4-Square Home Inspections, llc

Ice Dams

December 26, 2007 on 11:32 pm | In Home Maintenance | No Comments

Our Wintery Wonderland

Well, it’s that time of year again in our wonderful northern climate. Snow covered roofs, chestnuts roasting, and frost tickling your nose can make a beautiful White Christmas but the beauty could be short lived if the temperatures start to rise near freezing. Water could soon find its way down your mistletoe through your ceiling! These annoying leaks are most likely caused by an ice dam.

What Causes Ice Dams?

Ice dams form from the snow on your roof melting and freezing over a period of time. This could happen quite quickly if most of the snow on your roof is that really wet, heavy kind.Depending on your home, the temperature outside could be well below freezing when you notice the drip in your ceiling or down your walls.  Ice dams are caused when the snow on your roof melts and runs down your roof. If the water has no place to go, it will freeze usually at or above your eaves.This frozen mess will block any further melting and water begins to puddle at the dam caused by the ice. When this happens, water will back up under the shingles and find its way into your home. This can cause damage if it is not corrected.

Ice Dam Indicators

You will need to take a trip outside and look at your roof after a snowfall. If you notice bare spots, that is an indication of a “hot spot” usually caused by warm air from your home escaping and heating up the underside of the roof. This can be around skylights, chimneys, plumbing, and other roof vents. There could be other areas but we’ll get to that in a bit. Another good indicator are those icicles hanging from your gutters or soffits.

Check your Gutters!

If you didn’t get around to cleaning your gutters in the fall you may be paying for that now. Blocked or clogged gutters and downspouts can cause water to freeze faster than it would if your gutters were clean. Think about a river that’s moving very slowly. Fast moving water doesn’t freeze as quickly as water that isn’t moving. If you have leaves, sticks, toys, or other things in your gutter water will not move very quickly and freeze. It’s important to check and clean your gutters at least twice per year.

Snow is an Insulator

Snow is a very good insulator. It will reflect the heat from the sun on the top side and will trap any heat escaping from your home on the underside. There are several things you can do to minimize or even eliminate this problem. It may take a couple of tries. Your roof will also heat up from the sun causing the snow to melt. The darker the roof’s color, the hotter it will become.

The first thing you should do is to try to get as much snow off the first 4 to 6 feet from your eves as safely as possible using a roof rake. These are long, light-weight rakes that can be extended to reach to your roof from the ground. Do not climb on ladders or attempt to climb onto your roof. Ice is very slippery and whether you walk on it or set your ladder on , the odds are it won’t move, you will!

Safety First!

Now a little something about using a roof rake. Make sure you wear some protective gear including safety glasses, gloves, a good thick coat and something around your neck. A hard hat isn’t a bad idea either. You can purchase them at any home improvement store. Remember, you will be pulling the snow off the roof and more than likely you will be standing right under it! This snow may contain the ice dam and that can be very dangerous if you get hit by it. Follow all the directions that come with the rake and make sure you have a clear path behind you in case you need to get out of the way in a hurry!

Heated Roof and Gutter Cables

If the ice is too thick and won’t come down, don’t try chipping it off. You will cause more damage to your roof and shingles! There are some alternate ways to get the ice to melt. One method is to install a heated gutter and roof cable to keep the ice from forming as a solid block. This can be installed over an existing roof and gutter system and plugs into your home’s electrical system. The cable should extend into your gutters and through your downspouts to keep an open path for the melting snow to travel. You may need to hire an electrician if you do not have exterior receptacles handy. You will want to follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions and using long extension cords are not recommended.

Ice Melt

Another method involves using a nylon stocking and professional ice melt. This type of product uses magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, and/or calcium chloride as the active ingredient. I would not recommend using sodium chloride (rock salt) because it may accelerate the corrosion of your aluminum or galvanized gutters. Fill a long nylon stocking with the ice melting product and tie off the end. The trick is to get it onto your roof perpendicular to your gutter over the ice. This will melt a channel into the ice dam allowing the water above it to flow right on through. You may need to place several of these socks every three to six feet apart if you have a long ice dam on your roof. Make sure your gutters are as clean as possible so the water will have a place to go.

Hot Water or Steam

It is possible to use a hose with hot water to melt the snow and ice off the roof. This should only be done if and ice dam has formed but it isn’t leaking. Adding more water to your leaking roof will only cause more problems!

Trip to the Attic

A good way to prevent ice dams from forming and at the same time save your heating dollars is to take a trip into your attic. You attic space is an important part of your home. Maintaining this area can also save you money. Besides holding up your roof, your attic contains your insulation and ventilation systems that are just as important. If these are lacking, ice dams can be the result.

Vapor Barrier

Under your insulation you should find a vapor barrier. New homes use plastic. Older homes usually had paper that was attached to the first layer of insulation. Some very old homes didn’t have a vapor barrier at all. A vapor barrier helps to keep your warm moist air from leaking into your attic. You should only find one vapor barrier and that should be against the “warm side” of the attic space. This means it should be on top of the ceiling. If there is more than one, or the vapor barrier is facing the wrong direction, problems can occur. Moisture can get trapped between the layers and the insulation can become wet. If this happens, it no longer is insulating your home and can be a spot where mold could start growing. It would be best to correct this problem yourself or hire an insulation expert to give you an estimate for repairs.

Seal Gaps and Cracks

You will want to make sure that all holes to your home are properly sealed. Warm air can escape in many ways and making sure your attic is sealed to any living space definitely helps. You also want to make sure any heating or cooling ducts exposed in your attic are sealed and have a minimum of R-5 insulation wrapping them.  A good product to use is called “Great Stuff.” It comes in an aerosol can and expands many times to seal gaps around your chimney, wiring, sill plates, etc. A couple of things to remember are, you only want to seal spaces leading to your living areas and you don’t want to seal any recessed lighting fixtures (called cans). In fact, it is important to make sure you don’t have any insulation covering these cans because earlier models aren’t designed to be covered and can overheat if they are covered.

Insulate

After the vapor barrier has been checked and any holes leading to your living space have been sealed, you should make sure you have enough insulation in your attic. Wisconsin recommends a minimum R-38 or equivalent. That means you should have the following thicknesses depending upon the insulation material used:

Material	R-Value per inch	Total Thickness for R-38
Fiberglass Batt	3.14	12 inches
Fiberglass Blown	2.2	18 Inches
Rock Wool Blown	3.1	12 Inches
Cellulose Blown	3.13	12 Inches
Vermiculite	2.13	18 Inches

These materials can be used together to get the same insulation value.

• For example, if you have 3-1/2″ of fiberglass batt already in your attic and want to blow in cellulose insulation here’s how to figure out how thick it needs to be to equal R-38:
• 3-1/2″x 3.14 = R-11 (This calculates the R-Value of the existing insulation)R-38 ‘R-11 = R-27 (This calculates the additional R-Value you will need to get R-38)
• R-27 / 3.13 = 8.62″(This calculates the thickness of Blown in Cellulose you will need)

That means to get an R-38 equivalent, you would need to add about 9 inches of blown in cellulose insulation.

An important note if you have knob and tube wiring in your attic. It is not recommended to add insulation over this type of wiring because it could cause a fire hazard. Please check with an electrical contractor before adding insulation with this type of wiring!

Attic Ventilation

OK. You’ve checked your vapor barrier, filled any leaking holes, and your insulation is the proper depth. There is one last thing to do. Make sure your attic has the proper ventilation! Now this may appear to be a little goofy, but it is very important! While you are in your attic, have someone turn on your bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans. Nothing should be exhausting directly into your attic! If they are, these exhaust fans will need to be re-routed so they direct the exhaust air directly to the outside of your home.

There are many ways to ventilate your attic. The most common methods are:

• Soffit vents (located in your eves)
• Gable vents (located on the sides of your home near the peak of the roof)
• Roof Vents (Square shaped things cut into your roof near the peak)
• Ridge Vents (A long vent made from various materials that is installed where two roof surfaces meet at the top of the home)

A well designed ventilation system will use a combination of these methods to create the proper draft to circulate the air through your attic. The rule of thumb is one square foot of free vent area for every 300 square feet of attic space. One half of this free ventilation area should be on the high side of the attic and the remainder should be on the low side of the attic.

If you need help please contact a reputable roofing contractor.

Snow and Ice Barrier

If you have a new roof installed, make sure your roofing contractor includes the installation of a snow and ice barrier as part of the project. It is an impermeable membrane that is installed from the edge of the roof and extends up three to four feet from your gutters. This will prevent any water that may get under the shingles from penetrating the roof deck.

Thank You

We hope this information has been helpful. Winter can be a challenging time of the year for our homes in our northern climate. Knowing what causes ice dams and recognizing their formation can help you overcome the problems they can cause. There are many factors that need to come together to cause an ice dam and there is no good way to predict them. The moisture content of the snow, weather conditions, the energy efficiency of the home and how each family sets their thermostats all can contribute to this problem. If you need any additional information, please give us a call or drop us an e-mail. We would be happy to help!

Getting your Home ready for Winter

October 16, 2007 on 8:29 am | In Home Maintenance | 2 Comments

Well, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. That means that cold weather is just around the corner. While there’s still daylight, there are a few things you should do to prepare your home for the upcoming winter months. Snow, ice, and bitter cold weather are on the way and preparing your home will save you money!
Air Conditioner

If you have an outdoor condensing unit, now is a good time to rake all the leaves away and put a cover over it. If you don’t have a cover, a good quality tarp and bungee cords will work just fine. This will help keep snow and ice from getting inside the condensing unit. Covering it will also help preserve the finish keeping it looking new.

Bibs – Not the kind your child wears!

If you have outdoor hose bibs, go downstairs and find the shut-off valves for them. They are usually located in the ceiling near the walls where the water line exits the home, but not always. Look for the water line starting at the outside wall and follow it back. You will usually find a valve with a round handle on it. Sometimes, there is even a little cap on the side of the valve. Turn the valve all the way to the right. This will close off the water supply. Go outside and open the valve about 1/4 of the way. Water will drip out and then stop.
If you have a valve with a cap on it, grab a small bucket and put this under the valve. Take off the cap. Water will drip for a while. By taking off this cap, you’re bleeding the water line that will prevent freezing. Once it stops dripping, put the cap back on.

Chimney

Inspect your chimney for any blockages like nests, leaves, loose bricks, etc.  Even though your furnace may not use the chimney anymore, your water heater might. When you close up your home for winter, exhausting those combustion gasses is very important. Carbon Monoxide can build up over time if your chimney is not working properly.
If you don’t feel comfortable climbing on your roof, then don’t. There usually, there is a small door in the basement that is the cover for the chimney clean-out. Open it up and expect lots of stuff to fall out. Clean up the mess and then take a small mirror and look up the chimney during the day. You should be able to see daylight at the top. If you don’t, call a qualified chimney sweep to come to your home and do the cleaning for you. They will also inspect the condition of your chimney and let you know if there are problems lurking that you may not be aware of.
Check your wood burning fireplace chimney at the same time. Make sure there isn’t any creosote build-up on the inside walls. Have a qualified chimney sweep do a thorough cleaning if you have any build-up. It’s a simple way to prevent chimney fires.

Detectors

Make sure you have at least one working Carbon Monoxide detector. A preferred detector has Knight Hawk circuitry and a numerical display that communicates how much Carbon Monoxide is in your home in parts per million (ppm). Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning are nauseous, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath or headaches. If you feel any of these, get fresh air right away and contact a doctor for proper diagnosis. Also, contact a HVAC technician to determine the source of the problem and have it corrected.
Check and install smoke detectors in each bedroom. You should also have at least one smoke detector on each level of your home. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing your smoke detectors. If they are too close to the wall or installed in corners, they may not alarm in time. Change the batteries at least twice per year and check the operation monthly.

Furnace

Having your heating system tuned up before winter is a necessity. Hire a qualified heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technician to look over your heating system. The will check the heat exchangers, adjust your burners, and make sure everything is operating efficiently. You and your family depend on your furnace keeping your home warm and cozy. A furnace that is not efficient will waste your heating dollars and can even be dangerous. A by-product of burning any fossil fuels is Carbon Monoxide. This is a deadly, odorless, colorless gas that can kill. Your furnace tune-up will help make sure your heating system is operating efficiently and safely.
Make sure the area around the furnace is cleared for good circulation.  Make sure that all flammable materials like paint thinners, fuels, solvents, clothing, and cardboard that may have been stored around the furnace during the summer are moved far away from the furnace.
During the heating season, it is important to change your furnace filters on a regular basis. If you have disposable filters, they should be changed at the beginning of the heating season and then checked monthly. Each filter has an arrow printed on it that must point in the direction of the air flow. The air flow in most cases points towards the furnace.

Gutters

After the leaves have fallen, you should clean your gutters. Gutters are very important even during the snowy season! They must be kept clean to allow the water to flow. Yes, water does flow even during the winter. Just much slower! As the sun heats the roof of your home, the snow will melt and find its way into your gutters. Debris in your gutters will block this flow and ice will form. In a short period of time, this ice build-up will start creeping up your roof leading to a serious problem called an ice-dam.

Humidifiers

If your furnace is equipped with a built-in humidifier, change the water panel. Also, check for any leaks in your humidifier. Unmaintained humidifiers can cause serious damage to the heating system. Water that leaks inside of the furnace will rust it out from the inside.
There also is a controller for your humidifier either next to the thermostat or it may be next to the humidifier by the furnace. This dial controls the amount of moisture (relative humidity) that is added to your home. This needs to be changed based on the outdoor temperature. If you don’t, too much moisture could be added to your home that could condense on your windows leading to additional problems.

Insulation

Check your attic for proper insulation. Wisconsin recommends a minimum of R-38 for attic spaces. The R-value is a measurement of the resistance of a material to allow heat to pass through it. Fiberglass batts have an R-value of 3.14 per inch. So for an R-38 rating you should have at least 12 inches of fiberglass batts. Blown-in fiberglass requires about 18 inches. Blown-in cellulose requires about 12 inches. It is important to use non-faced (no paper or foil backing) if you are planning on adding fiberglass batts over any existing insulation. Make sure you keep all attic vents open. Attic ventilation is very important and it actually helps keep your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer!

Lighting

Turn on all your outside lights and check for burned out bulbs. Since the days are getting shorter, you will be entering and leaving you home more often in the dark. Making sure your outdoor lighting is working will help keep you safe.
There are inexpensive fixtures available at all home improvement stores that have motion sensors built in. They are easy to install and can really help by turning on the lights for you before you get to your door. Just make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instruction carefully.

Prune

Prune any branches that overhang your home, especially the dead ones. Heavy snow and ice can coupled with winds can cause dead branches to break. Falling branches can damage your home, car, or people passing by your property. Branches that seem out of the way of your home may not be when they become snow laden. Nothing should be allowed to abrade your home, especially your roof.  Premature failure will be the result.

Railings and Stairs

Make sure your stairs have tight, grippable, handrails. You probably will be walking up and down your stairs with snow and ice on them. Handrails can be a lifesaver if you inadvertently slip. If they are in poor condition, they are of no help. Replace any loose or rusted fasteners. Remember, they have to be able to support your entire weight if you do slip and fall.

Weather Stripping

During the daylight, look at all of your doors. If the door is closed, you should not be able to see any light coming in from the outside around the door. If you do, your weather stripping should be replaced. This will help keep the cold air from coming into your home and reduce the drafts. Poor weather stripping is a big energy waster because your heating system has to heat all that cold air.

I hope these ideas will help you get through winter safely. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment on this discussion!
Greg Liebig

4-Square Home Inspections, llc
 

What is ERMI(sm)?

October 6, 2007 on 2:59 pm | In Mold and Indoor Air Quality | No Comments

ERMI (sm) is the acronym for Environmental Relative Moldiness Index. ERMI (sm) is a scale created from a National database of approximately 1100 homes sampled by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during the 2006 American Healthy Home Survey and then analyzed by Qualitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (QPCR).

ERMI (sm) was developed by scientists at the USEPA to provide a straightforward, objective and standardized way to obtain results for mold investigations in homes as well as a tool used to evaluate the potential risk of indoor mold growth and associated health effects. Traditionally, mold analysis is done by either the microscopic observation of air samples and direct samples which is not standardized and can’t identify most species; or plate culturing of mold spores on various media - not all molds grow on the same medium.

The ERMI (sm) method involves the analysis of a single sample of dust from a home. Using Mold Specific Qualitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (MSQPCR), one can determine the presence of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences that are unique to a particular mold species - DNA-based detection and quantification of molds to the species level.

How was ERMI (sm) Developed?

In initial studies by the EPA, the concentrations of different mold species in “moldy homes” (homes with visible mold growth or a history of water damage) and “reference homes” (homes with no visible mold) were compared. Based on those results, mold species were selected and grouped into those with higher concentrations in moldy homes (group 1) and those with lower concentrations (group 2). For the calculation of the ERMI (sm) all concentrations are log-transformed and the sum of group 2 is subtracted from the sum of group 1.

The Collection Process

The sample could be dust from the carpets in the house (providing historical data) and the primary method used for ERMI (sm). Carpet dust acts as a reservoir for mold spores and is more representative of mold levels over a period of time versus short term air samples. Other applications could be flour from a mill where the level of aflatoxin producing mold is critical. Dust from the window drapes, office furniture and even from the HVAC duct work can be collected (although this process has not been totally formalized as of this writing)

ERMI (sm) Advantages

ERMI (sm) is based on standardized sample and machine based analysis which takes the human element out of the process (as much as possible)Accurate identification down to the speciesSensitive detection at low levels of sporesAbility to detect total cellsProvides simple interpretation of resultsFast - QPCR takes 24 hours turnaround timeWhat ERMI (sm) is NotThe ERMI is a mold index, not a health index. Each person responds differently to mold exposure due to genetics, pre-existing health conditions, age, etc. Medical questions about mold are for the Health Professionals to address