Additional Inspections and Testing

Aside from the home inspection itself, I offer the following testing and analysis which may be necessary depending on the location, type, age, etc. of the home or building:

Radon Gas:

Radon is a radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium that is found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon inside, where it can build up. Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements. Radon from soil gas is the main cause of radon problems. Sometimes radon enters the home through well water.

Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. That’s because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

Nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated radon levels. The average indoor radon level is estimated to be about 1.3 pCi/L, and about 0.4 pCi/L of radon is normally found in the outside air. The U.S. Congress has set a long-term goal that indoor radon levels be no more than outdoor levels. While this goal is not yet technologically achievable in all cases, most homes today can be reduced to 2 pCi/L or below. Sometimes short-term tests are less definitive about whether or not your home is above 4 pCi/L.

The EPA recommends if the radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher, then the home be fixed.. Radon is estimated to cause thousands of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may be reduced.

You can’t see radon. And you can’t smell it or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home. If the home has a finished space below or partially below ground, or an unfinished space (whether livable or not) that could one day be finished or if there is a reason to spend time in the space (laundry, exercising, etc.), a radon test should be done.

Well Water Quality:

If the home or building receives potable water from a well, it is prudent to test the water to make sure it is safe to drink. Depending on the location of the home or building, the seller or the buyer could be responsible for making sure the well water is tested and free of chemical and biological groundwater contaminants.

The most important part of testing the well water is determining which contaminants to test for. Testing for all of them would be extremely expensive so fortunately there are a few methods to help decide what to test for. The first method is to simply observe the condition of the water from the tap to see if there are any clues or indications about specific potential contaminants. Clues or indicators can be odor, taste, clarity, color, stains on fixtures and clothing, etc. The second method is assess which contaminants the well could be at risk from. Is the well adjacent to a farm, a septic system, an industrial property, materials storage such as salt, etc?

Well water can have harmful bacteria such as coliform, colilert, E.Coli, etc. from contaminants in the water below the earth that have seeped into the aquifer that a well pump is pulling water from or the contaminants can be from the surface near the well and be draining down to the water source below the ground.

If you are purchasing a home or building served by a well, the water quality test should be discussed thoroughly with your real estate agent, real estate attorney, lender and then performed. If you are selling your home or building which is served by a well, a water quality test should be performed to proactively determine the condition of the water. A homeowner should be testing the well water annually in the spring time or if a change is noticed in appearance of the water, any waterborne type illnesses are contracted, maintenance work is performed on the well or a pregnant woman, woman trying to become pregnant or an infant becomes a water user.

Lead:

Homes and buildings constructed before 1978, likely have lead-based paint. In 1978, the federal government banned consumer uses of lead-containing paint, but some states banned it even earlier. Lead from paint, including lead-contaminated dust, is one of the most common causes of lead poisoning.

Lead paint is still present in older homes, sometimes under layers of newer non-lead based paint. If the paint is in good shape, the lead paint is usually not a problem. Deteriorating lead-based paint (peeling, chipping, chalking, cracking, damaged, or damp) is a hazard and needs immediate attention.

It may also be a hazard when found on surfaces that children can chew or that get a lot of wear-and-tear, such as:

Windows and window sills
Doors and door frames
Stairs, railings, banisters, and porches

Lead in household dust results from indoor sources such as old, deteriorating lead paint on surfaces that are frequently in motion or bump or rub together (such as window frames), deteriorating old lead paint on any surface, home repair activities, or even from lead dust on clothing worn at a job site.

Lead dust can also be tracked into the home from soil outside that is contaminated by deteriorated exterior lead-based paint and other lead sources, such as industrial pollution and past use of leaded gasoline.

As an EPA certified lead inspector, I can assess, properly take samples and deliver them to a laboratory for testing to verify if paint, dust or soil contains lead.

Pipes and solder — Lead is used in some water service lines and household plumbing materials. Lead can leach, or enter the water, as water flows through the plumbing. Lead pipes and lead solder were commonly used until 1986.

Lead can enter drinking water through corrosion of plumbing materials, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder. However, new homes are also at risk: even legally "lead-free" plumbing may contain up to eight percent lead.

Beginning January 2014, changes to the Safe Drinking Water Act further reduced the maximum allowable lead content of pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures to 0.25 percent. The most common problem is with brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and fixtures with lead solder, from which significant amounts of lead can enter into the water, especially hot water.

Corrosion is a dissolving or wearing away of metal caused by a chemical reaction between water and your plumbing. A number of factors are involved in the extent to which lead enters the water including the chemistry of the water (acidity and alkalinity), the amount of lead it comes into contact with, how long the water stays in the plumbing materials, and the presence of protective scales or coatings inside the plumbing fixtures.

I can test the water by performing a first draw sample and a flush sample and delivering the water to a laboratory for testing.