I realize that there are images in this report that are not perfect in any way. This is simply my first report that I had submitted to ITC to complete my BS certification process. They approved this report and did recommend (for future reports) that I leave out the date, time and spot temperature if the issue in question does not relate to what I’m trying to report. I have now corrected that particular issue on my future reports. Also, my recommendations that I made on this particular report have been corrected already but I would like to hear your comments.
Also, the lousy black and white pictures were taken before I participated in the Level 1 course. I know they are not the greatest of all IR images. There are mistakes that were made, but I still want you to critique everything you see wrong, so others can improve upon their IR reporting style.
I can do that.
Seriously.
From my exp on new homes, The contractor or builder, often do not have a clue, or choose to not have a clue on the photos alone, it’s benifical to state temps of other walls and temps of area identified.
The customer/contractor only see’s blue areas, identifing the temp difference along with stating the area needs insulation [or?] gets their attention
I cut the following from the other thread concerning inspection software. We don’t need to discuss this further here, however it is a critique of the report in question and it’s some of the information that it would normally try to include. Just so everything is in one place here.
These may include but are not limited to…
Your cover page:
general introduction: this section describes what thermography is, its limitations and expectations. I generally include important information that was covered in the inspection agreement/contract as well just to reiterate those often misconstrued notions that lawyers come up with.
environmental conditions: this is the existing conditions, interior and exterior at the time of testing. They should also contain weather records for the period (whether the outdoor ambient air temperature was rising or falling, dew point temperature is helpful to determine the sensitivity of the scan).
General description of testing: this describes the reasons testing is being performed and the expectations from testing.
**client discussion: **this describes any verbal conversation of the clients concerns and reasons for conducting the testing. Gather all the information about any occurrences that cause the client to contact you.
Deficiencies/comments section: your inspection observations, scans and digital photographs.
**summary: **this ties all information from above together reporting the outcome of testing. Recommendations should be outlined here. “Where to go from here” type scenario.
I agree with having the temperature scale visible on all pictures, but I’m referring to the temps that are automatically embedded (by the camera options) on the bottom of the pic.
David, the first thing that I noticed was your use of “air infiltration”. This can be a matter of semantics, and I don’t want to go there again as we did on another post however it is my perception that air infiltration is air that actually enters the living space of the house. Some of your examples mentioned air infiltration which is occurring within the finished wall. This should probably be specified in the report.
This is the first picture I took when I turned on the camera in my office. It is an example of missing insulation. Missing insulation was verifiable.
I recommend that you do not suggest or speculate about insulation that is missing in a closed wall without further verification. This was one of those liability things that reached out and grabbed me.
Oops! I keep forgetting to compress my digital pics!
Just my take, but since every photo is followed by your analysis of the photo and always contains the lines “Consider upgarding…” you may wish to just make a single blurb so the flow is easier. It’s distracting to read the same recommendation over and over and detracts from what you are trying to point out.
On page 6 of your report you mention inadequate insulation above the window. It appears to me that this is due to the thermal density differences of the window header construction.
I don’t think I have ever seen a header insulated (not that it couldn’t be).
I would just like to point out that this is a potential situation that we will find in reports when level 3 thermographers do building science work without a full understanding of the structure. This is similar to taking infrared scans for a veterinarian. We can take this scan but the veterinarian must evaluate it.
Remember, when you do energy audits for contractors or industrial owners, work with them and their personnel. They built the thing and probably know better than most what it is a camera is seeing. You just need to describe/interpret what the thermal scan is depicting.
A lot of the scans in corners of the rooms showing temperature differential because of the volume of wood to construct the wall corner. This is mostly about thermal bridging. The quantity of BTU transfer in this particular case is probably quite insignificant but shows up extremely well in the thermal scan.
I would be looking for the air infiltration flair pattern (on the floor at the baseboard) or the enlarged spot like on page 3 for a significant deficiency.
Seeing this is a public forum, I’d like to make a note that during these mock inspections for ITC, we are grasping for anomalies to report on. However, I guess we should discuss the actual significance of these minor anomalies for clarification.
Yes, Jeff. I had thought the same and was waiting to hear from others.
From now on, recommendations are going to be in the summary of my report. It does get very repetitive and would annoy me if I kept reading the same thing over and over again. Thanks.
I agree with what David A. has said regarding the header issue and the corners and would add the following thoughts.
The corner problem is so common here and so difficult to fix that I note it but rarely recommend additional review or repair. I consider it one of the things that will not be cost effective to repair or improve.
After many scans and examples, I have learned that, as David A. said, insulation is often present but improperly installed. Not consistantly and securely pressed in the wall cavity. Many times you can tell from the picture, but sometimes not. So when I comment on these, I include both possibilities in my comment - insulation is missing or improperly installed.
David V. another specific I noticed in the report is seeing the same comments over and over. I generally group common problem types/pictures and then have a single comment/recommendation.
I feel that part of what the client is paying for on these is a definative opinion or recommendation. I try to be careful about referring everything to a insulation expert - they are paying me to provide expert advice/opinion. I have a general disclaimer that my recommendations are based on my professional and personal experience and others may differ and, of course, I do recommend that they talk to an expert installer for repair. I often find that my energy clients want my unbiased opinion on different efficiency upgrade options. They value the fact that I am not selling any one particular product.
David V. Thanks for posting your sample for us to discuss. This is a great way for all to learn and improve our services.
Thank you, Kevin. Great suggestions. I’m going to remove the continuous recommendations as I stated earlier…
…
and I’m aware of insulation defects above headers and in the transitions of walls, as I see it quite a bit. I think I’m going to simply state what I see and explain what is going on (in the comment section-under the images) only. Then add my recommendations into the closing of the report.
