New inspection article: Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is about to end, meaning we’ll have an extra hour to sleep in on Sunday. It also means that, according to proponents of DST, homes and businesses have saved energy over the past six months, primarily through reduced time using electric lights. But many experts now believe that DST does not promote energy efficiency and that it might in fact cause homeowners to use more electricity. Find out about the history and controversy surrounding DST in our new article on daylight saving time.

New article on spill switch inspection

Spill switches are safety devices placed on modern gas-burning heating appliances. They sense when carbon monoxide spills into the home instead of out the chimney, halting the flow of fuel to the appliance. They must be installed in the correct location, however, and they must respond within 10 minutes of exposure to spilled CO. To find out how they are tested and more, check out our new article on spill switch inspection.

New article on rent-to-own home leases

Many homeowners aren’t aware that they can combine a rental agreement with a home purchase, so they get to stay in a house or condo for some time, paying rent to the owner, before finally buying it. In most cases, the renter has the option to buy at a predetermined price by a certain date it if they choose. While the seller loses some freedom in the deal, they get to keep at least a portion of the rent, or all of it if the renter decides not to buy. In slow housing markets like this one, rent-to-own becomes a more popular option. Read more in our new article on rent-to-own-home-leases.

New article on gravity furnace inspection

Every one in a while, you might run into a giant furnace with monstrous-looking ducts running in all different directions. These gravity furnaces, also known affectionately as “octopus furnaces”, use the force of convection to push air throughout a building. They lack the blower fan inherent to forced-air furnaces, which means they’re quieter and kick up less dust, but the benefits pretty much stop there. They are notoriously inefficient and most have outlived their life expectancies. To find out inspection tips and more, check out our new article on gravity furnace inspection.