Some safety tips to remember:
Radiant heating systems directly heat the floor or panels in the wall or ceiling of a house, rather than heating the air, as do forced-air heating systems. The technique can be likened to standing in full sun on a chilly day, or feeling the warmth of a distant bonfire even though the air is cold. Despite the name, radiant heating systems also depend on convection — the natural circulation of heat within a room — caused by heat rising from the floor.
Open holes in areas of sheetrock walls or ceilings that connect the home to the garage must be sealed for fire safety reasons. The sheetrock walls and ceilings separating the home and garage are considered a fire separation barrier, that must be maintained for safety reasons in the instance of a fire. The fire separation barrier, in case of a fire, would slow down the fire’s progress throughout the home and allow for less damage (before firemen can put it out).
Do you need a ladder to reach your electrical panel? This can be problematic when quick and easy access to the electrical panel is necessary. A qualified electrician will likely advise installing a platform underneath your electrical panel if it is too high for an average-height person to reach with ease. Worst case scenario, re-wire and locate the panel at a lower height. Typically, this means not having the main circuit breaker at the top of the panel any higher than 6’7”. If you need a ladder to flip breakers, it’s definitely too high!
If DIY time-saving ingenious short-cuts within the home are your cup of tea, I would recommend checking out this short clip showcasing an interesting waste basket idea I saw in a recent inspection. I’ll let you decide for yourself if this hack could be useful in your kitchen!
Have you noticed a white residue on any (or all) of your plumbing fixtures? This may indicate calcification, which usually means that water softening and/or filtration improvements may be desirable. Point-of-use and whole house filtration and softening systems are readily available. Personally, I recommend having a water system contractor laboratory test the water and then make recommendations for improved water quality.
Is your log home showing signs of water intrusion to the interior, or are the logs showing signs of water staining (i.e., darkening)? This is a definite potential problem and can lead to interior log core damage that isn’t visible without invasive inspection (i.e., log core drilling). It may be time for a qualified log home contractor to take a look at whether or not there may be further log (core) damage. Log damage and repairs can be costly, so it is best to be proactive with maintaining log elements throughout your home; the longer you wait, the worse the issue becomes.
There are many times when homeowners, electricians, contractors and others (like me) will need to have access to and around the electrical panel for various reasons. Because of this, it is typically advised to have a 36-inch clearance in front of the panel and a 30-inch clearance on each side.
I recommend creating/providing clearance adhering to the above standards to allow easier access to electrical panels within your home.
Is the CSST gas piping to your fireplace vulnerable on the exterior of your home? I recommend having a qualified contractor protect this piping from mechanical damage if vulnerable and exposed. The last thing you want is to a gas line to get nicked, or damaged, causing a gas leak.