Home Inspector San Diego – The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company
Home Inspector in San Diego. Performing home inspections using state of the art test equipment. Only home inspector in San Diego using Infrared Thermal Imaging. Home inspection reports include color photos and are printed on-site.
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Archive for the ‘On the Job’ Category
Blackouts Are Unavoidable
Saturday, January 28th, 2012
Its not a matter of if, but when…
Power outages don’t have to be inconvenient. You don’t have to lose all the food in your refrigerator or freezer. You don’t have to miss your favorite TV shows. And you don’t have to burn candles – if you don’t want to. There are alternatives.
In our latest video, home inspectors from The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company explore different options for providing power in the event of a power outage. The first part of our video discusses the pros and cons of portable generators and stand-by generators.
Portable Generators
Portable generators are small enough to move around. Some are not much bigger than a toaster oven. But to power several large appliances, pool pump, a well, lights, or even your air conditioner, you’ll need a bigger generator. The larger portables are typically mounted on wheels. With portable generators you will still need to physically run extension cords from whatever you want to power to the generator. Here are some pros and cons of portable generators.
Portable Generator Pros
- Affordable. Portable generators range from $400 – $1,500 or more depending on capacity.
- Portable. Small units can be carried. Larger units typically have wheels.
- Easy to use. Just start, and plug something in.
Portable Generators Cons
- Limited power. Small units can only power a few items.
- Require gasoline. You need to store gas which can go bad after 6 months.
- Manual operation. You have to be home to use it.
- Requires extension cords. You’ll need to move your refrigerator and forget about running your AC.
Click here if you don’t see the video
Stand-by Generators
A more permanent and automated solution is to install a “stand-by generator”. These generators are permanently installed and automatically provide power in the event of a black out. Stand-by generators automatically detect the loss of power and turn on. Since they are permanently wired to the electrical system of your house, they can provide electricity to every item in your house – even your air conditioner or pool pump.
While some people think that an extended power outage is unlikely, all you have to do is look at the recent events in San Diego. In some cases the power was out for nearly a week. During the Cedar fire in 2003 the electricity was not restored for weeks in some cases. New procedures for SDG&E will allow them to turn power off if there is another fire or if Santa Ana winds become too strong. If you have a stand-by generator, you won’t have to worry about losing food, having your pool turn green, or simply being comfortable in your own home.
Another great benefit of a stand-by generator is that they are fueled by natural gas or propane. They are permanently plumbed to your gas supply. This means that you don’t have to store gasoline, and the generator can run for days or longer without refueling. While these systems are more expensive, it can be worth the cost in convenience. And if you run a business from your home, or have medical equipment that requires electricity, these generators can be a life saver.
Stand-by Generator Pros
- Automatic. You don’t even have to be home. It will start automatically.
- Capacity. Can provide enough electricity to power the entire house.
- No extension cords. You don’t have to move your refrigerator. It works as it normally does.
- Unlimited fuel. You don’t have to store gasoline. It is fueled by your natural gas or propane supply.
Stand-by Generators Cons
- Not portable. These units are large and cannot be moved.
- Installation. You need a licensed electrician to install these and they require permits.
- Cost. The convenience comes at a higher price. It may cost $5,000 – $15,000 or more depending on the capacity and cost of electrician.
Article written by Philippe Heller, President of The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Co. located in San Diego California. For more information, please visit www.sdinspections.com
Posted in Health and Safety, Technology | No Comments »
Leading the Pack – Again!
Sunday, October 9th, 2011
Being a leader in your field takes a lot of work!
Since 2004, The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company has been dedicated to providing home buyers and real estate agents with the best home inspection experience possible. We pioneered online scheduling and computer generated reports when other inspectors were still using check-box binders. (Believe it or not, there are still a few of these guys around!)
Then we were the first home inspection company in San Diego to include Infrared Thermal Imaging with every home inspection. This is a huge benefit for our clients. We find problems that other inspectors simply can’t find. Then they hide behind their Standards of Practice if a problem arises.
We are also one of the few companies that has a great office staff so that you get a real person when you call. Someone who is there to answer your questions, accommodate your schedule, and give you the information you need.
We now have developed another first in the industry. Our new iPhone App makes it easier than ever to book 
home inspection appointments, contact us, and view inspection reports from wherever you are. Now when you get an acceptance you can quickly take care of the next most important task – scheduling a home inspection.
Download the free App today. And if you haven’t worked with us before, be sure to check out our website. We think you will like the information. As always, we appreciate any feedback.
Tags: iPhone App
Posted in On the Job, Technology | Comments Off
Help Wanted – We are looking to add an inspector to our team!
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
Busy home inspection company in San Diego is looking to grow by adding a qualified inspector. This is an offer for employment, not a 1099 position.
If you are a detail oriented person, with great knowledge of houses, and excellent people skills, you may be what we’re looking for.
Qualified candidate must posess some or all of the following:
- Home inspection experience
- Certification by NACHI, CREIA, ITA, ASHI or similar organization
- Good computer skills
- Excellent people skills
- Understaning of the home buying process
- Related experience/education
- College grad preferred
- Understanding of Infrared Thermal Imaging
- Punctuality is essential
- Ability to work unsupervised 90%
- Reliable vehicle and valid DL & Insurance
We provide:
- Tools/equipment
- All back office resources (office staff, scheduling, etc)
- paid vacation/holiday
- Life insurance
- E&O Insurance
- bi-weekly pay
- Training/ongoing education
- Pay DOE
Please submit resume to info@sdinspections.com
Tags: home inspector career, home inspector jobs
Posted in On the Job | Comments Off
Pool Pumps That can Save You Big Money
Monday, December 27th, 2010
Save hundreds of dollars per year by upgrading your pool pump
Most “energy saving” upgrades amount to pennies per month. But there is one upgrade that can save you hundreds or even over a thousand dollars per year! If you have a pool
- Variable Speed Pool Pump
with a standard pool pump, you need to consider upgrading to a variable speed pump. Standard pool pumps are energy hogs. They can often use more than $100 worth of electricity per month.
Unfortunately pool installers use them due to the low cost. Traditional pool pumps have one speed and move as much water in as little time as possible. The problem is that as you increase the volume and speed of water, you increase electricity consumption exponentially. In other words, doubling the volume of water results in a quadrupling in energy consumption. If you reduce the speed by half, energy consumption is just 1/8 of what was being used.
The savings achieved by these pumps is substantial. Most manufacturers of variable speed pool pumps provide calculators on their website so you can estimate your savings. Pentair is one manufacturer of these pumps, and they have a great savings calcualtor. There are also rebates available from most utility companies such as SDG&E. In addition the Federal Government offers tax incentives for energy upgrades, and these pumps qualify.
Additional benefits of Variable Speed Pumps
Quiet operation Variable speed motors operate at lower RPM’s so they generate less noise. They really are whisper quiet compared to traditional pool pumps.
Longer motor life Variable speed motors use permanent magnet motors instead of induction motors. They operate with less vibration, and have an integral fan to cool the motor. This reduces the stress on internal parts, and also reduces the wear and tear on connected components such as plumbing, filters, furnaces, etc.
Fully adjustibe water flow Variable speed motors are adjustable. If you have water features, you can very easily adjust the flow of water so you can increase or decrease the volume of water by simply pressing a button. With traditional pumps you have to close a valve partially to reduce flow. This creates back-pressure and makes the pump work harder, reducing the life of the motor and actually using more electricity.
Get serious about energy savings.
Instead of chasing the inflated claims of energy savings from changing your light bulbs, you should consider changing your pool pump. The energy savings are huge and can pay for other upgrades.
About the author: Philippe Heller is President of The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Co., one of the largest home inspection companies in San Diego. Our philosophy is to provide home buyers and home owners with as much information as possible so they can make informed decisions. Home inspectors do not perform any work on houses they inspect, so they offer impartial evaluations. If you have any questions about home inspections, please contact us!
Posted in Technology | No Comments »
The Long and the Short of it
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Shorten Long URL’s for Twitter or Text
Sending a link to a listing or website is a great way to share information. But try sending a link for a listing to someone via text or Twitter. Many links, or URL’s, are so long that you will exceed the 140 character limit of most text messages or Twitter. Here’s an example of a link to a Google Map:
Try texting that to someone!
But you can easily shorten any link to a manageable size. There are several websites out there called “URL Shorteners”. You may have seen a link that looks a little funny like this:
Believe it or not this short link will take you to the exact same place as that long one above. All you need to do is visit a site like goo.gl, bit.ly, or tinyurl.com. These sites allow you to enter any long URL and they will return a short URL at the click of a button.
Google’s URL shortner requires you to have a free iGoogle account, and bit.ly requires a free account too. The good thing about having an account is that it let’s you track how many people have clicked on your link.
This can be very helpful when used with a direct mail campaing, or to track traffic without setting up a complicated tracking software. You can quickly see how many and when people clicked on the link you sent to them.
Bit.ly is also a free site which does not require an account. It is great for quickly generating a shortened URL when you don’t want to track the activity or set up an account.
The down side: As with any new technology, some people use it for illicit purposes. They try to redirect people to unrelated sites. Therefore some sites block shortened URL’s. Use common sense when clicking on any link. Don’t click on links from people you don’t know.
About the author: Philippe Heller is the President of The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company, one of the largest inspection companies in San Diego. In addition to writing articles about home inspections, technology news often makes it way into this blog. Please subscibe to our blog or “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sdinspections
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