Home Inspections

When buying a home there are lots of details to consider. One consideration is to decide to have a home inspection or not have it done. One of the concerns that I frequently find during home inspections is fire hazards. Home fire cost millions of dollars of damage every year and kill or destroy the live of many. Below are some examples of the type of fire hazards I find on a near daily basis. Most of the issues are things people are not aware of in that home.

When doing a home inspection I locate safety issues that the new home owner should be aware of so they can have it repaired or improved. Often the items found are easily corrected.

One very common concern I find especially in attics and basements is concerning wire splices. Home owners will add wires to run power for a new outlet or fixture somewhere and not use a covered junction box to contain the wire splices. Junction boxes are designed to prevent a person from accidentally contacting live wires. Some non handyman apparently that is all what the boxes are for and assumes the wires will not be touched if in an attic or some other out of the way area. The junction box has also the important function of containing any sparks that may occur. These sparks have the ability to start fires. When I am in an attic and see uncovered junction boxes surrounded by and sometimes partially filled with flammable cellulose insulation that is an important fire safety item to be corrected.

The city does not matter, Upper Arlington, Grove City, Columbus, etc all areas can have fire safety issue that are found during a home inspection. The issue is not the city building code, the cause of the issues is usually the result of a home owner doing improvements in a non professional manner.

Another fire safety issue found during home inspections is regarding the installation of insulation. With home owners trying more than ever to save on heating and cooling bills they are installing more insulation and at times installing it wrong. The vapor barriers on many blankets of insulation is flammable and should be installed in specific manner to reduce fire potential and spread. Many people simply do not realize the situations that can be created.

There are other fire hazards that are found during the course of my home inspections. These were just a few example. When buying a home get it inspected.