InspectAPedia is a free public information website which provides © protected in-depth information on detecting, diagnosing, correcting a full range of residential and light-commercial building defects, failures, & hazards, indoor environmental hazards, indoor air quality problems, energy conservation, and alternative/renewable energy sources for buildings.

Discussed here: website page article organization, intended audience & typical content found at InspectApedia.com. Trademark Registration & copyright protection for InspectApedia. InspectApedia Topics & Examples of Subject Areas.

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At the end of each InspectApedia article you will find the following information:

• CONTINUE READING found at the end of each InspectApediaarticle suggests a closely-related article should be read next
  
  Other related articles: following those suggested articles and sharing links are thumbnail images suggesting related articles.
  
  Suggested citation for this web page: follows the items listed above.
  
  ARTICLE INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES : provides a link to an index of all of the articles in this topic or area
• POST a QUESTION or COMMENT at the end of each web page invites readers to post questions, make comments
• REFERENCES at the end of each InspectApedia web page includes article citations for both the topic and the individual article displayed and also and includes a link to show or hide this information.

Examples of subject areas discussed at InspectApedia are listed below

• AIR CONDITIONING systems & heat pumps, including no-cooling diagnosis and repair, product safety notices, air conditioning and heat pump duct systems, duct defects
• ARCHITECTURE & BUILDING COMPONENT ID - photo and sketch guides to architectural styles, details, building designs
• ART CONSERVATION including PAINT FAILURE, DIAGNOSIS, CURE, PREVENTION  and our MOLD INFORMATION CENTER.
• Diagnosing & repairing problems on buildings & building mechanical systems, including special topics such as
  • AGE of a BUILDING, HOW to DETERMINE
  • ARCHITECTURE & BUILDING COMPONENT ID
  • NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE
  • ODORS GASES SMELLS, DIAGNOSIS & CURE
  • STAIN DIAGNOSIS on buildings
  • WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS in buildings, including wiring & electrical devices, including product safety notices, and special topics such as aluminum electrical wiring, unsafe electrical panels, defective electrical system products, including specialties such
  
  as LIGHTNING PROTECTION SYSTEMS
• ENERGY SAVINGS in buildings, including various ways to cut building energy costs and increase building heating and cooling efficiency
• ENVIRONMENT CONCERNS in, on and around buildings including toxic mold, allergens, pathogens, gases, chemicals, and  other contaminants, including discussion of the validity of various inspection and testing methods, and special topics such
  
  as OIL TANKS INSPECT LEAK TEST ABANDON REGS
• EXPERTS DIRECTORY - how to locate an expert building diagnostician or investigator for home buyers, home owners. Additional directories list specialists such as for building mold or indoor environment inspecting, testing, cleanup, electricians specializing in aluminum wiring or FPE / Zinsco panel replacement, septic systems design and repair, etc.
• EXTERIORS of BUUILDINGS  including site design, site drainage, siding, exterior trim, building windows, doors, roofs, chimneys, walks, retaining walls and special topics such
  
  as PAINT FAILURE, DIAGNOSIS, CURE, PREVENTION
• HEATING SYSTEMS  including boilers, furnaces, steam systems, heating piping, heat and air conditioning duct systems, heating system controls, no-heat diagnosis, product safety notices
• HOME INSPECTION  education classes, online training, home inspection methods, home inspection standards, ethics, education and advanced techniques, including listings of qualified, certified, & licensed professional building inspectors, including specialties such
  as LOG HOME GUIDE
  and
  MOBILE HOME INSPECTIONS
• INDOOR AIR IAQ provides detailed procedures for testing and improving indoor air quality, including prevention or removal of building indoor air hazards such as toxic gases, mold, allergens, and other problematic particles, or odors or smells.
• INDOOR ENVIRONMENT describes how to inspect, test, detect, and correct most indoor environmental hazards.
• INSULATION materials & insulation systems in buildings, including types of insulation, asbestos hazards, fiberglass hazards, ventilation and moisture problem diagnosis, cure, and prevention, ice dam prevention, basement water entry, building flooding, flood damage repair, prevention, and control methods
• INTERIORS of BUILDINGS including choices of building materials, inspection of windows, doors, walls, ceilings, floors, trim, stairs, railings, platforms, for defects, damage, stains, mold, insect damage, pet damage, environmental hazards, or other safety concerns, and special topics such
  
  as MOISTURE CONTROL in BUILDINGS
  and
  
  SOUND CONTROL in BUILDINGS
• MOLD INSPECT TEST REMOVE: how to find, diagnose, prevent mold contamination
• NOISE problems in buildings: how to track down the source of building noises or sounds, how to cure bothersome noises, including some noises that may indicate dangerous conditions or building or building mechanical system troubles. Building & building construction sound control methods to prevent or stop unwanted noise transmission between building areas.
• ODORS in buildings: how to track down the source and cure odors and smells in buildings.
• PLUMBING SYSTEMS  in buildings including water supply systems, water supply and drain piping, pumps, wells, water heaters, water softeners, water testing, water treatment, drain piping materials, methods, problem diagnosis, and septic systems including septic system design, inspection, testing, maintenance and repair, and alternative septic system designs
• ROOFING on BUILDINGS & BUILDING ROOFING SYSTEMS, including how to inspect, diagnose, and repair problems in various roofing materials, roofing methods, and the inspection and repair of roof installations such as slate, asphalt roof, membrane roofs, wood shingle roofs, metal roofs
• Safety inspection and hazard prevention in, on, and around buildings, including
  • BUILDING SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE
  • FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
  • SAFETY RECALLS
  • STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS
• SEPTIC SYSTEMS & ONSITE WASTEWATER DISPOSAL, including septic system design, septic system inspection, septic testing, septic tank maintenance, septic system repair, and alternative septic system designs
• SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS for buildings including design, problem diagnosis, repair.
  
  Also WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS.
• STRUCTURE of BUILDINGS, including how to inspect, diagnose, and repair foundation problems, foundation cracks and foundation movement, pre-fab foundation materials, site problems affecting building structures such as settlement and water entry.
• VENTILATION & BUILDING VENTILATION SYSTEMS for indoor air quality improvement, moisture control, avoiding mold, and energy conservation
• WATER SUPPLY & PUMP & WELL SYSTEMS, including water pipes, water pumps, water wells, water supply systems, piping, wells, water testing, water treatment, drain piping materials, methods, problem diagnosis

The website provides authoritative, un-biased, in-depth research articles on construction defect recognition, analysis, and repair data for building owners, inspectors, engineers, architects, construction managers. Information is provided with the assurance that there are no conflicts of interest – the website and its authors have no financial relationship with the providers of any building products, materials, or services which may be discussed.

MAKING ELECTRONIC COPIES OF our WEBSITE CONTENTS (such as copying our pages, content from our pages, or our graphics) IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED - this website is © protected material, all rights reserved.

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2019-07-02 - by (mod) -

Marjorie you can of course it attach an image to a comment. Without an image I can't say a thing.

However what you will probably enjoy more is to use the on page search box to find our article titled

What mold looks like

On 2019-07-02 by Margie

Please tell me if this is mold

On 2019-02-06 - by (mod) -

Anon perhaps you can attach some photos one per comment using the Add Image button and I can see what's going on.

On 2019-02-06 by Anonymous

I have moisture or water coming in from somewhere along my roof there is a paper or cardboard with styrofoam coming from the roof down into the the trailer it is wet there's a gap between the metal siding and the decorative siding on the outside what is this paper and why is it wet what is this gap for I believe that it is watershed but I'm not positive

On 2018-08-26 - by (mod) -

If you think there are unsafe conditions as well you need to notify your building and health departments, or in urgent cases get people out of the building and call emergency services.

But a noise complaint or shared mailboxes are a different class of issue. These are questions for you to review with an attorney or legal-aid attorney who knows your country and city and its rental laws, Anon.

On 2018-08-22 by Anonymous

Hello, so I’m a renter and I have told the owner and the landlord bolt about these things and they just want the money. So it was a house that was turned into 3apartments I’m upstairs.

I have no lights on my stairs and it’s dark,I can’t turn up or down my heat thermostat is in downstairs apartment,we have two split the electric bill because there’s only one box for the house, I said that wasn’t right.

We have to share everything even the mailbox, you can hear what’s going on in the other apartments. Can you please
Thank you

On 2018-02-03 - by (mod) - My thermostat is set to heat but does not heat the room

At HEAT WON'T TURN ON https://inspectapedia.com/heat/No-Heat-Diagnosis.php you will find a sequence of simple diagnostic steps that you can try before calling your heating repair company.

On 2018-02-03 by Anonymous

Termostat is on but does not heat the room

On 2016-07-11 - by (mod) -

Dan this is not something we should design by a one line e-text as there are electrical, fire and other safety worries at hand.

On 2016-07-11 by Dan

I am trying to use a blower motor as an attic fan and I want to use a thermostat so my girlfriend can turn it on when she wants I have a Honeywell thermostat that I want to use, which side do I connect it to

...

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