Curtis Petty

Accurate Home Inspection of Atlanta www.findmeaninspector.com

Water and Mold Damage Statistics

• Water damage and freezing pipes made up over 21% of ALL insurance claims in 2003.*
• On average, individual water damage claims cost insurers $4,925 in 2002. **
• A 1/8-inch crack in a pipe can release up to 250 gallons of water a day.
• A small water pipe leak inside a wall or under a slab may go undetected for months.
• Damp wood and sheetrock provide excellent conditions for toxic mold.
• Water damage and mold damage cost insurers $2.5 billion nationally in 2002.*
• Almost 90% of copper pinhole leaks occur on horizontal runs of pipe.
• Recent improvements in water quality contribute to accelerated corrosion and failure of copper pipes.
• Some insurers now refuse to cover mold claims under existing policies.
• Lack of early detection of water leaks can reduce your ability to collect from your insurance company. Insurance claims for water damage are frequently denied if the cause of the damage has existed for more than 24 hours.
• 37% of all homeowners claim they have experienced losses due to water damage.***

* Insurance Information Institute

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop should be there. With dismay, you discover that your home is filled with damaging water. Will your insurance policy cover this loss? That depends on the type of insurance you chose to purchase and how the water entered your house.

There basically are two insurance policies that deal with a homeowner's damage due to water -- a flood insurance policy and a homeowners insurance policy. Losses not covered by one of these policies may be covered by the other. Knowing the losses to which your home could be exposed will help you decide whether to buy one or both of these insurance coverage.

While insurance policies may differ in the coverage provided from homeowner to homeowner, there often are basic features common to all policies. You should ask your insurance agent or insurance company about the specifics of your insurance policy.

a standard flood insurance policy, which is written by the National Flood Insurance Program, provides coverage up to the policy limit for damage caused by flood. The dictionary defines "flood" as a rising and overflowing of a body of water onto normally dry land. For insurance purposes, the word "rising" in this definition is the key to distinguishing flood damage from water damage. Generally, damage caused by water that has been on the ground at some point before damaging your home is considered to be flood damage. A handful of examples of flood damage include:

• A nearby river overflows its banks and washes into your home.
  
• A heavy rain seeps into your basement because the soil can't absorb the water quickly enough
  
• A heavy rain or flash flood causes the hill behind your house to collapse into a mud slide that oozes into your home.
  

  Flood damage to your home can be insured only with a flood insurance policy -- no other insurance will cover flood damage. Flood insurance is available through your insurance agent, insurance company or local Federal Emergency Management Office (FEMA). To determine if your home is located in a flood plain, contact your county planning office. If you are living in a flood plain, flood insurance may be an excellent purchase.

  HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE

  A homeowners insurance policy doesn't provide coverage for flood damage, but it does provide coverage for many types of water damage to your home. Just the opposite from flood damage, for insurance purposes, water damage is considered to occur when water damages your home before the water comes in contact with the ground. A few examples of water damage include:

  • A hailstorm smashes your window, permitting hail and rain free access into your home.
    
  • A heavy rain soaks through the roof, allowing water to drip through your attic or ceiling.
    
  • A broken water pipe spews water into your home.
    
  
  

  Even if flood or water damage is not covered by your homeowners insurance policy, losses from theft, fire or explosion resulting from water damage is covered. For example, if a nearby creek overflows and floods your home, and looters steal some of your furnishings after you evacuate, the theft would be covered by your homeowners insurance because it is a direct result of the water damage. However, the flood damage would be covered only if you have flood insurance.

  It's important to note that flood insurance and homeowners insurance do not duplicate coverage for water damage. Instead, they complement each other.

Accurate Home Inspection of Atlanta

404 680-4578

Many atlanta subdivisions are mass graded. This means an undesirable building location(lots of steep grade are uneven lots) is transformed into individual flat or moderately sloped lots by movement of dirt. This usally includes removal of soil at hill(the cut lot),which which is them imported to other areas on site to create fill areas(the fill lot) or cut-fill areas(transitional lot).Cut lot tens to perform well since the soil is undisturbed where the hill was removed.Fill lot can compact more once the home is completed;this movement,however,is usually uniform and rarely cause distress th the home. These condition are consider when inspecting a home when built from mass graded lots. The homes soil,and foundation are in constant movement and forces fighting against one another.New homes may not give any indication of foundation issues for several years down the road.Although there are methods for inspectors to gauge that accurate standards were followed site prep,and adequate footing drains to help with hydrostatic pressure against the structures foundation.A strong foundation and proper lot drainage is the key to a stable foundation.In a perfect world every property would be built on the perfect lot,but as I know and you should as well this can not always be the chase.

A structure is expected to stand up. The force of gravity is constantly working to bring it down.A structure has to be designed to resist gravity.It must support its own weight,which is called DEADLOAD of the structure.It must also support the live load which are imposed open it,which include the people inside,the furniture,and other weight such as snow,and the materials used in the roof structure skeleton.
A structure does transfer its weight through the exterior walls,and load bearing partions to the foundation which in then transfers the weight to the soil through the footing.Not only is a structure expected to stand up, it is also expected to stand still. The structure movement is partially determined by the conditions of the soil support the structure,and proper drainage around the stucture.When the ground below the house fails,the house sinks.Soil moves. The foundation resists the pressure of the soil against the structure.Homes built on the proper site should be built strong enough to resist this natural pressure.

MOVEMENT:
The effects of settlement and movement on a home and their effects on the rest of the structure are not always obvious.While some signs are obvisous,other signs might need more in depth study to determine the cause of underlying issues.Wall cracks appear as the result of overloading or because of settlement or heaving. The location of the cracks can be a clue to what is going on to the foundation.

Is a dynamic system.Soil Moves.A house built on the bottom of a hill can have soil moving toward it over time and exerting more and more pressure against the foundation.It may be pushed from its original position.

WINDS
Plays an effective upon a structure.With heavy winds theres forces of pulling,and uplifting.Structures must be strong enough to resist these forces as well.

Different foundation problems also require different solutions. If your foundation is only suffering from minor seasonal movement, it has the equivalent of a cold and might only need watering. If your foundation has suffered from permanent settlement, you might need foundation repairs. The exact type of support you will need depends on the type of foundation that you have and on the types of soils under your home.Some methods of foundation repair are concrete press piling, steel press piling and bellbottom piers. A Bellbottom pier is where you actually drill a hole in the ground, bell it at the bottom, pour concrete down in the hole, and then uses that to lift off of.

Resistance are hydraulically pushed or driven straight down through the soil using the weight of the structure as a counter balance. The piers are pushed down until the end reaches a layer of soil hard enough to support the structure. Resistance piers are best suited for structures that need to be raised or
have very heavy load requirements.

Helical Piers are hydraulically twisted or turned into the soil much like a corkscrew. The piers contain one or more wings that pull the pier into the soil. These piers are screwed down until they reach soil that is thick enough to support the desired result. Since they are screwed in, they cannot be pushed or pulled out. They can be used to either support a structure or to keep a structure from coming away from the soil such as a retaining wall or a home on a hillside. These types of piers can also be used as pre-construction piers to prevent future foundation failure.

Mud jacking is a good low cost way to lift a foundation. Seldom does mud-jacking give results that are satisfactory for the long run. Sometimes, mud-jacking is even destructive to the structure. Most companies only result to mud-jacking as a last resort for very poor built foundations and will obtain a damage waiver prior to beginning repairs.

Pressure grouting is used in areas that geotechnical engineers have found to be sinkhole conditions. This involves the injection of a low slump grout, which mainly consists of cement, sand, water and fly ash, into the soils at or above the limestone layer.

Another foundation repair that is economical is to drill or pour concrete piers. Holes are typically drilled to a depth of 9-12 feet below the surface, and then filled with reinforcing steel and concrete. Poured concrete is topped with concrete spacers and shims.

When starting your foundation, the best thing to do is hire a structural engineering firm. They will be the first to board test the soil to recommend which foundation would the best. Once they have tested the soil, the engineer can design a specific slab for the specific soil conditions.

Compaction Grouting
Compaction grouting is a technique of injecting low slump grout under pressure to densify granular soils. This process reduces the effects of subsidence and settlement. Compaction grouting has been employed to arrest sinkhole movement, and recently for large scale site improvement where unstable soil strata
make alternative methods of stabilization unfeasible.

The process of compaction grouting consists of installation of injection pipes to the bottom of the zone being densified. The pipes are either drilled or driven into place with a sacrificial point. The pipe is withdrawn to open the end of the injection pipe. A specially designed low volume, high pressure pump is used to place the grout. As the grout expands in a homogeneous bulb, the radial force exerted compacts the surrounding soils. A relatively slow injection rate is used to prevent fracturing the soils, allowing water to dissipate and thereby reduce uplift. Injection continues until either refusal pressure is attained or heaving occurs at the surface. Grout placement continues at shallower elevations as the injection pipe is withdrawn in stages.

Downstage: Provides an advantage of additional restraint and containment of future injection, for work performed in less than 15 feet. Compaction grouting downstage involves: drilling an oversize hole to the top of the soil zone to be densified; the insertion of casing; drill through the casing and advance the
hole, approximately 3 to 6 feet, inject grout; and repeat the process once the injected grout has hardened.

Upstage: This method of grouting tends to be the fastest and most economical, and is generally accomplished in a continuous operation. Compaction grouting upstage involves: drilling a hole to the bottom of the zone to be improved; casing is placed within a few feet of the bottom of the hole; grout is injected;and the casing is raised at regular intervals and grouting is resumed until the improvement area is treated.

Compaction Grouting techniques are used for pre-construction site improvement, to arrest foundation settlements, rectify sinkhole problems.

The soils best suited to compaction grouting are fine grained with sufficient permeability to allow excess water to dissipate. The process has also been used successfully in a wide variety of soils and fills. Irregular fills or varying native soils will become more uniform with compaction grouting.An advantage of compaction grouting is the tendency to improve the weakest soils. The effective radius of the grout hole varies with the type of soil being treated.

Where large areas are being treated, the primary hole pattern is a diamond or square pattern with holes on 5 to 10 feet centers. Secondary or check holes are placed to the center of the pattern.

www.findmeaninspector.com

Accurate Home Inspection of Atlanta

www.findmeaninspector.com

The majority of water damage in homes is due to the failure of everyday household appliances, bursting supply lines, backed-up drains, etc. Therefore, to help prevent costly water damage.

The generalized inspection of a home is concerned with a safe water supply system, an adequate drainage system, and ample and proper fixtures and equipment. This explains features of a residential plumbing system and the basic plumbing terms the inspector must know and understand to identify properly housing code violations involving plumbing and the more complicated defects that he will refer to the appropriate agencies.

Continuous Venting Of Water Closets-Circuit Vents - Loop Vents
In the system of plumbing, the venting of the several lines of water closets is accomplished by extending the horizontal soil line beyond the last fixture, and connecting this extension into a main vertical line of vent at a point higher than the top of the fixtures.

The main vent stack may be at either end of the line of fixtures, but when placed at the end opposite the soil stack the connection of the horizontal lines into the vent stack is usually much shorter and more direct, and installed with the use of less pipe. When placed at the same end as the soil line, the running back to this point of a long line of large-sized pipe would often be a difficult or impossible matter.

This form of venting is not strictly on the continuous-vent principle as shown in the three preceding plates, but being along somewhat the same general lines is often alluded to as continuous venting.

This method is also known as circuit venting.The system of circuit vents, as prescribed by certain plumbing ordinances, consists in the extension of the horizontal branch soil or waste lines and the connection of these extensions into a main vertical vent stack, the entire system including both main soil or waste stack, main vent stack, and branch soil or waste lines, providing for each line of fixtures a complete air circulation through the branch which serves them.

The advantages derived from this system, as applied to water-closet lines, may also be obtained for other fixtures.

Fixtures of other character, such as the lavatory located on the second floor in Plate 29, are vented as shown in the case of this lavatory. The use of the circuit-vent system is of special value when applied to lines of water closets, such as are very common in public toilet rooms, for the reason that the free circulation of air through the horizontal lines does away with the necessity of venting the individual fixtures in the ordinary manner, that is, from the lead bend. A water closet, however. connected to a horizontal soil line served by a circuit vent, and located 5 ft. or more from that line, should be vented in the usual manner.It will thus be seen that the continuous venting of lines of water closets by means of circuit vents, provides ample protection to the fixtures against siphonage, and effects a great saving in avoiding the outlay incident to installing a separate vent for each water closet.

The common method of venting lines of water closets is shown in Fig. D, Plate 40. Any branch line of soil or waste pipe serving a line of two or more fixtures may be provided with a circuit vent to the advantage of the system.When the horizontal soil branch is of not more than 20 ft. in length, measuring from the main soil stack, and the line is not entered by more than four water closets, the vent extension may be reduced to 3 in. from the end of the branch into the main vent stack. When a larger number than four water closets enter the horizontal soil branch, the vent extension should not be reduced in diameter, but should continue of the same size as the soil branch, into the main vent stack While not allowable to use quarter-bends on any part of the drainage system, they may be used on circuit vents.While much used on
this work, a better form of practice is seen in the use of a T-Y or Y and eighth-bend, in place of the quarter-bend, thus allowing the use of an end cleanout, by means of which the entire horizontal branch could be controlled in the event of stoppage.

In addition to the circuit vent, there is also what is known as the loop vent. The loop vent is a modified form of the circuit vent, used when a line or group of fixtures on a single floor is to be circuit-vented, and there are no fixtures on the floors above.In this case the soil or waste branch is extended beyond the line of fixtures, and run up as in the case of the circuit vent, and then looped over the line of fixtures into the soil or waste vent of the stack into which the branch soil or waste pipe connects.

The loop vent may be used for a single line of fixtures, on a floor above which are other fixtures emptying into the same soil or waste stack, by connecting the loop into the main vent stack above the highest fixture of the group.The loop vent for a 4-in. soil branch may be 3 in. in diameter.

For 5 and 6-in. soil branches, the loop vent should be 5 in. in diameter, and for larger sizes 6 in.

"Commitment to Performance"

404 680-4578

Accurate Home Inspection of Atlanta

www.Findmeaninspector.com

The most related moisture related problems,regardless of the climate are mold,mildew,and condensation. The single most important factor influencing these problems is relative humidity near the surface. In the south eastern region there is sometimes higher RH in this area during hot summer days. To understand the science behind relative humidity one has to understand is air is able to hold moisture in vapor,or gas phase.The amount of water contained in air is known as absolute Humidity.Air is a mixture of many gases,the most being oxygen,nitrogen,and carbon monoxide.Since water vapor is a gas,air containing moisture in made up of several gases which include water vapor.Air Contains different varying mounts of moisture in gas form or vapor depending on sevral factors. The airs vapor pressure, or absolute humidity depends on the ait temperture. The warmer the air can hold more mositure than cooler which hold less mosture.Normally at 70 deg.F air can contain 75% Relative Humidity. There has always been confusion been surronding relative humiiditiy due to the fact that is often forgotten that relative hunidity can increase in two ways by increasing vapor pressure(moisture) and by decresing temperture.Cold air does not hold alot of moisture,and is often dry.There is a great deal of difference between 50% RH at 70 Deg. F,and 50% RH at 50 deg. F. Realative humiditiy at 50% at temperture at 70 deg F is twice the amount of moisture than 50% RH at 50 degree F. Mold and Mildews are simple plants that can grow on surfaces and objects.Mold can discolor surfaces,lead to odor problems,deteriorate building materials and lead to allergic reactions in certian indivivuals with allergys, as well as other potential health problems.Where relative humidity near surfaces are below 70%,mold and mildew growth can be control.

Actions that will help to reduce humidity:

• Vent appliances that produce moisture, such as clothes dryers, stoves, and kerosene heaters to the outside where possible. (Combustion appliances such as stoves and kerosene heaters produce water vapor and will increase the humidity unless vented to the outside.)
• Use air conditioners and/or de-humidifiers when needed.
• Run the bathroom fan or open the window when showering. Use exhaust fans or open windows whenever cooking, running the dishwasher or washing dishes, etc.

Actions that will help prevent condensation:

• Reduce the humidity (see above).
• Increase ventilation or air movement by opening doors and/or windows, when practical. Use fans as needed.
• Cover cold surfaces, such as cold water pipes, with insulation.
• Increase air temperature.

Testing or Sampling for Mold

Is sampling for mold needed? In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary. Since no EPA or other federal limits have been set for mold or mold spores, sampling cannot be used to check a building's compliance with federal mold standards. Surface sampling may be useful to determine if an area has been adequately cleaned or remediated. Sampling for mold should be conducted by professionals who have specific experience in designing mold sampling protocols, sampling methods, and interpreting results. Sample analysis should follow analytical methods recommended by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), or other professional organizations.Our inspections look for indicators of water intrusion improper RH levels and climate control balance.We can provide mold,air quality testing.

Suspicion of hidden mold

You may suspect hidden mold if a building smells moldy, but you cannot see the source, or if you know there has been water damage and residents are reporting health problems. Mold may be hidden in places such as the back side of dry wall, wallpaper, or paneling, the top side of ceiling tiles, the underside of carpets and pads, etc. Other possible locations of hidden mold include areas inside walls around pipes (with leaking or condensing pipes), the surface of walls behind furniture (where condensation forms), inside ductwork, and in roof materials above ceiling tiles (due to roof leaks or insufficient insulation).Have accurate home inspection of atlanta inspect your property for mold,and air quality of your home.

Accurate Home Inspection of Atlanta

www.findmeaninspector.com

Study performed in 2002:

The new water pipping used in newly constructed homes in the last 8yrs is called Pex pipping. Over 400 samples were collected from 15 different homes. Some these homes were over a half million dollar homes. These samples were collected, and tested by a PH.D Physical Chemistry and cosiderable experience in water chemistry. The two predominant chemicals in the driking water of these homes were methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and tertiary butyl alcohol (t-butanol). All these home's used pex pipping. The t-butanol always exceeded the concentration of MTBE significantly, but the two chemicals often accompanied each other. Concentrations of t-butanol and MTBE in these 15 different newly constructed homes with pex pipping over a period of five months, and is still ongoing, were found as high as 52,000 ppb and 690 ppb respectively. Higher concentrations were found in homes lines left stagnant for long periods in town. These were all brand new homes and water stagnantions was not unreasonable. Furthermore, no warnings were given to homeowners to flush the drinking lines before drinking or using the water. In addition to these in-home test, a performed controled laborator type exposure experiement on newly purchased PEX tubing, purchased in two differant cities, and found similar results.

There are three different methods to manufacture PEX tubing. One method uses t-butyl peroxide as the cross link catalyst. All lab evidence points to peroxide as the source of t-butanol and MTBE in these newly constructed homes. Evidently, the peroxide is not completely consumed in the cross-linking process and therefore some excess peroxide remains in the PEX. This peroxide is water soluble and is leached from the tubing into the drinking water. After entering the drinking water it is hodrolyzed into t-butanol and MTBE. The longer water sits in the tubing the higher the concentrations.

I'm not aware of any Federal EPA Drinking water Standards on t-butanol or MTBE beyond taste and order. However, California has has a Maximum Contamination Level (MCL) on MTBE of 13 ppb, and a action level on t-butanol over 12 ppb. Using California definition of action level, it would be possible to concluded that levels above 12-13 ppb limits might possibly pose a health risk to people ingesting the water on a daily basis.Clearly,someone who is allergic to t-butanol or MTBE could adversely affected. For example, since t-butanol is said to have the same physiological response as ethanol, a recovered alcoholic may face the increase risk of relapse.

Some plumbers are reluctant to use PEX piping due to a lack of experience with installation methods and design requirements

• Some jurisdictions prohibit the use of PEX piping for water supply plumbing even though PEX pipe is approved for use in all model codes

• Codes were originally written for rigid trunk and branch systems; while they have now been amended to include PEX piping systems, they do not provide many system design details

• There is a perception among some that PEX piping systems are inferior as a building product, generally based on knowledge of past failures of PB piping systems.Although these hurdles exist, the following are among the many benefits of PEX piping systems.