The conference started out with a panel of experts and also homeowners who are experiencing  problems related to defective drywall including health issues and damage to their homes and condos that has made them both unfit to live in, not saleable, and basically worthless or at least worth far less. One homeowner told how he bought a house and because it has defective drywall it has now lost most of its value and there are no buyers in sight. Some people bought homes that they knew had defective drywall in them and thought they could repair and replace the damage and resell the homes at a profit, but they were unable to correct the problems and so can’t sell the homes.  

The Defective Drywall Panel discussed what there is to this point to help homeowners, and gave guidance on where to go.  The bottom line from all of the discussion is that if you have defective drywall there is really nothing you can do to fix it at this point because there have been no protocols  developed  and put in place to fix it correctly.  On some homes where the original remediation has been done the people moved in but then had to move out because the work was not done right and the problems caused by the defective drywall still exist.

I also took part in a training program on a set of inspection protocols developed by Spiderman Mulholland which includes a certification process to ensure that BESI certified inspectors properly inspect and diagnosis defective drywall. Spiderman made sure everyone understood what needs to be done to protect our own safety such as the use of respirators.  Many earlier drywall inspectors did not use respirators and are now getting sick and suffering from many of the same health issues the owners of homes with defective drywall have.  Mulholland wants to be sure that inspections and repairs are done with the health and safety of everyone and the restoration of the home and its value as the end result.

Atlas Inspection Technologies does BESI certified defective drywall inspections and if you’d like more information give us a call at 800.281.0650 or 206.774.8704. We’re working on developing a page on our website with more comprehensive information which we’ll keep up to date and relevant as changes occur.  One of those changes in process is in the use of additional inspection tools.  While many companies are using videoscopes to do non destructive and remote visual inspection, XRF analyzers will probably become the choice for a more comprehensive test.  While videoscopes can see the damage and labeling on the drywall, our XRF analyzers can do non destructive tests on the drywall itself and read the levels of stromtium and sulpher which are a more reliable indicator of whether there is defective dryeall.  Niton is working to develop a reference standard for just this purpose.

Keep watching our site and blog, and we’ll keep adding new information as it becomes available.

 We’ve been IRISS’ largest North American Distributor since its inspection and with our 24/7 applications assistance we continue to provide more companies with these 2”, 3”, and 4” industrial grade windows with a life time guarantees than any other. Using infrared windows as part of a safe practices electrical inspection program allows for closed panel inspections eliminating 99.9% of the arc flash triggers that occur during infrared electrical surveys and are an important part of meeting NFPA and OSHA mandates.  Give us a call at 800.281.0650 or 206.774.8704 to learn more or visit our website where you’ll find product images, specifications and dowloads, links to arc flash blast footage and the extremely well written and comprehensive free guide by IRISS designer and CEO Martin Robinson entitled “10 Things”.

We were able to  do a borescope inspection of the vase recently and one of the owners then took the recorded images and traveled to Great Britan to meet with the asian curator there. From the borescope images of the writing inside the vase it appears that this little vase is one of very few ever made like it.  It is imperial and probably made at the request of the Congzhen Emperor around 1643, one year prior to the fall of the Ming dynasty and Congzhe’s demise.

The writing inside the vase has been translated as “son of heaven of the great ming”.  Apparently it wasn’t a vase at all but a very small bottle and it probably held a powder which was possibly a poison or a drug. Plus a piece of Sanskrit was found and translated to “three jewels”.  There are three “jewels” embedded on the forehead of the dragon on this bottle, but the question remains as to why the addition of the Sanskrit writing? The experts are contemplating whether a priest was somehow involved with its design, creation, and contents.

It has been a fun story to follow, and Atlas Inspection Technologies’ ability do the inspection allowed the images to be recorded and forwarded across the world to the experts and has no doubt helped keep this little bottle safe and undamaged. At the end of this blog piece I’ve included a segment of the writing from inside the bottle for anyone that might be interested.

When we aren’t helping someone determine the origin and use of a piece of antiquity, we do many other kinds of inspections, including pipe, turbine, elemental analysis, vessel, thermal and more.  Give us a call if we can help you with your inspection.  800.281.0650. www.atlas-inspection.com.  I’ll blog again if we hear any more on this interesting story.

borescope inspection of ming bottle

We look forward to participating in the symposiums and demonstrations of the various parts of RapidView’s offering, such as Panoramo 360° Scanning for pipes and manholes, CCTV lateral launching, CCTV mainline inspections, and inspection reporting software such as Flexi-Data and WinCan.  Several of us will also be attending technical classes at the RapidView Service Center for camera and tractor maintenance and repair.  There will also be a class on CCTV cable re-termination.  This free event takes place September 16^th and 17^th.  For further information on this event, please visit: http://www.rapidview.com/septemberfest.htm or call (800) 656-4225.

We have just added a pan and tilt push camera to our rental offering.  This camera offers 360 degrees continuous pan and 155 degrees in two directions of tilt.  The camera comes with a built in sonde for below ground locating and is attached to a 190’ semi rigid push rod.  The camera head is 2 3/8” outside diameter and works great in boiler headers and other medium diameter pipe where visibility of side walls or welds is important and a standard straight view push camera, a long videoscope or crawler are not quite right. These are available for rent by the day, week, month or extended contract. Give us a call.

This highlights one of the keys to serving our customers.  In our experience videoscope users will inevitably damage their equipment.  It is the nature of using small diameter optics in complex environments, pushing probes into too small of openings, having the insertion tube stepped on while inspecting a power tubine, and equipment just getting wet and dirty from outdoor all weather use.  There are many ways to damage a videoscope and we always try to fix the component or system that is not functional instead of simply replacing the entire insertion tube or replacing control and video boards.  We have been very successful repairing individual components which typically saves clients in down time and repair costs.  The repair of this GE is just another example of how we continue to evolve because our customers have a great deal of trust in our abillity to repair their equipment properly.  We are continuing to develop more repair techniques for the GE XL G3 systems. So, if you need a repair done on your inspection equipment, give us a call.  Chances are our technicians have developed repair techniques for your make/model that will get your equipment back to you faster and at a cost savings over the OEM.

FLIR has introduced a 90 degree field of view lens that helps on all fronts.  The physical diameter of the lens is less than ¾” and large field of view gives you the ability to see a very large area through an IR window.  An extra lens typically adds $3500-$4500 to the price but it may enable you to use smaller infrared windows, fewer windows and get better information.  Take a look at the attached pictures and call with questions or if you would like a demonstration.

Standard lens with 24 degree FOV

90 Degree Lens - 4x the FOV for Electrical Cabinets

This is the 7th installation of a series hosted by IRISS, AMP, and Reliability Web and will run about an hour. As always it also includes an open question and answer period (my favorite part).

So, if you are a thermographer, or associated with the management of an electical preventative maintenance program this free webinar will be of great interest to you since the proper calibration of thermal cameras is critical to compensate for transmission attenution. Accuracy and safety depend on it.

Register at  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/340271566   “See” you there.