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GAZETTE Newspapers
By: Arthur S. Lazerow
Title:
Common
Concerns
Nasty weather or alarming news often brings unusual or
interesting questions to Ask Mr. Home Inspector. The
most recent questions have been mundane and all have been
answered. Since there is big issue to focus on, here are
several questions that seem to repeat from time to time.
Question 1: Glenn emailed:
“We moved into a house last winter which has a gas fireplace
that is vented outside. During the winter, the fireplace had a
continuous source of cold air blowing in from outside, and the
pilot light actually blew out when the wind was strong. Can
these problems be corrected easily?
Answer: Glenn: There may be two problems here causing your
home to be cold. You may be losing air from you house, which
pulls cold air down the chimney or from the direction your house
sits on your lot and the prevailing wind patterns, your chimney
may be catching a draft. I have a gas fire place and we keep
the damper open all winter and do not experience the problem you
are writing about. I recommend you have a qualified
chimney/fireplace mechanic inspect your fireplace and chimney to
determine whether or not there is any condition with respect to
these causing your problem. An energy audit by a professional
energy consultant would give you a full view of energy wasting
areas or components of your home. You could walk around your
home and critically ask if there is air leakage causing a
depressurization on the interior of your home. Ask your
fireplace mechanic whether you can close your damper with the
pilot light burning. Is it a flueless log and burner set? Or,
can you install glass doors to seal the fireplace off from the
house, but open them when the gas is burning?
Question 2: Gloria emailed,
“I noticed that the flow of water became weaker and weaker in
both the downstairs bathroom sink and the sinks in both
bathrooms upstairs. I asked my husband to figure this out. He
unscrewed the end of one of the faucets and found white plastic
bits or pieces clogging the little screen filter (his words).
Where is this coming from?”
Answer: Gloria, you have a failing water heater dip tube. You
must have an older water heater, manufactured in the early or
mid-1990’s. Many of these were made with white plastic (PVC)
dip tubes inside, which in your case is now shredding. The
simple answer is to call a plumber. If the water heater is over
10-years old, put it out of its misery and have your plumber
install a modern, new water heater. Sorry…
Question 3: Samuel from
Rockville wrote: “What about radon from granite counter tops?
The news accounts on this are worrying. We bought a new home
two years ago with granite kitchen counter tops that are
beautiful. Should we be worried and what should we do?”
Answer: The radon experts are not of uniform opinion on this
subject. I have read some reports that the worst radon
offenders have been measured at about 4.4 picocuries/liter,
which when added to a possible elevated base rate from the
sub-slab gases coming naturally through the lowest floor
surface, could increase radon gas exposure of the occupants of
the dwelling to a truly unhealthy level. Other reports are that
most granite is not problematic. My company tested a home in
Libertytown, Maryland for this problem. The basement was
significantly elevated, with a level of 7.2 picocuries/liter of
air in the basement. Two test cylinders placed on top of an
extremely large piece of granite (5’x7’) on the kitchen island
showed the first floor air contained a radon level of 2.5
picocuries/liter. Our experience is that the radon levels at a
higher floor are typically measures about half what they are at
the floor below. The best advice is to test your house for
radon, if you did not do so when you first purchased it, and
place a second test on the granite.
Have a question relating to housing or an environmental issue?
To contact Mr. Lazerow, click on “Contact Us” at
Albaninspect.com. Mention “Gazette Newspapers” in your
question. Every question will be answered and some will be
included in this column.
Arthur Lazerow, president of Alban Home Inspection Service,
Inc., was a homebuilder for 25 years and is now a nationally
certified ASHI home inspector, having performed more than 5,000
inspections during the past 10 years. He can be heard every
Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. as co-host of Real Estate Today
on WMET 1160 AM.
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