thermal imaging: Old Townhouse With A Newly Finished Fourth Level - Insulation Anyone?
- 10/02/15 05:56 PM
This is an old townhouse with a newly finished fourth level - insulation anyone?
The all-brick townhouse now has everything - new kitchen, new floors, new shape inside, new bathrooms, new electrical, lots of new plumbing, new HVAC, new windows, new roof - you name it. And all done with a permit!
And a new fourth level! I love fourth levels. Otherwise all you have up there is dead attic space.
When there is enough height the roof comes off, a new truss system is put in to accommodate room(s) and you go to town.
This fourth level has a large room with a dormer … (18 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Can You See The Leak Behind The Wall? A Thermal Camera Can.
- 09/29/15 06:47 PM
Can you see the leak behind the wall? A thermal camera can.
Of course, a thermal camera doesn't really "see" anything. But it detects electromagnetic radiation that you and I cannot see.
Looking behind the water heater there seemed to be some small spots of mold.
And on the floor molding there looked to be some slight stains.
Picking out a point on the wall it was obvious there was no staining. And to the touch there was no evident moisture.
The moisture meter, however, detected moisture at the point you see here, and to the left.
How much moisture?
At the point in the photo it was … (39 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Moisture Is As Moisture Does
- 09/12/15 08:37 PM
This is another case of moisture is as moisture does.
My client's house is the third in a row built by the same builder. The two previous homes built have complaints by the homeowners that the roof is leaking.
My client's house is still under construction, but the roof and drywall is completed. They asked me to go by the house with Mighty Mo to see if there were any roof, wall or foundation leaks.
The only anomalies in the house were found on both sides of the master bathroom window.
These are odd spots for moisture.
Clearly it is a warm day, and the sun … (12 comments)
|
thermal imaging: When Is A Drain Leak Not A Drain Leak? Well, When It's A Wall Leak.
- 05/22/15 07:51 PM
So, when is a drain leak not a drain leak? Well, when it's a wall leak.
I was called to investigate a drain leak. In addition to other things. But this one was a biggie to this homeowner.
The floor outside the master bathroom shower, a bamboo floor, was staining, bulging a bit, and decidedly wet after showers.
Indeed, the floor did register over 30% moisture on the moisture meter.
The colored gauge indicates wood moisture. Wood is considered saturated at 28% moisture, so the gauge only goes to 30%. When the needle jumps to 30%, as it did in this case, the moisture content is higher. … (38 comments)
|
thermal imaging: "Air Blows In The Hall, But The Door Is Tight." Door Weatherstripping
- 03/10/15 05:04 PM
I've heard this phone call before - "Air blows in the hall, but the door is tight." Door weatherstripping is something that gets looser over time, and can admit air.
The weatherstripping is an important part of the energy efficiency of any door. And window!
The door itself is insulated metal, or insulated vinyl, or even wood, which is a good insulator. And any surrounding windows will be double pane and be pretty efficient.
But the weak spot is the weatherstripping.
This is a thermal image of the bottom of the front door.
It is very interesting because the warmest temperature … (17 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Cold Air Pours In My Gas Fireplace
- 01/15/15 07:58 PM
I have heard this so often from people who have this problem - cold air pours in my gas fireplace.
There can be only one reason - poorly-placed or inadequate insulation.
A lot of homes have the gas fireplace built into the wall and sticking out from the house.
The box is surrounded with siding and is approximately 4' x 5' in size.
The support underneath, in newer construction, is composed of some form of wood joist, typically an I-beam like the ones pictured to the left.
The protruding cavity MUST be completely filled with insulation, front to back, top to … (65 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Thermal Cameras - Looking Inside And Looking Outside
- 01/02/15 06:33 PM
When doing a thermal imaging sweep of a house, be cognizant of the phrase - thermal cameras - looking inside and looking outside.
In this newly-renovated, northeast Washington DC home, a few thermal images inside showed probable moisture migration. The moisture meter determined how much and that it was active. Since we can't rip off drywall during a home inspection, these two tools together work pretty well to determine the likelihood of moisture migration.
This house has a flat, slightly-sloped roof. Depending on the roof covering, and whether there is proper drainage, water can collect on the surface and make its … (46 comments)
|
thermal imaging: "We Were In Europe." Another Thermal Imaging Story.
- 11/18/14 07:27 PM
When this buyer called me to ask me to do a final inspection on his new house, I asked if he had done a pre-drywall inspection, to which he said, "We were in Europe." Another thermal imaging story.
This is a new home where the buyer was, from the builder's point of view, the bothersome type.
The buyer would often stop by and check on things.
The buyer would often call or email the supervisor.
The buyer would often make sure that things were done on the day the builder said they would be done.
And the buyer was in Europe … (21 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Knee Surgery - Before And After Thermal Images
- 10/20/14 09:32 PM
I found this fascinating and wanted to see what things would show after knee surgery - before and after thermal images.
A friend of mine damaged his knee playing soccer. He ruined his ACL, which is the anterior cruciate ligament.
Not having this opportunity before, I wanted to see what Mighty Mo would reveal before and after surgery.
While the thermal image to the right, taken from the front, is informative, the ligament itself is hidden mostly by the patella and patellar tendon.
In a thermal sense, more ACL information would be visible from behind.
From the rear stress to the … (13 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Water Flows Downhill
- 10/09/14 08:47 PM
This is the basic rule of thumb for plumbing, drainage and how things abut outside any structure - water flows downhill.
After continued leaking in a unit in a two-year-old condo building, they wanted an investigation.
Certainly a spot is evident in the corner of the unit.
The moisture meter registers 100% moisture, so it is an active leak.
Not large, it does drip and the homeowner has put a string there to wick the dripping into a bowl on the floor.
And the culprit?
Immediately above is a doorway to another unit.
It's the rear door to a patio.
Standing … (26 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Sometimes A Roof Leak Can Be Caused By The Architectural Design
- 06/19/14 08:33 PM
Sometimes a roof leak can be caused by the architectural design.
It rains, and often it rains hard.
Roof water has to not only move easily away from the house, but be diverted into gutters that are sufficiently sized to handle it.
In this case we have living space roof draining onto the steep garage roof, and into a valley which diverts the water toward the siding.
From there it moves into a valley which drains into a thin, 6' long gutter.
A gallon of water is represented by 11"x21"x1".
During heavy rains hundreds of gallons of water are diverted not … (18 comments)
|
thermal imaging: You Don't Always Get Everything You Pay For
- 05/02/14 09:05 PM
No matter the price, you don't always get everything you pay for.
Sounds like - you can't always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.
This couple noticed leaking. And smelled musty.
So set this up: this is a $16mil house in Georgetown, Washington DC, with a $5mil remodeling job including an addition. A cellar was dug out to create a lower level and the addition was built with that lower level. The house was originally built in 1805, and many bricks from older out buildings were used in the addition. … (16 comments)
|
thermal imaging: This Is What You And I See. And This Is What A Thermal Camera Sees!
- 04/16/14 06:06 PM
This is what you and I see.
A pretty basement wall, in a flip, with new drywall, new receptacles, new floor molding and new carpeting.
This is what my clients saw on line.
Along with a couple dozen other photos.
All of the photos were just as spectacular!
My clients are in another state.
We have never met. We had not even spoken on the phone!
They simply emailed me, based on a referral, reputation on line and my answer to a question - do you know the seller? Do you have any relationship with the seller?
I did not and … (71 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Thermal Imaging - Using Different Palettes Can Lend More Information
- 01/28/14 05:50 PM
When doing reports for thermal imaging - using different palettes can lend more information.
A palette is defined as the board which an artist uses to lay and mix colors. Thermal imaging programs come with a variety of color palettes which a thermographer can choose from.
When doing thermal imaging reports, I like to use the palette that demonstrates warmer temperatures with orange and yellow and cooler temperatures with lavender, blue and purple.
To me this palette seems logical, as it would to the recipient of the report who has little experience with thermal imaging technology.
For instance, a client calls … (17 comments)
|
thermal imaging: "My Cook Top Is Cold, And So Am I When I Stand In Front Of It."
- 01/16/14 06:09 PM
Arriving, immediately I heard, "My cook top is cold, and so am I when I stand in front of it."
When I get to a house for a one-year warranty inspection I ask what things are going on that they want me to investigate. I usually get an earful!
She went on. "Last week when it was really cold the metal all over the cook top actually had condensation on it!"
Air blew out of the exhaust vent, and no cold air was coming in, meaning that both of the flaps were functioning correctly.
So what gives? Well, I knew immediately. We … (37 comments)
|
thermal imaging: It's Supposed To Rain Today, Hard. I Will Probably Get Some Calls.
- 10/06/13 08:26 PM
It's supposed to rain today, hard. I will proabably get some calls.
Why do I say that? Because (my fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Summers would be upset that I used "because" as the first word in a sentence), um, because I am not only a home inspector, I have a thermal camera!
Not many in my area do. In fact, I don't know anybody else.
Why do people call?
This is the result following a recent rain storm.
The left thermal image is a master bedroom window.
The lavender and purple areas represent cooler temperatures, and in this case moisture.
You can … (16 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Since They Did This, Our Room Was Cold Last Winter And Hot This Summer
- 09/24/13 09:50 PM
Setting up the inspection, a one-year warranty inspection, my client explained that some lights had been installed in the master bedroom and, "since they did this, our room was cold last winter and hot this summer."
On the final inspection last year I learned that some lights in the master bedroom ceiling had been forgotten by the builder. That is something I would not have known, but put it on their inspection report so they had it in writing. The builder promised to install them and dutifully did.
But there's a hitch!
Mighty Mo found the problem right away. He's good … (50 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Old, Metal HVAC Ducts Are Famously Inefficient And Leaky
- 09/04/13 06:50 PM
In the good old days HVAC duct work was small, metal and did not efficiently carry air because old, metal HVAC ducts are famously inefficient and leaky.
Why?
Because there are many joints, elbows and unions that either were left with gaps, or the gaps and holes developed over time.
Additionally, they ran the ducts inside walls and ceilings. Heated air escaped at every opportunity!
The ducts were not insulated and so they would emit heat everywhere, in addition to the heated air they blew into the house.
As time passes these same ducts would be used for air conditioning.
This … (44 comments)
|
thermal imaging: Heating And Cooling Everything On The Way To The Room You Want Heated
- 05/07/13 08:47 PM
When you have an older furnace and duct system, the older metal ducts end up heating and cooling everything on the way to the room you want heated.
Metal ducts are very leaky. There are lots of seams and bends, corners and connections. Each of those locations leak air, both heating and air conditioning.
Metal ducts are more efficient in that air flows more easily. There is less corrugated surface area to impede air flow.
But they have to be treated or taped so as not to leak.
Modern building techniques paint metal duct joints with a latex slop to seal … (17 comments)
|
thermal imaging: A Year And A Half Of Contractors, And 15 Minutes With A Thermal Camera
- 03/30/13 08:03 PM
We've heard this story before - a year and a half of contractors, and 15 minutes with a thermal camera.
This was a contact through ActiveRain! And it was a story I have heard before.
Roofers came and determined that moisture in the living room ceiling (two floors below) was roof related. And they "fixed" it.
Siding guys came and determined that it was squirrels and "fixed" it.
Plumbers came, tore out much of the ceilings on the middle level, determined it was NOT plumbing, and "fixed" it.
And a year and a half later the problem remained.
None of these … (36 comments)
|
|
|
|
This is an old townhouse with a newly finished fourth level - insulation anyone?
;)
;)
;)
