| I used to conduct home inspections much like anybody | | | | about finding this problem. Without IR technology, the |
| else. About nine months ago, a wise person convinced | | | | existing condition would have remained unnoticed, the |
| me to dive into hi-technology with every aspect of my | | | | master bedroom would have been difficult (and |
| business. One of the first things I invested in was a | | | | expensive) to heat in the winter, and difficult (and |
| state of the art camera that uses Infrared | | | | expensive) to cool in the summer. The homeowner |
| Thermography (IRT). After $7,000 was invested, then | | | | showed the hard evidence to the insulation contractor |
| some educational classes conquered, I immediately | | | | who came back and fixed their mistake without |
| saw the value of this device. I am absolutely convinced | | | | question. The very next home that I inspected a few |
| that IRT will be a necessary tool for every home | | | | days later had a similar problem which also happened |
| inspector in the near future. The very first home | | | | to be an addition. Only this time, the contractor who |
| inspection I conducted while using my IR camera | | | | built the addition figured nobody would know once the |
| showed a distinct problem that would not, and could | | | | drywall was installed... so he put up the walls with |
| not have been identified by any other means, short of | | | | absolutely no insulation at all! Again... no home inspector |
| physically destroying one wall in the master bedroom. | | | | would have been able to find this problem without an |
| Due to my inexperience with the new IR camera, | | | | IR camera. In the time since those two inspects, I have |
| coupled with the glaring anomaly identified in my | | | | found numerous problems through the use of my |
| viewfinder, I had to go consult my educational tools to | | | | camera. It is able to find mold, termites, even mice |
| confirm what I was seeing was in fact true... and being | | | | inside of walls. Also, it is a magic tool for identifying |
| properly diagnosed by me. What I saw was one entire | | | | areas that cause enormous energy loss. You can see |
| wall of the master bedroom had insulation inside this | | | | digital photos of some of the uses and problems on |
| wall... but the insulation only went half way up! And this | | | | my web site at: or There is no doubt in my mind that |
| wall was entirely exposed to the elements... it was not | | | | as time goes on and this technology becomes less |
| an interior wall. As it turns out, there had been a | | | | expensive, that it will become a standard tool for |
| company come out and blow insulation into this wall | | | | every home inspector. The real advantage is it will |
| which was part of an addition. Either they were in a | | | | keep the crooked contractors at bay and in trouble... |
| hurry, or they wanted to scrimp on materials and save | | | | and the real people who benefit will be the |
| some money, or they just didn't know what they were | | | | unsuspecting and innocent homeowner. |
| doing. Either way... the new homeowner was ecstatic | | | | |