Thursday, October 27, 2011

Keep Your Pool and Spa in Excellent Condition

Molds and bacteria love to live in dark, moist places. They can usually be found in basements or attics, where there are little to no sunlight and poor ventilation. Not only does mold infestation look unsightly, they can posses a great health hazard for the whole family.

Black molds are the most common indoor mold. Having contact with black molds by inhaling their spores can pose a great treat to you and your love ones. Molds can cause skin allergies and pulmonary ailments such as asthma attacks and pneumonia.

But not all molds can be found indoors. Many type of molds and other microorganisms are found outdoors such as your porch, backyard, and even in your pool and spa.

The most common form of mold in the swimming pool area is called White Water Mold. And just like its cousin, the Black mold, White Water Molds can cause serious health hazards for your family.

White water mold usually build their colonies in plastic materials and your swimming pool tiles. They can manifest in your pool cleaning tools, swimming pool toys, water hoses, and swimming pool equipments. They are resilient and can re-contaminate the things that you’ve previously treated.

White water mold can be found in your pool or spa area where there is poor sunlight. This kind of mold usually shows up when the pool and spa in not properly maintained. Poor circulation and filtration of water also a cause for white water mold infestation.

If there are white water molds in your pool area, chances are, you also have pink slime colonies as well. Just like the white water mold, pink slime loves to build colonies in plastic surfaces. Pink slime is not a form of algae, rather it is a colony made up of bacteria called Methylobacterium. If left untreated, pink slime can cause lots of serious health problems to people who have contact with it.

One of the best solutions in order to get rid of White Water Molds and Pink Slime is by thorough cleaning your pool and spa. Dry out all the water in your tub or pool and clean it with special cleaning solutions.

Proper pool and spa maintenance should also be observed. Pools should have a filter system to clean the water of dirt and microorganisms. The water in the pool should also circulate well to prevent molds and bacteria to stick to its walls and flooring. Pool and Spa equipments should also run in good condition.

Having a regular Pool and Spa Inspection is also a must especially in the area of Los Angeles and in the South Bay, where pools are used the whole year round.

Having your pools and spa inspected by certified home inspectors can alert you of any dangers or accidents that can happen to the pool area brought about by poor maintenance, mold infestations and equipment failure.

Regular pool and spa inspections conducted by professionals can also prolong the life of your swimming pools and spa; consult your trusted certified home inspectors for maintenance tips to keep your pool and spa clean, and well maintained.

For the best Pool and Spa Inspection in South Bay and in Los Angeles City, there is a Home Inspections company certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors or ASHI that you could always call and that is South Bay Home Inspections.

South Bay Home Inspections provides different Home Inspection packages as well as Pool and Spa Inspection Package.

Give as a call at (424) 210-7244 or visit our website at http://www.southbayhomeinspections.com  to know more about our certified home inspection packages and to talk to our certified home inspectors and certified mold inspectors.

Know More about Types of Home Inspections


Home inspections are an integral part of being a home owner. Certified home inspections can determine if your new house is safe to live in or whether your current house is still in good condition. There are a lot of home inspections services around that are being offered by different home inspection companies. Some are more specialized, while some covers most of the areas of the house. Here are some of the most common home inspection types available today.

General or Standard Home Inspections

General home inspection is a comprehensive inspection that covers all the parts of the house. A certified home inspector will check everything from roof to floor to determine if there are defects in your systems, structures and components. They can also give maintenance tips or provide information whether to buy or replace any defective parts. When hiring a home inspector to do general home inspections, it is best to look for those who are certified ASHI or The American Society of Home Inspectors member.

Air Sampling and Mold Inspection

Molds are one of the most dangerous things inside the house. Their spores, like that of the Black Mold variety, can cause allergies and respiratory problems. They live in hard to reach places such as those in attics, garage and basements. They proliferate in areas that are wet and with minimal ventilation. It is best to hire certified home inspectors to look out for this household menace and to also check your plumbing systems if there are leaks that can provide moisture for the molds to grow. Air sampling is another method of testing for molds inside the house. It does not mean that you’re house is mold free if you don’t see any patches of mold around. Air sampling is the most accurate way of determining if there are really molds and spores inside our house.

Pool and Spa Mold Inspections

Even outdoor facilities such as your pool and spa are not safe from molds and other microbes. For those in the Los Angeles area where pools and spa are open the whole year round, it is best to ask your certified home inspectors and pool and spa inspectors to regularly check your swimming pools and Jacuzzis from molds and slime. White water molds can be as nasty as their indoor cousin, the Black Mold. Pink slime on the other hand is cause by bacteria that can lead to skin irritation. Hiring special Certified Pool and Spa Inspectors can help you look out and prevent these microorganisms from colonizing parts of your pool and spa.

Maintenance and Pre- Sale home inspections

It is best to look for the services of a certified home inspection company before buying a new house. They can check out all the good structures as well as the flaws that are present inside the house that you want to buy. Their findings can help you out in your final decision whether to buy the house or not.

It is also very important to hire a certified home inspector to conduct a maintenance check every couple of years for your current house. He can look out for worn out parts and suggest things that need replacements or improvements to make your house safer and last longer.

For the best home inspections in South Bay area and Los Angeles City, you can call South Bay Home Inspections. South Bay Home Inspections has certified home inspectors that can give you the most accurate results based on ASHI standards.

Our certified home inspectors are also well trained in Air Sampling, Mold Inspections and Pool and Spa inspections.

Give us a call for more information or to request for a sample home inspection report. We will be glad to be of service to you.

 For more infromation; visit:  http://www.southbayhomeinspections.com

Mold Prevention Tips from a Certified Home Inspector

Molds inside your house can be really harmful. They can cause skin allergies and pulmonary ailments.

Most of the molds found in the household are classified as toxic molds. These molds, such as the common Black Molds (Stachybotrys), Aspergillus and Penicillum, can cause serious health hazards to the people living inside an infected building. These molds can produce spores laced with mycotoxins that can lead to asthma attacks, skin and eye irritation and other serious health issues.

The best way to avoid these health problems is prevention. Mold prevention can be anything from keeping the surroundings clean to cleaning up and getting rid of actual mold colonies.

Here are some basic Mold Prevention Tips from your certified home inspectors.

  • Keep your homes well ventilated. Molds want to multiply in dark, damp places. They also want to colonize in places where the air is stagnant. One of the best ways to prevent molds from multiplying inside your house is by getting lots of fresh air and sunlight inside your house. Try opening windows during the day to let the sunlight in. Regularly open the garage doors or attic windows to let air circulate.

  • Keep indoor humidity at 60 percent or lower. Molds love to grow in houses that have a humidity level of 70 percent and above. You can control indoor humidity by setting up an air-conditioning unit or a dehumidifier. Proper air ventilation can also help lower down the humidity level. It is also best to limit indoor plants, for constant watering they can increase the humidity level. Hanging clothes to dry inside the house can also increase humidity levels.

  • Clean and maintain air conditioning units. Have your units checked and cleaned every 3 months. Molds can grow inside these units particularly in their condenser, and in turn spew deadly spores inside your house.

  • Clean your house regularly. Use the vacuum cleaner to clean the carpets and rugs. Scrubbing the walls and floors with borax laundry detergent once amonth can also help prevent mold infestations.

  • Be always on the look out. Molds can be of any color. Black molds are the most common of them all but there are some molds that of a different color such as white, yellow or green that can be as harmful. Always inspect every part of your house for small color patches, for they can be mold as far as you know. If your wood panels or furniture suddenly becomes discolored, chances are, you have a mold problem.

  • Always be on alert. Visual checks can help you determine if your house is free from molds and other harmful elements. But some of your senses can also alert you of certain dangers as well such as your sense of smell. Molds produce a certain musty odor. Be on alert when you got his particular odor and look for the source immediately.



  • Have a regular home inspection. Certified home inspections conducted by expert and accredited home inspectors can help you out in preventing mold infestations. They can also find mold colonies that you’ve missed or point out potential places where they might proliferate.


In the city of Los Angeles and nearby South Bay area, the best home inspections company to trust all your mold inspections is South Bay Home Inspections. We are a certified home inspections company duly accredited by ASHI or The American Society of Home Inspectors.

South Bay Home Inspections is also a member of The American Council for Accredited Certification or ACAC and The International Code Council or ICC.

We also do certified Generalist Home Inspections as well as mold inspections for your Pools and Spa. 


http://www.southbayhomeinspections.com




Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Basic Pool and Spa Maintenance Tips

We all know that having a pool and spa in your backyard is truly a great investment. Having swimming parties or barbeque picnics are great bonding activities that the whole family can look forward to. Our friends also adore us more especially if we throw overnight swimming parties once in a while.

It’s a good thing then that keeping our pools and spa in excellent working condition is easy.

You know that having a well maintained pool and spa can prevent certain accidents. A well kept pool and spa can also save you a lot of money from costly repairs. And regular cleaning and maintenance of your pool and spa eliminates and prevent molds and insects to manifest in your backyard.

Here are some basic pool and spa maintenance tips from South Bay Home Inspections that you can easily follow:

Water Circulation

Make sure your pool has good water circulation. The better the water the circulation, the more efficient your water filtration system will be. Having good water circulation can prevent algae growth and stagnant water.

Filtration

Every pool must have a filtration system. Filters will remove dirt, debris such as leaves, and some bacteria and molds from the water. You should use a system that has a combination of sand and cartridge filters.

Cleaning

Brushing the tiles of your pool is a must even if you have an automatic pool cleaner.

Water testing

There are some DIY water testing kits that you can use to determine if the water in your pool is safe to use. Clear water does not mean that it is free from bacteria and harmful chemicals.

Pool and Spa Inspections

Have a regular Pool and Spa Inspection. These inspections can determine whether your pool or spa is in tip top condition and is safe to use. Certified pool and spa inspectors can also detect harmful elements such as white water molds and pink slime.

For the best Pool and Spa package in Los Angeles and the South Bay Area please contact South Bay Home Inspections at (424) 210-7244 or you can visit our website at http://southbayhomeinspections.com for more of our Home Inspection Packages.

Enjoy pool bonding with family and friends!