But if I advertise that my ladder has magical powers and can do wondrous things (i.e. find electrical faults before they cause a fire)…and people hire me as a result of that claim…I cannot later claim that my ladder is just some other tool.
LOL
This is NOT the argument you make for your state mandated SOP when you argue in favor of licensing.
The SoP works good as a guideline for honest inspectors and strong training
requirements produce a better qualified inspector.
The SoP and strong qualification are a good thing.
The SoP is a minimum standard and I advise inspector to do even more
than the SoP require and find as many defects as possible.
The SoP can be twisted in the hands of a crooked lawyer. That does not
make SoP a bad thing, it just shows what a crooked lawyer can do. Some
lawyers can make a wonderful document like the US constitution say
things that the founders never dreamed of. This does not imply that the
constitution is a bad thing.
Think about it, it will come to you.
BTW… do you do the bare minimum only when conducting an inspection?
Is Nick advertising that thermal imaging is magical.?
Can thermal imaging detect elelctrical hot spots that may stop a fire hazard?
In the hands a trained Infrared Certified Thermographer, yes it can.
Is it possible that some defects will not be found?.. yes.
Can an IR camera find defects that the naked eye cannot see?.. yes.
What’s wrong with the truth?
No one is condemning inspectors who choose not to use certain tools.
I went for a long time and never used a moisture meter. I was
taught that it would make me liable for law suites. Later I changed my
mind. I understand your position.
Infrared technology is a non-destructive testing method. If properly used by a compotent and trained thermographer, it can and will find electrical faults before catastrophic failure. Period.
Nothing “magical” about it!
Kevin
In an empty house with no load on a circuit?
When doing a plumbing inspection, I turn on the water fixtures.
When doing an electrical inspection, I turn on all the lights, fans,
vent blowers, AC-Heat, etc… then I look at the circuits.
I would also test all the plug outlets and do a visual inspection
of the accessible parts of the system as well.
A thermographer does the same inspection as a regular home
inspector, but is able to see more with the IR camera. It
is impossible to find every possible defect and this should
always be communicated to the client before the inspection
and included in your inspection agreement and written on
your ads and web pages.
If the power was off, then I would inform the client that the
inspection of the electrical was incomplete. I would tell
them this before I would even come to the inspection.
What would you do?