Visions of Sugar Plums and Holiday SafetyWritten by Wally Conway
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For some strange reason, otherwise sane and contentious homeowners decide to do their most creative electrical lighting, decorating, and wiring this time of year. Some of more festive observations have been: Twelve indoor extension cords lying in a garden fountain Eleven lighted candles each behind a curtain Ten cracked cords in a single outlet Nine rocking reindeer sparking on a rooftop Eight unattended potpourri pots a bubbling and a boiling Seven realtors cell phones charging near a wet counter Six spliced wires wrapped with duct tape Five frosty snowmen hanging by frayed wires Four flood lights on a single broken fixture Three space heaters blowing on a Christmas tree Two light bulbs covered with red plastic bags One extension cord draped over a chimney while fire's a blazing Okay, I confess! I took some liberties in putting this list together. But keep in mind that electrical hazards know no season! Our friends at U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSO) estimate that about 4,000 injuries associated with electric extension cords are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year. They also estimate that each year, about 3,300 residential fires originate in extension cords, killing 50 people and injuring about 270 others. The most frequent causes of such fires are short circuits, overloading, damage, and/or misuse of extension cords. The real point is, be it in our own homes, homes we visit, or homes we list, keep an eye out for hazards that need to be addressed. Lives depend on it. Plus, if one of your property listings burn to ground, it makes for some very difficult disclosures! Be safe and enjoy holidays! ...more information... Copyright © Florida HomePro, Inc. and Wallace J. Conway. All rights in all media reserved.
Wally Conway is President of Florida HomePro Inspections, and has recently written a book entitled "Secrets of the Happy Home Inspector", available at GoHomePro.com. As a speaker, writer,and instructor,blends the right amount of up-to-date information with just the right amount of humor, insight, motivation, and real-world application. Visit WallyConway.com for more information!
| | Catching Crooked ContractorsWritten by Wally Conway
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Every system in a home or building is also required to be installed or repaired by properly licensed people. The simple secret code on this is: CCC Certified Roofing Contractor CAC Certified Mechanical Contractor (Heating and Air) CPC Certified Pool Contractor CFC Certified Plumbing Contractor EC Electrical Contractor To help us even more in avoiding unlicensed contractors state requires that a contractor display their license number on every vehicle, invoice, bid, business card and solicitation. So, you can tell if a person is licensed before you even speak to them! Most people assume that risk posed by unlicensed work is limited to poor quality or unfinished work. But it gets much worse! The homeowner who hires unlicensed contractors is responsible for all unpaid bills, fines, and worst of all, payment for any injury to unlicensed contractor! It is illegal and ill-advised to hire these scoundrels! A quick link to all this and more, including everything you ever wanted to know about permitting - but were afraid to ask - is at www.gohomepro.com. Forewarned is forearmed, so check it out and keep risks of unlicensed and illegal work away from your home! Copyright © Florida HomePro, Inc. and Wallace J. Conway. All rights in all media reserved.
Wally Conway is President of Florida HomePro Inspections, and has recently written a book entitled "Secrets of the Happy Home Inspector", available at GoHomePro.com. As a speaker, writer, and instructor,Wally blends the right amount of up-to-date information with just the right amount of humor, insight, motivation, and real-world application. Visit WallyConway.com for more information!
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