I get the appeal of in-person, but I have to admit—virtual saved my bacon once. During lockdown, my water heater was making noises like it was auditioning for a horror movie, and the city inspector walked me through what to check over Zoom. He spotted a pressure issue I’d never have caught, and I didn’t have to take a day off work or clean up for company. I agree, it’s not perfect (and yeah, the “can you tilt the camera?” dance is real), but for straightforward stuff, it beats waiting weeks for an appointment. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes the convenience outweighs the risk of missing a leaky valve... at least until something starts smelling weird.
I hear you on the convenience factor—virtual inspections have definitely made life easier for a lot of folks, especially for those quick checks or when you just need a second set of eyes. That said, I’ve seen a few cases where something subtle (like a slow drip behind a tank or corrosion on a fitting) just didn’t show up on camera. For basic troubleshooting, virtual works fine, but if there’s any doubt or if you’re dealing with older plumbing, I’d still lean toward in-person. Sometimes you really do need someone poking around with a flashlight to catch the weird stuff.
Had a call last year where the virtual inspection totally missed a pinhole leak—camera angle just wasn’t right, and the homeowner didn’t think to check behind the water heater. By the time I got there in person, it’d already started rusting the base. Virtual’s great for obvious stuff, but there’s no substitute for crawling around and getting your hands dirty, especially in those older basements where nothing’s ever quite as it seems. Sometimes you just have to trust your nose... and your knees.
Virtual’s great for obvious stuff, but there’s no substitute for crawling around and getting your hands dirty, especially in those older basements where nothing’s ever quite as it seems.
Yep, been there—had a virtual walkthrough where everything looked fine, but when I got under the sink in person, found a slow drip that had soaked into the cabinet base. Virtual just can’t catch those hidden spots or subtle smells. I’ll use video for simple checks, but for anything tricky or old, I’d rather see it myself.
