Flir I-5 vs Flir I-7

[Jeremy N]

What do y'all think? I have an opportunity to buy the I-5 at a really good deal or the I-7 new.

Does anyone have experience with both or either?

 

[dealtimeman]

I have researching for a new camera for a while now and have decided on a e-30 or better, I know it cost almost double but the better camera has a lot more features and a lot better resolution particularly for when you documentation on insurance jobs that are completed before an adjuster even goes to see the loss or even when an adjuster doesn't even go out the the loss.

Plus the newer e series I believe connect wireless to iPad or laptop or smartphone so you can show the customer in a format they can better relate to.

 

[Jeremy N]

Im not buying an E series for my guys.

 

[Jeremy N]

I bought the two I-5s for a good deal. They should be here within a week.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Sounds like a good deal.

You'll find thermals will change the scope of the job by seeing what's affected and not just guessing.

Especially when water comes from above, and also speeds up final monitoring.

 

[Jeremy N]

I am interested in knowing more about finals. Will the surface still give a wet reading when using heat drying?

Also, in regular dry-outs, does the heat from the dehum change the viewing of wet materials?

 

[Desk Jockey]

How it works is you are actually viewing temperature differential, so can it affect it yes.

It the case of heat drying, you may want to let it to cool down to ambient first. You'll also want to verify what the camera is telling you with a Tramex or intrusive meter in a few places to confirm wet or dry.

No, not with a standard dehumidifier.

 

[Jeremy N]

Of course I'd want to verify everything with a meter. I'm just curious about doing interim checks.

 

[Desk Jockey]

It will be fast and easy.

Commercial it will be an incredible time saver.

You'll love it and wonder how you ever operated without one. Congrats

 

[Jeremy N]

Thanks, Beans.

 

[tmdry]

It will be fast and easy.

Commercial it will be an incredible time saver.

You'll love it and wonder how you ever operated without one. Congrats

I agree!

I love my baby (I mean i-7), nothing like going into a room and seeing where all the water is right off the bat. Specially when there are boxes and shelves close to the walls and you have to go back there to check to see if it's wet (w/out the camera). Makes life much easier.

I show it to every client on an estimate, and it deff makes you stand out from the pack on closing that job.

 

[Jeremy N]

Do you penetrate the wall with a probe to check insulation in those cases?

 

[Desk Jockey]

We usually wait until the end or if something isn't drying as fast as we think it should be.

Its been a wdr week here, 5-losses in 4-straight days and no rain. Just plain old water losses!

 

[dealtimeman]

I should of stayed up there to work. I charge a reasonable rate

 

[tmdry]

We usually wait until the end or if something isn't drying as fast as we think it should be.

Its been a wdr week here, 5-losses in 4-straight days and no rain. Just plain old water losses!

I'll take those before these rain showers man, been a busy week here too (all flooding from the rain, no coverage, except for 1 sump pump failed) - but I get a lot of the "I have a flood!", you ask on the phone the size of the affected area (they never have a clue), you arrive and it's an arm's length and they think it'll be less than their $500 deductible....... (and demand for a price right on the spot). We got a few medium size ones, I'm pickier now w/ these type of jobs.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I should of stayed up there to work. I charge a reasonable rate

You'd have just blown it at one of the casinos or at Cabellas on the gun you wanted. ; )

 

[Desk Jockey]

I'll take those before these rain showers man, been a busy week here too (all flooding from the rain, no coverage, except for 1 sump pump failed) - but I get a lot of the "I have a flood!", you ask on the phone the size of the affected area (they never have a clue), you arrive and it's an arm's length and they think it'll be less than their $500 deductible....... (and demand for a price right on the spot). We got a few medium size ones, I'm pickier now w/ these type of jobs.

You have to be careful with the rain jobs. Still money to be made but you need to be clear, communicate well and document.

Collect some at the start too. I'll post some rain water tips tomorrow.

 

[Desk Jockey]

5th day in a row! Utility guys cut a water main yesterday and mud, gravel & water flooded a garage and unfinished basement. It's going to need to be packed out, pressure washed and sorted and list as some of it will need to be disposed of. 4-5 people all day today. Nice list job!

Rain Jobs
It can be very frustrating, they all want you there right now!

As hard as it is, we need to slow them down enough to find out the important issues with Rain losses.
Where did it come in from? Because if it’s ground water the bill is going to be paid by them!
Many times a homeowner assumes that since the basement is wet and they have insurance they are covered. Most do not know that their policy does not cover foundation seepage.

Has it stopped coming in? We shouldn’t go out until the water stops coming in. It just not cost effective to have us try to keep up with water that continues to seep in.

How big an area is wet? As cruel as it sounds, I’d rather do 1-big job, than 3-tiny ones.

We can send a crew out, we will need a signed work authorization and we normally
collect a check for $250.00, $500.00 after hours, will that be a problem? If they don’t have the cash offer Visa or Mastercard

Remind them that average water loss is $2500.00, it could be more depending on factors like: Deep Water– Means more is affected, dry wall, insulation, framing
Larger areas-Larger areas will most likely mean more equipment, thus more expensive.
Large amounts of furniture– Lots of contents means more time to move them, thus more expensive.
Contamination– carpet and pad that are Cat 3 should be discarded, which will generally increase the time spent on the job

We should not send a crew out if the water is still coming in!

Despite what customers want at the moment, they are always mad about the cost later when they get a large bill, because we were trying to keep up with water ground water.

Give them reasonable ballparks, they are generally going to be paying this out of their pocket unless it is covered under a sump pump clause.

When all hell breaks loose we realistically can not be everywhere, so we have to go to the jobs that: We have the best chance of being paid

Are going to best benefit the company (larger)

They are on Emergency Preparedness Plan or regular customer

Once you have all the available crews out, you need to tell the callers that everyone is out on water losses. Ask them if they want to be added to the list, if so get their information and add them to a list. This will give you an opportunity to cherry pick the best ones, this means you’ll have to be vague to caller about where they are on the list.

Don’t do FREE work!


We need to be cautious about responding to an emergency with little or no thought about
payment. Always be afraid of the phrase “it needs to be done regardless”, it is true it does need to be done, but that doesn’t mean we are the ones that have to do it.

People in dire need will say to anything to get you to come out, up until it’s time to talk about money. Then these same people will drop you like a hot potato, call you crazy or just hang up on you. This is why it is imperative that money be brought up, otherwise we would do a lot of FREE work.

Always give them an average loss amount: $1500 depending on what’s affected, (this does not include wall drying, pad replacement, reinstall or cleaning) If there is a lot of contents or structural materials affected, then it could be more. $2500.00-$3,000.00?

We should always collect a deductible $250.00-$500.00 most people won’t have a problem with that. We also take Visa, Mastercard & Discover if they do not have cash.

People that can’t or won’t pay at the beginning, most surely would not pay at the end.

Apartments
In general we do not do them. We are capable but they usually have a cheap carpet cleaner who takes care of their properties & also does their water work.. The only reason they are calling you is they can’t reach him.

Give them a ball park, if they insist we do it after giving a ballpark figure and they have the authority to authorize this amount being spent, and we can collect the $250.00 then go ahead.


City, County, other Public Entity
We need to confirm that someone from the entity actually said they will be responsible for payment.

These entities usually say file a claim with… or they say you need to get it done.

This is vague and leading but it does not mean they are paying for it. Always have them call you to confirm it is covered by them.

 

[tmdry]

Great info Richard.

Yea we always take a deductible/down payment, usually the ones that make an excuse are most likely going to give you crap in the end.

Off to monitor 2 jobs tonight after a day of carpet, happy you guys got that pack out!

 

[Desk Jockey]

Congrats Bill sounds like it's going to be a good water month for you also!