Source: Lynch Building Inspection Services Ltd. of Nelson, BC.
Originally appeared in The Nelson Express.

Every winter during the colder stretches the eaves on the roof of our house get a thick layer of ice build-up. This year I noticed water stains on the inside of our living room wall right where the wall meets the ceiling. I suspect it is related to the ice. Do you have any ideas or suggestions about this ice and the water stains?

From your description this sounds like a common problem caused by ice damming. In the industry your roof “makes ice”. The most common reason for this problem is a lack of attic ventilation at or near the junction of the rafters or trusses to the outside walls of your house. Often attic insulation has been carelessly pushed up against the underside of the roof deck in this triangular shaped area within a foot or two of the outside building walls. The insulation is warmer than the snow on the outside roof shingles. Because the insulation is in contact with the underside of the roof deck, the snow on the other side of the roof deck melts along this insulated area for a foot or two near the eaves. As the melting snow (water) travels down beyond the outside walls to the unheated eaves, the water freezes. Ice dams form along these eaves and the dammed water problem increases as the ice dams build in thickness. (This problem can also occur in uninsulated attics.)

When the liquid behind the ice dam backs up the water often find its way under the shingles. This usually happens directly above the outside walls because the warm air escaping from your attic keeps the melting snow water in a liquid state. This water can now find its way down into the outside wall cavities. In turn, the water will often appear as stains near the top of exterior walls on either the inside or outside of the walls.

Some folks resort to a quick and simple answer to the problem. They install heat tape along the eaves of the roof. This melts the ice dams eliminating the potential for water build-up behind the ice dams. But this solution does not address the fundamental problems. Here are some suggestions for eliminating the problem.

First, go up in your attic and remove any insulation in contact with the underside of the roof deck. You can also install insulation baffles that will help hold the insulation down and away from the deck of the roof at the rafter junctions with the outside walls. If you have little or no attic ventilation through your soffits, gable ends and at the ridge of your roof, definitely install more of each. Then go outside. With a ladder on your roof eaves lift up the first course of shingles at the eaves. There should be one or two layers of felt paper under the shingles (dampproofing). This dampproof layer is the last line of defense against ice damming. It is installed to at least one foot above the outside wall of your home and its purpose is to help carry off water that may build up under shingles from ice damming. If you don’t have a layer of dampproofing felt you don’t have the final line of defense. Correct the insulation and ventilation problems first and the next time you install new shingles install the dampproof course at all the building eaves.

Source: Lynch Building Inspection Services Ltd. of Nelson, BC
Originally appeared in The Nelson Express

During a recent heavy rainfall I found water coming in under our foundation wall. We have figured out how to stop it, but the water has spread under interior walls, carpet and cabinets throughout our basement. We’re concerned about the potential for mould and whether we should contact our insurance agent. Please reply ASAP.

First, call your insurance agent immediately and report the details of the flood. Expect that your agent will advise you to hire a professional flood clean-up contractor. Make sure you hire a contractor who is trained in flood restoration and mould remediation because specialized equipment and knowledge is essential to ensure the clean up is carried out properly. A fast, thorough clean-up will help ensure that mould growth will not occur.

Before the contractor begins clean up make sure you have the moisture source under control. Within 48 hours of the flood dispose of all water damaged items that cannot be salvaged and thoroughly dry fixed items like cabinets to avoid mould growth. Your clean-up contractor will have large vacuums and dryers to help in this process.

Check for mould growth behind wallpaper, wall cavities, under wood subfloors, bottoms wood framed walls and crawl spaces. If you find mould growth advise your contractor who will safely remove it. Make sure all cleaning and repairs have been completed thoroughly and to your satisfaction before you advise your insurance agent that the work is complete.

Source: Lynch Building Inspection Services Ltd. of Nelson, BC.
Originally appeared in The Nelson Express.

My home has a crawlspace under it. I know I’m supposed to be opening and closing the vents but I don’t know when.

Here are a few tips that will help keep your crawlspace healthy. Open the vents in early spring and don’t re-seal them until late fall. Make sure the screens are in good repair and seal all other openings to ensure insects and small animals don’t take up residence under your home.

If your crawlspace is not heated consider insulating the underside of your floor. Hold the insulation in place with chicken wire or 1″ x 4″ strapping. Install several vents to ensure there is good air circulation, especially at shallow “hard to get to” areas. If you don’t have an access hatch or service trenches to the shallow areas of the crawlspace it would be beneficial to do so for periodic inspection of your home’s structure. If you have a dirt floor install a 6-mil U. V. rated polyethylene vapour barrier throughout. Overlap and seal the plastic seams with “tuck tape” and caulk the plastic tight to pony walls, footings, plumbing pipes and foundation walls with acoustic sealant or tape. When complete, you will have created a much healthier crawlspace for you and your home.

Source: Lynch Building Inspection Services Ltd. of Nelson, BC
Originally appeared in The Nelson Express

I think I have vermiculite insulation in my attic. Recently I heard that it is a health hazard and I’m wondering if I should remove it. What is your opinion?

First, it is a good idea to positively identify that it is vermiculite. This type of insulation is grey in colour and shaped like small pellets. Some vermiculite is harmless; however, according to a CBC National news article entitled “Deadly Dust” by Fredrick Zalac, the product sold under the brand name Zonolite, produced at the Libby mine, was contaminated with tremolite asbestos, a significantly toxic form of asbestos fiber.

It is impossible to tell if the vermiculite in your attic was produced at the Libby mine. If you find empty Zonolite paper bags in your attic, and the bags state that the product was processed by WR Grace Canada, Grant Industries or F. Hyde & Co., the vermiculite is probably from Libby and likely contaminated with tremolite asbestos. The only sure way to tell is to collect a small quantity and have it analyzed at a laboratory.

The good news is that according to Zalac’s article, if left undisturbed this type of insulation poses minimal or no health risk at all. The asbestos fibers must be air borne to be inhaled. Therefore, leaving it undisturbed in your attic or sealed in a wall or floor assembly is a cost free, effective strategy. If you are going to renovate and cannot avoid disturbing the insulation, wear a proper respirator and a disposable full body suit. Ensure the fibers do not spread to other areas of your home. It is recommended to hire a contractor qualified to work with asbestos because specialized equipment such as vacuum cleaners equipped with highly sensitive HEPA filters may be required to effectively control the asbestos during the removal operation.

CBC News

Rick Vandekerkhove performs inspections on properties criminals have damaged due to marijuana grow ops. (CBC)

The Manitoba government has a plan to protect people from unknowingly buying homes that were formerly used as marijuana grow ops.

It wants to attach that information to a property’s land title and make it fully accessible to prospective buyers.

There’s no timeline on putting the plan in place but it has the full backing of the Winnipeg Police Service.

“There’s all different varieties and different stories about how people find out [their home was a grow op] after the fact. It’s not uncommon and it is a panic situation for them,” said Sgt. Kerry Baldwin, who heads up the police service’s green team responsible for dismantling and investigating grow ops in the city.

 

‘There’s a lot out there that we probably don’t know about.’—Sgt. Kerry Baldwin

When Winnipeg police bust a grow op, they always list the location online. But prospective buyers aren’t often aware of the list and CBC News has learned real estate agents don’t often check either.

Making the information part of land titles documents is a great move, but it won’t protect everyone, said Baldwin.

Many grow ops are never discovered and the houses are renovated to cover up the illegal activity that once took place.

“We don’t kid ourselves. There’s a lot out there that we probably don’t know about,” said Baldwin.

Dangerous homes

Mould damage inside a former grow-op home. (Winnipeg Police Service)

Rick Vandekerkhove, an operations manager with the Office of the Fire Commissioner, said homes once used for grow ops can be dangerous.

Shoddy work to install a labyrinth of exhaust vents can result in structural damage, and electrical wiring tampered with to hide high energy usage can be a fire hazard.

As well, toxic mould can develop from the elevated moisture levels maintained in grow-ops.

“We have found a number of locations where they [grow op operators] breach basement walls to steal electricity,” Vandekerkhove said. “And they’re tampering with the drinkable water source and there’s possible contamination with your tap water.”

Fixing the damage can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, he added.

For more than a year, Vandekerkhove has been stepping in when police call after discovering a grow op. He does inspections on properties that criminals have damaged due to marijuana grow ops.

A tangle of electrical wires used to power a grow op inside a home.(CBC)

“We re-key the house and hold custody of the house until the owner can be contacted and advised of the repairs that are happening,” he said.

Before Vandekerkhove’s office became involved, former grow op homes would resurface on the market without the necessary repairs.

In hot property markets, bidding wars mean prospective buyers don’t have the luxury to call in home inspectors or put other conditions on the sale of a home.

“The due diligence you’d expect from someone purchasing [a home] is not there because the market doesn’t really afford them that opportunity,” said Baldwin.

Disclosure depends: realtors association

The Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC), an arm’s-length agency of the provincial government that enforces the provincial Real Estate Broker’s Act, requires agents to disclose whether a home was a grow op.

However, those rules are murky, said Peter Squire, spokesman for the Winnipeg Realtors Association – an organization representing the business interests of real estate agents.

In cases where a grow-op was “very modest” (about five to 10 plants), where no damage occurred and environmental testing has been done, an agent may list the property for sale and not disclose its history to the buyer, Squire said.

That doesn’t conflict with the MSC’s rule that real estate agents must always disclose if a home is a former grow-op, he said.