This pattern divides and then subdivides the search areas so the termites cover it as completely as possible. Termites probably don’t detect wood from great distances because the soil environment doesn’t allow chemical cues to travel very far. It is believed that termites find food basically by running into it during their foraging and searching activity.

Termites respond to environmental cues like temperature and moisture. During the winter they move down into the soil because they cannot cross the frost barrier. During dry periods termites move deeper into the soil or seek artificially moist areas an example of this is would be a well watered garden environment. During the summer termites can be found in the upper soil levels. Once termites find food they will stop and feed. Most termites will be sent to the food rich area. Marginal food resources may be abandoned although once they have a connection with a food source they will be able to find the food again if needed. During the winter some food resources will be abandoned because of cold conditions, but feeding may resume the following spring or summer. Seasonal feeding is why inspections during the winter are not as likely to find live termites as if the inspection was done in the spring or the summer.

The main nutritional ingredient in the food termites eat is cellulose. Cellulose is a hard structural component of wood and other plant materials. Termites will feed on nearly any source of cellulose including wood, roots, twigs, mulch, paper, cardboard, and fabrics. Subterranean termites tend to prefer softer woods over hardwood but no one treated wood is completely resistant to termite attack. Termites typically eat the softer springwood and leave the harder summer wood which results in the lumber being hollowed out between the growth rings. Termites are most attracted to would partially decomposed by fungus. Studies have shown they thrive on decaying wood. Wood that is in the soil or has been saturated with water is much more suitable for termites then dry structural wood. Some types of wood are more resistant to termites because of naturally occurring substances found in the wood, however during the weathering process the repellent substances lose their repellent qualities. Even though termites feed on cellulose, they can damage non-cellulose material including plaster and drywall. Stucco, plastics, and rubber can also be damaged by termites.

As home inspectors we are primarily looking for two things live termites and termite activity. Live termites are sometimes spotted outdoors when soil is disturbed around wood and touches the soil. Live termites are also sometimes seen during remodeling activities or if their termite mud tubes are disturbed. The other time That live termites can be seen is during swarming.

One of the most interesting things about termites is that at certain times of the year termite colonies swarm. The winged adults flyaway to form their own colonies, swarming usually occurs during the daytime and is simply natures way of reminding you that termites are nearby these swarmers likely came from a nearby underground nest. If most of the insects are found outdoors then the nest is likely somewhere in your yard, possibly near a rotting tree stump or landscaping timbers. If you find most of this warmers indoors then you quite likely have an infestation in or under your house. Most of these swarmers simply die off if they cannot escape from the home. They may be attracted to light and be found on windowsills or another open areas. Quite often you will only find dead insects or just their wings. Destroying the termites warmers will not fix the existing termite problem. Destroying the swarmers does eliminate the nuisance problem at present but it does not provide any protection from further termite activity that may be causing serious damage to your home Protecting your home or business from termites requires a proper soil treatment with a liquid insecticide or the installation of a bating system.

Termites build mud tunnels when moving from the soil to areas above the grade. Mud tubes are constructed by worker termites. These tubes are an obvious indication that there is termite activity in a given area. These tunes will be evident anywhere there is a connection between the termite colony in the ground and any wood food source. The tubes can be constructed on the surface of concrete, metal, wood, plaster, brick or almost any other material. They can hide inside cracks in concrete or wood, inside building materials such as insulating materials and wooden supports or in between floor voids.

There are a couple of types of shelter tubes. Utility tubes are often very wide they carry hundreds to thousands of termites daily. Exploratory tubes are usually only about two termite widths across. These tubes are constructed to facilitate finding food sources. These tubes have been seen traveling 15 feet or more above ground. Exploratory tubes can also be built from the food source down to the soil. Giving the tubes and almost stalactite appearance.

Termites can damage softwood and hardwood lumber products, masonite paneling, composition siding and other construction materials within the home. They can also damage such cellulose materials as books, paper, cardboard, wallpaper and the paper covering on drywall. As the termites eat the wood they replace the eaten wood with soil. Wood is rarely completely eaten and the size and shape of the wood usually remains. Usually they eat about 30 to 40% of the total volume. Termite damage is easily distinguished from other insect damage or rot.

Carpenter ant damage is distinctly different from termite damaged wood. Occupied galleries are kept very clean resulting in the surface having an almost polished look. These ants prefer to infest wood that is moist and rotting and will sometimes use wood that has been hollowed out by termites. They put sawdust and other the breeze out of their galleries often resulting in a cone shaped pile accumulating just below the nest entrance. Carpenter ants nest in wood they do not consume it.

Many species of ants also produce winged adults and take on the appearance of termites. Be careful not to confuse the winged ant with the termite. Termites and ants and also swarm at the same time of the year which also adds to the confusion. There are several key differences in the appearance of these two insects. Termite workers are white or grayish whereas ants are darker in color. Swarming termites are often black in color. Termites have straight antenna, ants have elbowed antenna. Ants have a constricted waist where the thorax and abdomen are connected, termites have an abdomen that is broadly joined at the thorax. Winged ants have four wings the first pair larger than the hind wings. Winged termites have two pairs of wings equal in size and appearance. Even though the two species are similar in appearance and live in the soil ants and termites are enemies because many ant species are predators of termites.

Having a wood destroying insect inspection is a very important piece of having a thorough and complete home inspection. Make sure to ask for a WDI inspection while speaking to your home inspector. Most banks will also require a WDI inspection to be performed before they will issue a mortgage. Good luck and happy termite hunting.

Why Testing for Mold Is Important:

Although not all mold is toxic, some types are. Toxic mold produces hazardous byproducts called mycotoxins. Individuals with asthma and other respiratory problems may have reactions to many types of mold, but mycotoxins may trigger health problems even in healthy individuals. Floating particles of mold are invisible to the naked eye, so it’s impossible to see where they might have settled until they begin to grow. Loose mold particles that accumulate on household items are easily inhaled and can be a constant irritation to the people and pets who live there.

LookSmart’s Mold Testing Services

It is becoming increasingly important to test for mold in New Jersey homes. Mold testing in New Jersey has become a cost effective addition when performed during the home inspection.

LookSmart can perform air sampling in order to determine if higher than expected mold spore counts exist in the home. This typically involves taking three or four samples using a state-of-the-art air sampling cassette. One sample is taken from the exterior air and is used as a control. The other samples are taken from the indoor air, typically from each floor of the home. A certified mold laboratory analyzes the samples and then compares the indoor samples with the exterior control to determine if there are significant differences in the indoor and outdoor mold spore counts.

This service can be added to the home inspection at a 35% discount over the standard price of mold testing.

Even if you currently own a home mold testing is important, especially if there was ever water infiltration into the lower level or basement. Even small leaks can begin the cycle of mold growth. Do you smell that all too familiar musty odor? Don’t take chances have LookSmart perform NJ mold testing in your home.

GFCIs are products designed to prevent injury or death from electrical shock by detecting ground faults at very low levels. If a GFCI senses even minimal current leakage in an electrical device, it assumes a ground fault is taking place. It then interrupts the power fast enough to prevent injury in normal health.

To comply with the National Electrical Code, many homes built since 1973 have some type of GFCI protection. However the US Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that as many as 70% of all existing dwellings have no such protection.

The nations leading electrical safety organizations encourage all consumers to equipped there homes with GFCI’s. Recommended areas to protect are kitchens, bathrooms, garages, crawlspaces, unfinished basements, and outdoor receptacles or any areas where electrical hazards exists.

As part of your home inspection we will be checking and testing the function of the GFCI receptacles in the home. In fact this is a part of the standards of performing a home inspection in NJ.

The GFCI’s are readily available, inexpensive, and simple to install. Modern GFCIs are durable, reliable, and very effective.

We will be looking for GFCI electrical receptacles as we perform your Essex County New Jersey Home Inspection and all home inspections performed throughout New Jersey.

Clothes dryer vents present a different problems then other venting system because the air that they carry is high in moisture and has lint. The dryer vent pipe must discharge to the exterior and must not vent to the attic or crawlspace. The wood structure can be negatively effected by the high moisture content. Wood rot and mold growth can easily develop.

The length of a clothes dryer exhaust ensures that the dryer exhaust blower will be able to blow adequate air volume to take away the moist air and lint. The maximum length of a clothes dryer exhaust duct should not be longer then 25 feet from the location of the laundry area. For each elbow the duct must be reduced by five feet. Screens are not permitted on the clothes dryer exhaust vent because they can get obstructed by lint.

The lint trap in the clothes dryer should be cleaned or at least checked before each use. When you move into your new home you should replace the dryer vent pipe because often these pipes are not well maintained. With a new pipe you greatly reduce the chance of fire. The new vent pipes should be cleaned and brushed out at least twice per year in order to avoid lint build up on the interior. Inspection of the laundry room and dryer vent pipe is an important part of performing your Union County home inspection and all inspections performed in NJ.

Overheating is the big problem with these electrical panels. As more and more energy is demanded from the electrical service of the home the panels may be prone to overheating. Zinsco circuit breakers have been known to melt too the bus bars. When the circuit breaker melts it can not trip when an over current develops. Surging electrical current will continue to enter the circuit until the wires melt, when the wires melt or burn up a house fire can be the result.

The main cause of the circuit breaker failure and subsequent melting is that the circuit breakers in these panels are not tightly secured to the bus bars. Electrical arcing can develop thus leading to overheating of the circuit breakers. There have also been some data to support the aluminum components in the panel box also contribute to the high failure rate.

Two other major failures also can exist. The breakers can fail to trip in response to an over current condition. The breaker may not cut power to the circuit event in the off position, this can lead to electric shock. The best way to deal with this type of electrical panel is to replace it.

There are several tell tail signs of a Zinsco electrical panel that we will be inspecting for while performing all New Jersey Home Inspections. The first thing to look for is the Zinsco foil label in the interior of the panel box. There is also usually a small Zinsco label on the circuit breakers themselves. The word “magnetrip” is also usually found at the top interior of the panel box. These panel box labels may also say Sylvania or Kearney. In any event if you are not sure if your home has a Zinsco electrical panel you should have the panel box inspected by a licensed electrical contractor. If you do have one of these panels it is in you best interests to replace it with a panel box that meets all modern standards for electrical and fire safety.

It is imperative that you get a licensed professional to perform your NJ home inspection. The home inspector will look for these and many other electrical defects that could compromise your family’s safety.

Home inspectors in NJ will perform a visual inspection of the accessible portions of the chimney interior. A level II inspection should be performed by a chimney specialist.

A rain cap is a metal cover that is installed at the top of the chimney that helps keep water out. Rain and moisture can damage the interior of the chimney. A second purpose of the hat is to reduce drafts going down the chimney in windy weather. When the rain cap/hat is missing water can infiltrate the chimney flue and cause damage to the interior of the masonry chimney or metal chimney. Water entering the chimney interior can cause enough rusting and corrosion in a metal flue that the chimney needs replacement. A rain cap should be installed the top of your masonry chimney.

A chimney cap is sometimes confused with a rain cap. A chimney cap is the mortar coat and seal around the top of a masonry chimney. The chimney cap seals that area in between the flue and the sides of the chimney. The purpose of the cap is to shed water away and to prevent moisture damage. A common problem with mortar caps is that the masonry does not slope away and project over the sides of the chimney.

Often the mortar caps are cracked broken or missing altogether. A cracked or broken cap should be repaired quickly in order to help reduce water damage. Regular maintenance is a key with the chimney top. Often the top of the chimney is neglected. What started out as a small repair can grow into a major rebuild and headache down the road.

Sometimes cracks exist through the masonry chimney. Sometimes the required air gap between the chimney liner and the chimney bricks has been omitted. If the gap is not in place then there will not be adequate room for expansion and contraction. As the chimney interior heats up the expanding liner may cause chimney cracking.

Water leaks can also be the cause of chimney cracking. There could be a missing cap or rain hat. Also open mortar joints can cause cracking of the chimney exterior. Open areas can allow water into the chimney structure where the freeze and thaw cycles can lead to cracks to the chimney itself or to its flue liner.

Chimney movement will often cause chimney cracking. A defective chimney footing may allow the chimney to separate from the structure of the home. The chimney may lean or bend causing chimney cracking.

The chimney flashing should be secured and water tight in order to avoid leakage inside the attic space. Proper flashing around a chimney consists of two different sets of flashings. The first set is called a step flashing. Sections of sheet metal are installed into the shingle courses and overlay the side of the chimney. Counter flashing is the second layer of metal and is let in the chimney mortar joints and folded downward to cover the top of the first set of flashings. Any small gaps should be completely sealed with a good quality flexible caulk. Often roofing cement is applied around the base of the chimney. Roofing cement or caulk is never an adequate substitute for a properly configured chimney flashing.
These are just some of the external areas of the chimney that we will be looking at during your quality NJ home inspection.

Chimneys can be a real problem area around the home. Chimneys should be inspected once every year. Certified home inspectors can look for loose or missing flashing and cracks in the masonry and other visible issues. If you take the time to inspect your chimney you will be able to save money down the road because small issues will not grow too much larger ones if addressed early on.

When the flashings are installed properly, they provide excellent protection against the penetration of water behind the exterior siding. Several factors can lead to rainwater intrusion, but missing kickout flashings, in particular, can result in latent water intrusion and damage.

Home inspectors in New Jersey should make sure that kickout flashings are installed. Water penetration behind the siding or stucco cladding can sometimes be observed on the exterior walls in the form of water stains. Many times these water stains take on a tea like color. There can be significant damage and water intrusion with out visible evidence on the exterior of the home.

Certified home inspectors in New Jersey will look for the following problems regarding kick out flashings.

- The kick out flashing was never installed. Sometimes builders are not aware that these flashings are required. This is particularly important because new homes are tightly sealed. If water intrusion behind the walls occurs it is very difficult to dry out.

- The required kick out flashings are not installed properly. The bottom seam of the flashing must be watertight. If it is not, water will leak through the seam and may penetrate the are behind the exterior siding. The bottom of the flashing should be angled in order to divert rain water, snow, and ice to the gutter below it.

Kickout flashing are crucial anywhere a roof and exterior wall intersect, where the wall continues past the lower roof-edge and gutter. If a kickout flashing is missing in this vital location, large volumes of water may over shoot the gutter, enter the area behind the siding, and become trapped inside the wall.

In summary, kickout flashing should be present and properly installed in order to direct rainwater away from the exterior siding. Home inspections in New Jersey should include the inspection and identification of kick out flashings.

Control of Crack Locations
Control joints or cracks are sometimes cut into the cement pad in order to determine the areas where cement will crack. Control joints are grooves pressed into the concrete during the final poring and finish process. The cement slab is thinner and weaker at these cut and grooved areas, it tends to crack in these grooves first.

Sometimes cracks in cement floors can develop in other areas besides in the control joists.

Restraint to Shrinkage
Shrinkage is the most common cause of cement cracking. Shrinkage occurs in Large poured cement slabs. In applications such as concrete slabs and residential foundation walls, cracking is expected.

As the surface of the cement dries, water evaporates from the spaces between particles. As this water dissipates, the particles move closer together, resulting in shrinkage of the cement. Because the surface of a concrete slab is exposed to air but the underlying concrete is not, concrete near the surface dries and shrinks at a rate different from that of the underlying concrete. The underlying concrete acts as a restraint to shrinkage, resulting in cracking of the surface layer.

Types of cement cracking

Thermal cracking:
Temperature differences can contribute to the development of cement cracks.
The chemical hydration process through which concrete hardens produces heat which causes concrete to expand. At the same time, concrete at the surface of the slab is exposed to air and loses water through evaporation. Both of these conditions contribute to cooling and shrinking of the concrete near the surface.

The hot, expanding underlying concrete acts as a restraint to shrinkage of the cooling, shrinking surface concrete. This condition produces tensile stresses which are relieved by cracking of concrete near the surface.

Shrinkage cracking:
When concrete is mixed, more water than is needed for hydration is mixed with the dry components, such as sand, cement and an aggregate. Most of the water will eventually evaporate, causing shrinkage of the concrete slab.

Since water evaporates from the surface, which is exposed to air, at a rate different from the underlying concrete, this differential shrinkage rate produces tensile stresses which are relieved by cracking of concrete near the surface.

Shrinkage cracks are very normal in cement pours, and foundation walls. While performing your home inspection in New Jersey we will be evaluating the various cracks that we encounter.

Most Home Inspectors in New Jersey will refer to mold as a mold like substance or a type of microbial growth. Most New Jersey home inspectors do not test for mold and leave mold testing to professional environmental companies. Home inspections are not mold inspections.

In order to grow, mold requires several conditions to be present in the area.
Oxygen
Temperatures between 45° F and 85° F
Food. (includes a wide variety of materials found in homes)
Moisture

If insufficient levels of any of these requirements exist, all mold growth will stop and fungi will go dormant.

Even though mold growth may take place in the attic, mold spores can be sucked into the other living areas of the home by low air pressure. Low air pressure is usually created by the exhaust of household air from exhaust fans in bathrooms, dryers, kitchens and heating equipment.

Improper Ventilation
Must terminate outdoors. Ducts should never terminate within the home

Termination points should contain a screen or louvered (angled) slats at its termination to prevent bird, rodent and insect entry.

Be as short and straight as possible and avoid turns. Longer ducts allow more time for vapor to condense and also force the exhaust fan to work harder.

Be equipped with a roof termination cap that protects the duct from the elements.

Above all else, a bathroom vent fans should be connected to a duct capable of venting water vapor to the exterior. Mold growth within the bathroom or attic is a clear indication of improper venting that must be corrected in order to avoid structural decay and respiratory health issues.

Fan Function
The fan may be controlled in one of several ways:
- Most bathroom vent fans are operated by a conventional wall switch.
- Sometimes a timer type switch may be use to operate the fan.
- A humidistat can be installed to turn the fan on and off if high levels of bathroom humidity are detected.

During a home inspection in New Jersey the home inspector will check for the operation of the bathroom vent fan and make sure the vent fan is discharging to the exterior of the home.

Vent fans can be impeded by dust build up so they should be cleaned often. Particles of Home inspectors should comment on dirty fan covers and fan blades. Vent fans should be installed in all bathrooms. This includes bathrooms with windows, because windows will not be opened during the winter. .

Defects
The following conditions may indicate inadequate bathroom ventilation:
Moisture stains on walls or ceilings.
Mold on walls or ceilings.
Peeling paint or wallpaper.
High levels of humidity.

The most common defect related to bathroom vent fans is improper termination of the discharge pipe. Vents must exhaust to the exterior of the home. The most common improper terminations locations are:
In the attic, beneath the insulation.
New Jersey home inspectors need to look. The discharge pipe may terminate beneath the insulation or there may be no duct installed.

Improperly terminated bathroom vent systems may appear to work fine from inside the bathroom; you have to look in the attic or on the roof. Sometimes poorly-installed ducts will loosen or become disconnected at joints or connections.

Ducts which leak or terminate in attics can cause problems from condensation. Warm, moist air will condense on cold attic framing, insulation or other materials. This condition has the potential to cause health or decay problems from mold, or to damage materials such as drywall.