Home Innovation Insights

Insider insights on what's going on in the home building industry.

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
September 28, 2023

Building Resilience: Construction Materials Testing to Prevent Wildfire Devastation

While we expect building codes to become more stringent in their requirements related to fire resilience, builders and homeowners are also becoming more focused on creating homes that will withstand natural disasters. When it comes to fire prevention and resilience, material selection is critical. Fire resistance testing is an essential process used to determine how well a material, structure, or product can withstand exposure to fire and maintain its structural integrity and safety. 

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
October 10, 2022

#WillItCorrode: Is Your Product Cable to Withstand Corrosion?

This year, the Home Innovation lab team is on a mission to test some everyday gadgets in our salt spray chamber to find out #willitcorrode. Home Innovation's full range of corrosion testing helps building product manufacturers ensure the performance of metals and coatings. Typically, we test products such as nails, screws, anchor bolts, bollards, stair nosing, gutter clips, ladders, cable, baluster, hand railing, support systems for curtain walls, etc. But we have decided to mix it up a little with this experiment to emphasize the practical nature of this type of testing. Check out the results of our latest experiment with a steel cable.

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
September 2, 2022

#WillItCorrode: Your Reputation Hinges on Your Product's Reliability

This year, the Home Innovation lab team is on a mission to test some everyday gadgets in our salt spray chamber to find out #willitcorrode. Home Innovation's full range of corrosion testing helps building product manufacturers ensure the performance of metals and coatings. Typically, we test products such as nails, screws, anchor bolts, bollards, stair nosing, gutter clips, ladders, cable, baluster, hand railing, support systems for curtain walls, etc. But we have decided to mix it up a little with this experiment to emphasize the practical nature of this type of testing. Check out the results of our latest experiment with a steel door hinge.

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
July 29, 2022

#WillItCorrode: Tools of the Trade: Add Testing to Your Product Durability Toolkit

This year, the Home Innovation lab team is on a mission to test some everyday gadgets in our salt spray chamber to find out #willitcorrode. Home Innovation's full range of corrosion testing helps building product manufacturers ensure the performance of metals and coatings. Typically, we test products such as nails, screws, anchor bolts, bollards, stair nosing, gutter clips, ladders, cable, baluster, hand railing, support systems for curtain walls, etc. But we have decided to mix it up a little with this experiment to emphasize the practical nature of this type of testing. Check out the results of our latest experiment with a screwdriver.

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
July 1, 2022

#WillItCorrode: Red vs. White Rust

This year, the Home Innovation lab team is on a mission to test some everyday gadgets in our salt spray chamber to find out #willitcorrode. Home Innovation's full range of corrosion testing helps building product manufacturers ensure the performance of metals and coatings. Typically, we test products such as nails, screws, anchor bolts, bollards, stair nosing, gutter clips, ladders, cable, baluster, hand railing, support systems for curtain walls, etc. But we have decided to mix it up a little with this experiment to emphasize the practical nature of this type of testing. Check out the results of our latest experiment with a diecast metal toy truck.

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
June 3, 2022

#WillItCorrode: Appropriate Material Selection

This year, the Home Innovation lab team is on a mission to test some everyday gadgets in our salt spray chamber to find out #willitcorrode. Home Innovation's full range of corrosion testing helps building product manufacturers ensure the performance of metals and coatings. Typically, we test products such as nails, screws, anchor bolts, bollards, stair nosing, gutter clips, ladders, cable, baluster, hand railing, support systems for curtain walls, etc. But we have decided to mix it up a little with this experiment to emphasize the practical nature of this type of testing. Check out the results of our latest experiment with a "durable" thermal coffee mug.

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
May 13, 2022

#WillItCorrode: Digging into Types of Corrosion

This year, the Home Innovation lab team is on a mission to test some everyday gadgets in our salt spray chamber to find out #willitcorrode. Home Innovation's full range of corrosion testing helps building product manufacturers ensure the performance of metals and coatings. Typically, we test products such as nails, screws, anchor bolts, bollards, stair nosing, gutter clips, ladders, cable, baluster, hand railing, support systems for curtain walls, etc. But we have decided to mix it up a little with this experiment to emphasize the practical nature of this type of testing. Check out the results of our latest experiment with a heavy duty carbon steel garden hand shovel.

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
April 5, 2022

#WillItCorrode: Key Causes For Corrosion

This year, the Home Innovation lab team is on a mission to test some everyday gadgets in our salt spray chamber to find out #willitcorrode. Home Innovation's full range of corrosion testing helps building product manufacturers ensure the performance of metals and coatings. Typically, we test products such as nails, screws, anchor bolts, bollards, stair nosing, gutter clips, ladders, cable, baluster, hand railing, support systems for curtain walls, etc. But we have decided to mix it up a little with this experiment to emphasize the practical nature of this type of testing. Check out the results of our latest experiment with a standard house key.

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
March 4, 2022

#WillItCorrode: Stick A Fork in It

This year, the Home Innovation lab team is on a mission to test some everyday gadgets in our salt spray chamber to find out #willitcorrode. Home Innovation's full range of corrosion testing helps building product manufacturers ensure the performance of metals and coatings. Typically, we test products such as nails, screws, anchor bolts, bollards, stair nosing, gutter clips, ladders, cable, baluster, hand railing, support systems for curtain walls, etc. But we have decided to mix it up a little with this experiment to emphasize the practical nature of this type of testing. Check out the results of our first month's experiment with an 18-0 stainless steel fork.

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Deanna Williams Seale, PE
March 1, 2021

Are Your Plumbing Products Designed for Reliability?

Today’s customers, both building professionals and homeowners, have increased their expectations of manufacturers for high quality, reliable products. Product testing identifies problems encountered during construction or service life due to poor durability, strength, or performance. Increase the quality and reliability of your products by detecting failures, pinpointing probable deficiencies, and confirming your product will maintain performance throughout its lifecycle.

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Author Bio
 Deanna Williams Seale, PE
Deanna Williams Seale, PE
Director, Laboratory Services

Deanna is a licensed professional engineer with expertise in materials testing, structural forensics, and the design and restoration of buildings, bridges, and other structures. She provides consulting and engineer-of-record services for Home Innovation clients seeking code compliance recognition for their products and innovative technologies.