Welcome to inspector + instructor John Scavone!
Dear valued clients, colleagues and friends:
Tomacor would like to let you know about some recent changes in our company.
We are proud to let you know that John Scavone, seasoned Chicagoland-area home inspector, is now a member of the Tomacor staff. John is licensed in Illinois and member of ASHI. He is available to you through Tomacor should you need an advocate, a go-to to prepare your property for the market, or an expert in remodeling and renovation standards.
In addition, inspector Steve Nations no longer works for the company. Clients who have been referred to Mr. Nations are encouraged to talk with Tomacor owner Tom Corbett and John Scavone.
In order to meet a steady demand for our work, we are currently training another inspector who will be available in early summer of 2009 to work with you or your clients.
Tomacor, Inc. specializes in buyer advocacy, expert witness work, commercial inspections, Capital Reserve and Transition studies, as well as inspector training services and industry seminars.
Inspection | Advocacy | Education
Ice Damming
In the last two months, Tomacor has completed many inspections where “ice damming” has lead to health problems for our clients. This condition creates a perfect environment for indoor mold or mildew growth. The common associated health risks include sudden asthma, skin rashes and sinus problems.
Due to the fluctuations of winter temperatures, roofs are subject to “freeze-thaw cycles” which can create “ice damming.” It’s typically a poorly insulated house that allows excess heat into the attic, encouraging ice dams to form.
Once an ice dam develops on a gutter, melted water is “dammed” back on the roof over extended distances. Water over the shingled attic will work its way under the shingles and into the home. Melted water causes rot and converts structural components into hidden health hazards.
What is an “ice dam”? A poorly insulated roof collects snow and its warmer-than-air temperature causes this snow to melt and run into a gutter. This runoff freezes within a gutter and backs-up, creating icicles and a large ridge, or “dam,” of ice out of the top of the gutter. Melted snow runoff can no longer drain through the gutter and is held back to a point over the warm roof. Roof leaks caused by ice damming typically extend between 2 to 15 feet from the ice dam.
The landlord or homeowner must repair the problem. The lasting solution is to ventilate the attic or crawl space below the roof (keeping it cold) and insulating the attic floor (a $3,000-$5,000 repair). In all cases, inhabitants are expected to suffer through the wet until spring, when outside temperatures rise and begin work again.
Landlords in the Chicago area are required to keep their buildings essentially water-tight (Chicago Building Code Group 34, 13-196-530(c)).
Nearly any roofer and insulation contractor can make these repairs to prevent ice damming and the formation of mold or mildew in the home. Tomacor inspects the workmanship; don’t pay them if it’s poor.
Tom Corbett
< a href="http://www.amlegal.com/library/il/chicago.shtml"> Chicago Building Code Online
Mold Related Health Problems
Winter Inspector Training Courses
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