Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Title 24 Compliance Reports

Title 24 Energy calculations and Compliance Reports Service

  California Title 24 compliance report for low-rise residential occupancy including single family homes, duplexes, garden apartments and other housing types with three or fewer habitable stories, required at the building permit phase and consists of the Certificate of Compliance (CF-1R), and Mandatory Measures (MF-1R) on the building plans.

  We use CEC certified software and guarantee the accuracy and acceptance of your Title 24 report. We provide Title 24 Energy Compliance Certificates and work with architects, engineers, builders and home-owners to achieve energy efficiency for building in order to comply with state energy compliance and standard requirements.

Title 24 Report ordering process is very simple: just send us e-mail with attached Floor plan(s)

Completed Title 24 Energy Compliance Report will be emailed to you within 24 business hours

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Attached Garage Fire Containment

   An attached garage is a garage that is physically attached to a house. Fires that begin in attached garages are more likely to spread to living areas than fires that originate in detached garages. For this reason, combined with the multitude of flammable materials commonly found in garages, attached garages should be adequately sealed from living areas. A properly sealed attached garage will ideally restrict the potential spread of fire long enough to allow the occupants time to escape the home or building.

Why are garages (both attached and detached) fire hazards? 
- Oil or gasoline can drip from cars. These fluids may collect unnoticed and eventually ignite.
- Flammable liquids, such as gasoline, oil and paint, are commonly stored in garages. Some other examples    are brake fluid, degreaser, motor oil, varnish, lighter fluid, and fluids containing solvents, such as paint thinner. - These chemicals are flammable in their fluid form, and some may create explosive vapors.
- Heaters and boilers, which are frequently installed in garages, create sparks that can ignite fumes or fluids. - - Car batteries, too, will spark under certain conditions.
- Mechanical or electrical building projects are often undertaken in the garage. Fires can easily start while a careless occupant is welding near flammable materials.
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Monday, October 3, 2011

Backflow Prevention

  Back-flow is the reversal of the normal and intended direction of water flow in a water system. Devices and assemblies known as back-flow preventers are installed to prevent back-flow, which can contaminate potable water supplies.

Why is back-flow a problem?
  Back-flow is a potential problem in a water system because it can spread contaminated water back through a distribution system. For example, back-flow at uncontrolled cross connections (cross-connections are any actual or potential connection between the public water supply and a source of contamination or pollution) can allow pollutants or contaminants to enter the potable water system. Sickness can result from ingesting water that has been contaminated due to back-flow.

Backflow may occur under the following two conditions:

back-pressure: Back-pressure is the reverse from normal flow direction within a piping system as the result of the downstream pressure being higher than the supply pressure. This reduction in supply pressure occurs whenever the amount of water being used exceeds the amount of water being supplied (such as during water-line flushing, fire-fighting, or breaks in water mains).

back-siphonage: Back-siphonage is the reverse from normal flow direction within a piping system that is caused by negative pressure in the supply piping (i.e., the reversal of normal flow in a system caused by a vacuum or partial vacuum within the water supply piping). Back-siphonage can occur when there is a high velocity in a pipe line, when there is a line repair or break that is lower than a service point, or when there is lowered main pressure due to high-water withdrawal rate (such as during fire-fighting or water-main flushing)
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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Aluminum Wiring

   Between approximately 1965 and 1973, single-strand aluminum wiring was sometimes substituted for copper branch-circuit wiring in residential electrical systems due to the sudden escalating price of copper. After a decade of use by homeowners and electricians, inherent weaknesses were discovered in the metal that lead to its disuse as a branch wiring material. Although properly maintained aluminum wiring is acceptable, aluminum will generally become defective faster than copper due to certain qualities inherent in the metal. Neglected connections in outlets, switches and light fixtures containing aluminum wiring become increasingly dangerous over time. Poor connections cause wiring to overheat, creating a potential fire hazard. In addition, the presence of single-strand aluminum wiring may void a home's insurance policies. Inspectors may instruct their clients to talk with their insurance agents about whether the presence of aluminum wiring in their home is a problem that requires changes to their policy language.
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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Asbestos

What is Asbestos?
   Asbestos is a mineral fiber that can be positively identified only with a special type of microscope. There are several types of asbestos fibers. In the past, asbestos was added to a variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance. InterNACHI inspectors can supplement their knowledge with the information offered in this guide.

How Can Asbestos Affect My Health?
   From studies of people who were exposed to asbestos in factories and shipyards, we know that breathing high levels of asbestos fibers can lead to an increased risk of lung cancer in the forms of mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity, and asbestosis, in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.
   The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increase with the number of fibers inhaled. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is also greater if you smoke. People who get asbestosis have usually been exposed to high levels of asbestos for a long time. The symptoms of these diseases do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos.
   Most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos, as we all are in our daily lives, do not develop these health problems. However, if disturbed, asbestos material may release asbestos fibers, which can be inhaled into the lungs. The fibers can remain there for a long time, increasing the risk of disease. Asbestos material that would crumble easily if handled, or that has been sawed, scraped, or sanded into a powder, is more likely to create a health hazard.
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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

10 Ways to Save Energy in Your Home

   Most people don't know how easy it is to make their homes run on less energy, and here at InterNACHI, we want to change that. Drastic reductions in heating, cooling and electricity costs can be accomplished through very simple changes, most of which homeowners can do themselves. Of course, for homeowners who want to take advantage of the most up-to-date knowledge and systems in home energy efficiency, InterNACHI energy auditors can perform in-depth testing to find the best energy solutions for your particular home. 

Why make your home more energy efficient? Here are a few good reasons:

  • Federal, state, utility and local jurisdictions' financial incentives, such as tax breaks, are very advantageous for homeowners in most parts of the U.S.
  • It saves money. It costs less to power a home that has been converted to be more energy-efficient.
  • It increases the comfort level indoors.
  • It reduces our impact on climate change. Many scientists now believe that excessive energy consumption contributes significantly to global warming.
  • It reduces pollution. Conventional power production introduces pollutants that find their way into the air, soil and water supplies.
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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Building Permits

What is a building permit?
   A building permit is a permit required for new construction or renovations to existing structures. Local municipalities issue building permits for work that could affect the public’s health or safety, if improperly performed.

How is a building permit obtained?
   In order to obtain a building permit, certain information must be given to the local building official. Intermediate and final inspections may need to be performed by their inspectors to verify that the work was performed in accordance with applicable building codes.
   A building permit may be obtained by the owner or a licensed contractor after filling out a few forms and paying a small fee. Plans and specifications prepared by an architect or professional engineer describing new work or alterations are required for large projects where structural elements are involved, or when major electrical, air conditioning or plumbing systems are altered. Minor alterations may require a permit, but usually do not require plans and specifications.
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