I get what you mean about trusting your instincts over gadgets. I’ve seen those moisture meters give false readings more than once, especially if the wall’s already a bit damp from humidity or whatever. One time, I was convinced there was a leak because the paint was bubbling, but the meter said everything was fine. Turned out, there was a tiny pinhole in a pipe behind the drywall—caught it just by tapping around and listening for that hollow sound.
I’m not saying the tech is useless, but sometimes it feels like people rely on it too much and forget to just look for the obvious stuff—like musty smells or warped trim. And yeah, knee pads... I thought I could get away without them for a while, but after crawling around under a sink for an hour, I changed my mind real quick.
Fully agree—those meters have their place, but I’ve seen them miss stuff too, especially if there’s already moisture in the air or the wall’s cold. I usually start by checking for any visual signs: stains, bubbling paint, even tiny cracks in caulk. Then I’ll run my hands along the wall to feel for cool spots, which can mean water’s moving behind it. If things still seem off, I’ll shut off all water and check the meter at the main—if it’s still spinning, you know something’s leaking somewhere. Sometimes your senses really are the best tool in the bag. And yeah...knee pads are a must. Learned that lesson the hard way more than once.
I get what you’re saying about using your senses, but I’m always a bit paranoid that I’ll miss something if I just rely on touch or sight. Last winter, I had a pipe dripping behind the drywall for weeks—no stains, nothing. Only caught it because the baseboard started warping. Ever since then, I’ve been a bit obsessed with using a cheap thermal camera attachment for my phone. Not perfect, but it’s caught stuff my hands and eyes missed. Still, nothing beats crawling around on the floor and poking at things...except maybe having someone else do it.
Thermal cameras are a game changer, honestly. I’ve used the FLIR One attachment a bunch of times and it’s wild how much you can pick up—cold spots, weird heat signatures, stuff you’d never see with just a flashlight. Still, I get what you mean about wanting to poke around yourself. There’s something about physically tapping on drywall or running your hand along the baseboards that just feels more… real? But yeah, it’s not foolproof.
One thing I’ve noticed: sometimes the smallest clues give it away. Like, a faint musty smell or a spot that just feels a bit cooler than the rest of the wall. I’m always telling people, trust your nose as much as your gadgets. And water meters—if you shut everything off and the dial’s still spinning, you know something’s up.
Crawling around isn’t glamorous, but it beats ripping out a wall because you missed a tiny leak. Still, I wouldn’t say no to having someone else do the dirty work now and then...
Crawling around isn’t glamorous, but it beats ripping out a wall because you missed a tiny leak.
Couldn’t agree more—nothing worse than demo’ing half a room just to find a pinhole in a pipe. I’ll add, sometimes you can catch leaks by checking for bubbling paint or even warped trim. Not as high-tech as thermal cams, but those old-school signs still save me headaches. And yeah, the nose knows... but man, after enough years in this line of work, I swear I can smell mold from a mile away. Still, I’d rather crawl around than deal with black mold cleanup any day.
