Chris Bernhardt Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Found a roof leak that I would have missed without the IR camera. I would have called the roofing for replacement however. Image Insert: 81.6 KB Little ol remodel in Albany, OR Image Insert: 82.12 KB View of upstairs hall bathroom ceiling. Dry to the touch and unremarkable. Image Insert: 27.36 KB IR image of the upstairs hall bathroom ceiling. Image Insert: 84.11 KB Moisture meter pegged in the areas indicated by the IR cam and were normal elsewhere. Image Insert: 73.92 KB Messed up roll roofing job said to be 5 - 8 years old. It looked to me that the leak was at a plumbing vent. Someone had applied copious amounts of black sealant around it but I could see cracks and gaps in it still. Also that area over the bathroom looks like it would pond water in a downpour. Chris, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randynavarro Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Interesting. Why, do you think, if it was a simple leak, that the ceiling wouldn't be simply stained? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bernhardt Posted March 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Why, do you think, if it was a simple leak, that the ceiling wouldn't be simply stained? Good question. Last year the downstairs hallway light fixture in my house was filling up with water. It would happen when someone took a shower in the upstairs hall bathroom that was about eight feet away from the fixture. I scanned the ceiling with my moisture meter and traced it back to under the tub. There were no outward signs of a leak at the surface of the drywall. I opened up the ceiling and sure enough the back of the drywall was wet. Chris, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Chris, Do you think most inspectors would have missed the leak? What do you think came first, your discovery and analysis or analysis and discovery of cause? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bernhardt Posted March 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Do you think most inspectors would have missed the leak? Well I would have. It's not in my protocol to randomly sample walls and ceilings with my moisture meter. After this I will start thinking about it. I don't think Mike O. would have missed it. I think his wife scans everything. What do you think came first, your discovery and analysis or analysis and discovery of cause? Discovery of an anomaly, hit it with the moisture meter, bingo - then go look at the roof. It could go either way and it has. Chris, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Good find. I'd have been hammering the roof though. POS roofing job. When they look like that, they always leak. If not today, tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 That is one seriously butt-ugly house. The roof is a disaster. However, the IR image is strange. I would have guessed that the image showed missing insulation, not a roof leak. The edges of the cold areas are so soft and ill-defined. - Jim Katen, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bernhardt Posted March 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Thats what I have noticed. The few times I have found moisture related issues the images are soft without much contrast. Missing or ill-fitted insulation tends to show sharper more defined images. The corners where batts meet in vaulted ceilings if ill-fitted produce pretty defined circular anomalies. Chris, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randynavarro Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 However, the IR image is strange. I would have guessed that the image showed missing insulation, not a roof leak. The edges of the cold areas are so soft and ill-defined. Perhaps quality of the camera? IOW, resolution / pixels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Originally posted by Jim Katen That is one seriously butt-ugly house. - Jim Katen, Oregon That was my very first thought, even before I read any of this post; and the guy who boarded over that garage overhead door and stuck that lame looking door in the center of that space should be smacked upside the head. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthomas1 Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 Just wondering: Image Insert: 168.83 KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bernhardt Posted March 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 House was vacant. It's been empty for some time. The ceiling was dry to the touch and unremarkable. I only consider the IR image as showing a thermal anomaly that corresponds to elevated moisture readings from my moisture meter and a crappy roof above. It's my opinion that the roof is leaking. I hope to find out what they really find when they make repairs. Chris, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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