I get the appeal of all the gadgets—moisture meters, infrared cameras, drones, you name it. They definitely catch stuff you’d never spot by eye or touch. But honestly, I’ve seen those same tools freak people out over nothing more than a cold draft or a bit of condensation from a humidifier. Had a tenant panic last winter because the inspector’s meter went off near a bathroom vent—turns out it was just steam from long showers, not a leak.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be safe than sorry too. But sometimes I think folks put too much faith in tech and forget that experience counts for a lot. A good inspector knows when to double-check with their own eyes and hands. Plus, in older houses (especially around here where everything’s at least 50 years old), you’re gonna get weird readings just from how things settle or patch jobs from decades ago.
Guess my take is: use the tools, but don’t let them call all the shots. Sometimes old-school instincts still matter, especially with roofs that have seen a few storms...
Guess my take is: use the tools, but don’t let them call all the shots. Sometimes old-school instincts still matter, especially with roofs that have seen a few storms...
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve seen too many “old-school” inspections miss stuff that only showed up on thermal imaging—especially with low-slope roofs. Sometimes those gadgets catch a slow leak before it turns into a ceiling collapse. Sure, false positives happen, but I’d rather double-check a reading than miss a hidden problem. Experience is huge, but I wouldn’t want to go back to just eyeballing it, especially with how unpredictable weather’s been lately.
I’m with you on not wanting to go back to just visual checks. When I bought my place, the inspector used a moisture meter and found a spot that looked fine from the outside but was actually soaked underneath. If he’d just relied on experience, I’d probably be dealing with mold by now. Still, I get a little skeptical when the report is all about “thermal anomalies” and doesn’t explain what that means in plain English. The tech is great, but I want someone who can interpret it, not just print out a bunch of graphs.
That’s exactly my hang-up with these high-tech reports—they look impressive, but half the time I’m left scratching my head at the terminology. My last inspection had a whole section about “thermal bridging,” which sounded serious but wasn’t explained anywhere. I get that the tools can catch stuff you’d never see with the naked eye, but if you don’t know what to do with that info, it’s not much help. Have you ever had an inspector actually walk you through the readings on-site? I’ve found that makes a big difference in understanding what’s urgent and what’s just a minor blip.
I've seen this so many times—those thermal images look wild, but unless someone actually points out what’s what, it’s just a bunch of colorful blobs. I always try to walk folks through the scan while we’re both staring at the same wall or ceiling. One time, a client was panicking about “thermal bridging” too, but it turned out to be just a missing patch of insulation in the attic—not a structural crisis. It really does help to have someone break it down in plain English right there on-site.
