Common Health Issues With Homes

Home is where the heart is — at least, that’s how the saying goes. Although we typically think of our homes as a safe space away from the dangers of the world, sometimes those dangers can make their way into our living area. Whether you’re just settling down in your first home or you’ve been a homeowner for years, there’s never a bad time to start considering the threats that can be present in your home. Keep reading if you’d like to learn about some of the most common issues homeowners have with their investment and how to deal with them.

Faulty Electrical Wiring

67,000 fires, 485 deaths, and $868 million in property losses result each year from home electrical problems according to the U.S. Fire Administration, all numbers that are far too high for the comfort of most homeowners. Although many fires start without there ever being a warning sign or without the homeowner noticing them and taking action, there are some subtle signs that a fire could be impending.

 

• Flickering or dim lights could be a sign of faulty wiring or overloaded circuits
• Charred or noisy outlets or switches
• Your breaker keeps tripping
• Foul odors like melting plastic or something burning

 

If you notice any of these things happening and you recently had electrical work done on your home, you should turn any lights or appliances off and leave the home immediately. Since the majority of your home’s wiring is behind the walls, it’s unlikely that anything will go wrong. Most electrical wiring issues will result from errors in upgrading an old or outdated electrical system.

Poor Ventilation

Poor ventilation in homes is a much bigger issue than people care to admit. Aside from the damage that poor ventilation can cause to our homes, usually in the form of high humidity, poor ventilation can also be a health hazard for anyone who lives there. Mildew, mold, and mites all result from poor ventilation and can cause serious respiratory problems for people with allergies or asthma. This especially holds true if you’ve recently had flooding in your home. You may think your home is safe once you’ve cleaned up after a flood, but mold or mildew could be hiding behind the walls causing serious damage to your home and polluting your indoor air quality.

 

But mold, mildew, and mites aren’t the only problems brought on by poor ventilation. If you’ve kept up with our blogs in the past couple of months, you’ll also know that poor ventilation can result in ice dams in your attic. Your attic, roof, and the rest of your home all play an important role in preventing this, so check out our blog series on attic ventilation to learn more.

 

Contact Safe Investment Home Inspections

These are just a few of the many issues that can go wrong with your home and result in serious health risks. Read part two of this blog series or contact us today to learn more.