to 40 ft, some sloped down half a foot from end to end !!!)
- furnace/boiler/water heater flues for multiple units in 2-4 families directly opposite each other on a single flue chimney (while one furnace was off and other(s) on) - conversions from oil to natural gas with the original oil dampers and draft hoods still in place on the flues, actually helping to fan the combustion air back into the basement airspace - tiny unventilated utility closets with furnace/boiler/hot water heater completely enclosed, starving for air, and backdrafting significantly as I cautiously open the door, etc, yuk, etc.

I'm convinced your model 2004 is one of the most effective warning devices
one could have, and I wouldn't even think of not carrying one with me into
an inspection.

Many thanks,

John

Seasonal alarms for a safe and comfortable winter at home
By Dan Buttery

Published Oct. 3, 2006 at 5:12 a.m.

A few years ago, my wife and I were doing some last-minute packing for our honeymoon trip to Hawaii. It was the first 40-degree fall night in Milwaukee that year and we decided to turn on our furnace for the season. To our unfortunate surprise, the only air coming from the unit was cold air.

Not knowing how cold the next several days would be, we had no choice but to pay overtime rates to have our furnace fixed that night. With the flurry of activity that year with our wedding, the purchase of our new home, work and life's demands in general, we had completely overlooked the need to have the furnace cleaned and serviced prior to that night.

Now as outside temperatures continue to drop, here are a few tips for preparing your home for the upcoming heating season -- tips that will help you keep safety and comfort priority one.

For all homeowners, whether they have a new or old furnace, it is recommended to have the home's heating unit cleaned and inspected by a certified heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) professional. An excellent source for finding a qualified technician is the North American Technician Excellence (NATE) Web site at natex.org. The leading certification program for technicians in the HVAC industry, NATE certification is the only test supported by the entire industry. Additionally, more and more state and local governments are requiring NATE certification as part of the licensing process.

One Milwaukee-based company listed on the NATE site is Burkhardt Heating, Air Conditioning and Duct Cleaning. Burkhardt's president, Doug Erdmann, offered some insights into what technicians look for in a furnace during an annual inspection.

"More than just a cleaning, our NATE certified technicians check the furnace heat exchanger for signs of cracks, rust or corrosion. The inspection should also include checking the gas consumption levels, gas pressure levels at the unit and the blower fan cycle. All of these conditions indicate the safety and functional life of the furnace."

A damaged heat exchanger can allow dangerous levels of carbon monoxide to leak into the living space of a home, presenting a health risk for all the occupants.

Regarding the importance of training and ethics when it comes to furnace inspections, Erdmann emphasized, "It's important to note that furnace warranties can be void if certain types of inspections are not done properly. Constant training and testing, like the one designated with the NATE certification is a good sign the individual knows what they are doing." As for ethics, "many homeowners forgo the recommended annual furnace inspection out of concern that a HVAC company is just trying to sell new furnaces. We have been called multiple times as a second opinion in such cases and often times find minor repairs are needed rather than an entire furnace replacement."

Beyond the need for a furnace to work on demand when the temperatures drop, safety inspections include checking for carbon monoxide leaks into the home. It's important to note that carbon monoxide come from multiple sources inside the home, at times contributing to unhealthy levels inside the building. Knowing is half the battle, so the most reasonable solution is to have a fully functioning carbon monoxide tester inside the home. Unfortunately, not all carbon monoxide alarms operate with the same level of dependability.

Mick Morgan from the Carbon Monoxide Safety Association (COSA) warns, "Not all carbon monoxide testers are the same. Often the inexpensive alarms do not have the level of accuracy required to protect all people." COSA recommends homeowners use "CO Experts Model 2004. It has an accuracy that is not available in the UL 2034 Listed CO Alarm Detectors that utilize other sensor technology besides electrochemical or infrared science." For more detailed information on carbon monoxide dangers in the home, go to COSA's web site at www.cosafety.org.

Homeowners on average should expect to pay $85-$100 per annual furnace inspection.

Keep everyone in your home warm and safe this heating season. And remember, an improperly working furnace can create conditions that prove to be unhealthy and, at times, deadly. Get your furnace inspected by a qualified technician, install a dependable carbon monoxide alarm and sleep easier this winter.

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Misunderstanding & Communication

Home Inspector, Seller and Buyer's Agent: Same Words, different understanding

Carbon Monoxide and a two-week-old child made this inspection very interesting. I arrived to find the seller at home caring for an infant. She offered to leave, but I suggested she wait and leave in an hour or so when the buyer arrived.

I began the inspection in the basement laundry and immediately noticed an older-model carbon monoxide detector plugged into the receptacle behind the washer and dryer. I unplugged the detector, examined the label on the back and discovered that it was more than five years old.

I showed this to Ms. Homeowner (mother of the infant), and suggested that she obtain a new detector since the sensor in her detector was no longer reliable. I also offered her the opportunity to purchase a CO Experts Low Level monitor directly from me. She took the brochure I offered, and a short while later, asked me to bring in a CO Experts monitor for her. I agreed and set up the new monitor for her.

The home was heated with a 38-year-old American Standard boiler. I didn't run or test the boiler until near the end of the inspection, as I like to have the buyer present to see the carbon monoxide testing. I found no visible concerns on the boiler. However, the vent connection to the chimney had a long horizontal run and was partly hidden by a wood paneling cover in the basement family room. (I recommended the bottom of the cover be removed to examine the vent connection.)

The buyer arrived, the seller departed, and eventually I did the carbon monoxide tests on the water heater, gas oven and the boiler. The water heater and oven were well within normal limits, but the boiler CO levels, measured in the vent below the draft hood, were OVER 2200 PPM. Fortunately, the CO level in the air in the boiler room, basement and elsewhere in the house were 0 PPM.

The buyer's agent had arrived by this time, and I explained to the buyer and agent that the boiler would need immediate service; while it was not leaking or spilling carbon monoxide, it was dangerous, and the repair should happen that night or the next morning.

I prepared a copy of the carbon monoxide test portion of my report, and asked the buyer for permission to leave a copy at the boiler to be certain that any service technician would know the results of my tests. The buyer agreed. I also left a note for the seller, indicating the boiler needed immediate service due to elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the vent.

My explanation of the problem to the agent must not have been adequate because she began to talk about elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the house. I said NO, the boiler is MAKING CO, NOT LEAKING CO. She said she understood, but three minutes later during her call to the listing agent, she again said the boiler was leaking Carbon Monoxide. I interrupted her and asked her to correct her statement to the other agent.

We packed up and left, but before I arrived back at the office, the ! listing agent had left a message for me to call him. When I returned his call, he said the sellers didn't understand how the new low-level monitor I sold them didn't warn them of the high levels of Carbon Monoxide. I carefully explained the difference between readings taken in the vent and the level in the ambient air. He understood and said he would explain it to the seller.

I called him two days later for feedback and learned that the seller had called CenterPoint Energy the night of the inspection. CenterPoint Energy red-tagged the boiler, shut it down and the seller spent the night elsewhere.

The boiler was repaired the next day at a cost of $600. I asked if everyone was satisfied with this outcome and the agent said YES. He said everyone was happy that they would be safe.

This misunderstanding taught me to be even clearer about the levels of Carbon Monoxide in the ambient air of the house. I've added a line in my CO test report listing the level of CO in the indoor ambient air. I'll also be much more careful explaining elevated levels of CO to all parties involved.

Roger