June 2021 - Whitt Inspections, LLC

Moving To Florida Checklist For Homeowners

You’re finally thinking about moving to your dream home in Florida. As much as it really IS paradise down here, there are a few things about moving to Florida that homeowners don’t expect.

Moving from one state to another is never easy. The good news is, you’ll probably get to purge a lot of your Northern belongings because there are things you simply don’t need here in the Sunshine State (like scarves).

But aside from lightening your wardrobe, is there anything else you should be aware of? We’ve met many Northerns who book it down to Florida just to escape the cold. They don’t realize that while you may not have to shovel your driveways anymore, you still have home care responsibilities that are pretty unique to Florida homeowners.

So, let this be your official Moving To Florida Guide, where we go over the pros and cons, the real estate market, and home essentials.

Moving To Florida: Pros and Cons

If you’re debating whether or not Florida should be the place you call home, then it’s natural to want to make a Pros and Cons list.

But we decided to do the brunt of the work for you!

Here’s what you need to know about moving to Florida— the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Weather… Kind of

Florida is notorious for its year-round tropical weather. And even though right now you may laugh at the Floridians who bundle up when it’s 65 degrees, we can guarantee that this will be you in the future.

Just give it a year.

Besides this chilly weather that you’ll have to deal with 4-weeks out of the year, there’s also summertime. Summer months in Florida can get up to 90 degrees with a heat index of 103-110 degrees. It may not sound that different from what you’re used to, but there really is nothing quite like the Florida heat.

Be prepared to stay mostly indoors from June-September. When you get your home inspected, make sure the AC unit is in good condition because your electric bill will take a hit if it’s not.

The Entertainment

No matter where you are in Florida, you’ll always have something to do. Between the beaches and springs, you can experiment with just about any water activity (highly recommend tubing and kayaking, by the way).

This is also why you want to make sure you have a big enough garage or storage space in your new home. There are actually rules to follow when it comes to storing boats, jet skis, and even paddleboards in your front yard.

There’s also plenty to do for food and craft brew junkies with small mom and pop businesses on the rise. Of course, you also have theme parks and nightlife cities like Miami to really fill your entertainment needs.

A con to living in the Florida entertainment-centric cities: locals still have to pay tourist prices.

The Cost of Living

One of the biggest perks to being a Florida resident is not having state income taxes. However, there are other costs of living that are particular to Floridians. For example, your insurance rates will likely be higher than what you’re paying now. There’s also flood insurance to consider if you’re living on the coast.

Here’s more data about the cost of living in Florida.

Moving To Florida Checklist

Alright, so it looks like there are more pros than cons when it comes to moving to Florida. So what’s the real first step in finding where you’ll settle down?

We usually get to work with new Florida homeowners after they’ve gone through this checklist, but here’s what we recommend based on the conversations we’ve had with our customers!

1. Check the Market

The price of a home in Orlando can be mind-blowingly different from a house in Lakeland (despite the fact they’re neighboring cities).

We know most people will only check the real estate market once they decide on a city with the best schools and entertainment. We suggest looking into those neighboring cities if you want to pay a fair price. You may want to be right next door to Disney World, but you can easily get a nicer and more family-friendly price in Altamont Springs, which is only a 45-minute drive to the parks!

Here are a few market guides about a few of our favorite Florida cities:

2. Get Pre-Approved and Find an Agent

Homes are being snatched up in literal hours. Time is of the essence in the 2021 Florida real estate market, so make it count. Once you know where you want to live, find a local agent and work on getting pre-approved. This might mean taking steps to improve your credit score, determining a down payment (20% is the norm in Florida), and saving for moving expenses.

Once you know your budget, look online to find a few choice homes and their price range. Then, it’s time to get pre-approved! Don’t even think about making a special trip down to Florida to look at houses without this letter.

When you finally have your pre-approval letter, you’ll be equipped to find your dream home and get your offer accepted.

3. Make Multiple Offers

Speaking of, if you think you’ll be moving to Florida in just a few short months, you might want to rethink your timeline.

Because the market is so competitive, your agent may suggest making offers on multiple homes. That way, if one offer gets denied, you still have a few options on the table.

4. Get an Inspection

A Florida home inspection is vital, especially if you’re new to the Sunshine State. Your home inspector will let you know:

If your AC unit is in good condition (a must for those Flordia summers)
The age of your roof
Whether or not the home needs a new paint job (especially if its stucco)
Pool/spa and irrigation conditions

Florida’s weather can really affect the condition of your home, so knowing the ins and outs of its overall condition can really save you money in the long run. Here are some questions your should ask your Florida home inspector.

5. Pack Accordingly

If your offer is accepted and you’ve passed the home inspection stage, then congratulations— you’re officially moving to Florida!

It’s time to ditch the snow boots for flip flops and get rid of your spare snow tires. Here’s a short list of things you’ll need now that you’re moving:

Flip flops
Ceiling/standing fans
Blackout curtains
Sunpass
Garage storage containers
One of these things for your car
Hurricane shutters

Side note: If you’re moving to Florida from New York or somewhere else where public transit is popular, you’ll definitely need a car. Our public transportation system is basically nonexistent.

More Moving To Florida Guides:

June 30, 2021

Explaining The Differences Between Copper Pipe Types

As a homeowner, you may not have expected to find yourself learning about the different types of copper pipes— but here you are!

It’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the components of your home. It can help prevent mistakes and unexpected costs or, at the very least, arm you with enough knowledge to navigate solutions should you run into problems (i.e., a pipe leak).

Copper pipes (also known as copper tubing) are popular in modern American homes. So, chances are good that you have copper plumbing in your house. Their primary function is to move potable water (aka your everyday drinking water). They are also commonly used in appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators.

These pipes are sturdy, reliable, and (at least in Florida) can be expected to last nearly 70 years! However, their durability all depends on the type of pipe you have. Your location also plays an important factor because some cities have higher levels of acid in their water. The higher the acidic levels are in a given area, the quicker your pipes will corrode.

Different Types of Copper Pipes

The easiest way to remember your copper pipe choices is to think of the great Dr. Martin Luther King: M.L.K. That’s because the types of copper pipe you’ll see the most often in a home are:

Type M
Type L
Type K

When it comes to copper, you’ll either find rigid or soft materials. The rigid copper piping can be anywhere between 10-20 feet. Soft copper is bendable, and you’ll typically see it coiled on a hardware store shelf.

So there’s a lot to consider here: do you need soft or rigid copper piping? How long does it need to be? What is it going to be used for?

As soon as you can differentiate the types of copper pipes, you’ll know which one you need to purchase (or fix). And don’t worry— it’s pretty simple! Here’s how you can determine whether you have copper pipe M vs. L vs. K.

Type M Copper Pipe

M copper pipes will be your thinnest option (about 0.032 inches on a 3/4″ pipe), and also the cheapest. You can usually tell which ones are Type M by the red markings on the outside.

Because of its more delicate exterior, M copper pipes aren’t suitable for some applications. The strength and trajectory of the water may be too powerful, which means the copper is more likely to fail. However, it’s much easier to work with and is often the go-to choice in homes

for heating systems, vacuum systems, and domestic water services. Thin copper is great for interior piping because it’s the easiest to manipulate, making it a seamless option to navigate through the walls of your home.

You can find Type M in coils (soft pipes) or straight tubes (rigid pipes). They’re the most affordable option, but they also may not last as long as other types, particularly depending on the acidity of your local water supply.

RELATED: CUT ATTIC TRUSSES 101

Type L Copper Pipe

This is your medium-thickness option at around 0.045 inches for a 3/4″ inch pipe. It’s thicker than Type M but thinner than Type K copper pipes. You’ll recognize it immediately by its blue markings.

Like Type M, L pipes come in both flexible and rigid forms. Because of this and its dense exterior, you can use it for both outdoor and indoor plumbing. For outdoor use, you can use it for fire protection (e.g., sprinklers) or some HVAC systems.

Type L copper pipes are famous for their ability to replace old water lines. Since they’re thicker than M-pipes, they won’t corrode or pit as easily, making them an ideal solution for old or leaky pipes.

With so many options, Type L copper pipes are the most popular. Plus, they won’t break the bank! They typically last longer than Type M pipes, even if you have acidic or hard water.

RELATED: WHAT IS GFCI PROTECTION

Type K Copper Pipe

Of the common copper pipes, Type K one is the densest, with about a 0.065-inch thickness on a 3/4″ pipe. You’ll recognize it by the green markings on the outside.

These are used primarily for your main underground water lines, commercial installations, and HVACs. If you’ve seen a copper pipe on the outside of a house or building coming out of the ground, we can almost guarantee you it’s a Type K copper pipe.

Type K’s can withstand just about anything, including heavy water pressure and even oil distribution. They can last up to 100 years, and you can even find soft K copper pipes!

Its strength and reliability make this type of pipe the most expensive, which is why they’re primarily used for commercial applications or situations where the highest durability is demanded.

Copper DWV Pipe

And finally, we have the DWV copper pipe. You might mistake a DWV as an M pipe at first, but it is easy to spot it by its yellow markings and, usually, its size.

DWV stands for Drain-Waste-Vent because that’s exactly what they’re used for. Modern construction prefers to use plastic P.V.C. for draining and vent systems. These are becoming more difficult to find installed in newer homes. We will see them in older homes sometimes, but often as a part of a sewage system that includes cast iron pipes.

How To Fix Any Copper Pipe Leak

Now that you know which pipes are which, let’s talk about how to fix a simple leak.

As you may have guessed, interior leaks are most likely going to be Type M or L. But before you run off to Home Depot for a replacement line, let’s first take a look at the warning signs and what they mean:

Green corrosion: This is known as “patina” and is copper’s version of rust. It’s an oxidation process and could be from water or air chemistry or simply because your pipe is older.
Water: Is the water only leaking from the connection, or is water covering the entire pipe? The former means you may just need to “sweat” the tube (more on that in a sec) or use another form of repair at the connection, and the latter means you need a replacement pipe.
Water stains on the wall/ceiling: Your pipe may just need soldering (i.e., “sweating”) at a connection, but it also may mean the pipe needs replacement.

When there’s a heavy amount of green corrosion, it may be best to have your copper pipes replaced. However, if you’re simply noticing a small leak, then all you need to do is sweat (or solder) your pipes. There are also push and compression fittings available to make water-tight connections on pipes that don’t involve soldering/sweating and fire.

Here’s a great video on how to do that!

Ready for your Florida home inspection? Contact us for a quote!

June 25, 2021

Home Buyer Resources, Home Inspections, Homeowner Resources

Is Your Subpanel Wired Wrong? Let’s talk about Improper Subpanel Bonding

Whether you’re a homeowner, a real estate agent, or a fellow home inspector, you need to recognize this one specific method of improper subpanel bonding. It can be dangerous and it’s just something you don’t want to mess around with.

Here it is: Your ground and neutral wires definitely need to bond (or connect) together. But this is ONLY allowed in the main panel— never a subpanel, or anywhere else in the home.

This is a very common mistake we see in the electrical part of your inspection. Although some “professionals” have made this mistake by failing to remove the bonding screw/strap, it’s usually more a sign of amateur electrical work.

That’s why today, we’re going to go over how to properly layout your subpanel wiring and what can happen if it’s not fixed right away.

RELATED: IS YOUR HOME FIRE SAFE?

What Are Subpanels?

Inspectors, you can probably sit this one out. But as a brief overview, your subpanel is one of the electrical boxes at your house (sometimes it’s in the garage). Not all homes have them, as some only have a main panel only. But if you have 2 or more panels, the one with the main “service disconnect” (i.e. shut-off) is the main panel, while any other panels are considered subpanels.

You may have also heard the main panel referred to as a service panel. This is the area where you have complete control over the power within your home.

One flick of a switch, and you can turn out all the lights.

A subpanel has its own breaker switches, but not the main. These typically control specific rooms or appliances in your home or other buildings on your property.

Hot, Neutral and Ground Wiring— What’s The Difference?

In both of these panel boxes, there are four types of wires:

Two hot wires (black or red casing)
One neutral wire (white casing), and
One ground wire (green casing or bare metal wire – usually copper or aluminum)

The hot wires carry the energy to a fixture (e.g. a wall plug or the stove in your house). For a 120V circuit, it will be just one hot wire. If it’s 240V (e.g. a dryer, water heater, or range/stove), then two (2) hot wires will go to those fixtures.

The neutral wires will then carry the energy (technically known as current/amperage) from those circuits back to the panel. This effectively completes the electric circuit, thus generating power.

Congratulations, you now understand how electricity works (and with just three wires)!

So what’s the point of the fourth one— the ground wire?

Ground Wires

This one provides safety.

Hot and neutral wires are dangerous because they’re constantly running electricity through them. When you have something like frayed wiring cords or loose wire connections, it can cause those wires and their electrical currents to get mixed up. This is what causes short circuits.

Short circuits can emit sparks and cause fires. This is why we always recommend that you keep your appliances and electrical devices up-to-date.

However, any potential short circuits are derailed with a ground wire because this sends all those faulty electrical currents right back to the source, or the ground.

This is why you need to separate the ground and neutral. But more on that in a second.

The main point is that the ground wire generally isn’t used at all as part of the normal circuit operation. It’s a backup (also known as a secondary or earth ground) and is only there for safety in case the neutral fails. This way, the electricity doesn’t end up energizing the body of the appliance… or a human body.

In fact, neutral wires are also called grounded conductors because they technically act as a ground as well. Consider them the primary ground. Actually, on older homes (the kind with only 2-prong outlets), there often was no additional ground.

We have come a long way!

Here’s What Improper Subpanel Bonding Looks Like

Your main panel and your subpanel both contain those four sets of wires.

So here’s the difference and how you can spot novice electrical work.

Below is the anatomy of the main service panel. Code Check’s image shows how the neutral wire (white) is connected to the bus bar on the right. Further down that bus bar is a screw or strap that “bonds” it to the metal bar that leads to the left side of the panel. And on the left side of the panel, you can see the ground wires (also known as the EGC/GEC’s). This effectively bonds (or connects) the neutral and ground together in the same service enclosure. But remember, this can only happen in the main/service panel – never the subpanel.

In Code Check’s subpanel wiring diagram, you can see that those neutral wires are not bonded. This means that the neutral wires are not connected to the ground wires. They both have their own individual paths in the subpanel.

Why do you separate the ground and neutral in a subpanel?

So, why do you separate the ground and neutral in a subpanel? Because when we bond them together, it gives your neutral wire (the one carrying electrical currents BACK to the source) multiple pathways.

That’s how the chassis of some equipment will become energized. The effect can be as seemingly harmless as “I touched the fridge, and it shocked me!” To far more serious matters.

The most common issues that come from not separating ground and neutral wires in a subpanel are:

Shock
Corrosion
Fire

As we mentioned before, ground wires help prevent short circuits, therefore preventing things like getting a shock and house fires.

A short circuit usually happens when there are loose or frayed wires. But when there are numerous electrical faults or massive amounts of electricity coursing through these bad wires, adding a third wire to the same pathway— the ground wire— creates more risk to these events.

Thus, the ground wire needs to have a limitless path (free of the neutral wire’s electrical currents) so that it can safely prevent short circuits.

Corrosion can happen because of improper subpanel bonding as well. This is because the excessive electrical currents (coming from the hot, neutral, and ground wires) can accelerate the rate at which metal pipes or buildings start to erode.

Check out this video for a visual!

RELATED: WHAT IS GFCI PROTECTION

How To Separate Neutral and Ground in Subpanel

This is work for a qualified electrician. It’s often a simple repair, but needs to be left to the professionals.

The difference may be as simple as having a green screw or bonding strap connected in your service panel – and not having it connected in the subpanel. Sometimes we will see neutrals and ground wires terminated on the same bus bar in the subpanels as well, often when a novice adds additional circuits (such as in the garage). This is effectively bonding the ground and neutrals together. You can do this in the main panel, but never should do it in a subpanel.

Yep, separating your ground wire from the neutrals in your subpanel can be as simple as that. However, we always recommend having an experienced electrician take a look.

Want us to inspect your subpanel bonding? Contact us for a quote!

June 1, 2021

Home Buyer Resources

How to help your credit score before house hunting

If you’re shopping for a home in this red hot market, you’re going to need to be as competitive as possible.

That means being able to make the best offer possible.

To make the best offer, you need access to the best interest rates.

How do you get the best interest rates? A great credit score.