Ultraviolet Light: How does it work?

When DNA is exposed to UV light, it's
chemical bonding characteristics are
altered so that cell reproduction no
longer takes place - rendering the
microorganisim harmless.

The ultraviolet region of the
electromagnetic spectrum has
a frequency just below visable light





Ultrviolet light is nature's way of controling microorganisms. Outdoors, germs are naturally regulated by ultraviolet light from the sun.





Ultraviolet light equipment produces ultraviolet light at the specific wavelength of 254mn (nanometers). At this wavelength the UV light is most effective at inactivation. As an airborne microorganism passes through your heating and/or air conditioning system, the UV light penetrates the organism's membrane and alters it's gentic material (DNA). With altered DNA, the microorganism will no longer be able to reproduce-making it effectively harmless. Further, without the ability to reproduce, and due to the short lifespan of most microorganisims, the population of them in the air diminishes rapidly dramtically. Information provided by ultravation ultraviolet light equipment specifications.

The air conditioning guy says I have mold

Has that ever happend to you? Some air conditioning companies are using scare tactics with the M word.. mold. In prior years air conditioning contractors who relyed on scare tactics to sell new air conditioners used the F word.. fire. It was usually in a sentance like " hey lady if you don't get this out of here it could start a fire, and there goes your house." Now it seems air conditioning contractors are all mold experts. Mold is the new scare tactic used on alot of unsuspecting home owners who believe the a/c guy is an expert. "ya it's mold lady, it's that black mold." If a so called mold expert says somthing similar to this, there is a very good chance he doesn't now what he is talking about. Chances are he wants to sell you a new air conditioner whether you need one or not. No one should ever under any circumstances tell you that you have mold with out a complete inspection and lab testing. I am a certified mold inspector and home inspector trained to recognize mold and I never tell anyone they have mold with out testing. The correct statement these air conditioning technicians should be saying is " it could be mold, I don't know I am not a certified mold inspector, but i can recommend one." The first thing I do is show my customer my credentials to put them at ease. This assures them that they have a trained professional in their home. So remember, no one can tell you that you definitely have mold. Remember samples have to be taken and sent to a certified lab. Remember if some one says they're a mold expert, ask to see their credentials.





Jacob Mermin CMI/CHI

Builder Warranties

When you hire a builder to build your new home you will usually receive a one year home warranty. Most builders will not let you know when that one year warranty is about to expire. I have come to realize over the years most builders would rather not ever see the new homeowner again. It is up to you the homeowner to keep track of your home warranty anniversary. Don't feel alone if you find problems occurring shortly after that one year warranty expires. It happens every day in all parts of the country.



The best thing you can do for your family is have a home inspection done by a nationally certified home inspector. Done around the 11th month of that builders warranty. Use a certified home inspector. The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) is the largest Home Inspector certifying body in the world. A NACHI certified Home Inspector is going to find any potential problems your home may have prior to the warranty experation.



I was doing a mold inspection on a 6 month old house in Sw Florida for a young couple, (a separate story) when she asked me about her home warranty. I explained to her that her builder would probably not remind her when her warranty was about to expire. Well I was right. She called me at about 11 and a half months into that warranty all worried about her warranty expiring. I let her know that we had time and scheduled an appointment for a builder warranty inspection. Everything was going smoothly, just a few minor problems when I noticed a couple of problems with the barrel tile roof. Where the ridge tiles met the side of a upper wall the concrete mortar was not covering the tile. You could see a big gap where water could get up underneath that tile and maybe to the plywood sheathing in the attic. This defect appeared in a couple of other areas on the roof. I went into the attic and thankfully there was not any evidence of water getting into the attic. I took pictures and wrote an extensive report that my client gave to her builder. This builder did a great job. He was very concerned with the problem and got a crew on the problem areas immediately. Some builders may take acceptance to a home inspector checking up on there work. The problem is that the building process can take a long time and homeowners and builders work very closely during construction. This is a very expensive purchase. Do not feel bad for your builder if you have problems with your home, even if you have become good friends. Remember this builder probably didn't even mention your expiration date. Your families safety and your investment are allot more important than a builders feelings. My client was very happy that she called me. It made me feel good to know that I may have saved a family from thousands of dollars of future roof problems