Chicago new condo laundry room electrical You can start your Chicago new condo laundry room inspection by looking at the electrical panel circuit breakers labels. Laundry room requires a dedicated (no other rooms, outlets, lights on this breaker) 20 amps rated circuit breaker to protect receptacles within that area. Outlet receptacles installed on that circuit [...]
Chicago new condo kitchen electrical inspection Start evaluating kitchen at the electrical panel section – check for kitchen labels, there are usually 3-5 (sometimes more) circuit breakers dedicated for kitchen circuits (depending on your kitchen features) Minimum of 2 x 20 amps circuit breakers are required for the kitchen countertop small appliance circuits, and they [...]
All bathroom outlets must be 20 amps rated and must include GFCI protection (there might be one GFCI receptacle and other outlets connected to it and protected). Your new condo bathroom receptacles must be installed on #12 AWG wire which you can’t see without removing of the receptacle or at least its cover, but this is beyond our basic / visual inspection.
This section of my Chicago Condo Inspection Manual will help you to ensure that your property developer / electrical contractor followed local electrical code requirements while wiring your brand new condo or a gut-rehabbed property. You’ll find here general Chicago new condo electrical requirements and more details concerning your kitchen, bathroom and the laundry area [...]
Requirements for the smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors / alarms installation in the city of Chicago are slightly different than those from NEC (National Electrical Code). So if you're moving from the Chicago suburbs or other states into the Windy City you're actually going to need LESS smoke, fire and Carbon Monoxide protection. So let's continue your Chicago condo inspection and check for smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors. Pushing test button on smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors may only confirm that unit is mechanically functional and it has power. This test does not guarantee proper response to smoke, flame and / or CO presence.
Following section of the Chicago condo inspection concerning issues with hardwood / floating / tiled / carpeted / vinyl floors, windows, doors and wall surfaces may be considered as cosmetic (at least parts of it). Although, some of the described conditions may be a result of an already corrected problem, other are evidence of an [...]
Let’s start your Chicago condo inspection from the unit entrance doors. The entrance to your condominium from an enclosed staircase, hallway or a garage must comply with the City of Chicago building / fire code requirements. The condo entrance door must be a fire-rated type – no hollow core interior type doors like the ones [...]
Purchasing a new condo in Chicago without a professional inspection carries significant risks, and naturally many buyers are taking their chances. Some are on a tight budget / trying to save a few extra dollars on a condo transaction, others are not even aware or pay attention to a home / condo inspection disclosure. There’s [...]
If you are looking for a new gut rehabbed condo in Chicago, or even a 100% brand new property – make sure that you inspect it before the purchase. Ask your real estate agent, call friends and find a home inspector with recommendations. Make sure that your home inspector will be able to check your [...]
Musty smell from heating system air ducts could have many sources. Although, it is always associated with moisture presence, eliminating it in some cases requires total redesigning of the forced air heating system. This particular case applies to the houses with a forced air heating system metal air ducts embedded into the concrete slab (scroll [...]
Bathroom window safety glass is required if the bottom edge of the window is within 60” from the tub or shower standing surface. This bathroom window safety glass requirement has been with us since 1991 edition of the Uniform Building Code. However, almost every single home inspection I perform in a new construction or gut-rehabbed [...]
Gas burning appliances vent pipes produce heat when discharging exhaust gases to exterior. Temperature of the vent pipe is transferred to the surrounding area and all the materials that are in the vent pipe vicinity. Problems start arising if those materials are combustible and located to close to the furnace, water heater vent pipe. If you apply heat to a combustible material for some period of time (that varies between materials), its point of ignition will gradually get lower and eventually little heat will be required to start a fire – that’s why you need a clearance between the vent pipe and a combustible material.
Simple devices like the kitchen stove anti-tip bracket can save your child and yourself from serious injuries and sometimes even death. Kitchen stove anti-tip bracket is a single or two piece device, supplied by the stove manufacturer, that must be installed at the base / behind the stove. It prevents the stove from tipping over [...]
