Got a call from a women. She complained about water and ice on her inside walls. Townhouse with the living area above the garage.
Chimeny chase not insulated at all
Interior wall, over entry stairway
Corner of master bedoom
Side wall of master bedroom
Ice forming on inside walls and at baseboard. Temp outside was 16F. Inside temp was about 72F (away from the walls). Furnace was going gangbusters. All the these places coincided with either inside or outside corners. Exterior siding metal. Window penetrations not taped.
No house wrap. Open duct from attic to utility closet (for combustion air, I suppose. Cat 1 furnace and clothes dryer in the utility room, along with conventionally vented water heater. This duct was closed off “because it was cold”.
I am calling lack of vaopr barrier and improper sealing of sheathing, along with negative interior pressure, drawing cold air into the house. Moisture readings were OK (except where ice was forming). Interior humidity was 45%.
I think that the cold air, behind the walls (and I could feel it, coming up under the base molding at the bedroom corner) was making the drywall and base so cold that the indoor humidity was just freezing.
Sorry, Robert, but an HI’s gotta do what an HIs gotta do.
Especially if he gets paid.
Really, any good HI could have figured this out. The only difference, with a thermal camera, you don’t get no stinkin’ agruments with the contractor (in this case, the association board president, who is a retired contactor, and whose company built this place. :mrgreen:
He was there and was all indignant and all, but I just let him look, with the camera. “Who you gonna believe, your subs or your own eyes?”
You could have knocked him down with a 2 cal. stick!
BTW: This situation has been going on for 2 years, with the client constantly complaining, but this yuts has been putting her off. “I built this pace and I know there is nothing wrong!”
See any ghosts with the IR camera? ha!
Technology is awesome… I am waiting for the price to drop on them, and I would like to purchase one. But I want to charge in order to use it.
Do you charge for using your IR camera? Have you made any return on your investment?
As for ROI, this winter, regular home inspections have been pretty low. Holidays and cold weather and the general market.
But, with my IR, and the training, I can market Energy Audits and consultations (like this one) and keep the money coming in.
You should remember, from this study, that the camera is not, or even primarily, about water intrusion or leaks.
It is, in great respect, about cold air infiltration, which in the winter, can cause water damage but not from rain, snow, leaks, but from condensation of indoor humidity.
