Dallas Home Inspections, Fireplace & Chimney Maintenance

Dallas Home Inspections, Fireplace & Chimney

Maintaning Your Home Series

Proper maintenance, repair and upgrades to your fireplace and chimney are an important part of protecting your family, the home itself and the contents. Many house fires are caused by defects, inadequate construction and improper maintenance of fireplaces and chimneys.

Fireplaces and chimneys should be inspected and cleaned annually. Yes, even if you don't use it. Unused fireplaces may develop cracks or other problems over time like nesting birds and damaging moisture penetration.

With use, fireplaces and chimneys will develop creosote and soot which should be removed by professional cleaning to prevent chimney fires.

Fireplaces with gas logs or other gas fired devices should have a "damper block" installed on the flu or damper door to prevent the damper from closing completely. These devices help prevent unwanted and dangerous gases from entering the living area in the event of a gas or carbon monoxide leak.

Fireplaces and chimneys should be inspected to ensure that they are safe. Home Inspectors and fireplace specialists will identify things like damaged fire brick, damaged firebox liners, damaged masonry, lack of screens or glass doors, damaged or missing chimney caps and screens, inoperative dampers and many other possible issues. 

Care should be taken to keep flammable materials away from the fireplace opening. It is amazing how often we find wood trim, mantels and other flammable materials which are too close to the fireplace opening. These safety hazards should be corrected.

As Professional Home Inspectors, we also inspect the attic area around fireplaces and chimneys to identify defects like a lack of fire stopping, insulation in contact with the chimney and improperly supported chimney flu.

Tree limbs should not be within 10 feet of the chimney. If they are, there is a fire danger. Tree limbs in contact with the chimney may also damage the exterior materials.

Masonry chimneys are often built with a mortar cover. Mortar covers do not have a long lifespan. They will soon crack and allow moisture to penetrate the chimney components. Moisture penetration issues at the chimney can be prevented with the installation of a metal chimney cap and proper flashings.

All chimneys should have a cap and screen installed. Caps and screens prevent rain and unwanted pests from entering the chimney. Chimney screens also help defuse any hot embers which may escape.

Older homes with fireplaces often have chimneys which are 30 inches or wider at the roof deck. A chimney "cricket" is highly recommended to allow water to go around the chimney more easily.

For wood frame and siding chimneys, the siding and trim should not be in direct contact with the roof deck. There should be a space between the siding, trim and the roof deck to prevent the accumulation of moisture. Proper chimney flashing also prevents water leaks to the interior of the home.

Again common to older construction, many chimneys were build with a single step flashing. Today's current building standards recommend a counter flashing be installed over the step flashing.

Proper inspection, maintenance, upgrades and repair of fireplaces and chimneys is important for family safety. Correcting fireplace and chimney defects will also prevent stumbling blocks when a house is inspected by a buyer's home inspector.

If you have additional questions about your home's fireplace and chimney or would like to schedule an inspection, contact your Professional Home Inspector.

Selman Home Inspections, Inc.

David Selman, Certified Master Inspector #10299

www.selmanhomeinspections.com

469-371-3228

Dallas Home Inspections, Interior Home Maintenance

Dallas Home Inspections, Interior Home Maintenance

Maintaining Your Home

We hope that you took some time based on our last newsletter to investigate the condition of your home's exterior walls. This week, we will talk about interior walls, ceilings and floors.

If you found any cracks in your exterior walls, it is a good idea to look at the same areas from the interior. Cracks in interior walls adjacent to any observed at the exterior may be signs of foundation movement or settlement. When this happens, we recommend hiring a foundation or structural specialist to evaluate the causes.

If foundation repairs are performed, it is a good idea to wait several months before repairing any interior damage like drywall cracks and misaligned doors. After foundation repairs, there may be some final movement or settlement as the structure adjusts to the changes.

As Professional Home Inspectors, we often find homes that have had foundation repairs but the symptoms that lead the homeowner to the foundation repairs, the cracks in wall for example, have not been repaired. Repairing cracks in walls, broken floor tiles, and door alignment are the final steps towards a complete repair.

Most home interiors will need minor repairs even without foundation problems. As a home ages, doors will need adjusted, window guides will need lubrication, ceiling and wall nail pops need repair and general repainting are all part of general interior maintenance.

For reasons of safety, there should not be any openings in the garage walls or ceilings to the interior living space or attic. This include dryer vents. Dryer vents should be vented to the exterior. Damaged or unfinished garage drywall should be repaired to prevent vehicle storage area vapors from penetrating the living area.

Attic access ladders or access ports are often installed in the garage ceiling. It is recommended by current building standards that the attic access should be fire rated and well sealed. Many house fires begin in the garage. You may find it helpful to read "Preventing Garage House Fires".

Repairing or replacing warn and damaged floor coverings is also an important part of home maintenance. Wrinkled carpet for example is considered a trip hazard and should be repaired.

All interior room entry doors should have door stops installed. Door stops prevent damage to the wall coverings adjacent to the doors.

Interior doors should have door handles and hardware that easily operate the doors.

Exterior or "egress" doors should not require a key to unlock the door in order to exit the home in the event of an emergency.

Each bedroom should have at least one operable window within 44 inches of the floor. If bedroom windows are higher such as often the case in older homes, a plan of escape is important.

Second story windows should not be closer than 24 inches to the floor. These are current safety standards for windows in all homes.

Window's should not have locks that can't be easily unlocked without tools. If window locks are damage, replace them. Windows should not have storm windows or bars over them that prevent escape in the event of an emergency.

Electrical outlets and switches should be periodically checked for signs of arching or overheating. Discolored electrical receptacles may be an indication of overheating. Any signs of electrical overheating should be further evaluated and repaired by a certified, licensed electrical specialist. For more information about electrical safety, we recommend reading "Electrical Safety In Your Home".

Doing all of these repairs at one time is expensive and difficult to manage for most of us. For this reason, it is recommended that repairs and material replacements be made incrementally as they are observed over time.

Good interior home maintenance is important for quality of life and your family's safety. Routine interior maintenance also helps keep your home "market ready". When you decide it is time to move, regular maintenance and repairs will lower the cost of preparing your home to sell.

If you have additional questions about your home's interior maintenance or would like to schedule an inspection, contact your Professional Home Inspector.

Selman Home Inspections, Inc.

David Selman, Certified Master Inspector #10299

www.selmanhomeinspections.com

469-371-3228

Maintaining Your Home's Exterior Walls

Maintaining Your Home

The exterior walls of your home protect the contents and help keep the interior dry, warm (or cool) and comfortable. The exterior walls are the defense against the elements of nature. It is important that the exterior walls are properly constructed when a home is built and properly maintained thereafter. Your Professional Home Inspector can make recommendations for updates and repairs of your home's exterior.

While exterior brick veneer siding requires little maintenance, other siding materials require repairs, updates, cleaning and painting. Exterior home maintenance is an expense that all homeowners face. Proper maintenance is however, less expensive than major repairs from a lack of maintenance.

There was a time when it was thought that installing metal or vinyl siding over the original siding was a good idea. For the most part, this is not true. Installing metal or vinyl siding over the exterior of a home prevents inspection of the materials underneath. Original wood and other siding materials covered by metal or vinyl siding continue to deteriorate. Installing metal or vinyl siding is simply a way to cover up the defects of the original siding.

Foliage from trees and shrubs should be maintained so as not to be in contact with the exterior walls. Foliage may rub the exterior wall cladding causing damage. Foliage at the exterior also creates conducive conditions for wood destroying insects and moisture damage.

Wood fencing should not be in direct contact with the exterior walls. There should be a small gap between the wood fencing materials and the house walls. Wood destroying insects may use wood fencing as a hiding place or a bridge to gain access to the wood in a home.

CRACKS! Oh my. In Texas, there will almost always be cracks in the exterior brick of most homes at some time. It is a common problem caused mainly by the movement or settlement of the foundation and structure. Homes and their foundations are designed to withstand some movement and settlement. Cracks in exterior brick veneer siding should be monitored for movement. These cracks can be repaired by a brick mason using a process called "repointing". If cracks are persistent and continue to occur or show significant gaps or deflection, there may be a more serious foundation problem which should be investigated and repaired.

Exterior wood trim and siding materials should be protected from the elements by paint or stain. Water penetration will quickly destroy most wood siding and trim. It is important to monitor the exterior wood trim and siding for loose, thin or pealing paint. Rotten and damaged siding and trim should be replaced, not painted over.

Exterior wood trim and siding should be monitored for loose nails or nails which are backing out.

Lawn and garden irrigation system should be monitored to make sure that the sprinkler heads are not directly spraying the exterior walls. Sprinkler systems will wash out brick mortar, cause staining, rot wood and penetrate window and door seals. 

Caulk and silicon sealants should be monitored for separation, damage, age and wear. These sealants help prevent moisture penetration at wall joints to other materials. Caulk or silicon should be applied and maintained at;

• window frames
• exterior door frames
• garage door trim
• exterior hose bibs
• air conditioning equipment cooling lines
• dryer vents
• brick masonry expansion joints
• exterior siding joints

Brick veneer siding should have weep holes at the brick row next to the foundation (unless it is pier and beam). Weep holes should not be sealed and should be no father than 33 inches apart. Weep holes allow any moisture such as from condensation or leaks a way to be vented from the walls.

Two story homes, homes with dormers or homes were exterior walls meet a roof surface should be properly flashed. There should be a small space between exterior siding and the roof covering to prevent trapping of moisture.

Soil levels should be properly maintained. Soil and mulch should not be above the foundation and brick line. According to today's current building standards, 4-6 inches of the foundation perimeter beam should be visible. High soil and mulch contribute to moisture damage, moisture penetration and wood destroying insects.

If you have additional questions about your home's exterior walls or would like to schedule an inspection, contact your Professional Home Inspector.

Selman Home Inspections, Inc.

David Selman, Certified Master Inspector #10299

www.selmanhomeinspections.com

469-371-3228