What Is Transite Ductwork and How Should You Handle It?

If your home inspection report noted the presence of Transite ductwork in a concrete slab, you likely have questions about what this means for your home’s air quality and future maintenance.

This is a Transite duct in the concrete slab. Notice the rough edges where it was cut.

Transite is an industry term for a specialized type of concrete pipe that was commonly used for underground HVAC ducts from the 1950s through the 1970s. While durable, it requires specific care and understanding from modern homeowners.

What Exactly is Transite?

Transite is a blend of cement and asbestos fibers. It was highly favored at the time because it was strong, didn't rust like metal when buried, and was excellent at handling heating and cooling air distribution.

As long as Transite ductwork remains intact, undisturbed, and dry, it generally poses no immediate health hazard. The asbestos fibers are tightly bound within the concrete matrix. Please keep in mind that as home inspectors we are not equipped to view the majority of the ductwork.

The Challenges of Sub-Slab Transite Ducts

Over decades of service, underground ducts face unique environmental stressors that can cause the material to degrade:

• Water Intrusion: High water tables, heavy rains, or poor exterior drainage can cause water to seep into the ducts. Grading, and drainage issues are common with slab on grade homes containing Transite ductwork.

• Material Softening: Constant exposure to moisture causes the concrete matrix to slowly leach and soften, which can compromise the structural strength of the pipe.

• Fiber Release Risk: If the inner walls of the pipe begin to delaminate, flake, or collapse, there is a risk that asbestos fibers could become airborne and enter the home's breathing air when the fan runs.

The 3 Best Ways to Deal with Slab Transite Ducts

If you own a home with Transite ductwork, or are considering purchasing one you typically have three main pathways to manage or resolve the issue:

1. Evaluation & Continuous Monitoring (The Baseline Approach)

If the ducts are currently dry, clean, and structurally sound, you do not necessarily need to rip them out.

• Action: Hire a specialized HVAC or environmental professional to perform a video camera scope of the lines. This checks for standing water, breaches, or collapsing walls.

• Maintenance: Ensure your home’s exterior grading slopes away from the foundation and keep gutters clean to prevent water from pooling near the home’s perimeter.

2. Duct Rehabilitation & Duct Encapsulation (The Preventative Fix)

If the Transite is showing early signs of aging or light flaking, but is still structurally intact, it can often be repaired from the inside out.

• Action: Specialized contractors can apply a thick, rubberized epoxy or polymer coating directly to the inside of the ducts. This process completely seals (encapsulates) the transite material, locking down any potential loose fibers and creating a seamless, water-resistant barrier.

3. Abandonment & Overhead Redirection (The Permanent Solution)

If a video scope reveals that the transite ducts are collapsing, severely deteriorated, or chronically filling with water, sealing or cleaning them is no longer an option.

• Action: The safest and most permanent solution is to completely fill the old slab ducts with concrete slurry to seal them forever. A licensed HVAC contractor will then install a brand-new duct system routed through the attic, drop-ceilings, or upper walls.

The Bottom Line

Finding Transite ductwork isn't a reason to walk away from a great home, but it is a reason to do your homework. Start with a professional video scope to understand the current condition of the lines, and consult with a licensed environmental or HVAC specialist to choose the best path forward for your property.

Henry “Sonny” Toman
1st American Home Inspections
443-388-2410
Serving our neighbors in:
Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Baltimore Counties.

Schedule Your Inspection Online

The Home Buyer’s Guide to Solar Panels: Benefits, Savings, and Real-World Maintenance

If you are looking at a home with solar panels, it is easy to feel a mix of excitement and confusion. On one hand, the idea of a lower electricity bill is incredibly appealing. On the other hand, you might wonder: How do these things actually save me money? And what kind of maintenance am I on the hook for?

As home inspectors, our goal is to cut through the marketing hype and give you the practical facts. Here is what you need to know about buying a home with an existing solar photovoltaic (PV) system.

1. How the Savings Actually Work

Solar panels don’t just power your electronic devices directly from the sun; they integrate with the local power grid. Here is how the financial benefits break down:

• Net Metering: Most residential solar setups utilize a system called net metering. During the middle of the day, your panels will often produce more electricity than your home is actively using. This excess power is sent back into the utility grid, and your electric company gives you a credit for it.

• The "Banked" Credits: At night or during cloudy winter days when your panels aren't producing enough power, you draw electricity back from the grid, using up those accumulated credits.

• The Bottom Line: Solar panels rarely eliminate an electric bill entirely because most utilities charge a flat monthly connection fee. However, a properly sized system can drastically offset your actual energy usage costs, saving typical homeowners hundreds to thousands of dollars a year.

2. Setting Realistic Expectations (No Over-Promising)

While solar panels are an excellent asset, it is important to understand their boundaries:

• Power Outages: A common misconception is that solar panels will keep your lights on during a blackout. Unless the home has a dedicated, expensive backup battery storage system (like a Tesla Powerwall), your solar system will automatically shut off during a power outage. This is a mandatory safety feature designed to prevent your panels from sending electricity down the lines and injuring utility workers who are trying to fix the grid.

• Natural Degradation: Solar panels naturally lose a tiny amount of efficiency every year—usually about 0.5\% to 1\%. If you are looking at a system that is 10 or 15 years old, it will produce slightly less power than it did on day one, which is completely normal.

3. Maintenance: What’s Worth Your Money (and What Isn’t)

Solar systems are incredibly resilient because they have no moving parts. However, managing them wisely will save you from unnecessary expenses.

❌ Skip the Professional Cleaning

You will see plenty of companies offering professional solar panel cleaning services, claiming it boosts efficiency. However, university engineering studies show that normal dust and pollen only reduce panel efficiency by a minor 3% to 7%.

Hiring a professional crew usually costs between $150 and $300+. The tiny bump in electricity generation from a cleaning will only save you about $20 to $40 a year. Financially speaking, the math doesn't add up. In most climates, regular rainfall is completely sufficient to keep your panels washed off.

⚠️ Budget for the Inverter

While solar panels can easily last 25 to 30 years (this isn’t a warranty), the inverter (the box usually mounted near your electrical panel that converts solar power into usable household electricity) has a shorter lifespan.

• Standard string inverters generally last 10 to 15 years.

• If you are buying a home with a 10-year-old system, you should anticipate and budget for an inverter replacement in the near future.

🏠 The "Hidden" Roof Cost

If the roof underneath the solar panels is nearing the end of its lifespan, keep in mind that a solar roofing contractor must be hired to detach and temporarily remove the panels before the roofers can work, and then reinstall them afterward. This process can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000+ depending on the size of the array, so it is crucial to know the age of both the roof and the solar system.

Final Takeaway for Buyers

An existing solar system is a fantastic feature that can provide immediate monthly savings on your energy bills. To protect yourself, always ask the seller for:

1. The original installation records and age of the system.

2. Historical production logs (usually accessible via an app like SolarEdge or Enphase) to verify the system is operating normally. Unfortunately the seller may not even be aware of this, or it may not always be available.

3. Warranty transfer documentation to ensure you are covered if an inverter or panel needs replacement.

Henry “Sonny” Toman
1st American Home Inspections
443-388-2410
Serving our neighbors in:
Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Baltimore Counties.

Schedule Your Inspection Online

The Most Important $10 Home Maintenance Task: Your HVAC Air Filter

If you’ve recently gone through a home inspection, you’ve probably heard me mention the HVAC air filter. It’s one of those tiny details that is incredibly easy to forget, but neglecting it is the number one cause of premature heating and cooling system failure.

Many homeowners think the air filter is just there to keep the air in the house clean. While it does help trap dust and allergens, its primary job is actually to protect the expensive machinery inside your furnace and air conditioner.

What Happens When a Filter Gets Clogged?

A heavily dust-clogged HVAC filter. When it gets this furry, it completely suffocates your airflow and forces your system to run in overdrive.

Think of your HVAC system like a set of lungs. It needs to breathe in a massive amount of air to heat or cool your home efficiently. When a filter is caked in dust, pet dander, and hair, it acts like a chokehold on the system.

1. Higher Energy Bills: Your system has to run twice as hard and twice as long just to force air through the blockage, spiking your monthly electric or gas bill.

2. The "Freeze-Up": In the summer, restricted airflow causes the temperature around your indoor AC coils to drop below freezing. Condensation turns to ice, and suddenly your air conditioner stops blowing cool air entirely.

3. Blower Motor Burnout: The fan motor inside your system has to work in overdrive to pull air through a dirty filter. Over time, this extra friction burns out the motor—a repair that costs hundreds of dollars.

How Often Should You Actually Change It?

There is no single "right" answer, as it depends entirely on your household. Use these general guidelines:

• Suburban/City Homes (No Pets): Every 90 days.

• Homes with 1-2 Pets: Every 60 days.

• Homes with Multiple Pets or Allergies: Every 30 to 45 days.

• Vacation Homes or Single-Occupant Homes: Every 6 months.

  Pro-Tip: Don’t just rely on the calendar. If you have a high-traffic household or you've been doing dusty DIY renovations, pull the filter out and look at it once a month. If it looks gray and furry, change it.

3 Quick Tips for First-Time Homeowners

1. Match the Arrow to the Airflow

Every disposable filter has printed arrows on the cardboard frame. These arrows must point in the direction that the air is traveling—which is toward the furnace fan or unit, not away from it. Installing it backward reduces its efficiency and can damage the filter structure.

2. Don’t Over-Filter Your System (The MERV Trap)

It’s tempting to buy the highest-rated "allergen-defense" filter on the shelf (high MERV ratings). However, unless your HVAC system was specifically engineered for tight filters, these thick fiberglass weaves can actually restrict airflow just as badly as a dirty filter. For standard residential systems, a MERV 8 to MERV 11 filter is usually the sweet spot for balancing air filtration and equipment health. In my home I use a MERV 5 filter to minimize airflow restriction, and air purifiers in the rooms I spend the most time in.

3. Take a Photo

When you find the correct size filter during your move-in process (e.g., 16 x 25 x 1), take a picture of the label with your phone. Keep it in a digital folder so you always know exactly what size to grab at the hardware store.

The Bottom Line

Changing a filter takes less than two minutes and costs around $10, but it can save you thousands of dollars in premature HVAC replacements. Make it a habit!

Henry “Sonny” Toman
1st American Home Inspections
443-388-2410
Serving our neighbors in:
Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Baltimore Counties.

Schedule Your Inspection Online

Why Your AC Can’t Keep Up: Understanding Thermal Loss

Is Your AC Working Hard or Hardly Working?

On a blistering Maryland afternoon, your air conditioner might be screaming at full blast, but the air coming out of your bedroom vent feels... lukewarm. If your system is running constantly but the house isn't cooling down, you aren't necessarily looking at a broken AC unit. You likely have Excessive Thermal Gain.

WHAT IS THERMAL LOSS?

Heating Efficiency Test: Even in winter, thermal loss is a factor. This data shows the warm air losing significant energy as it travels through cold, unconditioned attic spaces before reaching the living areas.

The Delivery: Real-time data showing the air temperature as it enters the living space. By comparing this to the source, we can calculate the exact energy lost.

Think of your ductwork as a "cold-delivery tunnel." If that tunnel runs through a 120-degree attic, the cold air inside starts to warm up before it ever reaches your living room. During your home inspection, we measure the "Temperature Drop." If the air warms up by more than a few degrees on its way through your house, the "cool" is being lost to the unconditioned spaces the ductwork travels through.

PRECISION TOOLS vs. GUESSWORK

Measuring the ambient air stream at the register with a digital psychrometer. This allows for a precise calculation of thermal loss that standard infrared thermometers simply cannot provide.

Why We Use Professional-Grade Psychrometers During your inspection, we don’t just "feel" the vents. We use a high-precision Digital Psychrometer to calculate the exact temperature rise or drop.

While a standard infrared thermometer only measures the temperature of the plastic vent cover, our psychrometers measure the ambient air stream. This allows us to identify "Energy Bleed" that others might miss. It’s not just about comfort; it’s about verifying that your HVAC system is actually delivering the performance you’re paying for.

Note: While this precision helps us find the 'where' and the 'why' of heat loss, it is important to remember that in many Maryland homes, ductwork is 'built-in.' Our data serves as a roadmap for an HVAC professional to determine the most cost-effective path forward.

THE MAIN CULPRITS:

1. The "Attic Bake": Many Maryland homes have ductwork in the attic. If those ducts aren't heavily insulated, the attic heat penetrates the metal and warms your air.

2. Disconnected Ducts: It’s common for duct sections to separate over time. You might be accidentally air-conditioning your attic instead of your master suite.

3. Leaky Joints: Small gaps at every turn of the pipe let the cold air bleed out into the attic, or other unconditioned spaces.

WHY IT MATTERS TO YOU

• Higher Bills: Your AC has to run twice as long to reach the temperature on your thermostat.

• Uneven Comfort: The "hot room" in the house will stay hot, no matter how low you turn the dial. This may also have an impact in heating mode.

• Equipment Wear: Running your system non-stop leads to premature failure of the compressor and fan motors.

THE “HIDDEN DUCT” REALITY CHECK

In many homes, ductwork is located behind finished drywall or within floor joists. In these cases, accessing the ducts to seal or insulate them is often not cost-effective unless you are already planning a major renovation. If your ducts are 'buried,' the focus shifts from fixing the ducts to managing the airflow.

REALISTIC SOLUTIONS FOR THERMAL LOSS

The "Low-Hanging Fruit": Sealing and insulating ducts in unfinished basements, attics, or crawlspaces. This is where the majority of loss usually occurs.

1. System Balancing: An HVAC tech can adjust the "dampers" to prioritize airflow to the rooms furthest from the unit.

2. Internal Sealing: Modern technologies like Aeroseal can seal leaks from the inside of the ductwork without touching your drywall. This can be pricey but worth it if you think you’ve found your dream home.

3. Supplemental Cooling: Sometimes a mini-split or a ceiling fan is the cheaper, more effective "real world" fix for a room at the end of a long, hot duct run.

4. Management, Not Miracles: In some older home designs, a small amount of thermal loss is inevitable. Our goal is to ensure you aren't paying for preventable waste.

Henry “Sonny” Toman
1st American Home Inspections
443-388-2410
Serving our neighbors in:
Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Baltimore Counties.

Schedule Your Inspection Online

The 40-Year Rule: Does Your Electrical Panel Have an Expiration Date?

When we think about home maintenance, we usually think about things we can see: a leaky faucet, a cracked shingle, or a flickering lightbulb. But there is a silent "heart" beating behind a metal door in your garage or basement—your electrical service panel.

While the heavy steel box might look like it could last a century, the high-tech safety components inside are not immortal. In fact, if your home is more than 40 years old, your panel may be operating on "borrowed time."

The Lifespan Benchmark: 30 to 50 Years

Most industry experts, including the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI), agree that the typical service life for a residential electrical panel is between 30 and 50 years.

Why the range? Because an electrical panel isn't just a box; it’s a collection of mechanical switches (breakers) held against copper or aluminum bars (bus bars). Over decades, several factors lead to "component fatigue":

• Thermal Fatigue: Every time you turn on a toaster or a vacuum, electricity creates heat. This causes the metal components inside the breaker to expand and contract. Over 40+ years, this "heat cycling" can weaken the spring tension that allows a breaker to trip.

• Oxidation and Corrosion: Even in a dry basement, humidity in the air causes microscopic layers of oxidation on the bus bars. This creates resistance, which creates even more heat, leading to a vicious cycle of degradation.

Why "Functional" Doesn't Always Mean "Safe"

The most common pushback we hear during a home inspection is: "But the lights are on, so it’s working fine!"

As home inspectors, we aren't just checking if the power is on; we are checking if the safety mechanism will work when you need it most. An aged breaker is like a 50-year-old seatbelt—it might look perfectly fine while you’re parked, but you don't want to find out it's brittle during a crash. If a breaker "freezes" and fails to trip during a power surge, the wires in your walls can melt, leading to an electrical fire.

Red Flags: When to Call an Electrician

If your home was built in the 1970s or earlier (making your panel 50+ years old), you should watch for these warning signs:

1. Spongy Breakers: When you flip a breaker, it should have a crisp, "snapping" feel. If it feels soft or spongy, the internal spring is failing.

2. Crackling Sounds: A humming or clicking sound indicates "arcing," where electricity is jumping across a gap because of a loose or corroded connection.

3. Dimming Lights: If your lights flicker when the microwave or AC kicks on, your panel may be struggling to distribute the load.

4. Obsolete Brands: If your panel says Federal Pacific (FPE), Zinsco, or Challenger, these are known safety risks that many insurance companies will no longer cover.

CAN’T WE JUST TEST IF THE BREAKER TRIPS?

A common question we get is: "Can you verify the breaker will actually shut off if there is a problem?" The answer is no, and for a very good reason. A home inspection is a non-invasive, visual evaluation. To "test" a breaker’s trip mechanism, an inspector would have to intentionally overload a circuit or create a short circuit.

Doing this is not only outside the Maryland Standards of Practice, but it is also dangerous. Artificially "tripping" a 50-year-old breaker could cause it to fail permanently, or worse, cause an electrical arc-flash. Because we cannot "stress-test" the internal components, we rely on age, brand history, and visual evidence to determine if a panel is past its prime.

The Bottom Line

If your home’s electrical "heart" is over 40 years old, it has likely exceeded its engineered life expectancy. While it may still be providing power, a proactive evaluation by a licensed electrician is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes with a modern, safe electrical system.

Henry “Sonny” Toman
1st American Home Inspections
443-388-2410
Serving our neighbors in:
Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Baltimore Counties.

Schedule Your Inspection Online