Hot take: I tried using a thermal camera to find a phantom load in a client's 1980s house and it showed me a hot spot inside a wall that turned out to be a junction box from an abandoned doorbell transformer.

It was a $400 Flir One Pro rental, and the unexpected find saved us from having to open up three different walls to trace the circuit, so what other non-standard diagnostic tools have you all found surprisingly useful on a residential call?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret_kelly551mo ago

Ngl, my cheap borescope from the auto parts store has found more lost screws and mouse nests in walls than I can count. It's saved so much time on fishing jobs.

paigem451mo ago

Totally agree, those cheap scopes are game changers. I always keep mine in my main tool bag now. The trick is to tape the camera head to a piece of stiff wire or a long zip tie for way more reach. Lets you snake it into spots the flexible cable alone can't handle. Saves so much drywall cutting when you're trying to find a stud or a wire.

angelar5728d ago

That's a great point @margaret_kelly55, I actually read somewhere that some guys are using those cheap scopes to look inside breaker panels before they even open them up. They'll snake the camera in through a vent slot to spot loose connections or burnt wires without pulling the cover off. Saves time and keeps you safer. Your tip about zip ties is solid too, I've done that with a piece of copper wire from a scrap romex.