Floor Ducts should not be Rusted

Homes in Oklahoma with central heat and air have either have floor ducts or ducts in the ceiling.  Floor ducts can be made of metal or pvc.  Metal ducts in the floor sometimes erode, rust and deteriorate. They can deteriorate to a condition where there are holes in the ducts and sand in the vents. 

Once this happens, you can do one of two things to correct the problem.  You can fill in the ducts and take them overhead in the attic.  The other option is to have a company come in and line the ducts with a water based latex material to coat the ducts.  This option is usually more economical.

The company that does this will scope the ducts to see what they look like under the slab. This is the only way to truly know what is going on in the ducts.  They will clean the ducts of the sand, debris, and any other substances prior to putting the lining on the ducts. Then they will spray the duct boot and the ducts and perhaps the plenum if necessary.

It is important to make sure the ducts are in good condition to get good air flow through out your house. Also, you want the air to go through the vents and into your home and not be lost. And finally, you want to know you are breathing good clean air and not air which has dirt and sand mixed into it. 

When looking at houses to buy, I think it is a good idea to open the floor registers and look inside.  If you see holes, rust or sand, that is a good indication that their may be more problems.  If you are wanting to purchase the house still, I would suggest you get a camera inspection of the ducts as part of your inspection process.  You may want to negotiate the ducts being repaired upfront provided they appear bad.

I saw these ducts in a house the other day where I had the listing.  There was sand in the duct boots and a hole in the side wall of the duct. The home inspector did point out the damage to buyer and suggested he have them scoped.  The buyer chose to not spend the money to have them scoped so we don’t know what they looked like throughout.  Although my experience tells me they most likely need to be repaired.

As a realtor, I tell my clients we are inspecting the property, so we know what is wrong with it.  Every house has something that needs to be fixed. While we may not care about small things like sink sprayers not properly working or a loose toilet seat.  We do care about large ticket items which need to be repaired.  Rusted floor ducts are an expensive repair.

If you are looking to buy, sell or invest in real estate, I would love to help you. Please call me Sandi Walker at 405-213-2992 or visit my website www.equityhomesteam.com

Monitor your foundation

The foundation of your house is extremely important.  It is what is supporting your house.  In Oklahoma our newer homes tend to be built on slabs. These foundations are built with a sand or gravel base which is used for drainage and then a cement slab is poured over that based. Dirt or sometimes a concrete walk way is placed around the house. 

People in Oklahoma have become very conscience about cracks in walls or the brick veneer as a sign that the house has structural issues. However, you also need to be aware of erosion around the house which can cause water to get under the cement slab and wash out the sand base underneath.

I took a picture of the house with this foundation. 

erosion

another angle

 The elevation of the house is higher than the neighbors house.  This house doesn’t have gutters and the grass is thin on this side of the house.  Over time it appears that water has eroded the dirt from the side of the house so much so that now water can enter in under the cement slab. 

I spoke to the homeowner after I saw this.  I explained to her that she needed to get some dirt around the house.  She proceeded to tell me that she lived on a limited budget and couldn’t afford to buy dirt or to fix the problem.  I explained to her that dirt was cheap compared to the structural problems she would have if the problem was not corrected.  Once the slab slips then she will need to have a pier company come raise the foundation back up and she will still need to add dirt around the house. 

Maintenance on a house is important.  It is the number one con to home ownership because you have to maintain the home if you own it rather than someone else maintaining it if you are renting and it costs money.  Taking the time to notice repairs and fixing them prior to them becoming large issues will help you save money.  This issue here could have been avoided with proper guttering and making sure grass was maintained in this area from the beginning. 

If you have real estate questions or are looking to buy or sell or invest in real estate, call me Sandi Walker 405-213-2992 or visit my website, www.equityhomesteam.com.