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thermal infrared: "We're Wondering About Some Work That Was Done" - 04/30/11 06:21 AM
When a client calls and the first thing the conversation begins with is, "We're wondering about some work that was done," and ends with a joking, "And don't forget the thermal imaging camera when you come!" you know it's going to be fun.
So we waited for a sunny day! You should know we have had a hint of rain lately, and about 30 tornadoes in the area. But our day came!
They explained. At the end of last summer they had some LED canister lights installed in the master bedroom ceiling. The entire upper floor of this townhouse has cathedral … (28 comments)
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thermal infrared: "We Just Bought An Efficient New Heat Pump And The House Still Isn't Comfortable" - 04/02/11 07:04 AM
At least that's what I heard over the phone. I thought this might be a job for Mighty Mo.
I named my thermal camera "Mighty Mo."
Being a life-long Washington DC guy, as a child we used to go out to the Hot Shoppe's Drive In. That was the Marriott family's first business venture in town.
It was a drive up restaurant, where you would order from a menu with a microphone, and get served by girls on roller skates, and eat in the car.
Their two signature offerings were A&W Root Beer (standing for Alice and Willard) and the Mighty … (48 comments)
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thermal infrared: Fiberglass vs. Cellulose Insulation - 02/16/11 06:49 AM
I have understood from insulators that in very cold temperatures fiberglass insulation will actually absorb heat from the house. I have never been able to prove that. Of course, the cellulose insulation guys will suggest that their insulation be blown in over the fiberglass, and problem solved!
What's cellulose insulation? Super chewed up newspaper! If you look at it closely you can see red, blue and green flecks from the funnies! They treat it with Boric acid, so bugs* won't eat it and burrow inside, and blow it in. It is very effective because when laid properly it leaves few gaps. … (44 comments)
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thermal infrared: Why Heat Goes Whoosh From The House - 02/11/11 09:02 AM
It's elementary physics, my dear Watson, elementary.
Heat seeks cold. Everyone thinks that heat rises. Well, it does! If it's seeking cold. If the cold is down, heat sinks!
As a Boy Scout, along the C&O canal, near the Antietam Battlefield, there is a large cave. It goes way in and eventually way down. It is full of bats! I have been all through it. Inside we could always tell which way the opening was, even way inside, because we could feel the July heat from that direction! As a 14 year old I marveled at that, not understanding the physics … (21 comments)
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thermal infrared: Be Careful Putting Fine Art On Exterior Walls - 12/20/10 08:36 AM
I have heard for some time that fine art can be damaged by temperature variances on exterior walls. And think about it. Your art is essentially providing a thermal break between the warmer air inside your house and the very cold temps outdoors.
But we have insulation! Yes, you probably do. And it might be well placed and sufficient. But a thermal break is just that and moisture can develop.
Case in point. The bottom of this image is the warm bed frame in a master bedroom.
On the wall above the bed was hanging a large mirror. Cooler temperatures are … (31 comments)
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thermal infrared: Please Tell Me Why My Room Is So Cold - 12/18/10 08:14 AM
I hear that all the time. The flip side complaint is that the given room is too warm in the summer.
This person said that the room feels fine when the heat runs, and then cools quickly. Sounds difficult to diagnose?
It's not. Remember, heat seeks cold. It will move toward it. People think that heat rises. Well, it does, if it is seeking cold. But heat can also go down to seek cold.
Also, interestingly, heat and cold don't mix. I could demonstrate that with a thermal camera, but perhaps that is a post for another day. Heat and cold … (60 comments)
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thermal infrared: Our Family Room Is Freezing! - 10/24/10 07:39 AM
This is an easy one! All you need is a website for people with a home inspection problem to find you, a car to get you to where they live, and some really cool tools, including an infrared camera. Beyond that, knowing what you are doing is important, but you have already demonstrated that with your fabulous website!
Showing up at the house, you want to make sure the front porch ceiling is painted light blue! When they are not, the IR camera can find things that perhaps you did not want to run into during the inspection! If the porch … (50 comments)
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thermal infrared: After The "Repair" - 10/23/10 07:08 AM
When water is getting into houses, it can cause damage to many things - drywall, structure, flooring, carpeting, etc. There is also residual damage - mold. Mold is not the problem - it is the indicator that there is a problem. Mold is a symptom. Mold cannot be cleaned up until the source of any water migration is removed.
THE BEST WAY TO DETECT HIDDEN OR RESIDUAL MOISTURE IS WITH AN INFRARED CAMERA. THE BEST WAY TO SEE HOW MUCH MOISTURE IS TO COUPLE THAT IR EXAMINATION WITH A MOISTURE METER.
In this house, mold was showing up in the corner … (19 comments)
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thermal infrared: Thermal Imaging Is Sometimes Science And Sometimes Art - 10/19/10 08:49 AM
Depending on the palette used, thermal infrared images can reveal different things. On the palette I am using for this image a wet spot would typically appear as blues, lavenders and purples.
Infrared cameras, contrary to some phony ads I see, do NOT see inside walls! They don't have X-ray vision. They see very long light waves, not visible to our eyes. And they see them very well.
As such, what the camera "sees" are differences in temperatures. That's the science part! A cooler temperature can indicate moisture, but NOT NECESSARILY! Something as innocuous as the shade of a tree on … (14 comments)
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thermal infrared: Mosby Brings A Friend - 10/13/10 07:13 AM
Mosby seems to follow me around. Obviously I am only able to see him when I break out the Infrared Camera. And he brought a friend again! He seems very popular where he is, and wants me to know it.
In life, after the Civil War, Colonel J. S. Mosby, if that's who this is, lived in Kentucky after the war and worked as a lawyer. He married a young lady named Mariah Pauline Clarke, known as "Pauline."
While I am not sure who his friend is this time, I am going to call her Pauline!
She looks comfortably dressed! … (10 comments)
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thermal infrared: Mosby And His Host - 10/05/10 07:05 AM
On a recent inspection, I was talking with the client for whom I was to perform a thermal infrared inspection of his house, which has experienced a variety of leaks.
During the conversation he asked me what odd things I have found during thermal image inspections.
I told him that periodically I have seen a ghost in various windows and mirrors, whom I have affectionately named "Mosby" in favor of The Gray Ghost, Lt. Col. John S. Mosby of Civil War fame.
He informed me that the house next door was during the Civil War owned by a prominent Confederate, … (26 comments)
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thermal infrared: Not The Problem They Feared - 10/02/10 05:45 AM
I get calls from people all over the country. They have found my website and call with questions or for my advice with projects. It happens a lot. Sometimes they tell me where they are calling from, but I can see from the numbers on my phone that they are not local and I don't recognize the area code.
Oftentimes too, I get emails from people with similar needs. But again, I don't know where they are contacting me from. I do my best to answer their questions. Often, too, I send their photos and questions to various home inspector message … (24 comments)
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thermal infrared: Thermal Images - Can You Guess What These Are? - 09/23/10 04:48 PM
I thought I would have some fun with the thermal camera and see what it sees. I took two images of two different objects which appear to be exactly the same size but in fact are not. In the thermal images they appear to be the same temperature, but in fact are not.
The image on the right was harder to get to come out the same size with the camera and in the same position in the image, and I tried!
The colors in the images look to be the same. There is no temperature scale included because that … (32 comments)
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thermal infrared: Why Porch Ceilings Are Painted Blue - 04/15/10 05:14 AM
On Tuesday Troy Pappas came to spend part of the day with me. Coming up early from Virginia Beach, we were together for two of my three inspections that day. It was good to spend time with a fellow home inspector!
On one house there was a large, wrap-around front porch. I noticed that the ceiling was not painted blue. There is a tradition of painting front porch ceilings blue in Virginia, and perhaps elsewhere, and that is so for a reason. An important part of any home inspection is explaining why it should be blue. Troy heard me!
One of … (24 comments)
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thermal infrared: Wordless Wednesday - Virginia Ghost - 04/14/10 04:07 PM
This should have a word or two. Sitting on a roof, looking at a poorly-installed window, I was checking the siding and around the windows for moisture. Snapping this image, a Virginia ghost appeared! He didn't move much, seemed rather friendly, and appeared to enjoy his spot. I wonder how many other ghosts inhabit this roof?
… (5 comments)
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thermal infrared: "Money In The Bank" - 02/22/10 05:46 AM
I received a nice compliment the other day.
The couple with the house where I had diagnosed some leaking with my thermal infrared camera asked me back to take a few more images. They wanted some "after" shots to show the insurance company. Smart.
While there the wife said, "You provide a fabulous service. The pictures you took for us are money in the bank. The roofer had never seen such a thing. He could make an exact estimate. The insurance company said the pictures were indisputable and could see exactly what needed to be fixed. They agreed to everything. The … (24 comments)
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thermal infrared: The Disaster AFTER The Repair - 01/30/10 08:29 PM
It would be difficult to explain what this configuration looked like when I first saw it. There were a multiplicity of problems, all identified on my original inspection report, and the seller agreed to many repairs. This is what we saw when we returned to what is apparently thought to be the Bestway* to do it.
The list of what was wrong to begin with was enormous. These repairs are as you see them.
The water heater exhaust hood is still disconnected where it exits the unit.
The previously single-walled furnace vent is now a new double-walled vent, but still angled … (40 comments)
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thermal infrared: Hit The Bull's Eye! - 01/21/10 05:45 AM
These photos came to me from my thermal infrared friend in Maryland, John Evans. It isn't often we thermographers get such an opportunity to photograph this. Windows are one of the things routinely looked at during a thermal image sweep of a house. We look for many things, not just leakage.
Andersen Windows has had problems with seals breaking and argon gas leakage in windows manufactured 1989 - 1993. What most don't realize is that broken seals create pressure inside, literally drawing the two panes together. John installed these windows in 1991. These are images of the same window taken from … (19 comments)
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thermal infrared: A Tale Of Two Doors - 01/10/10 07:24 AM
I had the recent pleasure of inspecting a 100+ year old house in Manassas, Virginia. I love historic properties!
Sometimes on old houses the people want to retain the original historicity and keep original stuff.
Like these front doors. This particular house had two gorgeous side-by-side wooden doors. But they are not very efficient. And the people know this. They use the front door as little as possible. Why? Because on the inside they are covered with very thick, insulating, sliding drapes. And one door has a "draft dodger" at the bottom. In my day draft dodger meant something different! But … (9 comments)
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thermal infrared: A Furnace Working As Intended - 11/19/09 07:57 PM
During a thermal infrared inspection today, among other things I was there to investigate, I thought this would be an interesting picture.
This is a thermal image of a high efficiency condensing gas furnace. It is the one you have seen with PVC tubing exiting the unit. They are terrific furnaces. The one pictured here is 6 years old, which makes it the fourth generation. This later generation has worked out all the kinks. They work great.
Many gas furnaces, like my own, have flues which exit through the roof. My furnace loses a lot of its heat through that flue. … (13 comments)
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Jay Markanich - Northern VA Home Inspector
Bristow,
VA
More about me…
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC
Address: 12315 Sherborne Street, Bristow, VA, 20136
Office Phone: (703) 330-6388
Cell Phone: (703) 585-7560
Email Me
An experienced home inspector's look at current home inspection events and conditions along with his useful recommendations.
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