Orlando Fireplaces, Furnaces and Heater Home Safety

It is approaching that time of year again when we will be firing up our heaters, fire places and furnaces.  Have you had your annual maintenance checkup or your fireplace chimney inspected and cleaned?  These are important things to consider, but did you forget to check your batteries in your smoke and CO alarms.  Most homes have smoke alarms (detectors); more than 33 percent of these homes are not protected because the smoke alarms don’t work.  When a smoke alarm fails to work, it is frequently because the batteries are missing. People often remove or disconnect batteries to prevent nuisance activation caused by bathroom steam or cooking vapors.  Was your smoke alarm on a recall list?

Smoke and Fire

Most fire deaths occur in the middle of the night.   No smoke alarms were present or they did not operate in nearly 75% of residences where a fire fatality occurred, according to FEMA statistics.  A smoke alarm is the most valuable life saving device you can have in your home.  An operable smoke alarm will reduce your chances of dying in a fire, nearly in half.  Smoke alarms are designed to detect and warn that silent, but deadly smoke is in the air. The early warning will wake you and your family, allowing time to escape your burning home.

At 40 percent, cooking is the leading cause of residential structure fires. Heating causes another 14 percent. These percentages (and those that follow) are adjusted, which proportionally spreads the unknown causes over the other 15 causes.

The two leading causes of residential fatal fires are smoking, at 18 percent, and other unintentional or careless actions, at 14 percent. The leading cause of residential fires that result in injuries is cooking (26 percent), followed by other unintentional or careless actions (11 percent) and open flame (also 11 percent). Cooking is, by far, the leading cause of fires with property loss, at 20 percent.¹

¹  U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center, Fire in the United States 2003-2007 Fifteenth Edition

Carbon Monoxide

People are at an increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning during the winter months. Well-insulated, airtight homes and malfunctioning heating equipment can produce dangerously high and potentially deadly concentrations of carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is a by-product of incomplete combustion, any fuel-burning appliance, vehicle or tool that is inadequately vented or maintained can be a potential source of carbon monoxide gas.

Examples of fuel- burning equipment include: 

• Fuel - furnaces and space heaters. 
• Propane or Gas - fireplaces, (both vented and ventless), space heaters, ranges and ovens, clothes dryers, grills, smokers, and deep fryers.
• Wood burning fireplaces and stoves 
• Charcoal grills and smokers 
• Gasoline – automobiles, lawnmowers and power tools

Gas fireplaces are gaining in popularity based on their low cost, convenience and relative ease of installation.  Ventless or vent free gas fireplaces are not vented to pipes or chimneys. The burned gases including carbon monoxide are put into the circulation of the air within your home.  Based upon the health risks associated with the use of ventless gas fireplaces, their installation is illegal in many areas of the country.

Prevent or minimize the potential for exposure to carbon monoxide gas. 

• Have your home-heating systems, fuel-burning appliances, flues and chimneys inspected, cleaned or schedule an annual home checkup by a qualified home inspector. 
• Make regular visual inspections of fuel-burning appliances such as your gas dryer and hot water heater. 
• Do not burn charcoal inside a home, cabin or camper.
• Do not operate gasoline-powered engines (generators, cutting saws) in confined areas such as garages or basements. 
• Do not idle your car inside the garage. 
• After a hurricane or storm, make sure vents for the gas dryer, furnace, stove and fireplace are clear of debris and intact. 
• Never use gas ovens and ranges to heat your home!

Check your Smoke and CO alarms frequently.  Smoke alarms are set off by bathroom steam or cooking vapors. Rather than take the battery out of your alarm, do the following: 

• Quiet the alarm by pushing the “HUSH” button, if equipped. 
• Open windows and turn on vent fans to clear the air.
• Consider relocating the alarm farther away from the cooking area or bathroom.
• Consider installing a photoelectric or combination photoelectric/ ionization type alarm. The photoelectric and combination type alarms are less sensitive to cooking smoke.

Causes of Christmas Fires

Cooking, heating, and open flames are the major cause of Christmas fires, according to the US Fire Administration.  This is not surprising due to holiday cooking and the more prevalent use of home fireplaces, displays, and decorations involving candles.  The daily incidence of candle−started fires quadruples on Christmas Day.

Opinions of a Home Inspector

Christmas is the time to spend with your family and friends, not to worry and agonize if you will have a fire.  Every Christmas the sounds of fire engine sirens overpower my family’s holiday music.   We often worry if the sirens are for one of our friends or neighbors.  You should have all your heating and cooking equipment inspected and serviced before your family arrives.  Fireplaces should be inspected yearly and cleaned regularly.  Be aware of the placement of candles and decorations.  Make sure you give your live Christmas tree plenty of water and keep it away from candles and fire places.  May your Christmas be worry free and full of holiday cheer.




Frank Carr is the Owner / Inspector at First Choice Home Inspections in Deltona, FL serving Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Lake Counties.  Formerly in the building trades, Frank’s focus is a safe home and building FCHI. We believe that consumers have the right to expect the highest standards of thoroughness, fairness and effectiveness from their home inspector and that is exactly what we provide.

 

First Choice Home Inspections 
(386) 624-3893
Email:  home.inspections@aol.com
Website:  Http://1homeinspector.com

Clothes Dryers, A Leading Cause of Home Fires in Orlando.

Clothes dryers have become an indispensable part of American family life.  Today, people are not aware that clothes dryers are a leading cause of fires in the home – approximately 15,000 every year.   It is important to rigorously inspect and clean dryers.  A little preventative maintenance can keep them in good working order and keep your family safe.

Causes of dryer fires?

One of the most common causes of dryer fires is lack of maintenance.  When lint traps do not get cleaned as often as they should be, the resulting build-up in the screen or other areas can cause the dryer to perform poorly, operate at elevated temperatures and possibly overheat with dangerous results.  Vent systems must also be checked and cleaned to maintain proper air flow for the same reasons.  The floor area surrounding the dryer must be lint, dirt, and clothes free.  A lint ball, sock or clothing item can easily be sucked from the floor in front or beside your dryer into the heating coils igniting it and the lint in your dryer vents.

Problems also occur when people place improper items in their dryers, such as foam backed rugs or athletic shoes.  Ensure whatever you put in your dryer is approved and safe to place in a dryer.  When in doubt, check the washing instructions on the tag of the clothing or consult the manufacturer’s website for more information.  Plastic or vinyl exhaust vent materials should never be used.    

Reduce your risk of dryer fires!

Ensure that your dryer has rigid or flexible metal venting and ducting materials to help sustain airflow. This will also reduce operating costs and extend the life of the dryer and clothing due to lower drying temperatures.

In addition:

• Clean the lint trap before or after drying each load of clothes.
• Don’t forget to clean the back of the dryer where lint can be trapped.
• Ensure the floor around your dryer is free of debris, lint and clothing.
• The interior of the dryer and venting system should be cleaned periodically by qualified service technician.  If drying time is longer than normal, clean the vent system thoroughly to ensure proper airflow.
• Replace plastic or vinyl exhaust hoses with rigid or flexible metal venting.
• Do not dry clothes or fabric on which there is anything flammable (alcohol, cooking oils, gasoline, spot removers, dry-cleaning solvents, etc.). Flammable substances give off vapors that could ignite or explode. 
• Gasoline should not be stored near dryers or water heaters and should only be stored in approved containers.
• Read manufacturers’ warnings in use and care manuals that accompany new dryers.  Warnings can usually be found on the inside of the dryer’s lid and take only minutes to read.

Did you know that?

• Clothes dryers can be found in 80 percent, or 81.5 million homes throughout the United States.
• A full load of wet clothes placed in a dryer contains about one half gallon of water.  Lint is created from the clothes as water is removed.
• Clothes dryers are one of the most expensive appliances in your home to operate.  The longer it runs the more money it costs you.
• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that 15,500 fires associated with clothes dryers occur annually. These fires account for an average of 10 deaths and 310 injuries and more than $84.4 million in property damage annually.

In the opinion of this home inspector, you should pay careful attention to the maintenance and cleaning of your clothes dryer.  Be careful to remove lint before or after every use.  Preform a detailed cleaning monthly and call in a appliance technician annually to clean and maintain your dryer.  Out of sight lint can go unnoticed until it is too late and fire breaks out.  Protect yourself, your family and your home; a home fire can take all you hold precious.  

Frank Carr is the Owner / Inspector at First Choice Home Inspections in Deltona, FL serving Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Lake Counties.  Formerly in the building trades, Frank’s focus is a safe home and building FCHI. We believe that consumers have the right to expect the highest standards of thoroughness, fairness and effectiveness from their home inspector and that is exactly what we provide.

First Choice Home Inspections 
(386) 624-3893
Http://www.1homeinspector.com

Chinese Drywall (Part 1)

This topic has been going round and round again. Everyone has an opinion about Chinese drywall but the plain fact is 90% of the people giving the advice are not qualified inspectors and have something to gain by giving one-sided advice.  Stories featured in the New York Times, Orlando Weekly and other newspapers have followed the woes and the law suits related to Chinese drywall.

Chinese drywall began arriving in the United States in 2001 and was imported in larger quantities after the 2004 - 2005 hurricane repairs and continued in quantity until 2007.  Chinese drywall continued to be imported and used in home construction throughout the US.  Feb 2009, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida requested a ban on the defective drywall, and a bill urging the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall Chinese-made drywall and temporarily ban its import.  It was only in Nov of 2009 that the CPSC issued its report about Chinese drywall. Chinese drywall was installed in an unknown number of new construction projects throughout the US.  I have seen numbers like 100,000 homes built with and half a billion pounds of drywall imported after 2006.

US Congressman Bill Posey, “The problems experienced in homes with the bad drywall include sulfuric odors and corrosion of certain materials. The corrosion seems to affect copper air conditioning compressor coils, electrical wires, fire and carbon monoxide alarms, and brass fittings used in natural gas furnaces and other electrical appliances.”

Southern States are more affected because high temperature and humidity that cause copper surfaces to turn black and powdery, a chemical process indicative of reaction with hydrogen sulfide. Copper pipes, wiring, and air conditioner coils are affected, as well as silver jewelry. Homeowners have reported a variety of symptoms, including respiratory problems such as asthma attacks, chronic coughing and difficulty breathing, as well as chronic headaches and sinus issues.


Chinese Drywall (Part 2)

Frank Carr is the Owner / Inspector at First Choice Home Inspections in Deltona, FL. Formerly in the building trades, Frank’s focus is a safe home and building FCHI. We believe that consumers have the right to expect the highest standards of thoroughness, fairness and effectiveness from their home inspector and that is exactly what we provide.
Http://www.1homeinspector.com