4 Safety Issues to Repair Today!

I sold a wonderful townhome recently in Anchorage and the inspection revealed 4 common safety issues that we see a lot lately!  These are definitely items that you should take care of now rather than waiting until you sell your home because they protect your family and tenants now.

1.  Safety barrier in front of your gas fired appliances.
The Muni now requires a steel post in front of gas appliances in the garage.  This post can be purchased at Central Plumbing and heating and is screwed into the cement garage floor.  The handout from the Muni can be found at this link: https://www.muni.org/Departments/OCPD/development/BSD/Handouts/handoutm02.pdf

2. GFCI protection in all outlets above counter tops.
Your refrigerator outlet should not be GFCI protected and protection to an outlet does mean each outlet should have a push button tester on it, in fact electricians suggest not having that many push button outlets!  More FAQ including GFCI protection can be found here: http://www.muni.org/Departments/OCPD/development/BSD/Pages/HomeOwnersFAQ.aspx

3. Smoke detectors in each bedroom and hallway and not more than 10 years old.
You should test your detectors regularly as well as replace batteries once a year but if you twist off the detector and the manufacturing date on the back of it is 2005 or older, it's time to toss them and install new detectors.  Install the bedroom detectors within the first few feet in front of the door on the ceiling.  More FAQ including CO and smoke detectors can be found here: http://www.muni.org/Departments/OCPD/development/BSD/Pages/HomeOwnersFAQ.aspx

4.  Sealing holes or missing sheetrock in the garage sheetrock.
By having holes in the sheetrock, it reduces the fire protection sheetrock gives you.  The pipes getting warm over the years deterioriates the sealant and will need fire caulking added from time to time!  Your sealant needs to be rated for the fire protection.  Check with a hardware store to  make sure you are getting the right kind.  The foamy orange caulking is NOT the right type and we tend to see that used a lot lately!

Make a trip to the hardware store this weekend and knock out these few projects in no time and keep your family safe!