Had a similar run-in last week, actually. We used the thermal cam to check a ceiling stain—no sign of moisture, temps all normal. Inspector still wanted to poke a hole “just in case.” I get wanting to be thorough, but sometimes it feels like they just don’t trust the gadgets. Maybe it’s an old-school thing? I guess habits die hard, but man, patching those test holes gets old fast.
Funny, I run into this kind of thing all the time. There’s always that tension between trusting the new tech and just wanting to see with your own eyes, you know? I’ve had clients get a little nervous when I pull out the moisture meter or thermal camera—like, “Is that thing really going to tell you more than just poking around?” Sometimes I’ll get a reading that’s totally normal, but if the stain looks suspicious, I still get the urge to double-check. Old habits, maybe, or just not wanting to miss something obvious.
I remember one job where the ceiling stain was right under a bathroom. Thermal cam showed nothing, meter was bone dry, but the homeowner swore there’d been a leak last year. I hesitated, but ended up cutting a small hole anyway. Turned out, it was just an old patch that hadn’t been painted over. Felt a bit silly, but at least we knew for sure. Still, patching those holes is a pain, and I always feel bad making extra work for folks.
Do you ever get pushback from clients when you want to cut into something? I’ve had people get pretty anxious about it, especially if the house is newer or freshly painted. Makes me wonder if there’s a better way to balance being thorough with not being destructive. Or maybe it’s just a trust thing—some folks want to see proof, not just numbers on a screen.
I guess at the end of the day, it’s about finding that line between being cautious and overdoing it. Technology’s great, but sometimes you just want to be 100% sure. Still, I wish there was a way to convince everyone (myself included) to trust the gadgets a little more... would save a lot of patching and repainting.
Do you ever get pushback from clients when you want to cut into something? I’ve had people get pretty anxious about it, especially if the house is newer or freshly painted.
Honestly, that’s my biggest worry as a homeowner. If someone wanted to cut into my ceiling or walls—especially after I just paid to have them painted—I’d be pretty hesitant too. It’s not just the cost of patching, it’s the hassle and the risk that it won’t look right after.
I get wanting to be thorough, but is there ever a point where you just say “enough” and trust what the tech says? Or do you always end up poking a hole if there’s even a small chance something’s wrong? Sometimes I wonder if inspectors are a little too cautious because they don’t want to miss anything and get blamed later. But then again, if there really *is* an issue hiding in there, I’d rather know before it turns into a bigger repair.
Has anyone actually regretted NOT cutting in when things looked fine on the gadgets? Or is it usually just overkill?
I get what you mean about the hassle. I’ve seen cases where folks regret not opening up a section, especially when there’s moisture showing up on a thermal camera but nothing obvious to the eye. Sometimes it really is just being extra cautious, but I think there’s a balance. If all the readings look good and there’s no history of leaks, I’d probably skip cutting unless there’s something that just doesn’t add up—like weird odors or soft spots. But yeah, if you do end up with a hidden leak later, fixing the paint job is usually the least of your worries...
I get wanting to avoid unnecessary holes, but honestly, I’d be a little more proactive if there’s moisture flagged on thermal—even if nothing’s visible. I had a similar situation in my place last year, and the inspector said it was probably just a cold draft. I let it go, but a few months later, we noticed the baseboard getting soft. Turned out there was a slow leak from an old pipe joint behind the wall. Fixing the drywall was minor compared to dealing with the mold clean-up.
I know it’s not always practical to open up every spot, but sometimes those subtle signs are worth chasing down before things get worse. Especially in older homes where past repairs might not be documented well. Maybe I’m just overly cautious after my experience, but I’d rather patch some drywall than deal with hidden water damage later.
