Taken from Trulia blog 1-20-19
Water damage
External water damage is pretty easy to spot with a visual inspection; it’s the damage hidden within a home’s walls that can be difficult to detect. Unless your inspector is using an infrared (IR) camera to locate and document any moisture intrusion, you may not know your dream home is waterlogged — and certified home inspectors aren’t required to use them.
For a more thorough inspection, seek out a home inspector who knows how to wield an Infrared (IR) camera. If they spot hidden problems, they can potentially save you thousands. That was the case for Brandon Fenton, who ran into a water damage issue when viewing a home. “My wife and I were excited about the house, but there was what appeared to be an old water stain on the ceiling of the upstairs bedroom,” he says. “The damage looked old, but the inspector’s IR camera picked up a huge water spot, which had led to a substantial mold issue.” Luckily for the Fentons, their agent had insisted on using an inspector with an IR camera. Otherwise, the couple would’ve been the proud new owners of a moldy home — an issue that can cause health complications and also be expensive to remediate.
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I recently inspected a home built in 2002 seller wanted a preinspection before the house is to be listed. The thermal image below shows a 2nd floor bath tub leak. The good news is it is being caught early there were no moisture signs on the kitchen ceiling. Using a moisture meter that reads ½” into drywall confirmed it is active.
Fact, only way this would have been reported is by using thermal imaging.
