Thread: Wall insulation

Is there a better way to check wall insulation besides removing outlet or infrared?

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Why do you need to check it if no any failed sign?

Sometimes rapping your knuckles on the wall can tell you whether there is insulation, but not quantity or type without removing a cover plate.

Originally Posted by Raymond Wand

Sometimes rapping your knuckles on the wall can tell you whether there is insulation, but not quantity or type without removing a cover plate.

Thanks Ray, always looking for other tricks of the trade! jb

With out removing the wall covering,there is no way to determine if the wall insulation is properly installed or if there are gaps etc,even if you knock on the wall or use a camera.
I would not comment on the R value,unless the insulation was completely visible including the vapour barrier.

I agree, it is most frustrating not being able to determine even the presence of insulation thanks jb

Originally Posted by Peter Louis

Why do you need to check it if no any failed sign?

I agree with Peter. I do not report on what cannot be seen except by normal user control, which means, with very few exceptions, no covers are removed. If you report on the condition of insulation in inaccessible areas, do you also report on electrical, plumbing, mechanical and structural elements that are not accessible? Saying you can see insulation at the edge of a light switch box says nothing about the rest of the structure, though such a statement will raise the expectation that the inspector observes through his superior expertise otherwise inaccessible components. Stick with your standards, which, as far as I know, recommend against reporting on items outside the standard of practice. If you took the cover off, why then did you not notice the quality of all the electrical connections in the house? Why did you not remove all the j-box covers? What was so special about the one you did open that guided you to not open all of the rest of them? These are the kinds of questions a lawyer will ask you. If you report above and beyond your standard of practice, be certain to specifically describe, prescribe and defer so that your comments cannot possibly be misconstrued or used as what might be a more technically exhaustive SOP that you lead your client to assume you operate by.

I agree with the folks that are saying to stick with the standards. Let an energy auditor speculate what is in the walls. When we go in, we are usually drilling a hole in an out of the way place and looking or removing some siding drilling a hole, looking then patching the hole. If you have a thermal camera, be careful using it. You can create more headaches real quick. You can search this site for a discussion of the reasons. Be safe out there folks.

"I was unable to determine if the walls are insulated or not" " these wall are probably not insulated, which would be typical for the age."