Is your Flexible Gas Line Grounded?
CSST stands for Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing and it has become a very popular means to run gas lines. Since it is flexible it easily installs where rigid black iron pipe would take multiple elbows, cuts and fitting to do the same thing. Here’s the issue I see commonly with inspections during home sales in the Dayton and surrounding areas. It is seldom grounded correctly. As of 2006 the manufacturer calls for the CSST to be bonded (grounded) back to the electrical box. Well, that can be a real challenge if the box is on another floor of the house or in an inaccessible area. The potential danger comes with a lightning strike. The thin walls of the tubing make it easy to bend around corners but can burn through during a lighting strike if not properly grounded. If it is not feasible to run a ground to the breaker box another option would be to replace it with a shielded black version like CounterStrike that does not require this type of grounding. I’m always available for real estate related questions in the Beavercreek, Kettering, Centerville and surrounding Dayton, OH areas. More Home Inspection Videos
What do Powderpost Beetles do to my House?
We don’t see powderpost beetles in Dayton OH as often as termites but every now and then I run across these little guys during an inspection for a home sale. They are a species of woodboring insect and they come by their name honestly. The damage they leave behind is a fine powder, the consistency of flour and the attacked wood can just crumble away. You may notice hundreds and sometimes thousands of tiny holes in the framing of a home. These holes look like someone took a sharp instrument and started randomly poking into the wood. These are actually the exit holes the mature adults bore AFTER their larval stage has tunneled through the wood. It can take an incredible 1 to 5 years for them to develop and it’s all done concealed inside the board. There are several insecticides like Boracare or Timbor that can be sprayed onto the infected wood. Since the powderpost larvae are inside the wood it is important that enough of the chemical used can soak in. This will penetrate the wood and remain for years of protection, also discouraging carpenter ants and termites. So, if you see wood around your house that has a “shotgun” pattern of tiny holes you know what it is likely to be. I’m always available to discuss real estate issues in the Beavercreek, Kettering, Bellbrook and surrounding Dayton OH areas. More Home Inspection Videos
Why is my Water Heater Popping?
Have you ever been confused by the muffled knocking and popping that occasionally comes from a water heater? Sometimes they are rather faint noises but other times can be downright startling. This can occur from excess sediment build-up in the bottom of your water heater. However, it’s not the sediment that makes the noise, it is rapidly escaping air bubbles from underneath the sediment that makes all the racket. As sediment builds up at the bottom of a gas heater or over the heating element in an electric unit it temporarily traps air bubbles. These air bubbles occur when the water starts to boil. The bubbles trapped under the sediment build until they suddenly slip through. This quick release of air as the bubble races to the top of the heater is what makes the noise. Flushing a water heater once a year will keep the scale and minerals at bay. If you live in an area of hard water like Beavercreek OH for instance, you’ll probably need to do it twice a year. Real estate buyers always seem to ask the age of things like the water heater so keeping it in good working order is important to your sale. Just reach out if you have any real estate related questions. More Home Inspection Videos
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