Richard Stanley

whispersolutions.com

Yes, that's him. This link takes you to the thermal pages. Thanks Jim. http://www.thehomeinspector.com/Clients/Thermal.html

Haven't been here for awhile. Lots of good info. There is an inspector in Idaho (I think) that uses infrared and sells software for it. I originally got his site from Mike ) on this board - now I can't find it and can't remember his name. He knows Mike. Anyway, He has software that puts the thermal image inside the digital pic and it impressed me. He told me what it was when I asked him via E-mail. (can't find that either) He also writes a newsletter of some sort. Mike - help. I put a digital next to the thermal in the report and try to show with arrows, boxes, etc., the area in the digital where the thermal shows the anomaly. Otherwise the thermal looks like a multi-colored blob and doesn't show the reader/viewer where it is. 50 pics is plenty for a single residential inspection. I usually do not exceed 5-6. If you needed more than 50, just recommend a D-8 (dozer). I looked at the Razir on their website. I do like the size. Sounds impressive. I did not know the price - read it hear.

There is a thread in progress on the NACHO bb titled "Is FLIR infared imaging the future wave of Home Inspections?" There is a guy from Skokie (is that Chicago area) that is using and promoting the camera.

Cost of camaera, sales tax, school with related travel and expenses came to about 9K. I plan to get more school - another 2K+. Time - you can scan a whole (average size) house interior - walls, ceilings, floors - in 5 - 10 minutes or less. Although I don't do that much yet, the exterior takes even less time. Of course, when you add electrical and mechanical things to it - like some of the things in Mikes original post on this thread, it could take a little longer. Payback - Assume 200 inspections/yr - add $50 per inspection. Thats 10K Play with the numbers to fit your situation. Some inspectors are offering it as a separate service option for a separate fee. It can also be offered at an hourly fee. I quote 100 per hour w/ 1 hour min and no written report. If they want a written report - 2hr min. I don't know if that is good or bad. I've only had 2 takers for that deal. I am not a thermographer - just an HI that uses the camera. Maybe someday - maybe not. I also use the camera in a very simple automatic mode. It can be used in manual mode and the emissivity, reflectivity, etc. can be adjusted for different surfaces and materials. As I have or take the time, I'll work on that stuff. Probably more school first tho. There is an intangible element involved in the investment return. More business from referrals because you use it. We all know that the low to mid price buyers are mostly interested in the price of inspection only. The upper end buyers generally want the best inspection and are not so concerned about the $. Is it important to use? Probably not right now, but it is in use by some of us now, and probably more as time passes. Can you make a living without it? Certainly, and you will continue to do so. Over time you may lose a few jobs to someone that has it.

I schedule inspections just like I always have. If I find an anomaly, fine. If not, fine. Now if I were doing roof scans or eifs scans, I would adjust times for those. The camera cost $6,750. It does nearly the same as the more expensive models, but, the B2 or the B20 do give you a better image. Knowing what I know now and have experienced it, I would probably buy the B20. The last time I looked the B2 was 15K and the B20 was 25K. I still may do that, especially if I expand the service to more than home inspections. ?? The B-cam works fine, at least as far as I can tell. I'm still taking baby steps... It has 3 image modes - color, greyscale, and iron. The color images are more dramatic to impress someone in a report, but, I prefer the greyscale. You just attach it to a usb port and download the jpeg images - very simple - just like from a digital. There is some report software that comes with it - I've never needed to use it. The breakers that show more heat are the 220's. And its not that much - at least the ones I have scanned, but, If the camera has a narrow temp range, the image looks dramatic. That is what the guy was talking about in Orlando. Since you brought it up, Jim, What would be an excessive heat differential? I'm a long ways from an electrical guru - maybe you are. Mike, I don't know about the group Q & A thing. I would rather see a forum topic for it. It gets mentioned periodically on a couple of the other forums, but, not on a regular basis. There is a forum on the flir.com site and also one on the snellinginfrared.com site. There are a few HI's on those sometimes. They don't have heavy participation. What does it not do that I want it to? Write reports?? I really do not know yet. I haven't come up with anything.

Time of day can certainly make a difference if a roof is being scanned which is why they say that the best time to do that is right after sundown. That is when the variance is going to show up. I suspect the same thing might be true for exterior walls especially on the side(s) with sun exposure. It doesn't matter that much, if at all, on the interior which is where I mostly use it. Yes, you still have to look. It just makes the looking a lot easier and quicker. I was also a skeptic for a couple of years after I first heard about them. Then I changed my mind, since I like to try new toys. It is just like any other tool in that once you have usd it for awhile, you get used to it and find more ways to use it and understand what it is telling you. Another use, at least here, is air ducts in attics. You can pick up air leaks instantly with a quick scan. Speaking of air systems, it will give an accurate reading on air temp at ducts and return plenums. The only thing you have to aware of there is the reflectivity of the foil backed ducts. I tried infrared thermometers before and the readings were not accurate when double checked with a probe thermometer. I mentioned that I had not used it for electrical applications. I have checked panels with it, but don't feel comfortable reporting on what I'm seeing yet. About a month ago I saw an FPE where the whole interior of the panel was 115 degrees+. The ambient was only about 80. It was in the shade in the relatively early morning. Even the cover was abnormally warm to the touch. I did report that one. During the school in Florida there was an electrical contractor that said home inspectors in his area with infrared cameras were driving him crazy reporting over heated breakers in panels - he made the service calls and found nothing wrong. The interpretation of what you find is very important. Just because a breaker shows that it is hot doesn't mean that it is a problem. It may show hot relative to other ones because that circuit is being used. Can you still miss things? Sure, but I think it cuts the odds of that down a ways and provides a more thorough inspection. Can you make more money with it? Yes. I don't think as much as I hear some people saying, but, I'm down here in S. Texas - otherwise known as northern Mexico. I have not advertised the thermal use. I just started using it and inserting some images into reports. The word spread from there. I've had a few calls to just check some houses with the camera for leaks.

Wet walls, ceilings. Missing insulation. I haven't got into the electrical and mechanical uses yet because I am not confident about what I see for sure. Can you find thes things without the camera? Sure? Like for walls, etc, the moisure may be beyond the surface at the time you do the inspection and not have created a stain. You could probably scan the entire house surfaces with a moisture meter and eventually find the discrepancy - maybe. You can scan the whole thing in just minutes with the thermal. Saves a lot of time and is , in my opinion, more thorough. Once you find the anomaly with the camera, it is simple to confirm the moisture presence. As for the missing insulation, or I should say, the indication of little or no insulation, there are places that you just can't get to. I have also learned that not every wet wall or ceiling has a stain. Of course, for it to show up on the thermal, it has to have a temperature variance from the surrounding area, ie; example - insulation could be wet, but, the moisture could be the same temp as the rest of the area. That would not show up on the thermal. This could happen if the roof leaked a week or so before you inspected and it hasn't rained since. Before I purchased the camera, I took a 1 day course and got quite a bit out of it. I intend to take the building science course sometime soon.

I've been using the Flir B-cam for a few months. I like it alot. To put the experience into a single sentence - I miss less now than I probably did before I started using it.

Also required to be attached to pad here. Many of them are not.

Report to your client the same way you told us. It is probably not a structural danger - just cosmetic. Framers need continuing education.

My BMI - body mass index indictes that I need to be several inches taller.

I e-mail 99%. If they don't have one, I send it to their agent or a relative or neighbor - anybody that has one. I use Whispersolutions.com reports. They originally just had a Texas report - now they have one for all. It's great and less expensive than all that I've heard of. I tried a couple of others before. Thumbnail Pics, picture edit w/arrows, text, etc., spell check, pdf, a bunch of stuff that I don't understand and apparently don't need to, Create your own boilerplate. pass word protect if desired, 30 - 40 pics - approx 2mb. 30 day free trial. Free updates. The only thing I give clients on site is a hand written receipt on the back of a business card if they pay in cash. I write and e-mail the report later. Edit: There is no separate summary - the report is a summary.

Texas SOP requires us to call refrigerant piping and electrical wiring in the return air chase. I under stand the reason - fire spread - but I cannot find it in a code. Anybody? Does NEC 300.22 apply to elelctrical?

Had that same problem. Trashed 'em. Now have stream light. Better, lighter, better beam, none of that problem.

I am wrong. 602.8 is the right call. See 602.8.1 re: materials also. Sorry.

Maybe I'm wrong. If this closet does not have an attic directly above it, I don't think the sealant is required and the fire rating of the osb is irrelevant.

Some (?) years ago the rule was to have an exhaust vent to the exterior or an openable window in the cooking area (kitchen)- just like the rule for bathrooms. Then it became a vent to the exterior unless it was a ductless vent. I'm not sure what the hell good a ductless vent does except kill some odor passing thru a charcoal filter, but, I suspect sometime in the future there will be no requirement at all. Usually cooking islands have vents going under the floor to the exterior. If it didn't, you made the right call.

Note: Doctors without borders has stated that they have too much already and to please not send them any more.

In my report: If a house has fuel burning appliances, an attached garage, or a fireplace, I recommend installation of CO detectors in accordance with manufacturers installation instructions.

Is there a print reference to that story - newspaper, etc.?

'and from my view point it does not gravity drain...

Water softener theory - don't know. AC in the attic theory - I can buy that - except for the height difference - they could have used a condensate pump.

Just a little over 3 years ago, I did an addition on my place and installed hardie cladding - no problems. I also inserted the cut end of a small piece into the ground in an area that retains moisture. I remove it once in awhile to see whats happening - so far, nothing. Good stuff. Maybe as good as the asbestos shingles.

Chad, second here. What the hell is a meta tag?