COMMERCIAL INSPECTCIONS |Safer Investments with Advantage Inspection Raleigh NC

Investing in a Commercial property is a big decision. Scheduling an inspection with the experts at Advantage is essential prior to closing on one of the most important purchases of your life time.  Our seasoned team of Certified Master Inspectors conduct thorough, complete inspections from the roof to the foundation.

Our inspection reports include high resolution photos and detailed notes to clearly identify property defects and help you make informed decisions allowing you to move forward with your purchase, further negioations or budgeting | planning. Advantage Inspection offers several ancillary inspection services in addition to Commercial Inspections including radon testing, sewer scopes, drone inspections and environmental testing so you don’t have to trouble yourself hiring multiple companies to complete the work that our team can do in one day.

From office condo’s to multistory office buildings, you can trust the professionals at Advantage Inspection to provide the information and direction you need to validate your buying decesion.

ADVANTAGE SEPTIC INSPECTIONS

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in the United States, 25% of homes depend on a septic system. Septic systems are like any other type of system in that they can malfunction or break over time. If you’re buying a home with a septic system, it’s essential to get that system inspected before closing and finalizing the deal.

Septic inspections usually are not included in a typical home inspection.  But be sure that you do, as replacing a severely damaged septic system can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Septic systems are designed to last about 25-50 years, but that doesn’t mean they’ll always function perfectly. And when they don’t, it can cause health problems for people living in the house. That’s why homeowners and new buyers of homes with septic systems should invest in a third-party, pre-sale (if applicable) septic inspection.

If you’re a home buyer, it makes sense to coordinate the timing of the septic test to be around the same time you do the general property inspection.
A septic inspection begins with a pre-inspection. You’ll need to round up documents and answer pertinent questions to help the inspector do their best work. Some of the questions you should answer before the inspection:

Has the system ever been pumped?
Who previously pumped or inspected the system?
Has the system ever been damaged or repaired?
Where is the septic system?
Who has the Septic Location Map?

In the case of a pre-sale inspection, the seller should have this information available. If they don’t, there’s a good chance they’ve never inspected or pumped the system, which could mean it’s nearing its last breath. In that case, you could use the inspection as a legitimate excuse to lower your offer since you may have to shell out a lot of maintenance costs not long after buying the house.

The on-site inspection
After you’ve gathered information for the pre-inspection, a technician will come to your house for the on-site inspection.

First, they’ll perform a flow test to see if the sanitary pipe delivers liquid to the system. A working septic system will use the water from the flow test to force effluent out through the baffles and into the leach field. If little or no water flows into the tank, the home has a plumbing or sanitary line issue. In this case, the technician may need to backtrack through the home’s plumbing system to test each individual water source. If the water in the tank rises fast, on the other hand, there may be a problem downstream. This is the most substantial part of the septic test because it gauges many aspects of the system and quickly verifies if it works properly.

The next test will be on the tank itself, as well as the accumulated levels of scum, effluent, sludge, and solids. The technician measures the depth of both the scum and sludge layers. Each should be about 30% of the total tank volume, with the final 40% effluent. If the numbers don’t add up, there may be a problem in the leach field.

When the technician examines the leach field, they’ll start with a visual inspection. Any wet areas (if it hasn’t rained recently) might indicate an overflowed leach field or a problem with the leaching system. Likewise, if it smells like sewage, there’s probably something wrong. A technician will use a probe to test the leach field for hydraulic stress, which will tell if the field is flooded.

Any of these parts of the test may raise red flags to a technician, who will provide a detailed report on findings that you can use to inform your closing negotiations.

MOLD TESTINGS | INSPECTIONS by Advantage Inspection Raleigh NC

Advantage Inspection is nationally certified for mold inspections and mold testing. We are experienced with commercial and residential mold inspections throughout North Carolina.

We send all of our mold test lab samples to a nationally accredited lab for analysis with a fast 48-hour turnaround on lab results.

More importantly, we are not a mold mitigation company; what this means for our clients is that they can rest assured that Advantage inspections will not tell you you have mold just to get your mold mitigation business.

We will give you the truth of the matter, no matter what.

WHAT IS MOLD? Mold is a type of fungus that grows in our natural environment when exposed to excess water. Mold spores–tiny microscopic seeds–can be found virtually everywhere, including in homes. They waft through the indoor and outdoor air continually and can grow on home and building materials and furnishings. When mold spores land on a damp spot indoors, they may begin growing and digesting. When excessive moisture or water accumulates indoors, mold growth will often occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or un-addressed. The key to preventing mold growth is to control moisture intrusion.

RADON GAS TESTING

Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless, radioactive gas that has been found in homes all over the United States. Breathing radon gas for prolonged periods of time can present a significant health risk for your family. This threat is completely preventable; radon can be detected with a simple test. The U.S. EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey have raised the radon potential in our area and have established the triangle is a Red Zone.

What Can Be Done?

Fortunately, there are effective ways to significantly reduce the amount of radon in your home, school, or commercial building. The first step is testing your home. While no amount of radon is harmless, the EPA has established the livable guideline of 4.0 Picocuries per liter. At Advantage Inspection, we utilize continuous monitors that are calibrated regularly and performs testing in accordance with the EPA. Our tests help ensure your peace of mind along with providing direction if mitigation is necessary or recommended for your home.