TOPIC: An End of the Day Call

I was 520 pm yesterday.  I was finishing up my last inspection for the day.  The phone rang.

A lady was having moisture issues with the HVAC system ducts, dripping on the ceiling between the first and second levels.  It was causing mold development in many spots in the ceiling and general staining all over.  "I just found your website and want you to do a thermal image examination of this problem.  I have had two HVAC companies over and they can't tell what the problem is."

"Sure, I can help you.  When would you like this inspection, morning, afternoon or evening?"

"How about right now?  I work at the Pentagon but happen to be home this afternoon.  I don't care what it costs."

Now, what am I going to say to that! "OK, I can do it now.  It will take me about an hour to get there.  Is that alright?  Is your AC on?  (She said yes.)  Good, keep it on!"

"Yes!  Thank you!  I will be home."

The problem turned out to be the rear wall of the house.  It just happened to be in the sunlight when I got there, very hot, and easy to evaluate with the camera.  PERFECT!!  There is a small roof overhang over the rear door and windows.  It starts over the window on the left and extends all along the rear wall.  Two sections of it had little to no insulation.   They just happened to be in line with the two ceiling registers.  You can see the duct trail as it turns to service the ceiling register.  That lack of insulation and open-web floor trusses would heat the area between the floors dramatically.  In the photo below, that area over the kitchen door is 98.7 degrees F.  The max temp at the window is 131F.  The duct work is 50.1F.  They are circular, solid metal ducts.  I think that Delta T (difference in temperature) might just cause those ducts to sweat.  What do you think?

The second picture is of mold development (which I called "evidence of mold" in the report) on the ceiling.  It is one of many.  It is 60.2F, as opposed to the ambient air of 68F.  So it is moist.  I didn't put my moisture meter on it because I didn't want to disturb it.  But it is moist.

I think the problem was evaluated.  I recommended that she have an insulation company come and add insulation to those areas.  I also recommended a mold remediation company to evaluate any mold problem(s) and get rid of it. 

While there I swept the rest of the house, for fun, which really impressed her.  I found a lack of insulation in many aspects of a cathedral ceiling of the upstairs TV room (4th level of a townhouse).  She said,  "So that's why this room is hot."  Yeah, I guess so!

So, because of my website and SEO work, my site popped up and I was available to this client.  She was very happy last night to get her report.  She was impressed with - the website, its rankings, my professionalism, my willingness to come late in the day and the final product.  I ended my day a few hundred $ richer than I thought I would be when I started!

It all began with the website.  Thanks Dom!

I just remembered - my camera takes small KB pictures to facilitate the report.  They do not blow up very large, but you can get the idea.

That's awesome Jay. Now she'll be telling all her friends and you'll end up needing security clearance

That's great Jay, I got to get me one of those :-\

Davin - I think that in a couple of years, all home inspections will come with IR cameras as a part of the service.  What is stalling that now is the mental paradigm of the general public.  They simply don't realize how powerful a tool an IR camera is.  My camera is over 5 years old now and still kicks butt.  It is a great device, but not as good as what is coming out now.  When I bought it, it cost almost $15K and was considered state of the art.

IR camera is definitely on my wish list! I like the price of that new Fluke that just came out.  But I don't have $9k and I dont want to use credit for anything I buy.