Bay Area Home Inspection

Failing to change a grease filter subjects you to a number of potential hazards including increased greasy buildup on the interior of your exhaust hoods, on exterior surfaces of your kitchen cabinets and walls, countertops and floors.

In addition, leaving used grease filters in place too long dramatically increases your risk of fire entering your duct work and spreading through your house.

During a recent San Jose home inspection, this is what greeted my eyes in an old one car garage wall. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words... the discolored wall is a sign of an electrical overload... over-heating.

Electrical circuit overloads happen when more amperage (a measurement of how much electricity is flowing) is put across an electrical wire than it can handle. Electrical wires come in different sizes and can only handle so much electricity.

Electrical overload can occur for a number of reasons: loose connections, too many lights and appliances being used on a single circuit, or water getting into the electrical panel.

This is a deteriorated asphalt shingle roof at 35 years old identified at a recent Walnut Creek home inspection. The original roof warranty was for 20 years.

Asphalt shingles are currently the most popular type of residential roof material. They are relatively inexpensive, simple to install, come in a variety of colors and are easy to repair.

Asphalt Shingles 101

There are two basic types: fiber glass and organic. Organic shingles consist of an organic felt (paper) material saturated with asphalt to make it waterproof. A top coating of adhesive is applied and then the colored ceramic granules are embedded. Organic shingles contain 40% more asphalt giving the shingle more weight, durability and blow-off resistance.

Fiber glass shingles start with a fiber glass mat, coated with asphalt and fillers. When the asphalt encapsulates the fiberglass mat, it makes it waterproof. Adhesive asphalt is used to cover the mat and the colored ceramic granules are embedded. Fiberglass shingles are more popular, cheaper and easier to manufacturer... thus more cost effective to homeowners.

Today's pre-fabricated fireplaces have a metal covering at the top of the chimney chase to prevent water from entering the flue. The chase top is usually made of cheap galvanized sheet metal. Over, the years the metal coating is eroded by the sun's UV rays, rain, expansion and contraction.

A proper installation has the sheet metal sloping to the sides of the chase. Sometimes the flue collar underneath the cover isn't installed high enough or the weight of the flue moves downward creating a depression in the cover.

The next time that it rains, standing water accumulates around the flue as shown in the photo. Many times you'll see rust streaks on the sides of the chimney chase... This is your first clue that a chimney specialist should take a look.