Heat scans are a wild ride, honestly. I’ve seen them flag “hot spots” that turned out to be nothing but a possum family having a nap. As for squirrels, wire mesh helps, but if they’re determined, they’ll chew right through it. Ever tried metal flashing at the entry points? That’s worked better for me than any of the sprays or oils. And yeah, midday scans in July? Might as well just guess—everything’s glowing like a toaster oven anyway.
- Totally get the sci-fi vibes from those scan reports—mine looked like a thermal map of Mars.
- Metal flashing at entry points worked for me too, but I had to double up in one spot where squirrels kept coming back... persistent little guys.
- July scans are a joke here in Texas—everything’s just red blobs. I ended up waiting till early morning for a more accurate read.
- It’s a lot to take in as a first-timer, but you’re not alone. Every weird “hot spot” isn’t always bad news.
Those thermal scans can be wild—mine looked like a lava lamp exploded. Honestly, I wouldn’t panic over every hot spot either. Sometimes it’s just the sun hitting a weird angle or leftover heat from the attic. I always double-check spots in the early morning, like you mentioned, before making any calls. It’s a lot to process at first, but you’ll get the hang of reading those reports.
- Those thermal scans are definitely something else—first time I saw mine, I thought the roof was about to erupt.
- Agree with this:
“I wouldn’t panic over every hot spot either. Sometimes it’s just the sun hitting a weird angle or leftover heat from the attic.”
- I’ve had a couple of “hot spots” flagged that turned out to be nothing but a squirrel nest or a patch where the insulation was thinner. Not everything glowing red is a disaster.
- Early morning checks are key. Midday readings on my south-facing slope always look dramatic, but by 7am, most of those spots disappear.
- If you’re in a spot with big temp swings (I’m in the Midwest), you’ll see more weird readings than folks in milder climates. My neighbor’s scan looked totally different from mine, just because his attic venting is better.
- Don’t let the sci-fi look of those PDFs stress you out. It took me a few tries before I could even tell what I was looking at—looked like abstract art at first.
- If you’re ever unsure, sometimes it helps to walk the attic yourself (carefully) and feel for drafts or damp spots. I found one leak that way the scan didn’t even catch.
- One thing I learned: contractors love to point out every single anomaly, but not all of them need fixing right away. Prioritize the obvious leaks or missing shingles first, then work down the list.
- Over time, you’ll get better at spotting what’s normal for your house vs. what’s actually an issue.
- Don’t sweat it too much—these reports are just tools, not verdicts.
That “abstract art” comment is spot on—my first scan looked like a lava lamp exploded on my roof. I’ll admit, I freaked out at all the red blobs until I realized most of it was just the sun baking one side.
Couldn’t agree more. I crawled up there myself and found out one “hot spot” was literally just a pile of old leaves. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but honestly, most of it’s not urgent.“Not everything glowing red is a disaster.”
