I have people ask if they should include an Infrared Inspection in addition to the Home Inspection.

The real question that people are asking me with this question is if the cost of the additional service is worth the cost. My experince with Home Inspections has demonstrated that Moisture and Leakage is the biggest area of concern that may not exhibit itself by just visually looking.  Moisture leads to Mold, wood damage and contamination. These concealed concerns can be expensive to repair.  The best outcome of an infrared inspection would be to find no concerns but for those inspections that find one or more concerns, the clients become believers in Infrared inspections.  If you want the most information about your house, you have a musty odor, or you have leakage concerns, then an Infrared Inspection would be for you.

As a Home Inspector, I hope that the property is in great shape with few if any problems. But in the reality of the world, defects occur in old and new construction. Water leakage can occur from plumbing, fixtures, roof, walls and more. A Home Inspection helps a buyer (or a seller) understand the overall condition of a home based upon what he can see. Home inspections are for visible and accessible areas of the property. But the issue is that not all items are readily visible or may have concealment. An Infrared Inspection uses comparative Infrared Thermography (science of temperature variations) to find abnormalities or areas of interest. This can allow active leakage to be discovered or to show that a stain is not wet. Now, you might be saying, if we are looking at temperatures, how does this find moisture? 1) Moisture that is drying lowers temperatures of the drying area.  2) Moisture has thermal capacitance (it heats and cools slower than other materials) for a Thermographer to use .

Infrared Inspections can also detect other issues such as missing insulation but this is generally not a significant must do repair in an existing homes. For a Newly Built Home in California, The Builder is responsible for repair of the insulation deficiencies but you have to demonstrate this. I will write another blog entry about AB 800 reguarding builder responsibilities for new construction. 

So back to the initial question, Is Infrared Thermography a good inspection for someone purchasing a House? I personally think this is an important type of inspection for persons purchasing a home to discover potential concerns that Infrared can now demonstrate. I will go on to say that in the next ten years, I believe this type of inspection will become common place for Home Purchases.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this.