From Advanced to Unexpected

We explore some of home inspectors’ favorite advanced and, at times, unconventional tools.

October 1, 2021

Over the 20 years I have been a home inspector I have accumulated a few tools in addition to what I carry in my tool belt. Many of the tools don’t get used on most inspections, but when the occasion comes up, it’s nice to have the right tool to verify an observation.

In no particular order, here are my choices for some of the best advanced tools a home inspector can have:

TIF Combustible Gas Detector.

For some reason, this was one of the first meters I purchased. I think my first home inspection instructor had a deal on these and was selling them to students. Not knowing any better, many of us bought them and would break them out on every inspection. These detectors would alert for propane, natural gas, gasoline, and engine exhaust. I learned pretty quickly that your nose is a pretty good indicator of natural gas or propane, and the TIF was handy for finding the source of the leak. So today it stays in the tool bag until I need to confirm a leak.

Extech Dual Moisture Meter.

Similar to the Protimeter, but it doesn’t have the option of the long probes. It has an LCD display plus a color bar graph to show the degree of moisture. It is a little big for my tool belt, so it rides in the tool bag until I need to do some serious investigating.

Snifit Carbon Monoxide Analyzer.

I have found a few cracked heat exchangers as well as some faulty burners in furnaces.

Hose Bib Pressure Gauge.

Nice to have when you are documenting why the shower barely has a trickle to it.

FLIR.

I was motivated to get a FLIR camera when a competitor started pushing it as a competitive difference. When real estate agents started asking, I decided it was time. I purchased the FLIR E4 mainly because of the MSX feature. MSX utilizes two cameras and gives you a better idea of what is being captured. I took a bunch of classes to understand how to utilize it, but I’m not interested in selling thermography as a separate service. I just don’t see the demand in my area. I do use it to look for water leaks, missing insulation, and radiant floor heat.

101 Screwdriver Bit Set.

Torq, square, hex, and tamper-proof screws are the bane of our existence. That hatch that you must get into has some weird fastener and that calls for breaking out the bit set to match up the bits to the fastener(s). Although sometimes I feel like calling an area inaccessible, my pride says get it open.

Binoculars.

I have a set of Nikon 25 power binoculars. Great for roofs or examining the chimney on a steeply pitched roof.

Ultrasonic Tape Measure.

Great for quickly determining distances beyond my 25-foot tape measure. It’s mostly used by customers and real estate agents rather than myself.

Tuning hammer.

This is a small hammer I carry mostly for sounding logs. I inspect log cabins on a regular basis, and the best way to see if a log is sound is to tap on it.

Laser Level.

This is a two-foot level with a laser. It’s great for checking out foundations and floors.

Log lighter.

Older gas appliances may not have a sparker, so this comes out for those.

DJI Drone.

I wrote about my Spark previously for the Reporter. I had an engine go bad, and I realized that I depended on it more than I thought. As I get older, I am more careful about getting on the steep roofs. The Spark allows me to look on all sides of the roof regardless of pitch and uneven ground.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of ASHI. The information contained in the article is general and readers should always independently verify for accuracy, completeness and reliability.


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