(800) 254-1501 Call to Schedule your Inspection
(800) 254-1501 Call to Schedule your Inspection
Electrical
Electrical
Electrical system inspection helps identify and fix fire hazards while also allowing the residents to save money and energy. Top Home Inspection team will ensure that your electrical system meets the electrical code requirement as well as insurance risk assessment inspection. You can consider electrical system inspections if you want to buy a home or if your home is more than 40 years old. If you are adding more appliances or installing a new electrical system, you also want to seek inspectors to assess your electrical system.
In times of renovations, you want the electrical system to remain in proper shape. If you suspect the house does not live up to code, or you have electrical problems, you would better call in electrical inspectors. An inspection can be essential when you want to test the safety of your electrical devices including the dishwashing machine, laundry machine, and the ovens.
Our inspectors check for things such as blackened outlets that indicate risks of sparks and fires. Burn marks appearing on walls, ceiling, and around outlets give hints to an overloaded, loose, or improperly installed electrical sockets and wiring. If you have outlets that can’t allow you to plug in your electronic devices, it can tell something about your electrical system. If you have issues with the little things like sockets and outlets, what about the bigger things like the circuit breakers, electrical panels, and the wiring cables running up in the attic space?
Our inspectors measure the electricity that passes through the wiring circuit to help tell if there is bad wiring, overloading, or electricity taking a different path. The technicians will also examine if there are loose light fixtures, lights flickering, burning plastic or rubber smell, ceiling fans making loud mechanical noises, and switches not operating correctly. They also assess the exterior electrical system including outdoor outlets to see if they have protective covers. For the outlets located close to water sources, the electrical technicians check whether there are GFCI installed to enhance the safety of the electrical system.
A safe and efficient running electrical system prevents fire hazards, risks of electrocution, and reduces energy consumption. If the electrical system is outdated, Top Home Inspection technicians will inform you so that you can take appropriate measures to upgrade it. This area is included in the 4 Point Inspection do in Orlando, Kissimmee, Florida area.
Plumbing
Plumbing
One of the often-overlooked home systems is the plumbing system, yet it’s among the most important components you have in a home. Without a properly functioning plumbing system, a homeowner is likely to experience a lot of problems and even health issues. A good plumbing system ensures that you don’t encounter issues with kitchen drainage, toilet backups, and leaky sewer lines or drain lines. Our inspectors will check the plumbing system from the interior of the house through the exterior parts to the sewer line. The technicians look for leaky sewers and drain lines or even collapsed drainage lines.
Clogging is one of the problems that Top Home Inspection technicians identify when inspecting plumbing systems. Most homeowners don’t upgrade their drains and sewer lines, they continue using the same system they installed 25 or 30 years ago even though they have made many additions to the home. Any plumbing system has a capacity of load it can hold and when it reaches the threshold, it is likely to collapse. Our inspectors assess the size of the sewer and drain lines in relation to the home to see if it needs an upgrade.
Just because you are not seeing issues with the plumbing system does not mean that it is functioning properly. The drain lines may have weakened and it’s only a matter of time before they collapse. The technicians will examine the structural integrity of the drain system to ensure that it’s firm enough to counter the load of liquid waste and physical strain.
Over time, root systems attack drainage lines causing blockages. The roots of trees can find their way into the drainage channels through tiny openings in the joint areas and connections or cracks. Also, if the lines are located in areas of heavy traffic like vehicles turning, the drainage pipes can collapse causing blockages.
The aging drainage lines can develop leaks that causing release of the effluent to the ground surface and this can be a health hazard. Our inspectors will look for any signs of leaky drainage lines and sewers. When you have issues with the drainage system, we can trace it to identify where it is occurring. The problem can be found right inside the home where the drain system originates or deep within the drain lines. This area is included in the 4 Point Inspection do in Orlando, Kissimmee, Florida area.
HVAC
HVAC
The heating system is an important element of the home. How the equipment has been maintained may indicate how well the entire house has been maintained. Top Home Inspection technicians will look at a number of things when inspecting the heating system. They examine the filters, exhaust flue, leaky areas, and electrical issues.
One of the biggest HVAC issues is leaks in gas lines. If there is a leak occurring within the gas line, it can be a precursor to serious problems such as a cracked heat exchanger. It’s the heat exchanger that helps convert fuel to heat, so if it has problems, it releases dangerous gas that may contribute to a home fire.
Filters are used to protect the mechanical parts of the heating equipment from becoming dirty. They also help in cleaning the air running through the equipment. Filters that aren’t changed regularly or cleaned can result in many other problems including cooling inefficiencies, airflow issues, health issues, and ballooning power bills. Our technicians will check the filters to find out if they have been changed and cleaned or not.
The exhaust flue acts as the vent for extracting smoke and gases or fumes out of the house. The flue pipe should be designed to slope up and attach to an outdoor vent or even chimney. Proper support is needed for this flue. In addition, the flue should be kept away from materials that are flammable. Top Home Inspection team also checks for any electrical concerns within the heating system. Faulty wiring can lead to blown fuses or tripping of the circuit breaker when the heating equipment is under heavy use. Our inspectors check whether there is an electrical kill switch installed near the furnace to help cut power immediately when there is an emergency.
Top Home Inspection team will look at all possible signs that may indicate problems with the heating system in order to ensure that they are remedied. A heating system that’s inefficient can cost you a lot of money. If there are leaks of gases, it can be a home fire hazard that should be fixed immediately. This area is included in the 4 Point Inspection do in Orlando, Kissimmee, Florida area.
Roofing
Roofing
After the foundation, the next most important part of the home is the roofing structure. A damaged or leaky roof can bring a lot of problems. It can result in costly repairs, water damage, and other issues such as mold growth. The roofing structure protects the house, your family, and the things contained in the house. Potential homebuyers will look at the roof when making their purchase decision. A roof not only provides a curb appeal to a home, but also serves as a line of defense against weather elements, so if there are damages and defects occurring in it, they will create problems. Our inspectors will assess the condition of your roof to determine if there are issues that present safety concerns and damages to other structures and components of the home.
A leaky roof can lead to damage to the ceiling, growth of molds, and wall staining. If the roofing material isn’t installed properly, it can lead to costly repairs or even irreversible damages. Our roof inspectors look for signs of aging, and damages needing repair or replacement. The presence of missing shingles on the roof can indicate that the existing roofing structure is old and needs replacement. The shingles may also show curling and buckling indicating that weather elements have taken their toll on the roof.
The way your roof is installed determines whether it lasts longer or not. Top Home Inspection team checks the kind of roof installation you have to see if the structure is firm enough. Inspection can take place from the roof itself where the inspectors check for potential leaks, damaged and missing shingles, flashing, ventilation, gutters, and the overall condition of your roof.
Access to the attic can help verify present and past leaks, proper insulation, proper ventilation, and the status of the roof structure. Signs of roof leaks in a home including stains on walls and ceilings or pools of water on the floor when it rains are a concern. In addition to the roof structure, the inspectors examine the gutters to see if they are collecting surface water from the roof in the right way to ensure proper drainage. The inspectors also look at the surface of the roof to see if there is debris that can contribute to moisture retention leading to leaky roofs. This area is included in the 4 Point Inspection do in Orlando, Kissimmee, Florida area.
Water
Water
If you’re a home buyer or seller, you may be required to test drinking water. Most mortgage lending companies request potential home sellers and buyers to undertake a water test within the property in order to verify there are no contaminants that can affect the building. Water testing performed by Top Home Inspection technicians is aimed at finding out if there are any contaminants raising concern including bacteria and nitrates.
If you live in a property with a well, you will have to perform well water testing. It’s estimated that more than 13 million people in America get drinking water from private sources like wells. The nature of these water sources subjects them to many contaminants. A well comes out of the ground meaning there is a chance of carrying harmful bacteria and chemicals.
A home buyer would want to know how safe the well water in your home is before they can purchase the property. If tests show that the water is highly contaminated, it can raise issues with the purchase deal. The homebuyer can opt for other properties. Basic-Level testing is often required by most mortgage companies before they can sign off on mortgages. The testing looks for things that can damage the infrastructure of the home. For example, a mortgage-related test can be requested to help bring to light things like water hardness or chemicals likely to damage the plumbing and piping systems.
With basic level testing, it may not look into any issues affecting the safety of drinking water or bathing. A higher level testing looks at substances that can harm humans like arsenic levels and volatile organic compounds likely to make you sick after ingesting them. Many people assume that a basic water test looks for every issue about water safety, however, that’s not the case.
When it comes to water testing, it only tests for issues you are concerned about. The tests you perform will depend on the purpose of the water testing. Top Home Inspection technicians can provide you with quality water testing. They will pick the samples of water from your home and take them to an approved water testing laboratory for screening and analysis.
Interior
Interior Elements
The interior part of your home comprises many parts, components, systems, and structures that need inspection when you are buying a new home, moving into a new house, or remodeling the home. Interior inspection covers a variety of things. Top Home Inspection team looks at the electrical components to see if the outlets have been wired correctly and grounded. It checks if outlets are GFCI protected for the safety of the family, pets, and guests. Besides, our inspection team checks that switches are functioning and lights are working as they should. Also, the appliances are assessed to see if they are in good working conditions. When looking at the electrical items, the inspectors check the fuse box to ensure the wiring has been done correctly.
Interior inspection also constitutes the plumbing system, and our technicians check for functional water flow, whether in or out of the house. They also look for leaks occurring within the plumbing system because they could indicate other problems like mold infestation. Proper drainage in the kitchen sinks, bathrooms, and other locations inside the house reduces the problem of water or moisture damage. The inspectors will look at the plumbing connections to ensure that there are no cross-connections. Heating and cooling systems are part of the interior inspection and our technicians will ensure these systems are adequate and performing efficiently.
Other areas that are technicians examine are the floors, ceilings, interior walls, as well as the painting. The windows and doors are inspected to ensure they lock, open, and close as they should. Any signs in the interior of the home that may indicate safety issues or structural problems are looked at and indicated in the report.
When it comes to interior painting, we look at things like peeling or flaking. In homes built 40 or more years before, we may recommend lead testing on the paint because the paint used in those buildings is likely to contain lead. If the paint is peeling, it poses cross-connections dangers to the family and visitors in the home. Our interior elements inspection report will provide you with the details you need about various structures, parts, components, and systems in the house and their current state.