4 Potential Hazzards in your Home

The Wrong Smoke DetectorsA recent “60 Minutes” report said some of Lumber Liquidators’ flooring products contained unsafe levels of formaldehyde, sending the company’s stock on a downward spiral. But it was also a reminder about some of the lesser-known dangers that lurk in many of your home’s materials and components.  While many people are familiar with the usual suspects—lead paint (common in homes built before 1978), asbestos, mold, radon, and PCBs—they may not be aware of others.  Here are four hazards hidden in your home.

The Wrong Smoke Detectors

Most houses have smoke detectors installed, but many of them could be the incorrect type—and potentially deadly.

There are two major kinds, ionization and photoelectric. Ionization are the most common, but ionization alarms, which use a small bit of radioactive material to trip the alarm when it detects large burning particles, have been shown to be less able to detect slow-burning or smoldering fires, such as those caused by the most common types of ignition sources, namely cigarettes, frayed wires from electrical appliances, and sparks from a still-smoldering fireplace.

As many as 30,000 people in the U.S. have died since 1990 because they relied on ionization detectors. That’s because an ionization alarm can sometimes take between 20 and even 50 minutes longer to activate than a photoelectric smoke alarm.  So why do ionization alarms get placed in homes?  Answer: They’re cheaper—typically half the price of a photoelectric smoke detector—and the battery on an ionization alarm tends to last longer.

So what’s the best way to protect your family—besides not smoking and otherwise fireproofing your home and holding regular exit drills?  Invest in photoelectric alarms in bedrooms and hallways, and leave the ionization alarms in the kitchen, if at all.  In addition, make sure they are properly placed high on walls or ceilings, are hardwired (preferably by a licensed electrician), which means they don’t rely on battery power and are interconnected so if one sounds they all sound.

Hidden or Unsafe Gas Lines

In 2007 a class-action lawsuit was settled with the makers of several gas lines in homes that were found to be insufficiently resistant to lightning strikes. More than 2 million homes in the U.S. have a type of gas piping known as corrugated stainless-steel tubing, or CSST, which is thinner, more flexible and cheaper, but it is also more susceptible to damage as a result of lightning strikes.  A lightning bolt can burn holes in the tubing and cause a fire, or even a catastrophic explosion, and it doesn’t even have to be a direct strike.

Even though the class-action deadline has closed, there are still millions of property owners out there with a serious fire risk that needs to be addressed.   Short of removing the entire CSST systems in homes, which can be anywhere in the property because of their flexibility, even adding a lightning protection system may not remove the risk completely.

Lightweight Wood Truss Construction

Lightweight construction has helped bring down the cost of many entry-level homes, but several components are known to perform poorly under fire conditions, and the most infamous is the lightweight wood truss. On a lightweight wood truss, there are no nails, screws or bolts; instead, trusses are joined with metal gusset plates that are pressed into the wood on either side of the truss by machine or even just glued on.

About 60% of construction in the U.S. uses some form of wood truss.  The truss is lightweight and strong—until a fire strikes, at which time heat can pop the gussets off, collapsing the truss often without warning.   Nearly all residential building codes now require that when gusseted trusses are used, they must be protected by a residential sprinkler system, which protects the truss but adds to the cost and complexity of the house and leaves it prone to flooding and accidental water flow from a sprinkler head.

Stoves (and TVs) that Tip Over

Since the 1980s, lightweight steel stoves have become the norm, replacing heavy, cast iron stoves in all except the most expensive homes. The lightweight stoves are easy for contractors to install — and for homeowners to replace when remodeling — but they are hazards for small children.  Still, as many as 20 million homes may still have a range that can tip over and injure children.  Inspector  should  make checking the stove for anti-tip brackets a part of their home inspection process.

Tebeau also warns that older flat-screen TV sets can weigh up to 100 pounds, yet still be easy to tip over and fall on children, who can pull on cables or power cords. Close to 13,000 injuries to children were reported in 2011 from falling flat-screen TVs. Flat-screen TVs should  be mounted on walls so they can’t get pulled down, while older cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions should be placed on low pieces of furniture, and never on tall dressers.

-From Realtor.com