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House Doctor performing Infrared scan of attic hatch (C) D Friedman S Bliss PEP How to become a "house doctor" for building energy & IAQ problems

This article discusses sources education, experience, and tools for "house doctors" who use building science, home inspection experience, and thermal scanners, IR scanners, thermography cameras and other tools for the detection of heat loss or air infiltration in buildings.

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How do I Become A House Doctor [a building doctor for energy surveys or indoor air quality or for other building problems]?

Blower door testA "house doctor" as we use the term here is an expert building consultant who understands building science, how air moves through a building, how buildings are actually constructed (and what goes wrong), heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and building insulation systems, standards, and good practices.

And, if that's not enough, also how to use an occupant interview, thorough visual inspection of the building, and special tools and equipment (HEAT LOSS DETECTION TOOLS) to diagnose and describe repairs or changes necessary for a wide range of building complaints such as indoor air quality, mold contamination, heating costs, cooling costs, odors, leaks, and problems with the structure and/or its mechanical systems.

Photo at page top is discussed at Basement Energy Losses- IR & Visual. The accompanying text are reprinted/adapted/excerpted with permission from Solar Age Magazine - editor Steven Bliss.

Also see ENERGY SAVINGS in BUILDINGS.

And for an example of visual clues that identify building air leaks and heat loss with no instruments whatsoever, see Air Bypass Leaks, Thermal Tracking. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

The question-and-answer article below paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss.

Details about how to use thermal imaging and the sources of error or even abuse and misue of the equipment are found at THERMAL IMAGING, THERMOGRAPHY

Information on Becoming a House Doctor for Energy Surveys, Air Leaks, Heat Loss Diagnosis & Repair

Question:

Where can I get information on how to get started in house doctoring and find sources for house doctoring equipment? - Phil Kalvelage, Dubuque, IA

Answer:

Critical House Doctor Education & Building Inspection Courses

First, study basic building science, how buildings work, how air moves in buildings, where air, moisture, and water leaks occur, how buildings are constructed, how and where insulation, caulking, sealants, are used, and how buildings wear or deteriorate over their lives.

You will need to know good new construction practices and building energy codes, and also you will need to know how older buildings were constructed and where errors were commonly made in the building envelope and insulation system as well as where leaks and other damage cause changes in how a building works.

Courses on home inspection are offered by independent home inspection schools and by various trade and professional associations.

See Home Inspector Education and also the articles listed beginning

at HOME & BUILDING INSPECTORS & INSPECTION METHODS - see detailed links

at the ARTICLE INDEX .

House-doctor franchises are available through Princeton Energy Partners [Princeton NY] and other energy auditing firms such as Watt Count [Franklin TN]. Watt Count supplies certain equipment, marketing, training, and evaluation of testing and a guarantee to customers. A Watt Count franchise in 1986 cost between $20,000. and $50,000, depending on the territory.

[Take a look at Home Inspection Company Franchises for some related concerns and franchise pros and cons.]

Products, tools and marketing support services for house doctoring (or "building doctors and building doctoring") are also offered by Retrotech USA, Inc. (Indianapolis IN) and Enercorp [Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada].

Many manufacturers sell specific tools and products used in the house-doctoring approach. You can find building doctor products listed in several building products guides and catalogs as well as sold by home inspection equipment supply companies.

House Doctor Tools for Air Leaks, Energy Loss Detection & Measurement

See AIR LEAK DETECTION TOOLS and see detailed links under that heading at the ARTICLE INDEX the bottom of this article .

Ongoing House Doctor Education, Field Studies, Reports, Magazine Articles

Also learn all you can about what house doctoring is and how it works through magazine articles such as those we list beginning

at ENERGY SAVINGS in BUILDINGS. See detailed links listed at the ARTICLE INDEX the bottom of this article .

Also see House Doctors with Better Medicine" (Solar Age 9/84 p. 27.)

Thermography Education and Training for Building Inspectors

Photograph of  this overheating and improperly-made aluminum to copper pigtail splice. ... Photograph of  this overheating and improperly-made aluminum to copper pigtail splice.

Also see THERMAL IMAGING, THERMOGRAPHY for detailed advice on using & becoming trained in the use of thermal imaging equipment.

The photos above illustrate detection of overheating aluminum electrical wiring. Readers wishing training on use of thermography, IR or infra red equipment, for building surveys or other applications, should also contact the Institute of Infrared Thermography.

The question-and-answer article about sources and use of infrared thermal scanners and heat loss detection equipment, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss..

Where to Buy IR & Thermography Equipment

Infra Red Inspection Equipment, temperature, heat loss, active leak detection, moisture investigations - Equipment Suppliers

The link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below was preceded by an expanded/updated online version of this article.

Watch out: The toolbox for studying air movement, heat loss, airborne particle levels, gases or chemicals moving in buildings, is a large one, but tools and gadgets alone do not make a building expert, and worse, they might be used improperly giving misleading and unnecessarily expensive results use to "sell" treatments or "improvements" that might not be the best way to spend on improving building air quality or saving on building energy costs. Understanding the basics about air movement and appreciating the benefits of an expert visual inspection

(see THERMAL TRACKING & HEAT LOSS)

can help consumers guard against bad advice or superficial building studies. .


...

Continue reading at AIR MOVEMENT in BUILDINGS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

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Suggested citation for this web page

HOUSE DOCTOR, how-to be at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING ENERGY SAVINGS

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