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Give your home a cursory inspection

By Bill Garwood, Cox News Service

It is human nature to wait until problems arise before taking action. With our houses, however, finding and repairing problems before they get bad can save money.

Hiring a qualified home inspector is one way to identify those conditions that can become problems in the future. However, many homeowners resist spending money for a home inspection when their house is not for sale. There are, however, some simple things that homeowners can inspect on their own houses and possibly save money down the road.

• The electrical panel box: Unless you have special skills, you are probably a little afraid of your electrical panel box, and well you should be. With a little care, however, you can perform a cursory inspection on your panel box yourself. First, turn off all computers and other sensitive electronic equipment. Then go to your panel box or the main disconnect on the exterior of the house and shut off the main breaker.

Once the breaker is off, carefully remove the cover on the panel box. Inside the box, you will look for several conditions. First, look for two wires installed in a single breaker. This is called double tapping, and in most cases, should not be done.

Next, look for any melted rubber sheathing on the wires. This condition also can be accompanied by a green color on the copper wire. Both of these conditions indicate that the wire is overheating and a potential fire hazard exists.

Finally, make sure there is a connector holding every wire tightly where it enters the panel box.

If you spot any problems, call a licensed electrician to make repairs. Remember to put the panel cover back on the panel box before you turn the main breaker back on.

• Inspect electrical receptacles: For about $10, you can purchase a simple plug tester from the hardware store. Use it to check every electrical receptacle in your house. Printing on the tester will tell you what the different light configurations mean. As with the panel box, any problems you find should be repaired by an electrician.

• Inspect for water leaks: An easy way to check for water leaks is to turn off all plumbing fixtures in the house and go to your water meter. Most water meters are located in front of the house at the street. There is a small diamond shaped dial in the meter that turns. If you have turned off all of the fixtures, it should not be turning. If it is turning and you cannot figure out where the leak is, call a plumber.

• Inspect your toilet for leaks: A common source of leaking is the result of the flapper in the toilet tank wearing out. You can inspect for this condition by putting some food coloring in the tank. If the coloring appears in the toilet bowl, the flapper is leaking. Flappers are easily replaced and can be purchased at any hardware store.

• Inspect your roof: To inspect for roof leaks, take a flashlight into your attic. If there are no boards to walk on, be careful to stand only on the ceiling joists. In many cases, the majority of the underside of the roof can be observed from the part of the attic already floored for a furnace. But if your insulation has never been disturbed, do not walk through it. Even slightly disturbing the insulation will have a negative effect upon its performance.

Depending on your comfort level with heights, you can either inspect your exterior roof from the ground with binoculars or from a ladder. If your roof has a low slope, you can even get up on it.

Look for any shingles that have slipped out of position, either from high winds or from improper installation. If you have numerous slipped shingles, call a qualified roofer to determine whether they have been incorrectly installed.

In addition to slipped shingles, look for curling at the bottom corners of the individual shingle tabs. Curling is a common early sign that the roofing is getting old. If you are inspecting the roof from a ladder, you can look for erosion of the small, colored granules that are on the shingles. Often these granules will collect in the gutter. As with curling, erosion of the granules is an indication that your roof is getting older. If you can wiggle a small corner of a shingle tab and it is brittle and breaks in your hand, your shingles are getting old. If it is flexible, then you are likely OK for several more years.