This past weekend I had a few tools to use and review that I was really excited about. Now many times, these great expectations die a quick death to the  reality in the field use trials. Well, this weekend was nothing like that.  I cannot tell you how cool the Fluke TI-32 Infrared Camera unit is.  I was looking for anything to use it on and when I turned it over to Matt this morning I felt like I was giving a way a favorite puppy.  I told him all of the things I had tried it on and for him to do likewise and come up with anything new that a thermal image could be used for.

TI32 image of moisture issue along ceiling edge

First impression, car brakes get really hot, I already knew that but what a great picture it made.  Uninsulated ceilings of tongue and groove are not very energy efficient, I knew that.  I just know it with the actual temperature leakage now. Also, 2×4 studs are really poor insulators, every stud in the wall I could see as a cold spot on the thermographer. How much energy is wasted by our studs?  I don’t know, but I assure you it is quite a lot.  Also the TI32 is the best stud finder I have ever seen, period!  Old single pane windows are very poor insulators. Weatherstrip them. It makes quite a difference.  Also, decking color and how comfortable a deck is in warm weather is a major consideration when choosing decking products.  Overloaded circuits are easily found using the TI32.  When I get the pictures converted to JPEG I will show what an overloaded main looks like.   That was not even the circuit I was checking, but wow was it hot.  Weatherproofing a garage door leads to big energy savings. Garage doors cover a large area and the old metal one at the lake needed attention to make it energy efficient.  I could watch the changes as I added seals and insulation.

Other uses I found;(how many times do you get to demo a tool that’s value approaches five figures), medical, I checked a cyst on my elderly golden retriever, my children’s skin temperatures and circulation. There must be an incredible amount of uses these devices have in the medical field.  I also checked for ghosts in an old house. I am not sure about ghost, but I did find lots of air leaks and moisture penetrations.  This tool was such a hoot to use I almost forgot what its practical application was for.

The TI32 allows an energy use surveyor to measure and document energy loss due to poor insulation, faulty windows or moisture penetrations.  For property management companies the Fluke TI32 can diagnose minor problems in individual units and check those against other units to see if a small energy loss is adding up to a major liability in expenses.  Electrical contractors can observe electrical problems without contacting the dangerous component.  The thermographer shows overloaded wiring, circuits and faulty bearings in electrical motor applications.  In a series of similar motors, such as in a pumping station you can observe which units are running hotter and therefore more likely to experience failure first.  What this means from a planned maintenance plan is you now have a tool that allows you to target problematic systems before the problem leads to a total breakdown and loss of production time.

In the future when unit prices reach consumer levels, look out this category of tools is going to take off.  Woodworkers will use these to check motor and bearings in their power tools and also see if the power cords are overloaded or cracked.  They can also see if their blades are dulling as the wood cuts show as hot spots when made with a dull blade.  Shade-tree mechanics will be able to diagnose their cars with a tool they can only dream of now.  Homeowners will finally understand what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to living green by conserving energy, for they will be able to see the losses of stud walls and windows. But they will also see how a can of insulating foam sealant can work wonders on air leaks.   And I guess moms and dads will have new tool to see if little Johnny is faking an illness to miss his algebra test, because drinking a hot drink when mom isn’t looking won’t trick this thermometer.  You can actually see areas of your body that have blood flow issues.

In business these units already have a presence that is only getting larger. No other tool can perform like these units do. The more that are sold the more efficient companies will be at making them and this is a win for us, because the units will become less expensive.  I can see home inspectors relying on these. They tell a story fast and problem areas invisible to the naked eye are no problem for an IR camera. Wet drywall loses heat at a different rate than dry drywall and paint can’t block the IR’s vision.  This can be home buyer’s best friend and a seller’s nightmare if they think a fresh coat of paint will mask the ills of years of poor maintenance.

How sensitive are IR units?  Several years ago I had an inspector check a job I had done on an EFIS system. He was looking for moisture problems. He had almost finished the entire outside circumference of the house when he stopped like a forty-niner seeing something shiny in the stream bed. He called my brother-in-law an attorney involved with these EFIS cases over and both of them acted like kids that had won the golden ring. They had found the moisture. I think I made both of them mad when I started laughing and went inside.  At first I saw the image and I too thought I had a problem but when we backed up to see the entire image, I knew what we had found.  Inside the house where they were looking they had found the toilet tank for the guest bathroom.

I will write more about the test for a web site article, but I have to tell you this is an amazing tool and I only wish i could have kept it longer because I know some of you probably have ideas on things where it could be used. I shot 300 images and only realized I had saved the images in the full blown IR file type and I have to get those converted to JPEG before I can put the story together, because it is the images that really tell the story.

To see more about the Fluke TI32 check out Fluke’s web site, Fluke.

I had a surreal conversation with a contractor this morning, one of the stranger topics was the black substance seen in this photo.  Now I am part of a home improvement magazine and its publications, so maybe I am not the typical homeowner.  But I identified this substance without much mental effort and asked the contractor why the insulation was not replaced. Now I am not making this up, he said he couldn’t be sure of what it was and the insulation wasn’t replaced because it looked fine to him and anyway it was no longer wet.  This insulation is on an exterior wall and has been behind a tub/shower combination since 1984.  Regardless of the contract explicitly stating existing insulation would be removed and replaced, I am dumbfounded by the answers I got this morning. So EHT readers let me know, just take a wild guess as to what that substance might be and no I don’t need the scientific name, just the common household name we use will do fine.

I am thinking this is mold and mildew, what do you think?

I asked point blank. How much does a roll of insulation costs? How long does it take to replace insulation? By my estimation, I can buy a roll for around $20. One roll would have easily replaced all of the insulation in this small space.  And guys, all of us know how easy and fast putting fiberglass up.  Is it any wonder so many homeowners dread dealing with contractors.  In 1998 I had a basement finished. One of the line items on the bill was for  24 square feet  additional insulation.  I gave the laborer three 8 foot sections of my fiberglass I already had and I held the batts in place why the laborer tacked it up, maybe five minutes total.  The General Contractor billed me $800 for that line item. Using my insulation and me holding the batts up while the labor stapled them in.

The scenario this morning bothers me more than the over-billing that occurred years ago and here is why.  My dad died a little more than a year ago. He was 78. My mom turns 80 next month.  Mom sought out a quality remodeler to renovate her exisiting bathroom.  She wanted a reputable company to avoid having to deal with headaches of unscrupulous types.  So I asked her to have three companies bid the job and then compare and go with what she thought met her needs.

The bids came in and were close in estimated costs.  She chose the company whose owner had a radio show on remodeling, and was featured in the local remodeling magazine and was the past president of the Remodelers Association and belonged to the Better Business Bureau, all of the right things a homeowner would look for.  The proposal looked professional. A copy sits on my desk as I type this, along with the contract.  This is the very same contract that on page two states, “Will Provide and Install Insulation in exterior walls,”  that now seems to be non-existent in the contractor’s memory. The same contract that had two changes initialed from the original quote, and incurred a $12,000 plus up-charge. Do you know what the two changes were?  She changed the cabinet wood from Maple to Cherry and deleted base molding.  At this meeting on November 5, the contractor told her that in order to get the work started she needed to go ahead and sign the contracts and pay a 50 percent deposit.  Months went by. The check was cashed immediately. November comes and goes, no word from the contractor.  December goes by and still no word from the builder. Late January, I ask my mother if she has heard from the company and she tells me she has not. I tell her to contact them and ask for her money back. She says give them one more chance, and she calls them. A week goes by and someone from the office calls her and says they will begin work soon.

So a dumpster shows up for the demolition and trash, along with a  portable toilet in the driveway. Work begins the following week. Demolition went quick.  Then the tradespeople begin showing up and doing electrical and plumbing. I asked mom, what the building inspector had to say about the work. She told me that he must have come when she wasn’t there. Another week goes by and I observe some work that doesn’t even approach local or national building codes and ask again about the inspection, same answer was given.  When I saw the work that I knew failed code being covered up, I called the local building inspector as drywall was already hung and this did not make sense. Well it seems that the contractor had not pulled a permit on this job.

Now ask yourself, you are a contractor doing a job in an upscale neighborhood, complete with a portable toilet and a 10 yard dumpster on the front lawn, might you think this might draw the attention of the local building inspector.  Not even taking into consideration that new housing starts are down and inspectors have more time to look now than they did three years ago, I would think an inspector would see this as a flagrant disregard for his authority.

Overview of Bathroom Makeover

So for just under $35,000, the contractor has priced this job with dimensions of and once again I am not making this up, total area 7 feet by 13, 7×5 is a total remodel with a tile shower, and the remainder is being drywalled and the Cherry cabinets and two sinks will be installed.  In the sitting area, the part of the project that occupies an area of 48 square feet no flooring is being done.    I am looking at the drawings right now, if you want to see them I will be happy to send you a copy.  I am in the business and I know what materials costs and what labor costs and I firmly believe in profit. However I don’t believe in taking advantage or fleecing of the elderly, or even the common homeowner who is not schooled in home improvement.    For the homeowner, Craftsman  has  a book called the Estimator that will help you have a better understanding of how contractors price jobs.  The book is written for the General Contractor but is a great resource for anyone about to contract for home improvement.

Now here is the irony of this situation.  This contractor got this contract, because of his visibility and promoting himself as having received awards by the local magazine for Home Remodelers and being a past president of its association.  Well, I am with a national publication. He had a radio show. I am on the radio also, Constructive Solutions.  ( I wish I had a constructive solution to this mess.)

So I am asking you the reader what action should I take. And I mean keep it in the bound of what is legal.  I want input not just from homeowners but also from contractors. What is the best way to get the desired outcome? I want to hear what has worked and what hasn’t.