Seek Thermal’s new Reveal Pro thermal imaging camera is an extremely impressive pocket-sized camera with image quality comparable to the FLIR E6. It’s not the first pocket-sized thermal camera, but it might be the best one available today. I don’t think I’m ever going to leave my house without an infrared camera anymore, now that I have this thing. With a $699 price tag, this camera clearly falls outside the price range of “accessory” or “toy”, but it has the performance to justify the price.

The Reveal Pro is small, much smaller than I thought it would be, and that’s a good thing. It’s that much easier to slip it into a shirt pocket if that’s your thing. I might have to start buying shirts with pockets. But seriously, it’s small. It’s also shaped a bit differently than most other infrared cameras, with the infrared lens at a 90-degree angle to the screen. This is more ergonomic for your hands, but maybe not so much for your neck. I think that I prefer the style of camera with the lens opposite the screen, probably because that’s what I’m used to.

The buttons are obnoxious. There are three of them at the top of the screen, and they’re very difficult to push. The video clip below illustrates what I’m talking about; the first four times that I apply a reasonable amount of pressure to the button, nothing happens. Once I push hard on the button, the camera responds.

The Reveal Pro also has a respectable 300-lumen light built in, which is quite impressive for an add-on feature. There’s a separate button on the side for the flashlight, and the camera doesn’t need to be turned on to use it. Again, this is a great feature. I really wish that my main thermal camera, the FLIR E6, had this feature. I compare other thermal cameras to the E6 because it’s my camera of choice.

The menu options are pretty basic, and that’s alright with me. For home inspections, this is about all that I need.

The battery life is great. According to the technical data sheet, you’ll get up to four hours of use on a single charge. I’d be content with just an hour or two.

The Reveal Pro has 4 GB of internal storage, and stores images in PNG format. Each image is 226 KB, making it so you’ll never run out of internal storage. If you do, you have a real problem.

This camera has an impressive resolution of 320×240, which is four times the resolution of my FLIR E6 (160×120). I’m thinking it should probably be called 240×320 because the screen is taller than it is wide, but whatever. You get it. For comparison, FLIR’s pocket-sized C3 thermal camera has a resolution of only 80×60, giving the Reveal Pro a huge advantage in the image quality department.

The thermal sensitivity of this camera is listed at <70mK, which equates to <0.07°C. The lower the number, the better. For comparison, The FLIR E6 has a thermal sensitivity of <0.06°C, and the FLIR ONE Pro is <0.15°C.  Not too shabby.

I walked around with the Reveal Pro and an E6 camera to take a bunch of comparison images. For this first set of images, I have the MSX feature on the E6 turned off. The MSX feature adds visible detail to a thermal image without actually giving any more thermal information, so it’s always an unfair comparison to have it turned on. See MSX on vs. MSX off.

The FLIR E6 is shown on the left, the Reveal Pro on the right.

The field of view is much narrower on the Reveal Pro, but the quality of the thermal images is very good. Of course, I had to include a few images with the MSX feature enabled on the E6.

The MSX feature is hard to compete with, isn’t it? Nevertheless, I was very impressed with the image quality of the Reveal Pro.

This is an awesome thermal camera, and the price is right. I still prefer my E6, but for a fraction of the price at only $699, the Reveal Pro delivers better value. This is a great entry-level thermal imaging camera for home inspectors or anyone else who could use a pocket-sized, high-resolution thermal imaging camera.

For at least a while longer, tankless water heaters might only be an occasional observance. But the more you see them in your home inspections, the more likely you’ll find defects.

Here are 4 of the most common complaints and defects when dealing with an on-demand residential water heater:

#1: No Hot Water

You had one job, water heater, and you haven’t done it properly. That’s what homeowners who turn on both taps and only find chilly water probably think. When there’s no hot water, but adequate water pressure, Inspectapedia says the most likely culprit is the fuel.

Tankless appliances are available in gas and electric. Either way, they need a constant supply of fuel. Where no hot water is present, the wiring or sensors might be to blame. If it uses gas, it might have a bad burner or the line might be damaged.

#2: Scale Buildup

For all of the convenience of on-demand hot water, there’s one especially annoying issue: de-scaling. With an ordinary tank-style water heater, the homeowner might go for years without draining the tank to remove sediment. It’s not advisable, but it is possible. With a tankless water heater, descaling is required at least once a year.

Minerals can build up in the small lines, and that can reduce water quality and pressure. If left unattended, scale can damage the whole appliance. If water pressure is low, chances are there’s debris in the system. Flushing it should solve the problem, and that’s a professional job with some models.

#3: Dirty Water Filter

Tankless water heaters usually have an in-line water filter that needs regular cleaning or replacement, depending on the style. The frequency of attention depends on how often the water heater is used and the manufacturer’s instructions, but Inspectapedia recommends it once a month.

If water is impure or pressure is low, the filter might be the problem. Because it’s an in-line filter screen, it should be easy to locate and remove.

There’s nothing quite like a nice hot shower with an unexpected freezing blast here and there. If a tankless water heater isn’t installed properly, that’s what the homeowner might get. It’s called a cold water sandwich. And on a cold morning, it’s about half as fun as the knuckle variety.

The cold water sandwich happens when cold enters the line without being properly mixed in before it reaches the tap or shower head. While it’s not technically a defect, it’s certainly uncomfortable. Many homeowners remedy the problem with a small, accessory, electric-heated water tank that mixes cold with the hot as it’s used.

Tankless water heaters, or hot water heaters as some folks like to call them, are on the rise. They save energy and the technology is always improving. And when used and installed properly, they really can provide a constant supply of hot water. But Americans love tank-style water heaters, so it might be a while before tankless overtake tradition.

If you’ve considered adding attic insulation to your home this year, please read this first. Most homeowners go about re-insulating their attics all wrong. What’s far more important than simply adding attic insulation is to have air-sealing performed first. This is the labor-intensive part of an attic insulation job that unscrupulous insulation companies may not mention.

Not only is it important to seal attic bypasses before adding insulation, but it’s also the law here in Minnesota. Section 1322.0100 Supb. 3 of the 2015 Minnesota Residential Energy Code says that “Attic insulation shall not be installed unless accessible attic bypasses have been sealed. ” The Minnesota Department of Commerce even issued a press release in 2014 to help make this information known: “Beware the Insulation Contractor Who Does Not Include Air Sealing”

The Minnesota Energy Code says “An attic bypass is any air passageway between a conditioned space and an unconditioned attic.”

So what the heck is that? Just check out the images below. I think these all demonstrate attic bypasses quite nicely.

That last image was from a new construction pre-drywall inspection, and is a pretty common detail on new construction homes.

If a home was built before about 1991, there was probably no attempt to seal attic bypasses. After that, there’s a good chance that some of the larger attic bypasses have been sealed, but surely not all of them. To seal up most of these attic bypasses, an insulation company will pull the insulation away and use spray foam insulation to get everything perfectly airtight. Handy homeowners can do most of this work by crawling around in their attic with a can of foam insulation, but let me warn you, this is nasty work. I certainly don’t advise it.

For homeowners who insist on performing their own attic air sealing, I recommend downloading this guide from Building Science Corporation: Attic Air Sealing Guide. Also, please read this Building Envelope Guide from the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Attic bypasses are the driving force behind ice dams, as well as frost, moisture, and mold in the attic. If you eliminate all attic bypasses, you’ll probably eliminate all of these problems. That’s why it’s so important to address attic bypasses before doing anything else.

Sealing attic bypasses will also help to reduce energy bills and help with the comfort of your home. Many people mistakenly believe that replacing windows will achieve this, but this is largely due to overzealous window salespeople making outrageous claims. In reality, the biggest source of heat loss is through the attic, and the best return on investment is usually accomplished through air sealing and re-insulating the attic.

If insulation is added to an attic before addressing attic bypasses, it could potentially make the attic space much colder than it has ever been before. When this is done without eliminating the driving force behind frost in the attic, frost gets even worse.

No, you can’t add too much insulation. Of course, that assumes all other things are equal, meaning you’re not doing anything stupid with your insulation like blocking the soffit vents or piling the insulation right up to the roof decking. Maybe. This also assumes that you’ve sealed your attic air leaks first. If you haven’t addressed attic air leaks, do not add insulation. First things first.

Why do I even address this question? Because I’ve seen warnings about excessive insulation leading to moisture issues in the attic, but that’s hogwash. Attic bypasses cause moisture problems, not insulation.

On the other hand, there’s no reason to go crazy with insulation. There is certainly a law of diminishing returns when it comes to attic insulation. You’ll get the most value out of the first few inches of insulation, and the increases drop off pretty rapidly after that. The current standard for new homes in Minnesota is R-49.

In next week’s post, we’ll discuss the importance of detailed home performance assessments, as well as the unintended consequences of blindly adding attic insulation.

The tougher it is to find and buy a house, the more likely buyers are to skip the home inspection. At least that’s a trend in some parts of the country.

It seems unlikely. Why would anyone make such a large purchase, one that’s usually financed for decades, with a “hope for the best” mentality about its condition? When you’re one of the numerous people bidding on the property, you might do anything to come out on top.

Skipped Inspections Happen Frequently in the Busiest Markets

Home inspecting is still a growing business in many parts of the country. But where supply and demand strongly favor sellers, some buyers opt out of the inspection.

Bram Berkowitz for the Belmont Citizen-Herald says the number of buyers willing to skip an inspection is growing in and around the Belmont, MA market, which includes Boston.

“There’s an influx of homebuyers willing to waive home inspections, a key provision that guards buyers against unseen deficiencies before closing on a new home,” he explains.

Other markets, such as Snohomish County, which is just outside Seattle, WA, are experiencing the same trend. Dan Catchpole for the Everett Herald spoke with Coldwell Banker Bain’s principal managing broker in South Snohomish County, Deirdre Haines. She explained, “Increased competition has led to some buyers to waive inspections and other standard due diligence.”

Numerous Bids Rack up Inspection Costs

Ordinarily, a buyer finds a home for sale, orders a home inspection, makes an offer and, in many cases, finds himself at the closing table in about 30 days. But in fiercely competitive markets, buyers might bid on several different properties before winning the right to buy one. An inspection for every bid adds up fast.

Time is also critical when buyers are up against an unknown number of bidders. Where homes can sell in a matter of days, the usual due diligence can get swept by the wayside.

In Seattle, “Buyers often have to decide right after their initial tour whether to submit an offer, perhaps without an inspection first – or even without seeing the home in person,” according to Mike Rosenberg for the Seattle Times. He believes that the phenomenon hasn’t topped out just yet.

Some Sellers Prefer Buyers Who Waive the Inspection Contingency

When buyers do opt for an inspection, sellers might show favoritism to the ones who waive the contingency. It’s still a risky game for buyers. The inspection might reveal a host of defects, which is valuable information. But a contingency would have given them an “out.”

Waiving the home inspection contingency is more common, says Berkowitz, with seasoned buyers and ones who plan to take on major renovations. For first-time buyers looking for a solid starter home, it’s not a safe move. But it’s a tempting one.

On the upside, getting an inspection and waiving the contingency can work out great for both seller and buyer. The seller has more confidence in buyer follow-through. And the buyer might find that a lower bid is accepted. The proverbial bird in the seller’s hand is sometimes worth two in the bush.

More and more, real estate agents are guiding buyers toward home inspections. In areas where competition isn’t as tough, the cost isn’t a hardship. But where bidding wars are common, some buyers might spend thousands on multiple home inspections before getting a bid acceptance.

The problem is easy to identify, but not as easy to solve. So inspectors in surging markets might benefit from a stronger focus on advertising and home buyer education. As expensive as it might be to foot the bill for one inspection after another, the potential for buying a money pit can be worse. An already overpriced home could become a real burden once hidden defects reveal themselves after closing.

Unlike most blog posts that you’ll find here, this one has no educational value at all. If you follow our Facebook page, you’ve probably already seen a lot of these photos, but not all of them.

Here at Structure Tech, we also have our own “internal” Facebook page for employees only, which we have a lot of fun with. I sorted through a few thousand of those photos to pick a few winners for this post.

Enjoy!

This basement had creepy-crawlies caught in spider webs all over the place, and there were no lights. Yuck.

Why was this creepy doll hanging out in the attic? We’re pretty sure someone just put it there to weird us out.

Side note: Milind has an unnatural fear of old dolls. About 10% of the photos on our internal Facebook page are old doll photos, with Milind tagged in the photo. Someone may have even left a bunch of old dolls on his truck one day. Good times 🙂

Toasted mice. This was a terrible place for them to build a nest, right?

Electrical disconnects are an even worse place for mice to make homes.

This next collage was especially awesome. The electrical conduit was disconnected, so mice were climbing up to the upper panel and frogs were falling down into the lower panel.

Speaking of frogs, or maybe toads, we find them in the weirdest places. This one was hanging out in a plumbing vent.

Here’s another one, but hidden a bit better. Do you see it?

This one looks happy as a clam, hanging out below this dripping drain valve at a water heater.

Eye see you.

Fishnado? This fish was sitting in the backyard of an unoccupied house, no bodies of water nearby.

Speaking of stuff found in the yard, check out these baby bunnies. They were just sitting in the front yard of a busy intersection on Summit Avenue. I almost stepped on ’em.

I took a short video of the bunnies too, to show my kids.

These bunnies were even less well-hidden.

Deephaven apparently has some monster bees. Beware. Dustin took this photo showing a regular-sized bee next to a monster bee.

Squirrels love sharing our homes, and they make huge messes in the process. We caught this one coming home.

Here’s the guiltiest looking squirrel we’ve ever seen.

This one got stuck. We’ve shared this photo before, but it’s worth sharing again.

This is an accidentally creepy photo of Matt.  “HERE’S JOHNNY!”

Creepy crawl space.

I should have included a dime for scale. This spider was huge. You’ll just have to take my word for it.

Have you ever heard of a snake house? It’s a thing.

Live rat.

Dead rat.

Sewer rats.

Don’t wake the bat.

Spotted in a crawl space. No idea what it was.

Why was this doll in a crawl space?

And perhaps one of the creepiest things we’ve seen this year, an old doll floating face-down in a sump basket, covered in bugs. They all float down there… 

Happy Halloween!

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