What is Radon? Radon is a radioactive gas that is found naturally in the environment. Radon is formed from the breakdown of uranium, found in soil, rock and groundwater. Radon gas is inert, colorless and odorless, and is found in the atmosphere in trace amounts. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue. Most radon exposure occurs …
Allergies and the HVAC system
What do allergies have to do with the HVAC system? Allergies are a very common thing with many people of all ages but most are attributed to food and nature. What about the environment in our home? Multiple allergens can be found inside a home. These include mould, dust mites, pet dandruff, cockroaches, mice, etc. All these can play a …
CAUTION WHEN PURCHASING A “FULLY RENOVATED” HOME
In our industry, we deal first hand with many real estate listings that have the headline “completely renovated from top to bottom”. When you’re dealing with a home that is of some age and has gone through a major renovation you need to ask the following questions: Were structural alterations done on this property? Were the necessary permits pulled. Were …
Inspection Services Group Featured on CHCH-TV
Featured segment CHCH-TV: Find the dangers in your home with Inspection Services Group. Lesley Stewart spent the morning with Inspection Services Group, a company that Panos Loucaides founded in 2012. Have an issue with your home? They do residential and commercial inspections, such as radon testing, allergen testing, mold testing and air quality assessments.
General Contractor vs. Home Inspector
Have you ever wondered who is right for the job? This is a fairly common question in the inspection industry and a great topic for discussion. Not because all contractors are bad. In fact, we recommend a variety of different contractors to our clients all the time. I have chosen the topic of contractors because I wanted to shed light …
Infrared & Its Purpose in the Inspection Industry
What is Infrared? By definition infrared is a type of electromagnetic radiation invisible to the human eye. The name incorporates a Latin term and means “below red.” Infrared light has wavelengths longer than those visible to humans. Other invisible wavelengths include X-rays, radio waves and microwaves. Infrared light tends to record the heat signature of an object or environment. How …
Improper installation of a bathroom fan
This doesn’t seem like anything to many people, does it? This is exactly the reason why you need a professional and experienced Inspector. The white vent is an improper installation of a bathroom fan, in between two gas appliance gas vents( furnace and water heater). Even though this is not an air intake, it is badly deteriorated and given the …
Ever seen mushrooms grow in a cold room?
This was caused by landscapers who did not know or simply did not care what they were doing and blocked the cold room vents completely and also allowed the downspout from the roof to drain almost on the porch.
Playing peek-a-boo with a family of squirrels at this property this morning.
Even a new roof can suffer damage by unwanted animals which is why it’s important to always inspect a property. Remember the two squirrels from earlier?. There is the rest of the family inside the ceiling.!! Gotta love thermal imaging!!
A proper Inspection requires turning on all the plumbing fixtures
A proper Inspection requires turning all the plumbing fixtures in a house on for some time, in order to determine if there are any plumbing leaks. Even though Thermal Imaging is very important for identifying non visible leaks, in this case it wasn’t required. Water flowing like this under the shower pan is probably due to a damaged drain or …