Doing inspections with a thermal image camera is a bit art and a bit science. In this house I was called to find one problem, but found another instead!
This house had a basement with moisture problems in the past. A company was called to fix them and dry out the basement. It seemed to have worked. But the homeowner felt that the basement was very humid and wondered if the basement was leaking again. He was referred to me, called and I went over.
Not a single problem anywhere! No moisture! Nothing! And in the last month we have had lots of rain!
While I was downstairs the door bell rang. A neighbor wanted to talk over something regarding the neighborhood. While the homeowner and neighbor were out front, I helped myself to the rest of the house, with my camera!
The image on the left views the ceiling over the door leading from the kitchen to the rear deck.
And to the right is the corner of the high-ceiling family room!
Those lavender, blue and purple areas are moisture! And very current!
Going outside both spots had problems with the gutters - they weren't attached well to the house and both were full of debris.
It looked to me that these gutters had been like this for a while.
This homeowner had been looking down, and instead should have been looking up!
Well, now that these problems were found, things were looking up! I recommended that the gutters be repaired and cleaned, and because of the proximity of many large trees in back I also recommended the installation of solid gutter covers.
I did not go up to the bedrooms and these are the only issues I found on the main level. But the homeowner was impressed! He said, "I called you thinking I needed one thing but not knowing what I really needed."
My recommendation: you can't always get what you want, but when you try, sometimes, you just might find, YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED! And what most people really need is just a phone call away... And call an experienced one! And, as you know, the home inspectors who do thermal imaging are really cute.
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 
Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia.
Office (703) 330-6388 Cell (703) 585-7560
Those cameras are amazing. From now on I will ask buyers to ask the inspectors if they use these cameras before they hire them.
Ah yes, you get what you need. Nice R.S. reference Jay and well done on finding their "new" issue.
That goes to show you how valuable a thorough inspector can be just what's needed!
Jay-love your recommendations! Moisture if unattended can create major havoc.
Best
Gita - that is a different inspection than my regular, although I will tack it on to my regular inspection for an additional fee.
Anita - well, I had some time, so why not have some more fun!
Laura - thermal cameras often discover previously unknown stuff!
Adrian - thanks, and all true! It needs attention now, and certainly before more leaves and snow!
Nice job. It's important to work w/ someone who looks beyond the original question/need.
Thanks Josh, and I intend to!
Debbie - I had some free time, so why not! You never know what will pop up!
Good morning Jay; Interesting post. Nice to have that special camera. Good job inspector.
That camera is the sharpest arrow in my quiver Ken.
Or so I say!
Good morning Jay. What a terrific post. In life, at home, or in any arena, you don't always get what you want but if Jay is involved you surely get a good eye and value for service.
Great find Jay! Tell me about solid gutter covers. How does the water get in them?
Good morning Jay. I love the pics from a infrared camera. What a great tool for looking inside walls and finding moisture.
We try Sheila. Nobody is perfect! And thanks!
Coral - they have kiosk displays at Sam's Club and Costco, but I don't know what brand they sell. The original one is here:
http://www.gutterhelmet.com/
My buddy Chris has the K-Guard distributorship in our area. He is here:
http://www.kguard.com/dealer-listing/index.php?dealerState=VA
K-Guard is different. It is an entirely new gutter, with a flip top. They work great.
Water essentially wicks into the gutter through a space too small for leaves and debris. They work very well.
They see temperature differences, Randy. And on that day the cooler temps were about 5F less than the surrounding area, indicating moisture.
I did one yesterday and found the area quite large, but just a few small spots were showing on the ceiling. What did the moisture meter say? Damp or saturated?
Jim - the family room was a 20' high cathedral and I did not have my ladder with me, thinking I was doing a basement! The kitchen was damp, about 15%. Clearly there was some infiltration. Outside that spot there was half of the main house roof, half of the family room roof, a valley over the kitchen eating space that hit 12" above the corner of the family room all (mistake every time) and that kitchen roof all draining into a 6' gutter over that kitchen door! And that gutter was loose with a dip in the middle.
Water goes where it can. And that's a lot of square footage of water for such a small gutter.
Jay, very cool photos and great explanation! I'm likin' that thermal imaging camera! (...and the expertise beind it of how to put it good use!)
I have had it for about 9 years Judith. It is a wonderful device. Expensive to buy and to get trained to use, but wonderful!
Jay -- Those are great pictures to illustrate what you found and the explanation for your client makes things so much better than just guessing.
Jay, I found a local home inspector who has a thermal imaging camera. We found so much more information with the use of it. I will keep his cards handy.
Jay,
Great find. I keep toying with the idea of doing thermography. I right now just can not justify the expense.
Curious what camera do you use?
Steven - I say thermal imaging is part art and part science. You really need to use a moisture meter at the same time. But the images are very definitive, huh?
Chris - good! I may know him from the various inspector sites.
Don - I have the RAZ-IR. It is 9 years old, almost. It still produces great images, but the newer software is much, much better than what I have.
A little detective work can solve the crime Watson
Thanks James. This one worked out well. I am glad I had some time to myself!
Hi Jay. You post misadventures in housing nearly every day! Do you ever NOT find something interesting in a house??
Jay good job. Your smart in looking other places than where the home owner though the problem was. Water travels and ends up in places that are often far from the source. The thermal imaging camera is a great tool in the hands of a properly trained person.
Am curious. Was there any signs of moisture in the ceilings of the rooms where you used the camera. From the images looks like there should have been some evidence of water especially in the family room?
Sometimes things just work out that way. I love your thermo imaging pics.
Interesting post and information.
Valerie - the homeowner complained that they have to clean the gutters 5 or 6 times each year. Why not get the solid covers!?
Tim - every house has something, but sometimes I don't find it!
Robert - I had some time so why not knock around!
NO evidence yet Bill. I went to look in the basement, but these locations are upstairs!
Lyn - they are very fun and very instructive. The images say quite a bit, usually.
Thanks Kimo. Usually thermal images teach a lot of things.
I have wanted one of those for a long time but didn't feel it would earn its keep. Maybe I was wrong. I'd love to scope my own 110 year old house just to see all the air leaks - or maybe I'm better not knowing. LOL
So it was a Rolling Stone type house. Love 'em.
Marshall - mine broke even within a few months and I paid over $15K for it. The other benefit is that since I was the first in the area to use it, I have ranking over everyone else and a reputation.
Here in Maryland we don't often get requests for thermal imaging, however an incoming buyer from Mississippi right after hurricane Katrina (2005) told me that many buyers there were using it to check for evidence of water damage from the hurricane. They liked the idea, and wanted it for the purchase of their home in Maryland, so we found an inspector who offered the service. They were very relieved when the only thing found was a small area in a second floor bathroom ceiling where insulation had shifted next to a skylight, leaving that small area under-insulated.
And that's the kind of good information the cameras can provide Pam. And it's very useful information, with displayed images that are definitive.
Jay: Thanks for sharing that very interesting information about your more extensive inspection and the equipment you use. Do you charge extra for this camera usage? Or, is it something you do on all your inspections? Also, I am wondering what liability you may incur from doing a partial inspection of the house, if more damage is subsequently found that would have been revealed by a complete inspection? How do you protect yourself? It is a litigious world we live in.
Harry - yes, I do charge more. The device and the training are very, very expensive. The use of the camera requires the client to sign a separate agreement. It is not part of a regular inspection - the client either wants a separate thermal exam or the examination of a particular thing, as in this instance. I can only evaluate what I see on a particular day, and what the camera measures it measures. I am not worried about liability - I am giving it my best shot. To claim I was negligent would not fly.
Jay, I didn't realize the thermal cameras would pick up moisture problems. Is that because there is a corresponding temperature difference from the surrounding wood?
Not the wood necessarily, Tina, but the temperature of the moisture present. Moisture could be present in the wood, as you can see here, and also in the insulation and drywall,and would be cooler or warmer depending on location and surrounding environment.
Lucky for those homeowners that they decided to investigate. And lucky that YOU are the one they chose to do it.
Thank you Marte. Fortunately I had some time to fool around!
Sound like you did a great job while you were waiting. Good for you. All the inspectors around here use mosture meters only as far as I know. We have lots of moisture issue in the Pacifi NW. Do you think teh moisture meters are enough?
I have heard about the Pacific Northwest, Jirius, as my son lives in Seattle! Yes, I always accompany a thermal inspection with a moisture meter. It is important to know how much moisture you are dealing with!
Jay...that is such a sweet system...inpsections have come a long way over the past 15 years. I think an inspection would be worth it just for the infrared pictures of the ceiling and basement...let alone all the other things you do!!
Mike - those cameras add a whole other dimension to the process. And add so much information.
Hi Jay, another excellent point. Your photos are worth a thousand words!
Thanks Bob! That's exactly what my clients say!
That camera sounds like a great tool for a home detective like yourself. One day I may have you bring to our home. We've had some issues and can't seem to isolate where one window leak is coming from.
That is pretty interesting. We don't have much call for that type of thing here in Phoenix, so this is the first time I have seen pictures from that type of camera. Pretty cool.
I don't know what the percentage of inspectors who use thermal imaging is, Alan, but I understand it is less than 5%.
Chris Ann - just call me and I can stop by. I don't have puffy bunny slippers though.
Debora - last time I was in Phoenix, the house I visted had rotting roof and carport sections all over the place! But the camera can be used for a variety of things. See the thermal image tab on my website.
Great blog. I want one of those cameras for myself. Looks like a lot of fun. Not sure what I would do with it though. LOL.
Eric - I went to a conference once and walked outside during a break, and someone there with a thermal camera was imaging a bunch of butt cracks, all lined up waiting their turn! Now there's a thermal image that's hard to get out of the head!
I couldn't believe it!
I love thermal imaging. It is an amazing tool. It's scary what is inside the walls that we can't see. Nice job. -Kasey
Kasey - I enjoy using it and finding things previously unknown. My clients are usually amazed and very happy with the results.
That looks like a lot of moisture!! Those cameras are really cool and can definitely show a lot more than we can find with our eyes alone!
Thanks Sylvie. An oldie but a goodie! These cameras see lots of stuff, to be sure!