Seller worried about environmental hazards
Q. I am concerned about environmental hazards in my home - about lead paint, asbestos ceilings, formaldehyde in treated wood, etc., etc.
But I'm not very knowledgeable about these things. I've read just enough to be scared to death! Now we are planning to sell our home, built in 1978, and are concerned about what may have to be disclosed to buyers. What do you advise?
A. Given the age of your home, formaldehyde in plywood and other wood products is an unwarranted concern. After this many years, formaldehyde will have dissipated from wood laminates and finish materials. If you have installed newer materials, formaldehyde is a possibility, but this is not something a homeowner would be expected to know or disclose. Only an environmental inspector with specialized testing equipment could be expected to provide such information.
Textured ceilings in a 1978 home are likely to contain asbestos, but this type of asbestos containing material is not hazardous if left alone. Asbestos fibers only become airborne when the material is disturbed. If you or your buyers want to have the texture removed, it should be tested first to determine if special handling and disposal are required.
Asbestos can also be found in some vinyl flooring materials and some drywall finishing products. Again, this is only a concern if the material is to be removed, in which case testing would be needed.
The manufacture of lead paint was banned in 1978, but its use continued until supplies of the material were used up. Therefore, your home may have some lead paint. However, lead paint is only hazardous if ingested. Its mere presence is not unsafe. On the other hand, if exterior lead paint has been allowed to peel, chips may have contaminated the soil around the building. In that case, professional testing would be needed to determine if disclosure and remediation disclosure are needed.
The potential for asbestos and lead in your home is something you can disclose to buyers, with the understanding that you do not know for sure whether these substances are actually present.
Q. My clothes dryer seems to be very inefficient, and I fear that the problem is the length of the exhaust duct. The house is on a slab, so the vent duct has to run up the inside of the wall for 8 feet and then horizontally for 23 feet through the ceiling to the outside of the building. Besides being inefficient, moisture condenses inside the duct and drips from the ceiling. I'm wondering if it's OK to run the vent straight up through the roof. What do you recommend?
A. The maximum allowable length for a dryer vent is 14 feet, and that's with no more than two 90 degree turns. For each additional turn, two feet are subtracted from the permissible length. In some homes, the location of the laundry, relative to the nearest outside wall, makes compliance impossible. Venting vertically through the roof may be the most practical solution in your situation, but this can cause lint to accumulate in the duct. If you take that approach, the duct should be checked annually for lint buildup.
Another solution is to add a blower unit into the line. These blowers are specially made to compensate for dryer vents that are too long. You'll need to consult a licensed plumber or general contractor for this kind of upgrade.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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