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Precision Inspections > Real Estate Pro Terms cont.
Draft diverter: A device designed into a furnace to prevent excessive updrafts and chimney downdrafts.
Draft hood: A cone shaped device on top of a water heater that helps prevent back drafts from the chimney sending exhaust gases into the home.
Eave: The overhang or lower portion of the roof that extends beyond the outer wall.
Efflorescence: White mineral deposits left after water passes through masonry materials bringing dissolved salts from the wall material.
Fascia: The flat trim board attached to the outer edge of the roof rafters.
Felt paper: Asphalt impregnated fibrous sheets laid on roof sheathing before the roof covering is applied.
Fiberglass insulation: Threads of glass fiber covered with a binder to hold the fibers in place, used as batts, blankets, loose fill, and rigid board.
Fiberglass shingles: Fiberglass mats impregnated with asphalt and covered with a granular material that are used as roof shingles
Firebox: The chamber in which the fire burns in a furnace or open fireplace.
Firewall: A fire resistant wall between the garage and the house designed to prevent the spread of fire.
Flashing: Sheet metal or rubber used where parts of a building meet, such as roof/chimney, pipe/roof, and wall/roof, to prevent water penetration.
Flat roof: A roof with a very small slope, less than 2 feet in 12.
Flue pipe: The exhaust pipe that carries combustion gases from gas hot water heaters and furnaces out of the house.
Footings: The structure, usually concrete that the foundation sits on which supports and distributes the weight of the structure to the soil.
Foundation: The structure that rests on the footings that transmits the load from above to the footings and protects the walls from the effects of soil pressure.
Functional flow: Water which flows from a device such as a faucet with enough pressure and volume for reasonable use.
Fuse: An electric circuit protection device that has an internal element that melts when too much current passes through the fuse stopping the flow of electricity.
Gable roof: A roof that has 2 sides with opposite slopes that join at the top or ridge.
Gable vent: A vent located at the end of a gable roof.
Gambrel roof: A roof with a double slope on each side where the lower slope is the steepest.
GFCI: An abbreviation for a ground fault circuit interpreter. It is a monitoring device that will trip after a ground fault is detected, stopping the flow of electricity in a circuit.
Girders: Horizontal load-bearing members of a floor system that carry the weight of the floor and wall loads to the foundation and columns. Also called beams.
Gray water: Drainage from the clothes washer, laundry tub, or floor drain.
Grounded outlet: An outlet wired with a ground wire that is connected to the grounding system.
Header: A horizontal framing member that transfers the load above a window or door opening to the sides of the opening. Also called a lintel.
Heat exchanger: A heavy metal structure above or built around the combustion chamber that holds and contains the burner flame. In a furnace, it separates exhaust air from the circulating air that heats the house.
Heat pump: A device that operates as both a cooling and heating system by reversing the flow of refrigerant.
Hopper window: A window hinged at the bottom that opens inward.
Hot wire: A wire carrying an electric charge to an outlet or device.
Jalousie window: A window with narrow strips of glass that open out together from the bottom.
Joists: Horizontal members of a floor system or ceiling system that transfer the weight of the floor or ceiling to the foundation, girders, or load-bearing walls.
Knob-and-tube wiring: Old branch circuit wiring that utilizes ceramic knobs to secure wire to surfaces and tubes to pass wires through framing members.
Ledger strips: Lengths of wood nailed along the bottom edge of a girder to provide support for joists.
Lintel: A horizontal framing member that transfers the load above a window or door opening to the sides of the opening.
Live load: The weight of everything in a home except the structure itself. (Occupants, furniture, appliances)
LP gas: Abbreviation for liquefied propane gas that is used as a fuel source. It is stored at the point of use in metal tanks where as natural gas (methane) is piped in underground lines from a central storage location.
Main panel: The electrical box holding one or more overload protection devices and/or disconnects for the home’s electrical circuits.
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