If you recently bought a house that is about a century old, you may want to consider taking a close look inside the walls with an articulating borescope. Houses built during that time were typically constructed with balloon framing. With this type of framing, the cavities inside the exterior walls run from attic to foundation with no obstructions. This means that you'll be able to easily use an articulating borescope to see the condition inside the exterior walls. Here's what you need to know and why a visual inspection is important.

What's Going On Inside the Exterior Walls of Balloon-Framed Houses?

Since the cavities inside the exterior walls of houses with balloon framing are very long, it causes a phenomenon known as the chimney effect to happen. This happens when heat rises inside the spaces in between the studs in the walls. This pulls cooler air into the walls, which creates an upward draft. When this occurs, it can allow a fire in the basement or lower floor to quickly engulf the entire house. In fact, fire fighters often say that houses with balloon framing are some of the most difficult fires to fight.

With the movement of air inside the cavities of the exterior wall, you will likely experience drafts inside the living areas of your home, especially when the temperature difference between the outside and inside are extreme. Also, mold spores and musty odors can travel upwards inside the wall cavities from a damp basement or crawl space and get into your living areas through any cracks.

There may be some water damage inside the structure of your house from a leaky window or exterior wall covering. Water damage can cause wood rot and mold growth, but it can also attract pests, including mice and termites, which leave droppings and debris inside the walls. This can create health problems for you and your family members residing inside the home.

Pests can also cause a lot of damage to electrical wiring inside the walls by chewing on the insulation covering. Of course, damaged electrical wires are a fire hazard, which is compounded inside houses with balloon framing due to the chimney effect. Therefore, it's crucial to know what is going on inside the walls of your balloon-framed house.

Use an Articulating Borescope to Inspect the Wall Cavities

Fortunately, you don't have to rip out your wall coverings to take a look at what's inside the walls. You can purchase or rent an articulating borescope to help you do the inspection. This is a video camera that is mounted on a joint at the end of a long probe. It allows you to control the camera and position it within the wall so you can get the view you need.

You can either carefully lower the probe into the wall cavity from an opening in the attic or through small holes in various areas on each floor of your home. Since it will be dark inside the cavities, other than for any cracks in the walls, you'll need to use a borescope that has a light attached to it.

Also, if you'd like to see where heat is escaping your home or where drafts are occurring, use a borescope with an infrared attachment. That way, you can see the temperature differences and fluctuations on the walls both on the interior and exterior sides of the wall cavities. This will help you pinpoint where there may be nests and/or pests inside your walls.

Of course, this will take some time to do since you'll need to drop the camera down into each cavity in between each wall stud of all the exterior walls. However, given the risks that are involved, it is crucial to take the time to do the inspection thoroughly.