The Importance Of GFCI Outlets

What is a GFCI Outlet?

A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)  is a protective device specifically designed to break the circuit (trip) every time there is an current imbalance between incoming and outgoing current. 

The GFCI outlet protects electrical wiring and receptacles & significantly minimizes the risk of shock injuries and fatal burns. GFCIs also detects ground faults and disrupts the flow of current (by tripping) but should not be used to replace a fuse as it does not offer protection against short circuits and overloading.

Where are GFCI Receptacles Needed?

GFCI outlets are recommended (& sometimes required by code depending upon the age of construction) near water. It’s a good idea to install GFCI outlets in your kitchen, bathrooms, laundry rooms, exterior outlets/receptacles, pool house etc.

Apart from being an essential preventive measure / safety device, the law also requires you to have GFCI outlets installed throughout your home. According to National Electric Code (NEC), all homes must be equipped with GFCI protection to maintain current electrical safety standards. 

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What should I do when a GFCI outlet trips?

This usually isn’t a “call an electrician” moment but it does have the potential to be. When a GFCI trips, there is usually a reset button on the receptacle itself or there is one upstream (for example, sometimes all bathroom outlets are GFCI protected with one single reset button), or it could be that your GFCI protection is provided by a breaker in your service panel. You should try to reset the GFCI. If it doesn’t reset, the GFCI could be defective / damaged & in need of replacement. It’s also possible that the GFCI is doing it’s job still & will not reset until the source of the current imbalance is removed.

Self-Testing Your Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter

It is recommended that GFCI outlet should be tested every month and replaced every decade (expected service life). You can follow these simple steps to test if the circuit interrupter is working properly:

1. The face of the GFCI outlet features two small buttons that are labeled test & reset. Simply press the test button & this should trigger a “snap” like sound, which indicates that the outlet has been successfully tripped.

2. Once the power trips, you can check the efficiency of the GFCI unit using a voltage meter or a receptacle tester.

3. Now plug in a device into the outlet and when it stops working, press the test button so you can be sure of the safety mechanism.

4. Once you know the CFGI outlet is working at peak efficiency, you can press the reset button and the circuit interrupter will be turned on once again.

These DIY instructions may be easy-to-follow, they do require the knowledge of the general functioning of your home’s electrical system. It is always recommended to hire a certified / licensed / insured electrician who can ensure that your electrical system is in compliance with relevant codes so your home & the occupants remain protected.

Top 4 Ways to Help Your Roof Last Longer

What can I do to make my roof last longer?

This is the very best question to ask yourself as a homeowner when it comes to your roof. Most of us know how expensive new roofs can be.

1. Cut back your trees and other vegetation (vines) from your home. Tree leaves and debris tend to clog up your gutters and can cause water to soak into the roof.

Trees / vegetation that overhangs the roof or are in contact with your roof will prematurely wear out the roofing materials.

2. Don’t let the satellite TV dish person install the dish through your roof. They know how to get the best signal, not how to keep the water out of your home or attic.

Those bolts through your roof now need roof sealant on them and will require to be checked on periodically. The TV dish installer might have found the right signal but, they cost more of your time now with more frequent roof maintenance & attic checks for leaks.

Plus, when cable wires run across your roof, they can trap leaves and other debris that will trap moisture on your roof. The cable can also rub back and forth during higher winds which grind away at the shingle mineral granules which wears out your roof shingles faster.

3. Take a lap around your home often. Make sure the shingles aren’t blown off / missing, debris isn’t clogging up the roof valleys, gutters are clear, etc.

PRO TIP: Wait for a heavy rain and climb into your attic if you suspect a possible roof leaks. This is the best time to find any active leaks and to locate where they are at.

4. DO NOT PRESSURE WASH YOUR ROOF. This is a surefire way to wear out your roof really fast by washing away all of the mineral granules that are designed to protect your roof.

That 25-30 year life expectancy of your roof may now be reduced to 5 years after a powerful pressure wash.

Live in the Hampton Roads area and need a home inspection? Call Virginia State Home Inspections today at 757-503-3677 to book Jacob Knapp as your trusted certified / licensed home inspector.

Virginia State Home Inspections is veteran owned and operated. Military / Veteran discounts are available.

How Long Will My Roof Last?

How long will my roof last?

By Jacob Knapp ( Virginia State Home Inspections ).

This is such a loaded question because the life expectancy of your roof depends on so many factors.

What area of the country do you live in? What kind of roof do you have / What type of roofing material do you have? What style of roof do you have? Was it installed by professionals?

The very best question you can ask yourself is… What can I do to help my roof last longer? I have another follow up blog to answer this question.

What area of the country do you live in?

How long your roof will last mostly depends on the area you live in. Different roofing materials and the way homes are built in general are much different in Florida versus Michigan.

Since I work as a professional home inspector in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, this is the area I will discuss for your roof.

What kind of roofing material do you have?

We see a lot of 3 tab shingle roofs or architectural grade shingle roofs in the Hampton Roads area. We’ll stick to these today for this roofing blog.

3 Tab Shingle Roofs:

Typically, 3 tab shingle roofs last an estimated 15 to 20 years depending on many factors.

In the Hampton Roads area, we have a decent amount of wind and quite a bit of moisture. Humidity is pretty high as well.

For most of these roof systems (in my experience), they don’t last the entire 20 years. The roof lasts closer to 15 years due to the heavier amounts of rain, moisture / humidity, higher winds, the heat, direct sunlight, etc.

Even for the 15 years or 20 years it might last, that doesn’t mean your roof won’t need repairs over that time as well. A home is something that is never finished as they say and maintenance is always going to be required for our homes.

Architectural Grade Shingles:

This roofing system is designed to last an estimated 25 to 30 years. This also depends on many environmental factors.

This roof also lasts about 25 years (in my experience again) due to the environmental conditions of the Hampton Roads area.

Repairs are also expected during that 25 year time as well. Shingles blow off over time and other repairs may be needed as well after a hail storm for example.

What kind / style of roof do I have?

The style or roof design will affect a lot of things when it comes to how long your roof may last to how much repairs and replacement are for your roof.

PRO TIP: As a general rule, the more complex of a design for a roof, the more it’s going to cost you to have replaced in the future.

This is because more roofing materials (flashing, roof decking, shingles, underlayment, etc.) are going to be needed and a lot more thinking goes into the pathways for water shedding.

PRO TIP: Another roof item worth noting is the pitch or steepness of your roof. Another general roofing rule is the steeper your roof, the longer it lasts (again, based on my field experience as a home inspector).

What direction does your home face? The parts of the roof that are south facing will most likely wear out faster due to the higher amounts of direct sunlight that hit the roof on a daily basis. This shingles get sun baked over time.

Was your roof installed by professionals?

I cannot stress this enough, if you’re not extremely well versed in roofing installation & how things are built today. Please hire a professional to install your new roof.

As a home inspector, we see a lot of attempts at roof repairs and replacements from the diy (do it yourself) type of homeowners.

There are a lot of things I encourage DIY homeowners to tackle, but roofing is not one of them due to the high costs of roof replacements and roofing materials.

I understand people are trying to save money but, I don’t want you to have to buy a roof twice because the roof wasn’t done right the first time.

I recently inspected (January 2019) a home with a 2 year old roof (practically brand new right?) The entire roof was installed incorrectly and needed replacement. It had been leaking for probably those entire 2 years and the roof sheathing / substructure needed replacing from the moisture damage (wood rot). That particular seller had to buy that roof twice because it needed to be completely redone.

Please hire the professionals to build your roof right the first time.

PRO TIP: As a perk to having it done correctly, if the home inspector finds that your roof has some installation errors from the professional roofer / roofing company, there is someone to call to come back and fix it correctly. It doesn’t happen very often, but it can happen.

Personally, if I hired a professional tradesman to come and do a job at my home and I find out that it wasn’t done correctly (to code or to the industry standards), I’d blow that phone up and have them fix all of it for free. A professional is supposed to do things the right way and know the current standards. I’m still paying for the new roof of course (don’t go crazy, they have families to feed too) but, correcting the installation errors and making the roof up to the current standards is coming out of their pocket if it wasn’t done right the first time.

Live in the Hampton Roads area and need a home inspection? Call Virginia State Home Inspections today at 757-503-3677 to book Jacob Knapp as your trusted certified / licensed home inspector.

Virginia State Home Inspections is veteran owned and operated. Military / Veteran discounts are available

Top 3 Money & Water Saving Upgrades for Your Home

#1 Upgrade your toilets to WaterSense toilets.

The average amount of gallons per a flush on a toilet installed before 1992 was 5-7 gallons per flush (GPF). Toilets installed today (January 2019) with the WaterSense label use 1.28 GPF or less. 

According to the EPA, an average American household can save an estimated $130.00 a year by upgrading their old, inefficient toilets. If you have the 7 GPF toilets in your home, you could save as much as $300.00 - $400.00 a year by upgrading to WaterSense labeled toilets. 

#2. Upgrading your faucets to low flow.

Things to consider first! Utilizing low flow faucets, showers and toilets can have unintended consequences that you should be aware of before switching everything over in your home.

There might not be enough water moving through the drain to remove waste properly. This could cause backups which is not what a homeowner wants to deal with on a regular basis. Another challenge is the low flow rate of a shower head fixture. Is the water pressure now too low to rinse hair adequately. 

Low flow is a great option in many cases that can lower your water bill and water usage. However, it’s really up to the homeowner & occupants to lower the water usage. If I install a low flow shower head but, I decide to take longer showers, it really isn’t helping my case.  

#3. Insulating your hot water pipes. 

If you own a crawlspace with your home, you have relatively easy access to your exposed plumbing pipes. Insulating your hot water pipes is a great idea to save on your electric bill and to improve the efficiency of your hot water system. 

If you don’t own a crawlspace. We do what we can to insulate exposed pipes. It wouldn’t be very practical to open up walls to insulate pipes that aren’t on exterior walls. If you do open up walls at some point, keep some pipe insulation on hand in your home to insulate what you can - when you can! 

Feel free to email me (info@VAStatehomeinspections.com) or follow me on Instagram & Facebook @VAstatehomeinspections for more tips, hacks, & freebies to help educate & save you money in the future.

3 Things to Know Before Buying a 1980's Home

Are you about to purchase or in the market for a home built in the 1980’s? Do you know some of the common problems associated with homes built during this time period? Some of the common problems associated with homes built during this time frame include electric panels, ductwork, & the plumbing pipes.

Electric Panels

Relax! If your home was built in the 1980’s, you shouldn't have to worry about aluminum wiring! There are, however, some brand name electric panels that are infamous to home inspectors in the industry. Federal Pacific and Zinsco come to mind for me.

The standard electric panel installed in the 1980’s was an 100 amp electric panel which is the minimum electric service requirement today (January, 2019). If your planning on running a workshop out of your home with the use of a lot of power tools that require a decent electrical load, you might have some problems. For the average homeowner, 100 amps might be adequate but, something to consider when purchasing the home. As the families grow in numbers in homes, so do the electrical loads.

Federal Pacific & Zinsco electric panels had a few manufacturer errors when they were originally built. A lot of home inspectors out there wont even touch them if they spot them due to the potential dangers of these electric panels. Some of the common problems associated with the panels were that the breakers failed to trip when overloaded, resulting in a potential house fire. Another common problem with the two panels is that when the panel cover is removed, the breakers had a tendency to pop out rather easy. This is the main reason that a lot of home inspectors wont touch them and refer them out to a qualified licensed electricians.

Air Ducts / Ductwork

Flex ducts were still a relatively new thing in the 1980’s and they saved contractors and homebuilders a lot of money at the time. Like everything out there, it’s all a great idea until it’s not anymore. The earth is flat until it’s not anymore. The ductwork that home inspectors are looking for are typically referred to as “Gray Flex Ducts” which tend to be problematic. The outer shell of the gray flex duct would split when exposed to UV light. The entire flex duct was likely to deteriorate after the outer shell was split open. The UV light was able to enter the attic through the attic vents (do not seal up your attic ventilation). A lot of homeowners would tape them up to seal them which is a good temporary solution but, the longterm fix is replacing the flex duct which isn't a crazy expensive fix in the long run. The newer flex ducts out there seem to be much better & the UV light issue has since been solved.

Plumbing Pipes / Systems

This one is a bit more popular since there was a class action lawsuit against Polybutylene plumbing systems or also commonly referred to as Quest (Qwest).

This piping system was revolutionary at the time due to its ability to bend and flex while being installed. It saved a lot of time during the building process and a lot of money for the builders and contractors. Unfortunately, a lot of these plumbing systems failed which caused a lot of property damage to homes and headaches to homeowners.

Most of the problems came near the plastic pipe fittings for the first generation of polybutylene plumbing systems. Many of those plastic fittings were replaced by copper fittings. This was viewed as an adequate fix at the time but, some homeowners still have problems with them. There are a lot of homeowners out there that have little to no problems with their polybutylene plumbing system in their homes. However, many home inspectors will still bring this to your attention for you to make your own decision about purchasing the home.

Remember, every home needs maintenance and things to be fixed over time. Home inspectors like myself love to use the “old car” analogy when talking about problems in the home. Owning a car requires the oil to be changed regularly, along with a new oil filter, a new air filter, spark plugs at times, etc. We often forget that our homes require the same level of care and maintenance to operate & perform in the way it was designed.

I hope this home inspection blog finds you well and that you learned something from it! I’m Jacob Knapp with Virginia State Home Inspections and I primarily operate in the Hampton Roads area in Virginia (Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, Yorktown, Gloucester, Hayes, Matthews, Jamestown, Poquoson, etc.). If you have any questions or just want to chat, you can reach me at info@vastatehomeinspections.com or call me at 757-503-3677. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for some awesome freebies & advice @VAStatehomeinspections I’m truly passionate about helping people learn and helping them to save money! Have a great one everyone & please let me know what you think!

5 Steps to Prepare Your Home for Winter

Is Your Home Ready?

By Jacob Knapp

#1. Don’t Get Left Waiting in the Cold

Statistically, most heating systems fail on the first cold snap of the winter season. Most technicians receive a flood of phone calls during this time. The best solution is to have your HVAC system serviced before the first cold snap of the season.

As a home inspector, I like to recommend to homeowners that they sign up for a service agreement for their HVAC system so they aren’t left waiting in the cold. It can save you a lot of future headaches by being proactive instead of reactive.

#2. Change Your Filters Monthly

We all get extremely busy, especially at this time of year preparing for the holiday season. A common thing that gets overlooked by many homeowners is remembering to change their disposable air filter monthly.

PRO TIP: Although buying those 3 month filters may be convenient, most HVAC contractors recommend purchasing the cheaper monthly filters. The higher quality filters typically cost more & will cost you more in the long run by over-restricting the air flow. Monthly filters are less expensive and they won’t increase the work load for your HVAC system. This saves some money on your electric / gas bill.

#3. Gutters Catch More Than Rain

Leaves, branches, and much more debris everywhere! Your gutters aren’t designed to handle all of that extra weight. If your gutters begin to sag, fall, or break, that’s when the problems start.

A simple task of cleaning your gutters can turn into a much larger and more expensive issue. Gutters are designed to shed rainwater out and away from the foundation of your home. Water settling near your foundation can cause moisture problems. Water can cause damage to your eaves by not catching and shedding the water away from your home properly.

#4. While Your Up There-

Checklist For Your Roof

Your roof should be:

- Free of any debris (leaves, branches, etc.)

- All shingles present & intact.

Check for any shingles that may have blown off from a storm.

- Check for nail pops, they are common with temperature changes due to expansion & contraction of wood.

#5. Crawlspace Ventilation

Contrary to Popular Belief...

According to current building science practices, in mixed climates, such as the Hampton Roads area, you should open your foundation vents in the winter & close them in the summer in the Hampton Roads area. Why you ask?

- In the summer, your crawlspace is dryer and cooler than the outside air.

- In the winter, your crawlspace is warmer and more humid than the outside air

- In order to keep your crawlspace dryer, it’s recommended to open the foundation vents in the winter time to let Mother Nature equalize the area in your crawl space.

Ready For a Home Inspection?

At Virginia State Home Inspections, I Inspect your home like I’m the one moving my family to live there. With my military background, I don’t believe in cutting corners or taking shortcuts.

I have the clients best interest at heart, not the realtors. I believe in being thorough and also being efficient. I’m here to help you find out about your home so that you can make the best decision with the information at hand.

Jacob Knapp CEO , Virginia State Home Inspector