Infrared scanning.. waste of money?

Question

After months of looking and searching for an investment rental property, I am finally under contract for my first deal in Virginia! WOOHOOO! I couldn't find this question in the forums, so I apologize if I am repeating a previous question.

The home inspection company I am using (Pillar to Post) has different tiered options for a home inspection. The middle tiered one only has one advantage to me.. infrared scanning. The other features do not seem useful in my particular situation. Their website says that infrared scanning is "using the most technologically advanced tools available allows us to detect moisture that is invisible to the human eye, and with these we are also able to locate areas throughout a home or structure that have overheating or malfunctioning electrical components. this work brings a critical difference to a home inspection".

Has anyone had infrared scanning completed before? Is it a waste of money? Has anyone have experience finding something wrong in a house by using infrared scanning? I just don't want to spend the extra money on this type of inspection, if it's a quick search through the house by the inspector with the machine and they don't actually put the time and energy into finding the moisture and electrical overheating issues. This feature is in ADDITION to a regular home inspection, this DOESN'T replace the regular evaluation I am also receiving. It's about $140-150 additionally for the infrared scanning. It's not much money at all, but I'd rather not waste it if this type of inspection is a joke.

Zach Gard · Answer

Congratulations on your first deal in beautiful VA!

I have experience with infrared scanning and depending on the type of property and how you intend to use it, the scans can prove to be beneficial, mainly for your utility bill. The most important feedback you will get is how your property is performing from a controlled climate perspective. What I mean by that is the scan will show you how well your property is retaining cool air. If the scan shows huge voids in the exterior envelope, it likely means you are missing insulation or thermal bridging is occurring (materials installed against each other dissipating air).

My two cents- if you are planning on paying for a large portion of the heating / cooling portion of the utility bill, spring for the scan so you can button up the property prior to running the A/C more than you need to and in the long term wasting money. If your plan is to always have tenants pay for the utilities, it's a shared cost for them and likely not a huge deal. If their bill gets too high, I'm guessing they will call and complain which will effectively answer the question on the climate controlled environment. Good luck!

Maurice D. · Answer

Let's see if this works, hot spot in a ceiling, insufficient insulation near suffits

Amy H. · Answer

@Zach Gard Thanks! I was getting a little burnt out on not finding a deal, so I am glad to finally get started.

This will be a SFH, so I will not being paying any portion of the utilities, it will be a tenant responsibility. I definitely see how a scan could be useful if the landlord was paying utilities. It'll probably not be worth an extra $150 in my case then. It definitely might be something I try in the house I reside in because my electricity bill is crazy, especially in the winter. It's a tract home from the 80s, so I definitely think they cut corners with insulation during construction. Thanks for the advice!

Aaron K. · Answer

I have never used this, and would suspect that it is mostly used for finding gaps in the insulation etc. It could be a climate thing for VA, but unless there are signs of leakage in the roof or water damage elsewhere it probably won't help there. As far as electrical components overheating they can tell from the plug if it is working properly, the only thing they MIGHT tell you is that something MAY be close to the end of its life, again this is something I have never had to replace.

Account Closed · Answer

I haven't seen drones mentioned on BiggerPockets, but drones have been mentioned in the business press for property inspection and showing.

Inspecting commercial building with drones is cheaper than using helicopters to do the thermal imaging (which can detect potential problems before they become visible to the naked eye). I don't know if they make sense for single-family homes, but I'm sure they will if the price gets cheap enough (peace of mind).

DISCLOSURE. I've invested $200 in a Reg CF offering of a company that provides drone services for commercial building inspections (among other end markets).

Amy H. · Answer

Account Closed I don't think this inspection would be a drone. It would be a machine of sorts that they hold up to the wall to get the infrared readings. Although a drone inspection does sound very interesting!

Maurice D. · Answer

I'd say it depends of the age of the house. I opted to buy a used camera and did it myself, it will pay off in a few homes, the value here is I can walk away from a home before even paying for inspection if there are a lot of hidden issues, or negotiate the price down (with photographic evidence).

As an example, my most recent purchase, 1968 brick home had some cooling issues and I suspected attic and insulation, and what happened was they added blow-in insulation and covered suffit vents up. camera also shows a lack of insulation above the kitchen cabinet etc. Just going over the house with this camera gave me loads of insights.

Here's the home inspector's take on them and examples of what they have found, even down to evidence of mouse infestation!

https://www.nachi.org/forum/f58/found-thermal-1304...

Amy H. · Answer

@Aaron Klatt That's makes sense about insulation gaps. If it could locate some overworked electrical issue of some sort it would be worth it. I just don't have faith that the inspector will run it down every area that has electricity in the wall, not for $150 at least. I tried researching this type of inspection but couldn't find much literature on it.

Infrared scanning.. waste of money?

Infrared scanning.. waste of money?

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