Charles Buell Consulting LLC

Consulting on Building Science and Forensics in the Seattle Area (Formerly Charles Buell Inspections INC)

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How sanitary is your cutting board?

Lots of kitchens have pull-out cutting boards—-even in high end kitchens.  They are frequently in very poor condition and not very sanitary. The plywood version of these boards are particularly problematic and are often packed with grease and breadcrumbs—stained with four kinds of jelly—-smelling like there might be a rotten onion in the vacinity.

Pull Out cutting boards are often in poor condition
Pull Out cutting boards are often in poor condition

Pulling these boards out in front of  my client has grossed them out on more than one occasion. Wouldn’t this be a fairly simple thing to add to the list of things to “spruce-up” prior to showing the house? They are not all that expensive and are readily available at Lowes & Home Depot type stores—ready to be cut to fit the size of your old board. Many times the board simply gets turned upside down so that the “bad side” is down.

These boards are easily overlooked in the process of staging the home or otherwise getting the home ready for sale.  Certainly nice new cutting boards could be an improvement and it would be a nice gesture for the future user of the kitchen.

Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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The “Romance” of a fireplace.

Everyone loves a fireplace.

Having spent a lot of time cutting wood as a kid, and stoking wood fires as a kid—–I have somehow lost the “romance” of cutting wood and burning it in a fireplace.  I am all too aware of how horribly inefficient wood burning appliances are compared to modern gas burning appliances.

Gas fireplaces are becoming more and more popular as people want the romance of a fire without the consequential wasting of energy typical of conventional fireplaces.  These units can actually heat your home and in many cases are more efficient than your gas furnace.  In some some small condos they might be the only heat source.

There are lots of things to discuss regarding gas fireplaces but this post is only about the “foggy look” that the glass panel sometimes has and will have over time.  There is usually some amount of moisture inside the unit, in the gas itself and is a component of the combustion process itself.  When the unit starts up this moisture will condense on the cold glass.  As the unit warms up this cloudiness typically disappears.  Because this condensation is slightly acidic, it actually “etches” the glass which results in “permanent” cloudiness on the glass.

Very cloudy glass on a gas fireplace
Very cloudy glass on a gas fireplace

Attempts to clean the surface with household cleaners will be ineffective and can actually permanently disfigure and damage the glass.  This cloudiness must be “polished” off.  Gas fireplace supply stores carry polishes specifically for this purpose.

Instructions on how to remove the glass panel are required to be permanently attached to the unit—-usually in the compartment under the unit.  In the case of free-standing units the instructions might be on the back of the unit.  Great care must be exercised in removal of the panel and especially re-installing the panel.  Panels that are not properly seated can lead to carbon monoxide entering the home and/or venting of hot gases that can melt control mechanisms etc.

Proper romantic protocols with any fireplace requires being able to see the fire! 😀

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Clogged sink drains

Sometimes sink drains get clogged and drain slow.  If you have plastic-type trap connections to the drain, you can tell if the trap part is clogged without taking it apart.  Simply hold a strong flashlight against the side of the drain and you will be able to see right through the drain almost.

Here are a couple of pictures that show what debris inside the trap connections looks like.

Clogged sink drain
Clogged sink drain
Clogged sink drain
Clogged sink drain

Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector

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