Contents:

1. Aluminum Wiring

2. Carbon Monoxide

3. Chimney & Fireplace

4. Chinese Drywall

5. Earthquake Protection

6. Electricity

7. Garage Door Openers

8. Home Inspection Recommendations

9. Hardboard Composite Siding

10. HTPV Vent Pipes

11. Moisture, Mold, & Wood Rot

12. Polybutylene (PB) Plumbing

13. Product Recalls - CPSC

14. Radon

15. Resource Directory - ASHI

16. Roofing Materials

17. Septic Systems

18. Synthetic Stucco

Aluminum Wiring

Aluminum Wiring Hazards  An insurance company provides a safety engineers' point of view. Some good historical background on Aluminum wiring.

Aluminum Wiring Information Website - www.inspect-ny.com  A very detailed web site on the problems of small sized, #10 & #12, solid aluminum wiring in residential homes.  It also includes information on problems with connector retrofits.

CPSC - Aluminum Wiring Fix Still Available   This (CPSC) Consumer Product Safety Commission document is announcing that the Tyco AMP COPALUM connector system will be manufactured until 2005.  CPSC - Aluminum Wiring Repair  is a PDF format document from the CPSC describing repair techniques for aluminum wire.

Carbon Monoxide

The (CPSC) Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends the use of CO detectors to decrease the risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Also, the article Carbon Monoxide Questions and Answers and the brochure The "Invisible" Killer give practical and helpful information.

Protect Your Family and Yourself from CO Poisoning  A practical list from the EPA of Do's and Don'ts related to carbon monoxide.  Also, information on CO detectors. 

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning  A very practical web site on preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.   Information and Web Site Links on Appliance Safety, CO Medical Information, Portable Gas Heater Safety, CO Detectors, Caravan Safety, and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

Bacharach's Training Room  Bacharach is a manufacturer of CO testing equipment, with detailed information for technicians.

Chimney & Fireplace

Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)  Helpful information on Masonry Chimneys, Carbon Monoxide Hazards, Chimney Fires, Chemical Chimney Cleaners, Wood Stoves and Inserts, Factory Built Fireplaces,  Gas Logs, and Finding a Certified Chimney Sweep.

The National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG)  A professional and trade organization for Chimney Sweeps and the founding organization for the CSIA.  Contains a NCSG Members Locator Search Engine.

Chimneys: Safety Alert  An article from the (CPSC) Consumer Product Safety Commission which describes some of the fire hazards of metal factory-built chimneys.

Standards for Design & Construction - NFPA 211  How to order a publication on chimney & fireplace design prepared by the (NFPA) National Fire Protection Association.

Hearth Products  A detailed web site on the selection and the use of wood burning stoves, gas logs, and chimney design.  Hearth Net is sponsored by various manufacturers.

Un-Vented Gas Logs  This is part of a particular article found on Hearth Products that deals with the concerns about un-vented gas log fireplaces.

Chinese Drywall

Drywall Information Center  Detailed information from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on what is presently known about Chinese drywall.

Earthquake Protection

This area of Tennessee, located near the Appalachian mountains, has the potential for seismic activity. These brochures from the Institute for Business & Home Safety, gives some good suggestions on how to make your home safer & stronger.  

Is Your Home Protected?  A Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Retrofit  - 36 pages.pdf

Protect Your Home Against Earthquake Damage - 2 pages, pdf

Electricity

This particular web page of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) gives access to a group of very practical articles on electrical safety:   Electrical Safety Publications

Garage Door Openers

Non-Reversing Openers - pdf (CPSC)  Safety alert.  Approximately 4 children are killed each year, and others suffer brain damage or serious injuries, when a garage door fails to stop and reverse its direction upon contact.

Home Inspection Recommendations

The House Detective  -  Good articles on home inspection, written by Barry Stone, a nationally syndicated columnist and home inspector. Look in the ARCHIVES list to see the various articles.

Deal Killers: Ask for Them by Name  -  An article by Barry Stone, in The Washington Post, discussing the need to find a qualified inspector.

Independent Home Inspectors of North America web site gives compelling reason for a buyer to be cautious of a home inspector that is recommended by the real estate agent. 

Hardboard Composite Siding - Class Action

Hardboard Composite Siding - Helpful Web Sites  A list of web sites from different manufactures of the siding that are involved in the class action law suit, describing the procedures for making a claim.  Also, there are web sites of different companies and organizations that will give assistance, usually for a fee, to help the consumer file a claim.

HTPV Vent Pipes for Gas Furnaces

HTPV Vent Pipes - pdf (CPSC)  Announced in 1998.  250,000 High Temperature Plastic Vent systems for natural gas or propane furnaces - joints can crack or separate  - carbon monoxide hazard.  Horizontal systems - named "Plexvent" or "Ultravent" - gray or black in color.

Moisture, Mold, & Wood Rot

Wood Moisture Content  The University of Clemson Extension office provides a clear explanation of WMC, and what are safe levels.

There's No Such Thing as Dry Rot  A very practical explanation of how wood can not rot without the presence of moisture. Also, a basic description of wood preservatives.

University of Clemson Extension articles:

A group of practical, straightforward articles on controlling moisture in the home:

• The Billion Dollar Thief: Moisture

• Landscape Management Checklist:

• Controlling External Water Problems

• There's No Future in a Wet Foundation

• Winter-Time Moisture Problems

Facts about Mold and Dampness   A  Centers for Disease Control (CDC) brochure on basic mold information, and why mold sampling is not needed.

Questions and Answers on Stachybotrys chartarum  and other molds   A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) web page on questions and answers concerning the  Stachybotrys chartarum mold and acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage among infants. 

A Brief Guide to Mold  (EPA) US Environmental Protection Agency booklet entitled:  "A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home."

Indoor Air - Mold Resources  An EPA web page on Ten Things You Should Know About Mold, Asthma and Mold, Floods/Flooding, Health and Mold, Indoor Air Regulations and Mold, and Other Mold Related Resources and Links. 

Free From Mold.org  APA – The Engineered Wood Association launched the FreeFromMold.org program in August 2004 to provide an annual inspection and moisture prevention regimen for homeowners. FreeFromMold.org gives you the tools you need to determine places around your house in need of inspection for typical moisture intrusion problems and offers simple steps to fix these problems.

Polybutylene (PB) Plumbing  - Class Action

More on PB Piping - ASHI Reporter

PB pipe is a non-rigid, sometimes curved, usually gray (or possibly silver or black) plastic pipe used in water supply plumbing systems.  This product was involved in a $950 million class action suit due to leakage problems.

Brief Description of PB Plumbing Problem  Enclosed is a brief description of the Polybutylene Pipe (PB) water leakage class action law suit and how to identify the pipe.

Product Recalls (CPSC)

Find Recalled Products at CPSC

Find articles by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on a large variety of products that have been found to be defective.  Items such as dishwashers, ovens & ranges, furnaces, CO detectors, electric wall heaters, metal fireplaces, microwave/hoods, attic ladders, surge arresters, GFCI circuit breakers, gas water heaters, and smoke detectors.

Radon

A Citizen's Guide to Radon  - (EPA) US Environmental Protection Agency. A 16 page brochure on the basic issues concerning radon hazards, detection, myths, and remediation.

Radon Publications -  (EPA) US Environmental Protection Agency. A web page giving access to a variety of publications dealing with radon.

TDEC Radon Program  (TDEC) The State of Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation web site on radon in Tennessee. Free radon test kits available.

Health Physics Society - Position Statement on Radon  The Health Physics Society, a non-profit scientific professional organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and others who promote the practice of radiation safety.  In their position statement, in items #2 & #6, they propose that the EPA should raise the recommended mitigation level to "tens of pCi/L and greater."

Resource Directory - ASHI

Technical and Information Resources (ASHI)  This webpage from the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) contains 30 categories with a total of 462 links to other web sites that deal with technical aspects of the home inspection process.

Roofing Materials

Inspecting Asphalt Shingles (ASHI)  This is a nine page article from the May 2002 ASHI REPORTER on how to inspect asphalt composition shingles, which is the predominant  residential roofing material.

CoolMetalRoofing.org encourages the use of metal roofing and related products as a means of energy conservation. They provide a group of Research Papers on the advantages of metal roofs.

Septic Systems

Maintaining Your Septic System- A Guide for Homeowners is an easy to read comprehensive brochure, produced by Pipeline, on how to maintain your system and what should be inspected.

NSFC Septic News  A very straight forward web site devoted to the basics of septic systems, from West Virginia University.

Septic Systems - What you need to know  A quick reading one page question and answer sheet from the North Carolina Extension Service.

Septic System Construction Permit  The State of Tennessee web site explains the permit requirements of building a private septic system.

The Septic System Information Website  A very comprehensive web site from a home inspector who has researched septic systems in great detail.

Synthetic Stucco - EIFS

 EDI - Exterior Design Institute - EIFS  The Exterior Design Institute is a non-profit organization founded for the purpose of training and certifying Third Party EIFS Inspectors.

dspInspections.com  This is a detailed web page of a home inspector  in Rochester MN, providing some good insights on the EIFS problem.

EIMA Web Site -  EIFS Industry Members Association web site provides a description of the Exterior Insulation Finish System (EIFS), along with advocating the use of synthetic stucco, and addressing the concerns associated with this product. The EIMA Guide to EIFS Construction provides recommended detailing.