Category: Indianapolis

Deck Safety Month

4/30/2021

May is National Deck Safety Month and I wanted to take this opportunity to educate people on the importance of maintaining and inspecting your decks. On average, there are 300 hospital visits per year due to deck failure. In 2013, a deck in New Albany, Indiana collapsed with 26 people on the deck, sending 25 to the hospital. See the video from that collapse.

It is important to inspect your deck annually. Look for wood decay, loose railing, and check posts to make sure they aren't fastened with nails or small screws. Call Excellent Home Inspections with any questions.

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Automatic Garage Door Opener Safety

3/2/2021

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A common defect, found on any age home, is automatic garage door photo eyes installed more than six inches off of the floor. Photo eyes are a safety feature required by the government agency Consumer Protection Safety Council on automatic garage door openers manufactured after 1990. This was mandated because approximately 73 children annually between the ages of 2 and 14 were trapped and killed by automatic garage doors. Furthermore, photo eyes installed greater than six inches may be too high for a child to break the beam and force the door to go back up.

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Freestanding Cooking Ranges : Anti-tip device

2/12/2021

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Anti-tip brackets are devices designed to prevent freestanding cooking ranges from tipping. They are normally attached to a rear feet of the range, but can also be screwed into the wall behind the range. Furthermore, they are included in all range installation kits. A freestanding range that is not equipped with these devices, may tip over if enough weight is applied to its open door. A falling range can injure, scald, or burn anyone caught beneath.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there were 143 incidents caused by range tip-overs from 1980 to 2006 and 33 of those incidents resulted in death. Imagine a small child standing on an open range door in order to see what is cooking on the stovetop and accidentally cause the entire unit to fall on top of them, along with whatever hot items may have been cooking on the stovetop. This is not just a hazard for children, but adults too have been injured by ranges tipping over.
In response to this danger, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) created standards in 1991 that require all ranges manufactured after that year to be capable of remaining stable while supporting 250 pounds of weight on their open doors. Manufacturers' instructions, too, require that anti-tip brackets provided be installed. Despite these warnings, retailer Sears estimated in 1999 that a mere 5% of the gas and electric units they sold were ever equipped with anti-tip brackets. As a result of Sears’ failure to comply with safety regulations, they were sued and subsequently required to secure ranges in nearly 4 million homes, a measure that has been speculated to have cost Sears as much as $500 million.

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Asbestos

2/10/2021

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Asbestos is a mined mineral that was a commonly used material used through the late 1970's because it was very durable, cheap, and heat resistant. But, in 1960's it was determined to cause lung cancer and asbestosis (a scaring of the lungs). (source) In Indiana, a general home inspection excludes the identification of asbestos containing products, because it was in so many products and can only be positively determined by a lab. Furthermore, taking such a sample would require a Licensed Asbestos Inspector and permission by the homeowner or seller. While I am not licensed to do asbestos sampling, I can put you in contact with a Licensed Asbestos Inspector that can perform this service.
US EPA says that as long as the material is in good condition and not releasing fibers in the air, that you should leave it alone. (source) If you choose to remove asbestos containing products, then the removal and disposal must be removed by a licensed asbestos removing contractor.

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Deck Safety Month

Automatic Garage Door Opener Safety

Freestanding Cooking Ranges : Anti-tip device

Asbestos

Chris Jacobi

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