I get the temptation to scan everything—once you see what’s hiding in your attic, it’s hard not to get obsessed. But honestly, I’m still a bit skeptical about those phone IR cameras. They’re cool for a quick check, but I’ve seen them miss stuff that a proper thermal imager picks up. Maybe I’m just paranoid after seeing how much water can sneak in under old shingles... If your roof’s even a few years past its prime, it’s wild how fast things can go sideways after a rough winter. I’d rather catch a small leak now than deal with moldy insulation later.
You’re not wrong about those phone IR cameras—they’re handy for a quick look, but I’ve seen them miss damp spots that a real thermal imager picks up. I get why folks use them, though. After a rough winter, even a roof that looks fine can have sneaky leaks. Had a job last spring where the only sign was a faint musty smell in the attic... turned out to be a slow drip right through the old flashing. Catching it early saved the homeowner a ton of hassle. Moldy insulation is no joke.
I get where you’re coming from about the phone IR cameras, but I actually think they’re more useful than folks give them credit for—at least for routine checks. Sure, a dedicated thermal imager is going to be more sensitive, but for most homeowners, those are overkill and way out of budget. I’ve used one of those phone attachments after a heavy rain just to see if anything obvious pops up, and it’s caught a couple spots that I might’ve missed otherwise.
That said, nothing really beats getting up there and doing a physical inspection, especially around old flashing or vent boots. I had a spot last year where the insulation looked fine, no smell, but when I poked around with a screwdriver, the decking was soft as butter. No camera would’ve caught that. Sometimes it’s just about knowing where the weak points are—valleys, chimneys, anywhere snow piles up.
I do agree though: once you get mold in the insulation, it’s a whole different headache. Prevention’s way easier than remediation… but I’d still rather spend $200 on a phone camera than $2k on a pro-grade imager I’ll use once a year.
I get what you mean about the phone cameras—honestly, I used to think they were kind of gimmicky until I borrowed one from a friend last fall. Caught a cold spot by the bathroom vent that turned out to be a cracked boot. Would’ve missed it otherwise. Still, I’m with you on the old-school hands-on check. There’s just stuff you can’t see unless you’re up there tapping around. I’ve had a couple surprises under what looked like perfectly fine shingles.
Thing is, I’ve seen people rely too much on gadgets and skip the basics. Like, you can have all the fancy tech, but if you’re not looking under the eaves or checking the gutters for granules after a storm, you’re missing half the story. Out of curiosity, do you do your own repairs when you find something, or do you call someone in? I’m always torn—DIY saves money, but sometimes it feels like I’m just putting a band-aid on things.
I usually try to handle repairs myself, at least the smaller stuff—like replacing a cracked vent boot or patching a shingle. But if I spot anything weird with the decking or flashing, I’ll call in a pro. Learned the hard way that some “quick fixes” just don’t last through another winter.