Those thermal scans can be wild—mine looked like a Jackson Pollock painting the first time. I get why people panic at all the red, but yeah, half the time it’s just debris or sun exposure. Still, I’d rather have too much info than miss a real leak.
Funny, I’ve seen scans where the “hot spots” were just a squirrel’s stash of acorns under some leaves. Folks see all that red and think they’re about to spring a leak any minute, but half the time it’s just a sunbaked ridge or even old insulation showing through. I get wanting all the info, but sometimes those reports make things look worse than they are. Still, I’d rather double-check than miss a hidden problem—just wish the tech was a bit less dramatic sometimes.
Had a scan once where the “hot spot” turned out to be a family of raccoons camping out in the attic. The homeowner was convinced it was a major leak. Those thermal images can look wild, but yeah, sometimes it’s just critters or leftover pizza boxes up there.
I get what you’re saying about those thermal scans. They can be useful, but honestly, I’m always a bit skeptical when someone waves around a rainbow-colored PDF and tells me I’ve got “major issues.” Had a similar thing happen last year—my scan showed a big red patch over the garage. Inspector was convinced it was moisture, but turned out my kid had stashed an old space heater up there and forgot to unplug it. Not exactly a roof emergency.
I do think these scans are handy for finding stuff you’d never notice otherwise, but they’re only as good as the person interpreting them. Sometimes it’s just junk or critters, like you said. Makes me wonder how many people end up paying for repairs they don’t really need because of misread images.
Has anyone here actually had a scan catch something real that saved them money or hassle? Or is it mostly false alarms and wild goose chases?
That’s hilarious about the space heater—sounds like something my family would pull. I just had my first scan done and the inspector pointed out a “hot spot” that turned out to be my cat napping in the attic insulation. Not exactly a structural crisis. I’m curious too if these things ever actually catch a real problem, or if it’s just a high-tech way to find lost pets and forgotten appliances.