Home Wiring DIY Bad Advice!

As a home inspector in Jacksonville, FL I like being able to share different things with the consumers in Jacksonville Florida. 

This Guy Wrote The Book On Electrical Wiring

The Consumer Product Safety Commission just released a list of books with bad wiring instructions “Posing an electrical shock or fire hazard to consumers”. I can’t tell you how many homes I have inspected and seen these types of books and thought to myself “AHHHH that explains EVERYTHING!”

I am a firm believer that if you don’t know what you are doing it’s best to hire a professional. Doing things yourself or hiring someone who is cheap will cost you more in the long run than if you were to hire a professional. A professional may charge a little more, but it is worth it. If you hire someone that charges less, or you do it yourself and then have to hire a professional later, you actually spent more money. Do yourself a favor and hire a professional and make sure it is done right the first time!

Here is a list of the books and the link to CPSC recall for these items.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10104.html

Title	ISBN	Publication Date
AmeriSpec Home Repair Handbook	978-0-376-00180-1	January 2006
Lowe’s Complete Home Improvement and Repair	978-0-376-00922-7 978-0-376-01098-8	September 2005 December 1999
Lowe’s Complete Home Wiring	978-0-376-00928-9	May 2008
Sunset Basic Home Repairs	978-0-376-01581-5 978-0-376-01025-4	February 1995 January 1975
Sunset Complete Home Wiring	978-0-376-01594-5	December 1999
Sunset Complete Patio Book	978-0-376-01411-5 978-0-376-01397-2 978-0-376-01399-6	January 2006 January 1998 April 1990
Sunset Home Repair Handbook	978-0-376-01258-6 978-0-376-01256-2	October 1998 February 1985
Sunset Water Gardens	978-0-376-03849-4	January 2004
Sunset You Can Build – Wiring	978-0-376-01596-9	January 2009

If you or someone you know needs a professional Jacksonville home inspector to inspect the home right the first time, give us a CALL 904-891-6309. or schedule online here.

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What Do The Myth Busters Know About Home Inspections?

Every home I have inspected has had a water heater. Most people don’t know that your water heater can actually be very dangerous. One of the items checked during the home inspections is the Temperature Pressure Relief (TPR) Valve. It is usually located on the top or the side of the water heater, and has a little tag on it.  There are 2 common defects I usually find with the TPR valve. The first is there is no discharge pipe (see picture on right)  to prevent someone from being burnt in the event of an overtemp or over pressurized tank. The second is an obstruction of the TPR valve which could lead to an explosion like in this video from the “Myth Busters”. I have always wondered what it would look like if a water heater were to explode. Pretty scarry! Go check your water heater now. If you have any questions go ahead and give us a call. 904-891-6309.

 Photo by Goddard Video and Multimedia

Urban Myth Of The Neighbors Bad Kid

 
Every time I see this and the owner of  the home is present, I ask them why they put a lock on the main breaker box. I bet you can guess the answer. “Well somebody told me the kids in the neighborhood will shut off the main breaker.” And can you guess how many people I have asked ever had this happen to them? It’s a big fat ZERO. Someone just told them that this could happen. At todays home inspection the seller gave me a perfect example of why you should NEVER, EVER lock your main breaker panel.

Here’s what happened. I asked the seller where the keys were. She told “I knew some day someone would ask me that question. I think they are in here somewhere.” After a minute or so she found the keys. When I went to unlock the lock it was rusted shut. Now the problem is, what if the home is on fire and you need to find the keys, get out of the home and shut off  power to the home?

If you have your main breaker locked because of the urban myth of the neighbors bad kid, make a decision on which is more important to you, the bad kid that may never mess with your breaker or your families safety.

photo by Diego Cupolo

Jacksonville, FL Home Inspector Grinch or Christmas Hero

Jacksonville, FL Home Inspector Shocking Christmas Find

During a recent home inspection in Jacksonville, FL I found what could have made for a shocking Christmas. I pointed this out to the seller and he then realized the potential hazrd he had created by doing something as simple as putting up Christmas lights.

Here are a few more holiday safety tips

 

• When putting up lights outside your home, make sure that they are rated for outdoor use and approved by Underwriters Laboratories
• Check each string for cracked or broken light sockets, wires with damaged covering.
• Throw away any damaged lights.
• Do not use more than 3 sets of lights in any string
• Always use a 3-prong extension cord approved for outdoor use
• Always make sure your ladder is dry and firmly in place
• Do not use staples or nails to hold up your lights
• Turn off all lights before you go to bed or leave the house

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If you or someone you know in the Jacksonville, FL area is looking for a quality home inspector, please direct them over to our site to receive a FREE Sample of an actual Home Inspection Report. Go Here to Get Yours Right Now! Schedule Your Appointment NOW, Click Here.

Our Home Inspections are performed in:  Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Elkton, Fernandina Beach, Saint Augustine, Hastings, Saint Johns, Neptune Beach, Fleming Island, Doctors Inlet, Green Cove Springs, Middleburg, Penney Farms, Starke, Flora Homes, Lake Geneva, Keystone Heights, Melrose, Bryceville, Callahan, Yulee, Hilliard, Orange Park, Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach Including the following counties, Duval County, St Johns County, Clay County, Nassau county

 

image by oskay

WARNING Your Thanksgiving Turkey Could Be Dangerous

 

What could be so dangerous about your Thanksgiving Turkey, and why is a Jacksonville, FL Home Inspector WARNING you about it?

 I Love thanksgiving! It has always been a great family tradition that I have enjoyed. And what would thanksgiving be without a big, fat turkey? As a family tradition I always wake up early to cook the bird myself. I make my grandmas dressing (yes from scratch) and stuff the bird. Then its in to the oven for hours, with an occasional basting (every 45 minutes or so).

So why am I, a Jacksonville Florida home inspector, telling you that your turkey could be so dangerous? Well Along with family tradition comes family stories. One Thanksgiving my aunt was baking her turkey. She pulled the rack out which had the whopping 20+ pound turkey sitting on it. She ended up going to the emergency room for serious burns. What happened? At the time of this Thanksgiving incident, ovens were not equipped with a safety feature known as an anti-tip bracket. When my aunt pulled the turkey out the weight of the turkey caused the oven to tip and dumped all of the hot butter and turkey juices on her. Fortunately the oven itself didn’t tip all of the way over and land on top of her. Yes, it can happen, and imagine a small child grabbing the stove and having it tip over.

To make sure you have an anti-tip bracket you can do this simple check. Make sure your oven and burners are turned off (safety first), and make sure that nothing is on top of the oven. Grab the top of the oven and try and tip it towards you. If it tips I can’t urge you strongly enough to get this issue corrected. 

I have inspected many homes in Jacksonville, FL. And I can’t tell you how many times the anti-tip bracket or device is not installed. As a matter of fact when I purchased my new home the anti-tip bracket was not installed. The person responsible for installing it didn’t feel like drilling the holes in the floor, so they just left the bracket back there serving no purpose. As the story about my aunt goes to show you the anti-tip bracket or device is a very important safety feature that could cause serious injury or even worse. I wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

 Click here to verify your home inspector is part of ASHI.

 

If you or someone you know in the Jacksonville, FL area is looking for a quality home inspector, please direct them over to our site to sign up to receive a FREE Sample of an actual Home Inspection Report. Go Here to Get Yours Right Now!

Our Home Inspections are performed in:  Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Elkton, Fernandina Beach, Saint Augustine, Hastings, Saint Johns, Neptune Beach, Fleming Island, Doctors Inlet, Green Cove Springs, Middleburg, Penney Farms, Starke, Flora Homes, Lake Geneva, Keystone Heights, Melrose, Bryceville, Callahan, Yulee, Hilliard, Orange Park, Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach Including the following counties, Duval County, St Johns County, Clay County, Nassau county

photo by matthew.hickey