Additional Inspections
About Additional Inspections
When you are considering buying or selling a residential or commercial property, inspections can also be useful in checking for specific problems and issues, such as termite infestations or the presence of hazardous material like asbestos or formaldehyde foam.
Inspections can also be helpful after a storm or natural disaster to help determine the necessary repairs, to check structural components in your home for water damage or mold.
Sound Home Inspection offers a range of additional inspection services, including:
- Air Quality
- Asbestos
- Damaged Area
- Dangerous Wiring
- Formaldehyde Foam Insulation
- Moisture Content in Structural Members
- Radon Inspection
- Septic Inspection
- Termite Inspection
- Well & Water Quality
- Well Yield Test
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Air Quality
Many things can affect the air quality in a home. Mold and mildew in the walls can create mycotoxins that can exacerbate breathing conditions like COPD and asthma. Faulty vents and chimney flues can cause dangerous combustion by-products like carbon monoxide to be present in the home. Even clogged drains can cause bacteria to linger in the air.
What you can’t see CAN hurt you. That’s why it’s important to have the air quality in the property you’re considering purchasing evaluated by an experienced home inspector. Most air quality issues can be addressed when you know about them. A home inspector with air quality experience can give you a detailed report on the air inside a home so you can take the appropriate action.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Asbestos Inspection
Asbestos was a common insulation material in houses built between the late 19th century and the 1970s. Asbestos was banned in the United States in 1989 due to the connection between inhaling the substance and incidences of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.
Safely dealing with asbestos requires training and proper equipment. Homeowners risk health complications if they go poking around suspected asbestos insulation without a breathing mask and proper gear. A home inspector trained in asbestos can safely identify any asbestos that might still be located in your home or a property you are interested in purchasing. If asbestos is found, the property owner can have a specially-trained removal company deal with the issue.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Want to learn more?
Damaged Area
Home inspectors are not just for home buyers and sellers. Inspectors can be useful to existing homeowners, especially after catastrophic events like fires, hurricanes and storms. Do you live in part of the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic where homes have been severely damaged by Atlantic Ocean storms and hurricanes? Has your home had a fire? It’s often difficult to assess the repairs needed by such events without assistance.
A home inspector can help homeowners determine the repairs needed for their home to be liveable again after a disaster. In addition, a home that has been in a fire, flood or hurricane needs to have the resulting water completely mitigated before the living space can be repaired. If not, mold and mildew can develop behind the walls and beams can deteriorate. These issues often aren’t apparent when you walk through a property, even right after the storm. During such a stressful time, you don’t want to have to rely on what the insurance company or contractor is telling you. It’s helpful to have a calm, unbiased professional inspector on your side.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Dangerous Wiring Inspection
Dangerous wiring can be the result of several things. The house may have been built decades ago, have the original knob-and-tube wiring, and not have had the wiring updated as needed. Or, perhaps previous homeowners enlisted a home remodeler who wasn’t a licensed electrician and didn’t pay attention as much as he should have to safety regulations.
However dangerous wiring happened to occur in a home, identifying it and replacing the wiring is essential to your family’s safety. Faulty wiring and lighting are responsible for more than 32,000 house fires each year. An overloaded circuit can cause an electrical fire, or a short in the wiring can ignite the wooden beams and drywall that form your walls. If your home was wired prior to 1940, it’s wise to have it inspected for knob-and-tube wiring, fused electrical panel and dangerous wiring.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Want to learn more?
Formaldehyde Foam Insulation Inspection
Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation was widely used in the 1970s and early 1980s as a spray-in product to plug gaps around windows and doors and to insulate existing walls. This product was taken off of the residential market in the late 1980s due to health concerns over the toxicity of the insulation in high temperatures. Formaldehyde foam insulation, cured in place, looks something like dried butterscotch-colored styrofoam. This product should not be confused with more modern polyurethane insulation.
Identifying whether your home or the home you’re considering buying has formaldehyde foam insulation in place is important so you can take steps to either remove the product or install vapor barriers such as aluminum foil to keep the fumes from the insulation from reaching your living space.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Moisture Content in Structural Members Inspection
Coastal homes have special inspection issues. One of these is the moisture content in the beams that support homes that are subject to Atlantic storms and occasional tide surges. Moisture can also be an issue in homes away from the beach, in areas like eaves, attics and crawl spaces. Homes that have been affected by floods can also have problems with water-saturated wood.
An experienced inspector can measure the moisture content in the beams and building material of your home with the use of a hand-held moisture meter. Moisture-saturated materials can be restored to acceptable moisture levels with the use of moisture mitigation equipment. Wood that has been exposed to continual moisture will likely have to be replaced.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Want to learn more?
Radon Inspection (EPA-Approved)
Radon is a gaseous element found in nature, primarily around mines, granite and limestone. Radon is particularly prevalent around the Appalachian Mountains and Iowa. Radon is radioactive. While in small quantities it poses no health hazards, the gas has been known to accumulate in houses, seeping in through the foundation.
Since radon is a colorless and odorless gas, it’s important to have an experienced home inspector test and evaluate a property you may be considering for the presence of radon. Most homes have a small degree of this element, but occasionally homes are found with large concentrations that can be a health hazard. If a considerable amount of radon is found, the home can be vented to improve the air quality.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Septic Inspection
A septic system is a small-scale waste treatment system used in homes that aren’t tied to a municipal sewer system. Approximately 25 percent of homes in North America, primarily those in rural areas, rely on septic systems. Although there are a variety of types of systems, all have a tank that is buried in the ground, an inlet pipe, a filter and a drain field.
Septic systems are subject to strict municipal regulations as well as mandates from the US Environmental Protection Agency. An improperly-maintained system can cause homeowners to face expensive repairs and possibly having to replace their system. Conversely, a properly-maintained system can operate without issues for decades. Since it’s difficult, if not impossible, for a potential buyer to tell the difference, an inspection is desirable.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Want to learn more?
Termite Inspection/ Pest Inspection
Termites are a class of 4,000 species of social insects, about 10 percent of which feed on dead plant material like wooden buildings. Termites can cause extensive structural damage to the wooden beams and joists in homes.
A termite infestation is generally not visible to the casual observer until the damage is extremely widespread. These small insects can remain hidden behind walls or under floorboards for years until they have compromised structural supports. An experienced home inspector is alert to the subtle signs of termite activity and can advise homeowners and prospective buyers on the extent of any damage, giving them an opportunity to stop the infestation before it can cause real trouble.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Well & Water Quality Inspection
Wells have been a traditional way of getting drinking water since before Biblical times. Today, wells are still used in rural areas that aren’t tied to a municipal water system. Unlike the traditional hand-dug wells, today’s wells are machine-dug, are lined, are equipped with filters and have at least one automatic pump that helps to draw water for the home. Some well systems also have cisterns to store water.
Water quality is an important consideration with well water. A myriad of factors can affect the quality of the water, including a deteriorating lining, methane from natural gas in the ground, debris in the well and contaminants from rain water and the soil. A home inspector experienced with measuring water quality can accurately assess the state of the well.
To schedule your home inspection, call
(860) 445-1236 today.
Want to learn more?
Well Yield & Recovery Test
A well yield test helps to determine the capacity of your property’s well. This information is useful to help homeowners that rely upon well water for their household needs to control their water usage in periods of little rain. Many Connecticut and New England communities require such a test whenever a property is purchased or sold. Some also have minimum well yield level requirements.
The object of the well yield test is to see how much water from the surrounding water table replenishes the water supply when existing water is pumped out of the well. To do this, the inspector will measure the water initially held in the well casing, using a battery-powered water level indicator, then continuously pump water from the well over a set period of time and record how much water is taken from the well. Having a well yield test not only helps you meet local requirements, but can help you better manage your water usage.