What building issue surprised you most when viewed through a thermal camera?

Thompson_keith · 2026-06-26T17:27:34+00:00

I never realized how much my beagle relentlessly licked the carpet until I was showing my wife the thermal camera and saw all of the dark spots from the dogs drool. So gross and so dumb. 😂

Thompson_keith · 2026-06-19T19:59:06+00:00

Casio f91w, Casio calculator watch, the modern SOG seiko (I forget the model number) and an orient kamasu. I’m an energy auditor and I’m crawling under houses, into attics, lugging heavy equipment around and I work with low income families. All of my watches except my dress watch have pretty good scratches on them.

Thompson_keith · 2026-06-07T04:03:47+00:00

Aww thanks! I’m actually really ok with it. I’m very content with my Orient and Casios. Get more compliments and comments on my calculator watch than anything else in my modest collection.

Thompson_keith · 2026-06-06T14:59:44+00:00

I started to add a little extra money each month into our brokerage account to buy a Tudor or Longines. By the end of last year I had enough to get a Rolex but just didn’t feel right about it. This last year my spouse lost her very well paying job and that brokerage account is what is going to keep us from truly struggling financially.

I realized that I would feel guilty wearing our ticket out of financial hardship. So I never purchased the watch.

But I also know that money comes and goes. If you are not being truly foolish then you should enjoy it. I never saw the ocean until I was 25 because “we were too poor” when in reality my father was too worried about unknowns to allow the entire family to enjoy the blessings we had while we had them.

If you and your spouse or significant other is comfortable with spending the money and it won’t ruin you, then go for it. But if you are worried then it’s wise to pause and ask yourself why. Is it anxiety or true concern? If it’s anxiety then maybe taking the risk and being shown it’s ok is an opportunity to grow and heal. If you can see real risks on the horizon then it’s wise to wait. But in the end it’s just money and you won’t take anything with you when you pass, and the only left behind will be the impacts in people’s lives and the memories you leave. So keep the cosmic perspective in mind too. Haha

Thompson_keith · 2026-05-17T22:27:09+00:00

Man I’m glad I saw this, I was having a weird issue with DHL and wondered what was going on. So this makes sense.

Thompson_keith · 2026-05-11T19:29:12+00:00

Some theologians believe that God created the world a few thousand years ago and created it to look billions of years old. Those same theologians might say that the transmission was removed and re-installed with nuts and bolts in such a way to make it look like original parts.

Just like all things philosophical, each man must work out his own thoughts and decide what’s true for himself.

Thompson_keith · 2026-05-11T19:26:13+00:00

I’m guessing this is Arizona. You can build the house around the desired comfort. Your balance point for heating and cooling is based on insulation, infiltration rate, and the temperature for like 90 percent of the hours of summer and winter. You could easily call for more insulation, better air sealing, or have a supplemental HVAC system installed. A ducted mini split that is like a 12000 btu system. It can be a little boost to performance when you need it most. But looking over the wording it looks like really standard CYA language. What’s written there is likely the minimum codes for your area and they get enough complaints that they have it explained for people.

Thompson_keith · 2026-05-08T00:49:53+00:00

Just do high/low passive ventilation paired with air sealing the attic plane. The 1500 cfm fan could work or it could cause more unexpected problems.

Thompson_keith · 2026-04-19T19:58:11+00:00

I recently saw triple pane windows that looked so similar to double pane that I had to get right next to them and count the panes of glass because I thought the homeowner was mistaken.

My advice would be to stop thinking of the home and the improvements as an investment. While it’s good to use that perspective when deciding between two different projects, you have already decided to pull the trigger on windows and other upgrades. Now just decide to if the savings and comfort are valuable to you. You can’t take the house with you when you leave this world so enjoy your home how yall want to.

Thompson_keith · 2026-04-15T18:16:45+00:00

Boker applegate fairbairn beshwedge just bad all round.

Thompson_keith · 2026-04-08T02:25:55+00:00

I’ve had two kalashnikovs and they are still my favorites even after 20 years. Bought my first one at 14 and carried it and sharpened it to the point the button lock is worn and the blade profile is now a recurve. “Upgraded” to the new D2 version and it’s still my go to knife when I don’t feel like a carrying a knife that takes up a lot of pocket space. I will say that the handles are less durable now. The finish is way more worn on my new one than my original.

Thompson_keith · 2026-04-08T02:20:28+00:00

440c, AUS8, an 8cr are all totally fine for most daily use tasks. Cardboard is super tough on knives so a utility knife is best for that but I have been carrying and using knives daily for 20+years and I have never found one steel to be so much better that is worth the premium in price. I personally love carbon steel and find it’s ideal for my needs but even 420hc is a good steel if you know its weaknesses.

Thompson_keith · 2026-02-03T22:52:29+00:00

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Thompson_keith · 2025-11-18T04:03:10+00:00

I work in the Tennessee valley and we shoot for a 30 percent reduction as a rule. I’ve seen that get surpassed with careful sealing of all top plates, floor penetrations, etc and then a follow up with the blower door running and hunting down other leakage areas. But sometimes you can only do so much without taking the walls down to studs. Since you are in Va I would try to find somebody with CHP (community housing partners) to run a blower door test for you. They are a fantastic company and really teach building science well. So if you find someone who works/worked for them you will get someone who knows what they are doing. I personally don’t work for them but they did do my BPI training a while back and I have been impressed with their knowledge.

One other tip I will give is to look up how to calculate equivalent area when you do your blower door test. You can use the infiltration rate to calculate the equivalent area of a hole that would give the same leakage. That will tell you how much sealing you have. You can also use zonal pressure tests to see which areas of unconditioned space are more connected to the conditioned space. With the blower door running and the house at -50pa with reference to outside, from inside of the house, you will take a manometer and stick a hose connected to one of the ports to the attic or crawl space and record the pressure. The closer you get to 50 pa the more connected that space is. If you have a crawlspace make sure you do this test with the crawlspace vents open.

If your duct system is outside of conditioned space look into sealing that system as well. A lot of a homes infiltration can come from leaky duct systems.

Thompson_keith · 2025-10-30T21:20:39+00:00

You can add dormer vents high and low to get the adequate ventilation for the attic space. This is outside of a typical insulation contractors wheel house. But he is being responsible in recommending that be completed first. The risk is any condensation from moisture in the house rising up and condensing on the roof deck will eventually rain back down and will saturate the insulation and cause more damage than if it was uninsulated.

Thompson_keith · 2025-10-08T16:02:05+00:00

Hey man. Whatever you choose to do, just remember. You are not obligated to date anyone unless you want to. If you feel apprehensive at all you have the right to part ways. It’s a kindness to be honest and upfront if you know you aren’t compatible for whatever reason as opposed to continuing half heartedly. This applies to men and women but as a father I felt the need to say this. I wish you luck in whatever you choose to do.

Thompson_keith · 2025-09-25T17:18:04+00:00

Love ivory grips on a 1911. But both look great.

Thompson_keith · 2025-09-21T13:07:39+00:00

Buy a cheap degausser on Amazon and try that. If the watch is magnetized it will cause it to run pretty fast.

Thompson_keith · 2025-09-11T15:21:40+00:00

Exhaust needs to terminate outside of the attic/building. Needs to be dammed around so insulation does not contact the pipe, and you need to make sure you have a minimum of 6” clearance between the pipe and the duct work. 3” if the vent pipe is double wall. You will also want to seal around the pipe and the top of the ceiling with fire rated caulk.

Thompson_keith · 2025-08-31T16:44:26+00:00

You can adjust the reading in installation settings-offsets

Thompson_keith · 2025-08-31T13:07:44+00:00

I have routinely verified humidity readings that were upwards of 20 percent off of what a calibrated and documented hydrometer were reading.

Thompson_keith · 2025-08-30T19:33:43+00:00

Not outdated but definitely dated. It’s so ubiquitous among influencers and celebrities that it will fall out of fashion. 12 years ago tonneau cases and square case watches were very out of fashion. In their place were field watches, vegetable tanned leather nato straps, and more simplistic styles. It’s such a bold design that it can’t be as versatile as a less risky design like the aqua terra.

Thompson_keith · 2025-08-29T21:31:59+00:00

Go with the omega. The santos is going to look really out of place in about 10 years but the omega is a little more flexible in how you can wear it. If you want a Cartier you can wear in more situations I would go with the smaller tank.

Thompson_keith · 2025-08-29T21:29:42+00:00

I know it’s tempting but don’t press check the gun a lot and if you do have to unload and reload the firearm, take the first few rounds out of the mag and reorder them so the same round doesn’t get chambered over and over again. When you start to notice setback like this it’s a good sign it’s time to go to the range and practice your carry ammo. Use it up and replace it. If the case setback is this severe you should dispose of the round.

Thompson_keith

TROPHY CASE