
The Environmental Protection Agency has designated January as National Radon Action Month.
According to recent reports from the EPA and World Health Organization, radon gas is responsible for approximately 20,000 deaths in the U.S. and 100,000 deaths worldwide each year. This equates to about 15% of all lung cancer deaths. Statistically, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers and the second leading cause for smokers.
According to The Environmental Protection Agency, over 8 million U.S. homes have dangerous levels of radon gas. The Surgeon General is urging the media, state health departments, and the press to participate in National Radon Action Month by helping to promote awareness of this silent killer. Testing for radon is easy and inexpensive. Radon problems can be fixed in most homes for under $1,000.
January 2012 (which is National Radon Action Month) is the perfect time of year to test for radon gas. Testing in the summer time is difficult because occupants tend to keep windows and doors open for longer durations which could skew the results of the test. Since winter time is when people tend to spend more time indoors, it makes sense to test during this time. It’s a good idea to conduct a long-term or multiple short-term tests because radon levels can vary from season to season.
All homes should be tested for radon regardless of the age of the home, geographic location, or type of construction. Radon problems have been found in every state in the U.S. and since you cannot see, smell, or taste radon, the only way to know if your home is affected is to conduct a test. The EPA recommends that you conduct a test at least once every two years because radon levels can fluctuate over time. If you find that your radon levels are above the EPA’s limit of 4.0 pci/L, a qualified contractor can install a radon reduction system to fix the problem. In most cases, the work can be completed in a single day.
Radon gas causes more deaths each year than any other in-home hazard including fires, carbon monoxide, drowning, poisoning, falls, and even guns! National Radon Action Month is an ideal time to make your household a safer place. You can learn more about 2012 National Radon Action Month and local activities that you can participate in and help create awareness about this deadly carcinogen at by visiting http://www.epa.gov/radon/nram/index.html
MC2 Home Inspections is dedicated to helping consumers test for Radon in their homes. Our Radon testing includes the use of a CRM (Continuous Radon Monitor) rather than the typical charcoal canister method. The CRM provides a detailed hourly view of the Radon levels in the home, provides more accurate readings and is less likely to be tampered with during the testing period. If you live in the Indianapolis area and would like to have your home tested for Radon, call us today to schedule an appointment.

According to our own statistical data, only 35% of Indianapolis homes inspected in 2011 were considered to be in “good” condition. This is down sharply from 2010 where we saw 43% and in 2009 46% respectively.
The over abundance of distressed homes on the market has certainly contributed a great deal to these numbers. So just what do these numbers mean? Well, from a home inspectors standpoint, it would appear to indicate a significant downward spiral in home maintenance. It also underscores the importance of obtaining a professional home inspection during the home buying process.
Falling home prices and equity are of great concerns to many homeowners and home buyers. Many people are simply putting off repair and maintenance work as they are not sure they want to spend money in this market situation.
If you’re worried about falling home prices, here’s some good news: Ongoing home maintenance can actually help protect your investment, ward off even more expensive repairs and make your home more comfortable for you and your family. More importantly it will also help to make your home more appealing and easier to sell. Many current home owners do not think about the ramifications of not performing home maintenance until they are ready to sell their home. It is important for all home owners to realize, 87% of all home buyers obtain a home inspection before finalizing the deal. If your home has been neglected, a potential buyers home inspection can be your worst nightmare.
A home is a very valuable asset that, for many people, is the biggest investment they will ever make. That’s why it is so important to keep up with repairs and maintenance, especially if you’re concerned about declining home values in your area.
Home maintenance may seem mundane, particularly when compared with large scale renovations, but it’s well worth the time and money. Routine maintenance protects the value of your home just as regular servicing prolongs the useful life of your car and regular checkups maintain your physical health.
What’s more, home maintenance can save you money since small problems that are neglected can very easily turn into much larger problems that will be much more costly to fix later down the road.
Here’s a list of some very basic home maintenance tasks that can help you keep your home in tip top shape:
● Replace broken or missing roof shingles to prevent water damage and extend the life of your roof, which is one of the most expensive components of your home.
● Check your heating and cooling system annually. Replace disposable filters every month or as recommended by your HVAC service technician.
● Hire a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean your fireplace once a year. Keep the damper closed when the fireplace is not in use.
● Scrub concrete decks, walls and walkways annually with a bucket of warm water and baking soda, and a stiff brush or push broom. It is also important to seal your concrete using a quality silicone based concrete sealer every two to three years. This will help to prolong the life of your concrete as well as protect you from those unsightly cracks and heaved sections that will eventually pose a liability to you.
● Clean exterior doors, window frames and screens after the rainy season ends. An annual cleaning and inspection of the exterior portions of your doors and windows will alert you to moisture rot. Caught early, this is an inexpensive repair. Ignored, and this becomes a much more expensive repair.
● Clear your rain gutters of debris and repair any breaks once or twice a year. Force a stream of water upwards to clear a blocked downspout. Keeping your gutters and downspouts clear also helps to prevent foundation issues. When gutters are clogged with debris, rain water spills over the gutter and lands about a foot away from your foundation. Excessive moisture around any foundation will eventually lead to some form of foundation problem. Along with your roof, your foundation is one of the most expensive items in your home to repair.
● Empty your hot water heater annually or as recommended by the manufacturer. (Some newer models can be drained from the bottom to save water.) This simple chore can help your water heater last many years longer.
● Paint the exterior and interior of your home every few years or as needed. Indianapolis weather wreaks havoc on the exterior of your home. A fresh coat of paint can not only improve the look of your home, but also help to prevent moisture damage and deterioration to exposed wood from peeling/flaking paint.

Rain gutters are an essential part of your home. They channel rainwater away from the house – preventing soil erosion and damage to your landscape and foundation.
But homeowners often replace worn, damaged gutters with new ones, only to neglect the routine maintenance they require, and end up with more damaged gutters.
What are the benefits of clean gutters?
Angie’s List, the nation’s premier provider of consumer reviews, asked highly rated gutter cleaning companies for the inside scoop on proper maintenance and how to extend the life of your gutters.
Angie’s List hiring tips:
PRLog (Press Release) – Dec 15, 2011 – MC² Home Inspections has been awarded the prestigious 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on approximately 5 percent of all the businesses rated on the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service and health providers.
“We are honored to have been chosen to receive the Super Service Award two years in a row. We work extremely hard to provide our clients with the home inspection service they expect. Our motto is we are changing the face of home inspections, one satisfied client at a time and it is very humbling to be recognized for doing just that”. Mike Chamberlain, Owner.
“Only a fraction of the businesses rated on Angie’s List can claim the sterling service record of being a Super Service Award winner because we set a high bar,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “The fact that MC² Home Inspections can claim Super Service Award status speaks volumes about its dedication to consumers.”
Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their clients and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.
Ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List, but members can find the 2011 Super Service Award logo next to business names in search results on AngiesList.com.
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Here we are at the beginning of another cold Indianapolis winter and like every winter here in Indiana many property owners will experience issues with ice dams that will eventually cause shingle damage, roof leaks and the possibility of mold.
Although it may seem as though ice dams are an unstoppable force of nature, they can be prevented. Attics with cathedral or vaulted ceiling areas that have been correctly incorporated into the overall building envelope usually don’t have problems with ice dams and icicles in the cold seasons. Through the use of proper insulation and ventilation techniques, ice dams can be prevented.
Here an ice dam forms:
How Do Ice Dams Cause Roof Leaks?
The melted snow water doesn’t immediately freeze after the ice dam has begun to take shape. Once the ice dam has built up, it creates a dam that traps the rest of the water trying to run off the roof behind it. While this trapped water will eventually freeze, it may take a while and during that time a portion of the shingles on the roof, behind the ice dam, are submerged in water.
Now of course your roof shingles are obviously suppose to protect your home from the weather i.e. rain and snow. However, most roofing materials are not meant to have standing water on top of them.
What Can You Do To Prevent Ice Dams?
First and foremost proper insulation and ventilation is the key. In the attic only the floor of the attic should be insulated, never the underside of the roof. In northern climates such as Indiana, an R value of 48 is recommended. That is approximately 15-18 inches of blown insulation depending on what type of insulation you are using.
Proper ventilation is also required. Outside air needs to be able to enter the attic so that the attic temperature remains consistent with the temperature outside. You can achieve this ventilation through the use of gable vents or soffit vents in conjunction with cap vents or a ridge vent.
In roof systems with attic areas below them, it is fairly straight forward to have a contractor that knows what they are doing to correct any problems as far as proper insulation and ventilation. However, roof systems with a cathedral or vaulted ceiling below them that have these issues are much more of a project to correct, but they can be corrected.
In order to have a properly ventilated and insulated cathedral ceiling the contractor must install baffles within each rafter bay before installing the insulation. These baffles allow air to flow between the soffit vents and the ridge vent which keeps the underside of the roof the same temperature as outside. If these baffles are not installed in your cathedral ceiling then the contractor will need to remove the existing sheetrock and insulation from your ceiling in order to properly ventilate the area. This type of project will be a bit more expensive than a simple attic project.
In addition to the ice dam issue, if your attic is warmer than the outside temperature you are also wasting lots of money heating that space. So basically you are paying extra money on your heating bill for the privilege of growing nice big ice dams and icicles that cause roof leaks and destroy your roof.
What Can You Do About Existing Ice Dams?
If it’s the middle of the winter and you have ice dams there are some measures you can take. First of all, if you don’t have experience climbing on a roof in the winter, especially with snow on it, don’t do it! Call a professional. Many roofing contractors work through the winter and often provide roof snow removal services in addition to their typical roofing services. This is a service many are happy to provide during the winter as this is typically a roofers slowest time of year. Again, please don’t try and do this yourself. Between icy ladders and slippery roof surfaces, it is a recipe for disaster for the inexperienced.
There are some products on the market that can assist in preventing ice dams before they form and melting them if they have already formed. You should be able to find a home improvement store in your area that sells a product that is basically a coated, heated wire that you fasten along the edges of the roof and then plug in when the conditions are right for the ice dams to form. These actually work pretty well; however, they aren’t solving the real problem which, of course, is ventilation and insulation issues.
Most home improvement and hardware stores also sell pellets or tablets that are designed to be thrown up onto the roof from the ground. These tablets supposedly will melt the ice from the roof as they dissolve into the water that is running down the roof into the ice dam. I have no experience with these products so I can’t say for certain if they work as designed or not. However, some people say they have worked for their ice dam problems. A couple of things I would be worried about is potential damage to the shingles from the chemicals these tablets are made of (salt is not good for asphalt shingles), as well as possibly staining the roof with those same chemicals. And even in a base case situation this product is still just a band aid until the ventilation and insulation issues are addressed.
Proper Roofing Techniques For Cold Climates
In addition to making sure that the roof has proper ventilation and attic insulation there is an additional level of security against ice dam issues and roof leaks that all responsible and ethical roofing contractors should be taking in cold weather climates with regards to pitched, asphalt shingled roofs. When a new roof is installed, an extra layer of protection called an ice and water membrane should be installed from the edge to at least 3 feet up the roof.
This added layer of protection will help prevent leaks if ice dams do develop along the roof edges. The ice and water membrane will not prevent ice dams, it simply is added security to help protect the plywood or OSB sheathing beneath the asphalt shingles and prevent leaks should an ice dam form.
If you are not sure that you have the right amount of insulation and ventilation in your attic, you can call a licensed home inspector or roofing contractor in your area to come out and assess your situation. A little preventable maintenance now can save you big bucks down the road.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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