We have been doing a lot of inspections lately that feature homes that have "vessel" or bowl type sinks. These sinks are quite popular these days, not to mention cool to look at.

The only caution about "vessel" type sinks is that they have no overflow, so be careful when filling them up. They are not compatible with distractions of any kind! It is a good idea to never fill one up while you are on the phone, texting, changing the baby’s diaper or letting small children use them without proper supervision.

Many learn the hard way about the lack of an overflow, including inspectors!

Hope everyone has been enjoying the Holiday Season. We have been busy this week with those taking advantage of the low interest rates.

" Here's wishing you more happiness than all the words can tell.

Not just alone for New Years Eve,

But for all the year as well!"

Let's make the most of the New Year & may it be your best year yet. Happy New Year & Best Wishes from the Runnels Family & Excel Inspections! Hope to see you all next year!

With temperatures beginning to drop, its a good time to make sure all of your pipes are protected.

Freeze protection for plumbing pipes should be installed in areas where the air is not heated, such as crawlspaces, garages, workshops and sheds. This will prevent them from bursting during an overnight freeze when temperatures drop.

Exterior hose bibs should be covered and insulated. Any home improvement store will carry products made specifically for this purpose. All garden hoses should be disconnected from the hose bib and drained.

Outside water well tanks that are not in a well house should be covered and insulated, along with pipes. Fire-rated heat lamps or lights can also help keep pipes from freezing.

Swimming pool and spas/hot tubs should also be included in your freeze protection checklist.

For interior pipes, turn on your faucets to allow the water to trickle/drip into the sink. Opening cabinet doors inside can help expose the pipes to warmer air. The slow flow of water will prevent the liquid from freezing within the pipes.Taking care of small problems now prevents bigger problems later. Be proactive on your winter home maintenance.

This month we are focusing on seasonal safety tips and posting one each day on our Excel Facebook and  twitter pages:  https://twitter.com/#!/excelinspects

When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label "Fire Resistant."
If purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. In setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces, radiators or portable heaters. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.

Use caution with holiday decorations and whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant or non-combustible materials. Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.

Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. Do not overload extension cords.

Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use. Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.

Don't mount Christmas lights in any way that can damage the cord's wire insulation (i.e., using clips, not nails). Lots of fires start that way!

Turn off all Christmas lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.

Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations. Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving the house or going to bed.

Keep all matches & lighters out of sight and reach of small children. Test all smoke alarms regularly, & let guests know what your fire escape plan is.

Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. When cooking for holiday visitors, remember to keep an eye more on the range than the calories!

House full of Holiday guests? If you have smokers, provide plenty of ashtrays and check them frequently. Cigarette butts can smolder in the trash and cause a fire, so completely douse cigarette butts with water before discarding.

Happy Holidays and stay safe!

One of the best home inspection tips I can provide to home buyers is to inspect your home inspector before hiring him to do your home inspection.

How does one go about inspecting ones home inspector? First, ask questions before, during and after the process.

You should go through exactly the same process you do when selecting any other trained professional. Seek referrals from friends who bought homes to determine what they thought about the process. When friends tell you they had a good experience with the home inspector they hired, take that into consideration for your decision. Also, realtors can be a good source if they have an inspector that they have worked with in the past that has a good reputation.

But the best tip I can give anyone looking to hire a home inspector is to hire an experienced home inspector. Rest assured a home inspector with 25 years experience knows at least 25 times what a new just out of school home inspector knows. Home inspecting requires not only technical knowledge, continuing education, but also the ability to communicate that knowledge to others in such a way that they can understand it.

Now you are ready to have your new home inspected with confidence.

Inspectors do not mention trees in an inspection report unless they are encroaching on a foundation and causing damage.  However as part of rountine maintenance of your home, trees should be included.

Trees add to our enjoyment of outdoor experiences whether in forests, parks, or urban landscapes. Too often, we are unaware of the risks associated with defective trees, which can cause personal injury and property damage. A “hazard tree” is a tree with structural defects likely to cause failure of all or part of the tree, which could strike a “target.” A target can be a vehicle, building, or a place where people gather such as a park bench, picnic table, street, or backyard.

Inspecting trees is a home owner’s responsibility and should be done yearly. Tree inspections can be done at any time of year, leaf-on or leaf-off. To be thorough, inspect trees after leaf drop in fall, after leaf-out in spring, and routinely after severe storms.

Inspect trees carefully and systematically. Examine all parts of the tree, including the roots, root or trunk flare, main stem, branches, and branch unions. Be sure to examine all sides of the tree. Use a pair of binoculars to see branches high off the ground. Consider the following factors when inspecting trees: Tree condition, species, size and age.

Because of the natural variability of trees, the severity of their defects, and the different sites upon which they grow, evaluating trees for hazardous defects can be a complex process. Hazardous defects are visible signs that the tree is failing. Recognize the seven main types of tree defects: dead wood, cracks, weak branch unions, decay, cankers, root problems, and poor tree architecture. A tree with defects is not hazardous, however, unless some portion of it is within striking distance of a target.

Corrective actions begin with a thorough evaluation. If a hazardous situation exists, there are three recommended options for correcting the problem: move the target, prune the tree, or remove the tree.

Evaluating and treating hazard trees is complicated, requiring a certain knowledge and expertise. If you are not sure, have it evaluated by a professional. Consult your phone book under "Arborists" or "Tree Service."

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas that forms from incomplete combustion of fuels, such as natural or liquefied petroleum gas, oil, wood or coal.

Facts and Figures

• 480 U.S. residents died between 2001 and 2003 from non-fire-related carbon-monoxide poisoning.
• Most CO exposures occur during the winter months, especially in December (including 56 deaths, and 2,157 non-fatal exposures), and in January (including 69 deaths and 2,511 non-fatal exposures). The peak time of day for CO exposure is between 6 and 10 p.m.
• Many experts believe that CO poisoning statistics understate the problem. Because the symptoms of CO poisoning mimic a range of common health ailments, it is likely that a large number of mild to mid-level exposures are never identified, diagnosed, or accounted for in any way in carbon monoxide statistics.
• Out of all reported non-fire carbon-monoxide incidents, 89% or almost nine out of 10 of them take place in a home.

Physiology of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
When CO is inhaled, it displaces the oxygen that would ordinarily bind with hemoglobin, a process the effectively suffocates the body. CO can poison slowly over a period of several hours, even in low concentrations. Sensitive organs, such as the brain, heart and lungs, suffer the most from a lack of oxygen.

High concentrations of carbon monoxide can kill in less than five minutes. At low concentrations, it will require a longer period of time to affect the body. Exceeding the EPA concentration of 9 parts per million (ppm) for more than eight hours may have adverse health effects. The limit of CO exposure for healthy workers, as prescribed by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, is 50 ppm.

Potential Sources of Carbon Monoxide

Any fuel-burning appliances which are malfunctioning or improperly installed can be a source of CO, such as:

• furnaces;
• stoves and ovens;
• water heaters;
• dryers; 
• room and space heaters; 
• fireplaces and wood stoves;
• charcoal grills;
• automobiles;
• clogged chimneys or flues;
• space heaters;
• power tools that run on fuel;
• gas and charcoal grills;
• certain types of swimming pool heaters; and 
• boat engines.

If you do not have a carbon monoxide detector, now is the time to get one!

 Home inspections are an extra expense, so do you really need one? You bet! Money might be tight for closing, but try to imagine moving in and finding out that the air conditioning unit isn't cooling the house or maybe the roof needs replacement.  Having an inspection during the option period will cut out the unwelcome surprises.

Especially if you are buying a home "As Is".  It also a really good idea to follow that up with a Home Warranty for extra comfort during the first year of ownership.