Air Sampling and Mold Inspection

One of the most advanced and most accurate ways to test for mold samples and spores is by taking in air samples of your home and put it into a laboratory test. Since mold spores like those of the black mold variety are not visible to the naked eye, taking in air samples to the laboratory can help determine whether the air inside your house is free from potential health hazards brought about by household molds.

When is the best time to ask for an Air Sampling and Mold Inspection test?

It is best to schedule a regular certified home inspection every couple of years. Certified home inspectors can advise you for the best time to take an Air Sampling and Mold Inspection. Your expert home inspector can also better notice some traces or suspects a mold infestation in your house compared to the average homeowners.

Other signs like water damage, wall and ceiling discoloration and musky smell can also be used as your signal to contact your home inspector and tell him to do an air sampling.

The home inspector usually takes two air samples inside your house. He also takes two air samples from outside your house, one from the windward side of your house and the other the leeward side of the house. 

However, home inspectors are not obliged to take a sample if his health would be in apparent danger.

Where to take Air Samples?

Samples should be taken from a room where you suspect molds are in hiding. Previous history of water damage, water intrusion, musty odors, past history of mold growth are just some signs that a room should be inspected and air samples should be collected for further analysis.

It only takes around 10 minutes for the machine to finish collecting an air sample. The machine will be placed in the center of the room and the collection device will be placed 3 to 6 feet above the floor.

Air sampling is done in closed conditions, so better close all the doors, vents and windows during the inspection. This will help stabilize the air and get the best air samples for accurate measurement. Air movement such as blowing of the wind or those caused by sudden movement could alter the findings from the air sample.

Samples of Air Sampling Machines for Mold Spores

Your home inspector can use either one or a combination of these 3 common air sampling devices.

Impaction Samplers

These devices use a calibrated air pump to force mold spores into microscope slides.

Cassette Samplers

Cassette Samplers are air samplers that uses forced air to impact spores in the collection media. These machines are usually disposable and are good for one time use only.

Air Born Particle Collectors

The air-born particle collectors trap the spores of molds directly to the culture dish. The culture dish is then used to determine which species of molds are present in your house.

For Air Sampling and Mold Inspections in the South Bay and Los Angeles Area, please call South Bay Home Inspections at (424) 210-7244 or visit our website at http://southbayhomesinspections.com.

South Bay Home Inspections also conduct Pool and Spa inspections and other certified home inspection services.

Home Safety Inspections: Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are devices commonly found indoors such as houses and office buildings. They usually come in a small red canister and are placed in the most fire prone places such as the kitchen.

Fire extinguishers are very important because they are used to stop or prevent the spread of fire.  Some fire extinguishers can even douse fires water cannot.

Know the Different Types of Fire

To know more on what fire extinguishers to buy and what they can do, it is important to determine first the different fire types.

Class A- This type of fire is a result from common combustible materials such as wood, paper and cloth.

Class B- Class B fire are fires brought about by the combustion of liquid substances such as fuel, kerosene, gasoline and grease.

Class C- Class C fires are caused by electrical disturbances. Fires of this type can be caused by short circuits, exposed electrical wires, power overloads, and exploding circuit breakers.

Class D- fires caused by combustible metals such as sodium, titanium, potassium and magnesium are considered Class D fires. This type of fire is more common in factories and chemical laboratories.

Class K- Class K fires are common fires in the kitchen that are often caused by cooking oil and lard.

Types of Fire Extinguishers

Knowing the different fire types is the first step you should take when buying a fire extinguisher in your home. The next step is to know which type of fire extinguishers to buy for different types of fire. It is best to keep different types of fire extinguishers at home for you’ll never know when a fire will start and what causes it.

Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers

The first type of Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers is those that use ammonium phosphate as the extinguishing agent. This type is commonly called multi purpose dry chemical fire extinguishers and is effective in fighting Class A, B and C fires. Most of these fire extinguishers are found in offices, schools and hospitals.

The other type of Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers is the Regular Dry Chemical fire extinguisher that is best for fire Classes B and C. Regular dry chemical fire extinguishers are best suited for your kitchen or garage.

Carbon Dioxide

These fire extinguishers contain liquid Carbon Monoxide and release it in gas form when used. They are best in fighting fire classes B and C. They are also environmental friendly and do not leave any toxic residue.

Water Extinguishers

They should only be used for Class A fires. These fire extinguishers can even spread the fire if used in fire classes B and D. You might also get electrocuted if you use these on Class C fires.

Wet Chemicals

These are used to combat fires originated from cooking oil and other kitchen materials. They can also be used in Class A fires.

Home Inspectors on Fire Extinguishers

During a home inspection, you certified home inspector should do the following:

• Check the fire extinguisher’s expiry date
• Check the canister for dents and cracks
• Locate a fire extinguisher 30 feet away from the kitchen.
• Make sure that the fire extinguisher is placed in a place that is visible and very accessible.

Your certified home inspector can also give you sound advice where to place your fire extinguishers and what type of fire extinguishers to buy.

For more information about Home Inspections in Los Angeles and the South Bay Area please contact South Bay Home Inspection.  You can also ask for a sample free home inspection report so you’ll know the coverage and things that our expert home inspector will look for when he visits your house.

Things to Do Before a Home Inspection

Home inspections are an important part of home maintenance and keeping our houses safe. Scheduling a home inspection at least a year or two apart is ideal so that you can have experts to look for parts that need to be repaired, replaced or remove.

Certified home inspectors are the best ones to call for advice in terms of home safety because they are qualified in inspecting different parts of the house like your roof, basement and foundation. They also have the knowledge and the tools to check out different utility systems in and around your house such as your water and drainage systems, heater and air conditioning units, gas pipes and electrical wirings.

Most certified home experts are also trained in advising home owners about certain threats such as pests, molds, toxic chemicals, and structural defects and how to deal, eliminate and correct those treats.

For a more complete and accurate home inspections, the home inspectors need your help. You might want to give the home inspector a complete history of your house including when it was built, its improvements and remodeling, problems in the past like flooding, termites, water leaks and others.

Here are some tips hat can help your home inspector come up with the most accurate home inspection results for you and your home.

1. Turn on all your electrical, gas, water and other systems. A turned off systems such as your air-conditioning units can lead the inspector to believe that it is broke.

2. Take out your pets out of the house. Dogs and cats might hinder or disturb the inspector. It is best to place them outside for a while, but don’t forget informing the inspector about owning a dog or a cat.

3. Check out all your light bulbs and replace burnt out ones with new bulbs. A burnt out light bulb might lead the home inspector to record an electrical problem.

4. Clear away things such as furniture, clothes, appliances and others from blocking the HVAC equipments, crawl space, water heaters so that the home inspector has more room to move and more area to see and inspect.

6. It is best to take away debris like soil and dirt, wood piles and others from your house’s foundations. Having them around can lead your inspector to give you a report that saying that the area is conducive for termites and other pests.

7. Keep all the doors unlocked. Locked doors will prevent the home inspector in inspecting what is inside the room. Don’t forget to unlock doors going to your basement, attic and garage.

8. If possible, replace broken parts such as handles, doorknobs and panels so that they would not be cited in the inspection report.

9. It is also best to come with the home inspector as he goes about his rounds. This way, he can tell you what the problem is first hand as well as leading him to some problematic areas inside the house that he might miss out.

10. Only contact trusted certified home inspectors, the best ones are those duly recognized by The American Society of Home Inspectors or ASHI.

For your home inspection needs in the South Bay and Los Angeles area, you can easily contact South Bay Home Inspections.

South Bay Home Inspections also conducts:

• Air and Mold Sampling
• Pool and Spa Inspections

South Bay Home Inspectors is a proud member of:

• The American Society of Home Inspectors or ASHI,
• The American Council for Accredited Certification or ACAC and
• The International Code Council or ICC

How to Child Proof Your House

Houses should be installed with safety features and devices so that we can minimize the chances of having injuries caused by accidents. People most prone to accidents inside our home are our children because they are very playful, runs around a lot, and are very curious about almost everything inside the house.

So if you have kids living with you, it is better to read this tips from your certified home inspectors for child-proofing your homes.

• Install safety locks and latches to your cabinets and drawers especially those located in your kitchen, bathroom, basement and others. These will prevent kids from opening these fixtures and stopping them from playing with its contents. It is best to place safety locks for cabinets where you store poisonous chemicals such as pesticides, detergents and paints.

• Install safety gates in your stairs to prevent children from playing in your stairs. Choose a safety gate that is strong enough to prevent kids from tampering with it. It is also great if you can install safety gates in places where kids are not permitted such as in your basement, garage, office or workshop.

• Mount gates and fences to your swimming pool area. Children loves to play in the water, thus making the pool area a high risk area for accidents especially if kids are left unattended. Gates and fences deny children access to the swimming pool area without the consent of their guardians.

• Use anti-scald devices for faucets and shower heads. You should also adjust your water heater at a suitable temperature to prevent burns from hot water. Try to ask your plumber to install the device and adjust the temperature of your water heater.

• Use corner and edge bumpers. Kids run a lot making them prone into bumping to furniture such as tables and other sharp edged fixtures. To prevent injury such as bumps, scrapes and wounds, put rubber bumpers to the edges of your furniture such as in your tables and fire place.

• Use outlet covers to prevent children from poking into electrical outlets. Many electrical outlets sold in hardware shops have screw on covers with chains. They are great for the covers are difficult to remove and the covers can not pose as a choking hazard.

• Place door stops and holders to prevent injuries coming from slamming the door.

• Use wireless phones when watching over the kids. Using wireless phones gives you the luxury of answering the phone without leaving your kids to play on their own especially if they are in the bath tub or swimming pool.

• Carbon Monoxide detectors should also be installed inside all of your sleeping areas to prevent CO poisoning. Houses with gas, oil and fire wood heaters and fire place as well as those with attached garage are required to have CO detectors inside their houses.

• Install video cameras or use wireless radio in your child’s bedroom. These gadgets are very handy especially in alerting you when your baby wakes up from his afternoon nap.

For more expert advice on how to child proof your houses, it is best to schedule a regular visit from your friendly certified home inspector.

If you are living in the South Bay Area, you only need to call South Bay Home Inspections for all your Home Inspection needs.

South Bay Home Inspections also offers special packages for:

Air and Mold Sampling inside your house and Pool and Spa Inspections.

Pool and Spa Safety for You and Your Home

Everybody wants to have a pool or a spa in their backyard. Having one could lead to hours and hours of fun family time and parties. But owning a swimming pool or a tub requires you to be responsible. Pools and spa needs a lot of maintenance to keep them properly working as well as keeping the users safe from accidents and from bacteria and molds that can thrive in wet conditions.

For those who want to keep their pool and spa safe, hiring a certified home inspector that is also an expert in Pool and Spa inspection is a must. A certified home inspector can easily give you some advice on how to make improvements so that your pools will be safe especially if you have kids at home. They can ask you to build a wall or a fence around the pool so that kids would not wander around the pool especially if they are not attended to.

Certified home inspectors can also help you determine if your pools are safe to use in terms of water quality. This is very important for there are a lot of water borne diseases that you can get from poorly maintained pools and spa. These diseases can be either caused by bacteria, viruses and molds.

Diseases from water born microbes can be anywhere from sore eyes and skin irritations, diarrhea and even dysentery. Microbes can come from anywhere, from outside sources like fallen leaves to the pool toys like swimming pool balls and boats.

Common pathogens or disease causing microbes in your pool are:

• Bacteria

Bacteria such as E. Coli, shigella, salmonella can cause gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery. Bacteria can be eliminated from the water by proper pool maintenance and adding the right amount of chlorine disinfectant. The E. Coli bacteria can be eradicated in minutes if exposed to pool disinfectants.

• Protozoa

Protozoa like Cryptosporidium and Giardia can also cause gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea. Protozoa are harder to kill and most of the times chlorine is not enough to kill them all. Protozoa can even live in chlorinated waters for days and can infect lots of swimmers.

• Viruses

Viruses from the simple cold virus to the more serious ones like the flu and hepatitis virus can be transmitted trough water in the pool. These viruses can be carried by mucus, saliva and blood from a swimmer and can be contracted by another by swallowing pool water.

To prevent disease causing microbes from your pool water, it is best to apply water disinfectants at least an hour before using the pool. This will allow the disinfectant to go to work and kill most of the bacteria in the water.

It is also best to take a bath before and after using the pool. Children should also be taught good manners while inside the pool like not swallowing pool water or peeing inside the swimming pool.

For more information on how to properly maintain the safety of your pool area and spa, it is best to consult your local certified home inspector.

For those living in the South Bay area in California, you can call South Bay Home Inspections.

South Bay Home Inspections specializes in Pool and Spa Inspections as well as General Home inspections and Mold and Air Sampling for your black mold problems.

Earthquake Preparedness for Homeowners

Every year we read about news of calamities here in the US as well as on other parts of the world. No one knows when calamities will strike but its best that we be prepared.

Earthquakes are natural calamities that can bring about massive destruction to properties and may cause a lot of injuries and even loss of lives. Unlike hurricanes, there is no way to detect when or where an earthquake may hit.

There are hundreds of earthquakes every day. Most of them are so weak, we don’t even feel them. But that being said, it is always good to be prepared especially if your living in an earthquake prone area such as in California and nearby areas.

Earthquakes are unpredictable so it’s better to be prepared if ever one will occur. It is better to start your preparation inside your home. People unaware of earthquake preparedness are the ones usually got hurt.

People can generally get hurt from an earthquake either by running and bumping into furniture or by getting dropped on by loose items such as books, lamps and others.

Though there are no such thing as earthquake home inspections, hiring your local certified home inspectors can help you out in your in willingness to prevent accidents specially in times of natural disasters.

Your certified home inspectors can check out these following areas and check if it needs repair:

• Appliances that runs on gas and natural fuels
• Water and gas pipe conditions to prevent leaks
• The condition of your cement foundation and if they have cracks and other form of damage
• Checking out for large appliances and other loose items that needs some bracing or needs to be fixed on walls to prevent them from moving.
• Columns and walls that supports your homes especially if your place is located on a hill side.
• Chemicals that needs to be stored away from the house.
• Mirrors and other furniture with glass panels that can cause injuries especially inside the bedroom

Your certified home inspector can give you helpful advice in terms of your safety and protection inside your home. They can help you not only in natural disaster preparedness but in so many other ways such as checking out for Black Molds and looking into your Pool and Spa.

For those living in the state of California, especially those in the South Bay and Los Angeles area, you can call us at South Bay Home Inspections for all your home inspection needs. We offer home inspections services and more.

For more information please contact us at www.southbayhomeinspections.com

Thank you and onward to a good year!

Sincerely,

Tel: (310) 265-0833              

Fax: (310) 544-4806             

Cell: (310) 995-4965

Ways to Prevent Burglary in Your Homes

Your home should be the safest place for you and your family. It should be the one that can shelter you from the elements. It should also protect you from lawless elements. But your house needs your help in order to keep these people away especially burglars and robbers.

Robbery is probably one of the top crimes in the US. In the past few years, burglary and robbery has an annual average of 2 million reports coming from different law enforcement agencies. It is said that these crimes compose two thirds of all crimes committed in the country.

There are a number of ways for homeowners to do to keep their homes safe.  Burglar-proofing your homes should be made not only to save you from losing your valuables. It also should be placed for the safety and well being of your family.

The first thing that you should know about burglar proofing is to determine the most possible areas where a break-in can occur. In most of the times, thieves enter through the first floor either via the front door, back door, first floor windows, garage, and pet doors.

Here are some few tips to help you prevent burglars from entering your homes:

Front Doors and other External Doors

Front and other external doors such as your back door and doors leading to the garage or yard should be made from heavy and durable materials such as hard woods or metal. It is also best to replace old and worn doors with new ones. It is also best to install more than one door lock per door, to make burglars less interested in picking your doors. Adding deadbolt locks and chain locks are also good addition to your door locks.

If your doors are installed with glass panels, your locks should be placed far from it. Burglars can easily reach your locks by breaking the glass and reaching out for the locks. Peepholes are good alternatives for glass panels for they can give you access to the people outside your door.

It is also best to keep your spare keys in safe locations. Do not keep your spare keys under doormats, rocks or flower pots. It is best to keep a spare key inside your office table or give a spare key for safekeeping to your relatives or a trusted neighbor.

Pet doors are also not safe from burglars. They may use small children to break in and open the doors for them. It is best to place some locks to your pet doors, especially if you are away or during night time.

Windows

Glass windows should be made from durable materials such as tinted glass. They can be placed with bars and grills to prevent forcible entry

Yard

Keep your yard well maintained. Regularly trim your trees so that they would not block the windows or glass panels. It is also best to install fences and gates to your yard.

Get a Pet Dog

Burglars avoid houses with pets. Dogs can alarm you of unwanted people especially during night time. Some larger breeds of dogs are also good watchdogs and protectors of their owners and houses.

Regular Home Inspector Visits

Your friendly home inspectors can help you a lot in terms of burglar proofing your homes. They can point out where burglars can force entry or make suggestions regarding your locks and other security measures. Certified home inspectors can also help you in locating the best places to place your burglar alarms as well as giving you some important tips in keeping your homes much safer.

For your Certified Home Inspector needs in the South Bay and Los Angeles City, you can call South Bay Home Inspections at (424) 210-7244 or visit us at www.SouthBayhomeInspections.com