New inspector, what tools?

[hausdok]

I do have to ask why moisture meters are not made part of the Standards of Practice? ....Given that they are a "must have".

Also why wouldn't an IR Camera be a "must have" in the inspectors arsenal? Like the moisture meter they have alot of practical applications for the home inspector, .....besides being a show peice to impress clients and realtors.

Believe me, if it had only been up to myself and the President of the board, moisture meters would have been required. Unfortunately, everything that sub-committee members wanted in the rules were not approved by the full board and never made it into the rules.

As for IR, well, I think IR being used in home inspections is still way too new a concept and needs to be tested much longer; before we'll ever understand enough about the pluses and minuses of using it on an inspection to be able to incorporate it into protocols as a "common" piece of equipment.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Michael Carson]

I carried those and got stung, what brand were you using.. Snuggle?

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I keep a dryer (softener) sheet in my pocket and one in my tool belt. Since I started doing this a couple of years ago, these guys have never bothered me.

Scoff at will.

Why? Do they act as some type of repellent?

[Jim Katen]

I carried those and got stung, what brand were you using.. Snuggle?

Bounce.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[mgbinspect]

It's amazing how many very useful tools one can have in a very small tool bag:

A telescoping magnet is PRICELESS for the times you drop that damned panel cover screw behind the clothes washer. [:-banghea

A heavy plumb bob and a clear understanding of how to use one, can really come in handy when you can't decide if the building is racking or the chimney is leaning away from the building. Hold the plumb bob away at a fully outstretched arm's length and wait for it to stop swinging. Then, site things against the string and it becomes clear what is out of plumb. I've carried one for 16 years, but learned how to use it back when I was laying up stone. (One can't hold a level up against a stone corner.)

An electrician's screwdriver designed to alert when a circuit or screw is live comes in awfully handy as well.

The tool bag I started out with years ago was the Cadillac Professional Equipment bag which was about 24" x 12" x 12". Now, I just carry an electrician's tool bag that is about maybe 10" x 12" x 8" and it's amazing what I have neatly packed into it. If I need more, I just go get it from the truck.

Carrying a lot of crap you don't use very often around daily may be impressive, but it's hard on the back as you'll almost always carry it on one side of your body. Chiropractors just love that and big fat wallets stuffed full of receipts in a back pocket. (Of course, a chiropractor won't readily cough up the 'sitting on a fat wallet all day long' bad habit - it's a money maker.) [:-graduat