Categories Pest Control

Common Health Risks from Pests

Pests

Far too many people take an “out of sight, out of mind” approach when it comes to pests.

Be honest here — do you think about potential pests in your home or only when you hear your neighbor screaming about a mouse in the garage or a hornet’s nest appears on your door?

Pests can cause, and carry, many different health risks when inside your home, regardless of whether or not you notice them. Risks vary from allergies to infections, to dangerous bites.

Knowing what potential dangers common household pests bring will give you a better idea of how to prevent and protect yourself and your family.

Here we talk about pests and how they affect your health. To help ensure your home is a healthy one, we’re going to lay out the most common hazards:

 

Allergies

Most rodent and insect species have the ability to cause major allergies and even agitate asthma.

Actual contact is not necessary to onset allergic reaction, just the mere presence of the pests in the walls will be enough to do some damage.

 

  • Mice leave droppings and dander that cause allergies. You can inhale aerosolized particles, which trigger an immune response and related allergies.

 

  • Cockroaches also leave droppings; however, their saliva, and even decayed cadavers, can trigger allergies.

Cockroach infestations can have long-term effects, even after extermination, since decaying cockroaches in walls still produce allergens if not properly cleared out.

 

  • Dust mites absorb water from your home’s air. The resulting dryness and dust mite debris in a house can cause major allergic reactions.

 

  • Termites cause allergies by spreading dust in the air in your home. It’s possible to suffer from asthma attacks or sever allergies. Ventilation systems ensure this dust gets spread even further.

 

Infection

Rodents and insects carry many germs thanks to the long periods of time they typically spend in contaminated areas like pipes and sewers. As they move around your home they are spreading the various germs they’ve picked up during their “travels”.

While we don’t have to worry about the plague nowadays, rodents still carry many harmful bacteria. Airborne particles from mice transmit Hantavirus.

Rodents also carry salmonella, which can contaminate food, cookware, and kitchen surfaces.

Cockroaches pick up salmonella and E. coli bacteria as they climb around garbage.

Ticks and fleas carry a number of diseases, including Lyme disease and different types of viruses that cause fevers (depending on your location).

 

Bites and Stings

These pose an immediate danger because bites/stings from rodents and insects can carry disease or cause a serious allergic reaction.

Bed bugs, which normally nestle between sheets, can leave painful red bites. If found in your home, this bug problem needs to be addressed immediately.

Bees, hornets, and wasps can lead to allergic reaction or worse if they attack in swarms. Finally, depending on the species, spiders can also lead to painful and potentially dangerous bites.

 

Now that you know what to look out for, you can start making the best plans to keep these pests out of your home. If you haven’t had an inspection or you think you may have a pest problem, like termites, we can help!

EIG can help diagnose a termite issue (and other wood destroying insects). Book your inspection today!

 

We Can Help

 

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Categories Home safety

Safeguard Your Home With an Indoor Air Quality Test

Air Quality Test

Most of us strive to include healthy habits into our lives. That could mean exercising, cutting out processed foods, or not using products with certain chemicals.

However, many people fail to recognize an invisible danger in their own home: poor air quality that can put the health of you and your family at risk.

These airborne chemicals are not visible to the naked eye, but are possible to detect with a state-of-the-art test performed by us at EIG.

 

Why Should I Get the Test?

Whether you’re buying a new home or concerned about the air quality in your current home, there are many reasons to have the test done:

  1. The US-EPA has reported that home air can have 100 times more chemicals than outside.
  2. The US-EPA has also reported that adults and kids now spend most of their time indoors.
  3. The CDC has reported that 20+ million adults have asthma, and the National Asthma Survey has reported that asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease among children.
  4. Mold growth can be present within the home and be hidden behind walls or underneath carpeting or flooring.
  5. The use of Formaldehydes is prevalent in certain building materials.

Indoor air pollution will vary among regions, homes, and even between rooms in a single house.

 

What Causes Poor Air Quality?

Indoor air quality can be compromised by many things, but some of the most common influencers are: building materials, consumer products, and pets.

You spend most of your time at home, so ensuring it’s a safe environment should be seen as a necessity or even an investment into the well-being of you and your family.

 

What Are the Consequences of Poor Air?

A single or repeated exposure to any pollutant can result in immediate effects like a sore throat, irritated eyes, headaches, or dizziness. A more alarming result are the long-term effects like respiratory diseases, cancer, or heart disease. The EPA provides a more in-depth look into indoor air quality.

 

What Can I Do?

After scheduling your inspection there are still a few things you can do around your home to improve air quality.

Consider adding a few plants to your space (home or office), the Clean Air study by NASA provided a list of the best plants to remove certain chemicals from the air:

  • Spider Plant
  • Peace Lily
  • Chinese Evergreen
  • Snake Plant

are just a few examples, check out this graphic for the full list!

Aside from adding plants, you can also do a few things around your home like:

  • Regularly changing filters (especially heater, AC, and vacuum).
  • Ditch synthetic air fresheners.
  • Maintain humidity around 30%-50% to keep dust mites, mold, and allergens under control.
  • Find a good vacuum with a HEPA filter, which will catch smaller particles that normal vacuums miss.
  • Switch to eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning products.
  • Use dust-mite proof pillows, mattress, and box spring covers.

All of these tips are great ideas to incorporate into your daily life, but it’s important to get the inspection beforehand to know exactly to what you’re being exposed.

Let us give you peace of mind that the air in your home is safe to breathe.

Call us today about performing an accurate, affordable IAQ Home Survey test as part of a complete home inspection service.

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Categories Home Inspection

How Moisture Invades Your Vented Crawl Space

vented crawl space

Unfortunately in the southern U.S. most homes have vented crawl spaces.

We have enough research now to know that this isn’t the most effective way to keep them dry. But because foundation vents made their way into the code years ago, it’s difficult to change.

The trouble with crawlspace construction is that it’s more likely to have mold and wood rot problems than other types of construction. Both of these issues are types of fungal growth.

Thanks to a combination of humid climate and a vented crawl space, you will find yourself with a moisture problem under your home.

 

Why Moisture Is Bad

Excessive moisture in your home is bad for a few reasons:

 

1. Mold, Mildew

The main problem is mold, fungi, and mildew. A recurring mold-related problem is expensive.

Crawl space moisture can start blackening floor cavity insulation and structural elements.  Because there is no light and only minimal ventilation, the problem never improves on its own.

 

2. Rot

Structural elements of your house (joists, sills, posts, beams) are made of wood.  Being an organic material, wood will begin to rot when it comes into contact with water.  

 

3. Creatures

Animals of all types are drawn to water and can infest your home.  This includes rats, carpenter ants, and termites. If you need a refresher on the problems they bring check out some of our older posts.

 

4. Resale

Even if your home isn’t suffering from one of the problems mentioned above, it will turn homebuyers away.

When you try to sell your house, the property inspector will explore the crawl space and note the presence of water on the report.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve lived with this issue for decades, the buyer will want the problem fixed or demand a credit.

 

How Moisture Gets in Your Crawl Space

  • Plumbing leaks:

A lot of plumbing pipes, both supply lines and drain lines, run through crawl spaces. They do leak occasionally. Because crawl spaces are visited infrequently these leaks can go unnoticed for a long time.

 

  • Foundation walls:

Moisture can also come from the ground outside the house by migrating through the foundation walls.

Vented crawl spaces rarely get any kind of damp-proofing or perimeter drains on the exterior. As a result, wet soil outside the crawl space can come right through.

 

  • Soil:

Although it may appear to be dry, uncovered soil is actually evaporating moisture into the air of the crawl space.

The good news is that most new homes do get vapor barriers put down on the ground, eliminating a lot of the moisture that comes from the soil.

 

  • Foundation vents:

Yes, the very thing that was constructed in order to keep moisture out of the crawl space is the main culprit. In the summer the humidity seeps in and releases moisture into your vented crawl space.

 

If you’re worried that your crawl space may be the victim of excessive moisture, don’t hesitate to call in a professional opinion. EIG offers an easy online scheduling tool, and we’ll be out to see you in 48 hours or less!

 

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Categories Home safety

Is Your Home Affected by Water Hammer?

water hammer

Have you been dealing with a banging sound whenever you flush the toilet or use the washing machine?

This annoying sound is known as “water hammer”— a surge of pressure that is caused by a sudden change in water’s momentum.

While many think it’s nothing more than a pesky sound, it can actually do some real damage to your plumbing system.

 

What Causes Water Hammer

Without a doubt, this is the loudest and most annoying plumbing problem found in the home.

Water hammer occurs when a faucet or appliance quickly shuts off the flow of water.

Water moves quickly into the fixture or appliance, causing a shock wave causing the pipes to bang against each other or against wood framing members (wall studs, floor joists, etc.).

It can be caused by any fixture or appliance that uses water, but some of the most common culprits are washing machines and dishwashers.

Thanks to their powerful valves, these 2 heavy-duty appliances shut off the flow of water much quicker than other appliances.

 

Old School Solution

Water hammer is nothing new, which means there are a few ways people have dealt with it in the past.

Older homes typically have pipefittings called air chambers located on each hot and cold water line at or near each faucet or water inlet valve and are rarely visible.

Air chambers act as a shock absorber for water flowing at a high speed.

However, over time these chambers can fill up with water and will need to be drained.

If you run into this issue, you can recharge water-filled chambers by shutting off the water supply and draining the pipes. This allows air to fill the chambers. It gets trapped there when the water is turned back on.

If you run into problems with the air chambers, then there is an alternative option.

 

Water Hammer Arrestors

Usually, the best long-term solution for eliminating water hammer is to install a water hammer arrestor on each water supply line that makes noise.

A water hammer arrestor works much like an old-style air chamber but includes an air- or gas-filled chamber is sealed by a diaphragm or piston.

There are various types of arrestors, but the two most common are:

  • Soldered pipe connections
  • Threaded fittings: These twist on and off just like a garden hose and are generally best for solving water hammer caused by washing machines.

 

Things to Know

The year in which your home was built can give you a good idea of the water hammer protection your house has.

  1. In or before the 1960s: Generally come with air chambers
  2. In the 1970s-90s: Little to no water hammer protection, and you should consider having a professional install arrestors.
  3. 1990s and so on: These homes come with arrestors.

In some cases there are other reasons for banging pipes:

If you have functioning air chambers or water hammer arrestors, you might have a different problem:

  • The straps that connect your plumbing to your home’s wall studs could be loose, causing the pipes to vibrate.
  • High water pressure.

 

Have you been dealing with banging pipes? Let EIG put your mind at ease with a home inspection so you can address any home problems before they grow into something bigger.

 

Schedule Your Inspection here!

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Categories Foundation Repair

8 Foundation Repair Myths Dispelled

foundation repair

When it comes to your home’s foundation, the smallest comment can make anyone break into a sweat. The general idea is that foundation repair means big bucks and even bigger problems for you, but that’s not the case.

To help you better understand what foundation repair really means we want to dispel some myths today.

1. Foundation Repair Will Break the Bank

Well, it can be expensive, but not every single time. A major repair can set you back a couple thousand, but most of the time people are facing a much smaller issue that doesn’t require an invasive repair.

Our advice—don’t stress about the price until you know the root of the problem.

2. You Should Wait Until the Repair is More Affordable

While waiting until you’re comfortable to pay out a big price is usually okay you definitely don’t want to put off a foundation repair. No matter how small the problem is.

Foundation issues worsen, and quick, so save yourself money in the long run by getting the issue solved immediately.

3. The Problem is the Fault of the Original Builder

Most people assume that foundation issues stem from a faulty building, but a majority are actually due to soil conditions. For example, in North Texas, we have mainly expansive clays which can significantly alter a home’s foundation.

4. Overwatering Causes Foundation Damage

 The expansion from overwatering soil isn’t on a large enough scale to cause cracking.

 5. You Just Need to Fill Cracks

 Injecting a crack may fix a leak, but it’s not the only solution to a foundation problem nor will it prevent future problems from occurring. This is why you need a qualified professional to inspect the root of the problem.

6. Cracks Will Lead You to the Cause of the Problem

Identifying cracks in your foundation is important. These are symptoms that tell you something much larger is occurring somewhere beneath the surface. However, they won’t always give you a 100% direct answer to why your foundation is bad.

Other notable signs include cracks in beams and walls, doors that won’t open or close, bulging floorboards, unbalanced floors, and more.

7. Never Buy a Home With Foundation Problems

A foundation problem is not reason enough to cross a home off of your list. Issues can be resolved quite easily thanks to today’s technologies.

Always find out more about the problem and how much it will cost before closing on a house, but don’t let foundation problems scare you away. They can be fixed!

8. New Homes are Flawless

When new homes are built, construction crews dig out a significant area of soil to place the home’s foundation.  Digging out that amount of soil loosens the surrounding soil that has slowly compacted over hundreds of years.

Once the foundation is in place, fill dirt is placed back against the foundation itself and tamped down using specialized equipment. While contractors will try their best to compact the soils, they’ll never do it as well as Mother Nature.

We Can Help

Have you had your annual foundation inspection? Or are you looking to move into a new home? Let Elite Inspections Group put your mind at ease with factual data.

We use the latest technology to ensure your foundation is in mint condition. Schedule your inspection today!

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