Window Inspection Reveals Safety Concerns

The Importance of Window Inspection: A Crucial Safety Check

At Tri-County Inspections, a home inspection company in the Cleveland area, we prioritize your safety and the functionality of your home. In a recent video, our inspector, Mike Vakos, highlighted an often-overlooked issue during a window inspection—a loose sash. This might not seem like a big deal at first, but as Mike demonstrates, it can pose a significant safety risk.

Why a Loose Sash is a Concern

During a window inspection, one common defect we find is a loose sash. In the video, Mike walks us through an attic space where the vinyl windows installed have a faulty mechanism. When lifted, the window immediately slams shut, creating a dangerous situation. Many homeowners are unaware of this problem until it becomes a hazard in an emergency.

Safety Risks of a Faulty Window

Imagine you are in your attic, and the stairway is blocked due to a fire or another emergency. Your first instinct is to exit through the window. However, if the sash does not stay open, you might struggle to escape, increasing your risk of injury or worse. A properly functioning window should stay open without external support to allow for safe and easy egress.

The Solution: A Proper Window Inspection

A thorough window inspection during a home inspection can identify issues like loose sashes, faulty locks, and poor sealing. At Tri-County Inspections, we highly recommend addressing these issues by repairing or replacing the affected windows to ensure they operate correctly. This simple fix can significantly improve both safety and functionality in your home.

Schedule Your Home Inspection Today

Home inspections are not just about finding major structural issues—they are about ensuring every part of your home is safe and functional. Whether you are buying, selling, or just maintaining your home, a detailed inspection can reveal small issues before they become costly problems. Contact Tri-County Inspections today to schedule your comprehensive home inspection and ensure your windows—and the rest of your home—are in top condition!

For more helpful tips and insights from Mike Vakos and the Tri-County Inspections team, stay tuned for future updates!

In this short video Cleveland home inspector, Mike Vakos, explains what he finds during a window inspection in an attic.  Schedule your home inspection with Mike today!

"Mike here with Tri County inspections and in today's video I wanted to talk to you about Windows. So, I'm here in a house and we're up in the finished attic space. You can kind of look around here and see what is here. They have these vinyl windows here and a lot of people always ask when we put in the report "loose sash", why is that a safety concern? Let's take a look; as you can see, when you come and lift the window, it comes right back down. As you can see,  aside from the window being a piece of junk, it just opens and immediately closes. The risk then is if you were needing to exit out of this window and the stairway was blocked, there would be a problem. Let's say there was a fire down there on the first floor and you had to get out this window; you come over here, you run to the window and you open it up, but it's going to keep slamming down and then you're going to be stuck screaming help me help me. You would be struggling as to how to get out and you won't be able to. That's why it's a safety hazard. Therefore, with a loose sash safety hazard, I highly recommend replacing the windows or at least correcting it so it's operational. That's one more reason to get an inspection; have a great day."

Contact Mike Vakos, Cleveland home inspector and owner of Tri-County Inspections for your home inspection services:

• Full Home Inspection
• Pre-Listing Home Inspection
• Commercial Home Inspection
• Radon Inspection
• Mold Testing
• Lite Home Inspection for Investors
• Walk-Through Home Inspections