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NJ HOME INSPECTOR IN NEW JERSEY |
Electric | Air Conditioning | Heating | Plumbing | Struture | Grounds | Exterior | Pest Control | Pool Inspection | Septic System |
Important Information
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Heating:
NJ home inspector will inspect the: installed thermostat, heating equipment and energy sources, without determining heat supply adequacy or distribution balance, and without operating automatic safety controls or operating heat pumps when weather conditions or other circumstances may cause damage to the pumps, and excluding humidifiers, electronic air filters and solar heating systems; combustion vent systems and chimneys, excluding interiors of flues or chimneys; fuel storage tanks, excluding propane and underground storage tanks; and visible and accessible portions of the heat exchanger,.
New Jersey home inspection will describe the: heating equipment and distribution type; and energy sources. Our NJ home inspectors will give a complete description of the type of heating system being inspected. The report will describe the overall general condition of the system along with the exact or approximate age of the furnace. New Jersey home inspector will remove the front covers of the furnace when possible and inspect for the following: condition, rust, flame burning appearance, condition of the filter, etc. Our New Jersey home inspectors will conduct a free carbon monoxide test on every furnace and hot water heater. We will make sure that there is heat to every room and if the heating system has a steam boiler, we will give a courtesy inspection on the heating pipes for asbestos.
Radon Testing
What Is Radon?
Radon is a naturally occurring, chemically inert, radioactive gas. Because radon is chemically unreactive with most materials, it is free to travel as gas. It can move easily through very small spaces, such as, between particles of soil and rock. Radon is odorless, invisible and without taste; thus, it cannot be detected with the human senses.
Why Test For Radon?
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection states that radon gas is considered to be the #1 pollutant in the home today. Every home in NJ should be tested to make sure the radon levels are within acceptable limits.
Where is radon found? All rocks in N.J. contain some uranium, although most contain just a small amount. Certain types of rock, including granites, dark shale's, light-colored volcanic rocks, sedimentary rocks containing phosphate, and metamorphic rocks derived from these rocks, have higher than average uranium contents. The radon gas from the soil can enter a home or building through dirt floors, hollow-block walls, cracks in the foundation floor and walls, and openings around floor drains, pipes and sump pumps.
Radon is more concentrated in the lower levels of the home (i.e., basements, ground floors and first floors). Radon problems have been identified in every state. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that one in 15 homes in the U.S. has an elevated radon level. Any home in New Jersey may have a radon problem. The Surgeon General and the EPA recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon.
What are the Health Effects?
Radon gas decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe. As they break down further, these particles release small bursts of energy. This can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course of your lifetime. Radon in New Jersey is the second leading cause of lung cancer, resulting inapproximately 14,000 lung cancer deaths every year, according to the U.S. EPA. Not everyone exposed to elevated levels of radon will develop lung cancer, and the amount of time between exposure and the onset of the disease may be many years.
Like other environmental pollutants, there is some uncertainty about the magnitude of radon health risks. However,New Jersey home inspectors know more about radon risks than risks from most other cancer-causing substances. This is because estimates of radon risks are based on studies of cancer in humans (underground miners) exposed to radon. This is unlike many other substances which have data only from animals studies.
Smoking combined with radon is an especially serious health risk. Stop smoking and lowering a high radon level are the best ways to help prevent lung cancer. Children have been reported to have a greater risk than adults of certain types of cancer from radiation, but currently there are no conclusive data on whether children are at greater risk than adults from radon.
Your chances of getting lung cancer from radon depend mostly on:
- How much radon is in your home.
- The amount of time you spend in your home.
- Whether you are a smoker or former smoker.