Inspection
Inspection
The Inspection domain tests the assessment and documentation that happen before restoration work begins: identifying the water source and category, determining the extent of migration, mapping moisture, taking psychrometric readings, and recognizing safety hazards. Strong answers show that inspection is evidence gathering, not guesswork.
Core rules
- Water category: Category 1 is clean water; Category 2 is gray water with some contamination; Category 3 is black water (sewage, floodwater, or water that has supported microbial growth). Category can degrade with time and temperature, so re-evaluate during the job.
- Loss class: Class 1 is minimal absorption, Class 2 has significant wicking, Class 3 is the greatest amount of water, and Class 4 requires specialty drying of deep assemblies such as hardwood, concrete, or cavity walls.
- Moisture tools: pin meters measure conductivity and can take surface or penetrating readings; pinless meters scan without holes but are influenced by density and metal; thermo-hygrometers measure air temperature and relative humidity and calculate dew point and grains per pound (GPP); thermal cameras show temperature differences, not moisture itself. Verify every thermal anomaly with a moisture meter.
- Psychrometrics: dew point is the temperature at which air becomes saturated. If a surface is below the dew point, condensation can occur. Compare air GPP with material readings to judge drying potential.
- Documentation: record readings, meter calibration, affected materials, pre-existing damage, photos, and a moisture map.
Worked example
Paint below a window is bubbling. A pinless meter reads high over a 2-foot band, and a thermal camera shows a cool area. Reasoning: the thermal image is only a clue; confirm with a pin meter at the baseboard and inside the wall cavity if accessible. Compare the wall surface temperature with the room dew point. If the surface is below dew point, condensation is possible; if the reading is high but the surface is above dew point, suspect a window or flashing leak. Document both possibilities, map the boundary, and check the adjacent room before writing the scope.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating an infrared image as a moisture reading.
- Measuring only the air and never the materials.
- Missing hidden moisture under baseboards, behind cabinets, or in wall cavities.
- Failing to recalibrate meters or to note calibration.
- Not documenting pre-existing damage, which creates disputes later.