Beware excessive heat during home inspections

By Published On: July 11th, 2016Categories: News, Training0 Comments

Home inspectors don’t usually have the opportunity to wait for perfect weather to do their job, and sometimes conditions outside can be downright nasty when storms roll in. But even a perfectly clear day can limit an inspector’s ability to perform an inspection because of excessive heat.

Home inspections performed during times of excessive heat should be done with care, said Rich Duerkop, a licensed state of Wisconsin home inspector with American Sentry Home Inspection and president and education director of the Wisconsin Association of Home Inspectors, Central Wisconsin Chapter. In the article “How heat changes a home inspection” on the Wausau Daily Herald website, Duerkop said inspecting attics when it’s really hot should be done with great caution.

“Because of the heat, an inspector could have a heat stroke, get dizzy or pass out and damage the house and or put his/her foot through the ceiling if they missed the joist or truss,” Duerkop said in the article.

He advised inspecting the attic by using a flashlight from the entrance of the attic and taking digital photos, zooming in and out as much as possible.

Inspecting roofing also can be dangerous during extreme heat, Duerkop said, because shingles can get hot enough to burn the hands. Also, walking on shingles softened by the heat can damage them, he said. Duerkop advised inspectors to look for signs of curled or otherwise damaged shingles and to recommend a roofing contractor to evaluate and repair them as needed.

In a blog post on its website, Divinity Inspection Service in Florida suggested scheduling the home inspection during the late evening to give the roof time to cool off.

The Weather and Home Inspections” also mentioned another concern for inspectors during excessive heat: a home’s crawl space.

“A crawl space is very similar to an attic space,” the post stated. ”These tiny spaces usually lack proper (or sometimes any) ventilation, creating a very dangerous situation for a home inspector.”

The post also said some foundations can be affected by excessive heat.

About the Author: Kristin Warner

Kristin is the Marketing Director at AHIT. She has authored content for numerous real estate brands, and managed corporate communications for a public real estate company. She is passionate about the home inspection and real estate industries, and loves digging into research to provide insights that empower home inspectors and real estate agents in their businesses.