Gary N Smith, SafeHome Inspections
"Experience you can trust, inspections you can rely on."
Several factors, including climate zone, maintenance practices, material type, and usage, can influence the life cycle of exposed wood decks. So, when I make this statement: “The methods of construction on this deck are substandard and no longer permitted, and repair is
Springs and spring hardware are under high tension. If a spring is broken, do not operate the door until the spring is replaced. Do not try to remove, repair or adjust springs or any door parts or mounting surfaces, such as wood blocks, steel brackets, cables or other like items. Because of potential dangers involved, all repairs and adjustments must be performed by a trained door systems technician using proper tools and instructions.
One important thing to keep in mind when repairing a nail pop. Don’t just drive the roofing nail back down into the same hole. Lift it out and move over about an inch or so and drive a ring shank nail into a new section of decking.
This task should be performed at least once a year. It’s simple. If you have a garage door opener, with the door in the closed position, disengage the opener by pulling the red handle on the release rope. Manually lift the door about 1/2 way up. If balanced – the door will not fall closed or quickly jump open during the test.
When I inspect and report the surface conditions of brick and concrete, and use the term efflorescence, it has more aesthetic rather than structural consequences.