From The Seattle Times Originally published February 27, 2016 at 8:00 am Updated March 1, 2016 at 11:59 am Beneath Seattle’s older houses and apartment buildings, broken side sewers are a festering problem that can cost many thousands of dollars to repair and can complicate or even derail a home sale. By Sanjay Bhatt Seattle Times business reporter … Read more
by Nick Gromicko, CMI® and Kenton Shepard Provided by InterNachi Bathroom ventilation systems are designed to exhaust odors and moist air to the home’s exterior. Typical systems consist of a ceiling fan unit connected to a duct that terminates at the roof. Fan Function The fan may be controlled in one of several ways: Newer fans may … Read more
by Nick Gromicko, CMI® and Kenton Shepard History Between approximately 1965 and 1973, single-strand (solid) aluminum wiring was sometimes substituted for copper branch-circuit wiring in residential electrical systems due to the sudden escalating price of copper. After a decade of use by homeowners and electricians, inherent weaknesses were discovered in the metal that lead to its disuse as … Read more
Knob-and-Tube wiring (K&T) was an early standardized method of electrical wiring in buildings, in common use in North America from about 1880 to the 1940s. The system is considered obsolete and can be a safety hazard, although some of the fear associated with it is undeserved. InterNACHI inspectors should always disclaim knob-and-tube wiring during their … Read more
What Is Asbestos? Asbestos is a mineral fiber that can be positively identified only with a special type of microscope. There are several types of asbestos fibers. In the past, asbestos was added to a variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance. If your home was built before … Read more