Is the added cost of a Thermal Imaging Home Inspection worth it?

What does Thermal Imaging bring to a home inspection?   

This is a question I am frequently hearing, and the simplest explanation is that it allows the inspector to see more of the picture.  Most home inspectors are going to open up the electric panel and check for things like incorrect wiring, double tapped breakers, and aluminum wiring.  Some will even take the initiative to run an infrared thermometer over the breakers to see if they are excessively hot. With a thermal imaging camera, we can quickly see what is going on in the panel.  Not only will we see the hot breaker, we can also see wiring that is potentially overheating.

A breaker that is slightly warm, with a wire that is warm only in the first few inches.  This can be a sign that the wire is damaged, and should be evaluated by an electrician.

This overheating breaker is on a Federal Pacific Electric panel.  There is a lot of controversy about these panels, and I see them all the time.  This was the worst I have seen, and I recommended that the buyer have this panel completely replaced prior to moving in.  This is a fire waiting to happen.

One of the frequent electrical issues I've been seeing is hot receptacles.  If an electric outlet has nothing plugged into it, it shouldn't be hotter than the surrounding area (GFCI outlets are an exception).  

This receptacle was so warm that you could actually see where the wires were overheating behind the drywall (top left of the receptacle).

 Another common benefit to using thermal imaging is the ability to see where moisture is accumulating.  Water is normally cooler than the surrounding materials, which makes it stand out on the IR camera.  Water can also be seen before it causes stains or damage that is visible to the naked eye.

This kitchen ceiling looked perfectly normal, but once I looked at it with the thermal imaging camera, I saw a large area that was cooler than the surrounding ceiling.  The moisture meter confirmed that the drywall was 97% saturated with water.  We traced the source of the water to a leaking toilet above the kitchen.  This wouldn't have been found without the camera.

 By far the most common issue I find with the camera is missing or displaced insulation.  The hot spots in the next picture show areas where insulation wasn't installed.  I was able to verify this by looking in the attic.  What makes this even worse is that this was a new construction home.  The builder's rep was there, and when I showed him the camera and said it looks like you forgot some information, he told me I was wrong.  When I showed him pictures from the attic confirming my findings, he stormed off.  Of course this was an easier fix than the missing insulation I found in the walls of a couple other rooms.

Missing insulation in the stairwell to the attic.  The darker lines are caused by the framing.  

Unfortunately, the price of the equipment and training to perform a full inspection with a thermal imaging camera is expensive, and many inspectors can't afford it.  This also means that the price of an inspection with thermal imaging is more expensive.  But when you think about the problems it can uncover that the cheaper inspectors will miss, isn't it worth it.  This really lends credence to our slogan that "Anyone else is just looking around."

For more information, or to book your full home inspection, visit www.vhillc.com or call 210-202-1974.

We look forward to showing you the whole picture.

Warranties vs. Guarantees

First off, I will apologize for the pause in posting.  The last couple of weeks have been very busy.  Part of the reason for that has been the announcement of the new "We'll Buy Your Home" Guarantee by InterNACHI.  Anyone who has owned a home is probably familiar with the traditional home warranty programs, and many have probably had one at some time.  If you aren't familiar with these, they are often offered as part of a home sale to cover major systems for a set time after closing.  Many home inspectors also offer warranties as a part of their inspection package.  Of course, these come with all kinds of exclusions and deductibles.

As an example, I had an A/C unit break down, and when I called the home warranty company (one of the biggest) I was told that they wouldn't replace it, but would instead exercise their cash-in-lieu option (They pay me what they think they could get it replaced for, and I get it replaced).  How much did I get?  $700.  How much did I pay to have it replaced?  $6900.  And nothing I could do, except cancel my policy with them.

So, why do I tell you all of this?  Basically, warranties are planning for failure.  The home seller knows that something will probably go wrong, so they try to assuage you fears, and cover their liability, by offering the home warranty.

On the flip side, a guarantee is planning for success.  We are very confident in our inspections.  So much so, that InterNACHI has agreed to back us up on that with their "We'll Buy Your Home" Guarantee.  If we miss something that we should have inspected per the standards, InterNACHI will buy the house back from you at the price you paid, and it's valid for 90 days after closing.

So, one final question, why would you have an inspection done by someone planning to fail?

To schedule your home inspection backed by the best guarantee in the industry, call 210-202-1974 or book online at www.vhillc.com.

Flippers vs. Floppers

   With all the TV shows about flipping houses today, it seems that everyone thinks they can do it too.  While the TV shows show some of the problems the flippers run into, they don't show all the details and planning that go into a good flip.  And trust me, it's the details that will get you every time.  If you even suspect that the home you are about to buy, I cannot stress the importance of a home inspection enough.
   Several times a week, I inspect houses that were flipped.  Some are very well done, and I only find minor issues.  The vast majority though, have major issues.  Most flippers seem to budget for the cosmetics that will help the house sell fast.  The nice granite countertops, the tile showers, a new coat of paint, and new flooring.  For a buyer that doesn't get a home inspection, this may be enough to get them to sign on the dotted line.  For those that do get a home inspection, we can get into the actual systems of the house and look beyond the beautiful kitchen.
   I recently did a home inspection in Southern Maryland on a house that had been flipped.  The house was an older split-level ranch on a nice amount of land.  Cosmetically, the house was great.  By the time I finished my inspection, my client was scratching his head and asking me what he should do.  When I turned on the water, we found several burst pipes, the roof was leaking and would have to be replaced really soon, There was mold in the attic, the electrical was a mess, and the deck was not sufficiently supported.  They were at least thoughtful enough to hang a tarp in the attic to catch the water from the leaking roof.

Without a home inspection, my client wouldn't have known
about the mold in the attic and the leaking roof.

   Another flip I inspected in Baltimore was an even better cosmetic job, with a really nice roof-top deck.  Of course to get to the deck you had to duck under the power lines that were about 4 feet off the deck.  Oddly enough, this was not the first time I've seen power lines across a deck!  That and a loose wire in the electric panel that was energizing the cover made for an interesting inspection.

White wires are normally not energized, thankfully I checked before touching
this panel, because the wire was hot, and so was the cover.

Yes, that's the power lines coming in from the pole about 4 feet over the deck.

   At least a couple time a week, I hear the same thing.  "I need you to inspect this house I'm buying, but it's just been renovated, so it'll be really easy.  Can you give me a discount?"  When I hear this, I normally add a bit of time to the inspection, since I know there will probably be a few issues that will take extra investigation. Don't worry, the price is still the same though.
  So remember, no matter how pretty the home is, always get a home inspection.  Not everything is as obvious as the power lines across the deck.  While I hope that the house you are buying is a flip, I want to make sure it's not a flop.

To book your San Antonio, TX area home inspection, call 210-202-1974 or book online at www.vhillc.com

Where do your bathroom (or kitchen, or dryer) vent fans exhaust to?

One of the frequent things I find on home inspections is incorrectly vented exhaust fans.  First, let's look at the purpose of these fans.  They are designed to remove the moisture that is created from showering, cooking, or drying clothes.  Anyone who has had me do an inspection knows how much I harp on moisture control.  Moisture is one of the things that can rapidly cause damage to a house, be it from material deterioration, mold, or even creating an environment conducive to termites and other wood destroying insects.  Vent fans are supposed to vent to the exterior of the house.  This can be either through a roof vent, a wall vent, or a soffit vent.  Many times though, I find the fans are simply exhausted to the attic.  Sometimes, I find them exhausted to the soffit space, but not actually outside through the soffit.  A good attempt, but still not a correct attempt.  When the hot moist air from your bathroom or kitchen is exhausted into the attic, most of the moisture ends up condensing on the surfaces in the attic, especially during the winter.  This can rapidly cause severe damage to the structure of the attic, as well as lead to mold and other problems.  I have frequently found attics with areas of mold growth and delamintaed plywood.  Sometimes, it's a problem with the roof ventilation as a whole (a topic for another day), but most of the time the cause can be traced to a vent fan exhausting to the attic.

What to do?  First, take a look in your attic.  Especially if it's been a long time since you've been up there.  Look above your bathrooms to see if there is a tube leading outside.  If it goes to the roof, check outside to make sure there is a vent in that same location.  If it goes to the soffit, make sure there is a vent through the soffit in that area.  If your bathrooms are on a lower level, they may vent through the wall.  In that case, turn on the vent fan, or your dryer, and look to see if air is exhausting.  Most of the time, you can see the flapper moving or fully open.  If it's not, you may have a problem, and I would recommend getting a licensed contractor in to help you out.  And while you're at it, make sure the dryer vent line is cleaned on a regular basis.  Lint builds up and is very flammable!

Bathroom vent to attic causing delamination of the roof plywood and mold.

A soffit vent.  Even though the soffit is vented (the perforations)
you still need to exhaust a vent fan through the soffit.

This is an easy to fix problem that can save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

Mike
www.vhillc.com

Inspection Highlights of the Week

This will be a (hopefully) weekly roundup of the highlights of the week.  Some will be informative, some will give you something to look out for in your own home, and some will just be funny, as in "what were they thinking?"

To get started, one of the things many of my Facebook and Twitter followers will know is that I am very proactive on Radon testing.  Last week, I was inspecting a home in Bowie, MD, and I noticed what looked like a partially installed, or maybe it was partially removed, Radon mitigation system.  I explained to the buyer what I had found, and that I suspected the sellers had either had a system and removed it, or tried to install a system on their own and not completed it.  Now most people don't just decide to put in a Radon mitigation system unless they know there is an issue with the house.  I suggested that we conduct a test, and they agreed.  I got the results back yesterday, and they were 12.8 pCi/L!!!  The EPA recommended limit for indoor Radon is 4.0 pCi/L.  Needless to say, the buyers were very happy to find this out before they bought the house.  I always say, would you rather find out that your home has high Radon as the buyer or the seller?

To book your San Antonio, TX area home inspection, call 210-202-1974 or book online at www.vhillc.com