| Building Consultants, Inc. (BCI) is a consulting firm specializing in Home and Building Inspections, Structural Engineering, and other consulting services related to residential and commercial buildings. BCI is located in the Lansdale-Montgomeryville area of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Our primary service area consists of most of Mongomery County, most of Bucks County, and parts of Philadelphia. Work is sometimes performed in other parts of Pennsylvania. Building Consultants, Inc. is operated by Mark J. Reinmiller, a Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Pennsylvania. Some of Mr. Reinmiller's qualifications are listed below:
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University
- M.S. in Structural Engineering from Villanova University
- Over 21 years of full time building inspection and
consulting engineering experience
- Has performed approximately 8000 home and building
inspections and consulting projects
- Has obtained numerous building code certifications
(Residential Building, Plumbing, Electrical, and Mechanical;
Commercial Building)
- Has served on the executive boards of the Pennsylvania
Association of Accredited Building Inspectors (PAABI)
and the Tri-State chapter of the American Society of
Home Inspectors (ASHI)
- Has lectured at numerous home inspection training seminars
- Has authored articles for home inspection publications
- Has attended hundreds of hours of educational seminars
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Now that fall is here its time to think about heating systems. It is also a good time to think about home safety. With increased use of heating systems, fireplaces, and space heaters, and with other indoor activities, comes a greater risk of fire.
Here are a few recent statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) listing some causes of home fires:
There are approximately 381,000 reported fires in homes each year.
What typically causes some of these fires?
- 28 percent start in the kitchen
- 14 percent are due to heating devices (including fireplaces and chimneys)
- 9 percent are caused by electrical systems, including house wiring and extension cords
- 7 percent are caused by smoking materials
- 5 percent are caused by candles
- 4 percent are caused by clothes washers and dryers (lint accumulation in dryers and exhaust ducts causes a significant number of these fires)
- 4 percent are caused by children playing with heat sources
Being more careful can prevent many home fires.
Now is the time of year to have your heating systems, fireplaces, and chimneys cleaned and serviced.
Cleaning your dryer exhaust duct is also recommended.
As a general rule, if switches, receptacles, wires, or other electrical components are very warm or hot, this may be a potential fire hazard.
Statistics show that extension cords cause a large percentage of home electrical fires.
Even in a well maintained home where everyone tries to be careful, fires can still occur. Make sure you have at least one smoke detector on each level of the house, especially outside of all bedrooms (a smoke detector in each bedroom is even better). Also, remember to change the batteries every year.
I recommend that everyone have at least one fire extinguisher in the home (one on each floor is even better).
Fire extinguishers are rated for the type of fire they are intended to control. Class A is for paper, wood, and most plastics; Class B is for flammable liquids, such as gasoline, oil, and grease; Class C is for electrical fires. The most practical fire extinguisher for the home is a model rated Class ABC. It can be used on almost all fires. Note that using water on a fire involving flammable liquids or electrical components could be very hazardous.
Please stay safe and enjoy the fall!
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