Reporting on water stains, old moisture conditions

[Chris Bernhardt]

How do you report on water stains and old moisture conditions that you encounter during the inspection; the stuff that looks to be old and inactive?

Chris, Oregon

[kurt]

First, I stick the Protimeter in there to see what it is. Second, I trace as best I can to what I think the source might have been.

If it's obvious, like a flashing joint at a chimney that's been correctly replaced, or an old closet bend under a toilet that's been replaced, I might not even mention it in the report.

If I trace it to a gob of caulk, well, you know what to do.

[Neal Lewis]

Originally posted by SonOfSwamp

Our lawyer often said that co-inspector Rick and I made our living doing a Penn-and-Teller bit.WJ

Which one were you, Penn or Teller?

[hausdok]

Originally posted by SonOfSwamp

What Kurt said, with this little addition: I'd make sure to write in the report that we tested with a Tramex, and found it to be wet or dry. If I saw a likely leak source, I'd tell them where to find it. Finally, I'd tell them that I couldn't predict whether or not it would leak in the future. Hire a qualified hairdresser, etc.

I always showed the customer the stain, the Tramex, the test, and the likely leak source. The paragraph that explained all this always started with, "As you saw,...

Oh, and I always touched the Tramex to the customer's forearm. "If it doesn't make a cricket sound," I said, "that means you're an alien."

Our lawyer often said that co-inspector Rick and I made our living doing a Penn-and-Teller bit.

WJ

LOL,

I do something similar. I'll ask the wife to extend her forearm and then I'll put the Protimeter on her wrist and the row of red lights comes on and it starts to beep. Then I'll reach over and place it against the hubby's chest wall where most of the time it's too far from the heart to pick up that mass of moisture and it won't show anything. Then I say, Oh fer crying out loud; another one. You've married one of those pod people!"

Gets a pretty good laugh every time (although it did freak out one kid).

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[davidlord]

What Kurt said except I use the IR cam.

[Chris Bernhardt]

The IR cam will not tell you if the area is damp, you'll need to hit it with a moisture meter. The IR cam is pretty good at telling you if things are wet, but I have run into instances where I knew things were wet, I could see that they are wet, but the IR cam indicates everything is fine.

I couldn't live without my IR cam now, but its got its weaknesses. I absolutely can't live without a moisture meter. If it's a choice between moisture meters and IR cam, I'm going with the moisture meters.

Chris, Oregon

[hausdok]

Hi,

I don't have one, but it's my understanding that the IR cam only measures differences in temperature. So, if something is damp and it's essentially the same temperature as everything around it, the IR cam won't spot it, no?

OT - OF!!!

M.

[kurt]

Correct. And, therein lies the ruuuuuubbb of it, laddie.......

One must figure in emissivities of materials, time of day, inclination of sun, and a thousand other variables that can affect temperature differential in material.

It ain't findin' water. It's looking for temperature differential.

But you already knew that......

[davidlord]

I always back up the IR with a moisture meter. I didn't mean I exclude the moisture meter just added the IR in addition. Very few instances where it doesn't see "moisture".

I would take an IR camera over a moisture meter any day if only given one tool.