All Testing Services

Call    406-241-9464     to order your testing services now.

Testing for residential and commerical property inspections.

At Inspect Montana we take advantage of the best technology available during an inspection.

Thermal imaging is a technology that allows the InterNACHI-CCPIA INSPECTOR to show you things about a building that no one can show you using other inspection methods.

Thermal imaging produces images of invisible heat energy emitted from objects and systems in the building and allows us to measure it.

Thermal imaging helps to diagnose the problem rather than merely identify symptoms, and can sometimes, but not always, identify and document:

  • electrical faults before they cause a fire;
  • overloaded and undersized circuits;
  • circuit breakers in need of immediate replacement;
  • missing, damaged, and/or wet insulation;
  • heat loss and air infiltration in walls, ceilings, floors, windows, and doors;
  • water and moisture intrusion that could lead to mold;
  • possible pest infestation;
  • hidden roof leaks before they cause serious damage; air-conditioner compressor leaks;
  • under-fastening and/or missing framing members; structural defects;
  • broken seals in double-pane windows;
  • energy loss and efficiency;
  • dangerous flue leaks;
  • damaged and/or malfunctioning radiant heating systems;
  • unknown plumbing leaks; and overheated equipment.

These color images can then be included in the inspection report, providing supporting documentation to the report.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

Faulty electrical testing for Missoula and Bitterroot Valley home inspections

Electrical Concerns

Thermal testing for Missoula and Bitterroot Valley home inspections.

Attack Air Leaks

Moisture inspection, Missoula and Bitterroot Valley home inspection services

Water Leaks

Roof Leak home inspection testing in Missoula and Bitterroot Valley.

Roof Air Leaks

Radon is worth investigating and is a concern in many states. Some very serious medical complications, including lung cancer, have been attributed to its presence in the air in homes or enclosed spaces.

Average radon levels in the state of Montana are of concern.  MT measures an average of 7.4 pCi/L.  If you test your home and obtain a result of  4.0 pCi/L or above then mitigation measures are strongly recommended.

Not sure about Radon? Wondering if a test is for you?

CLICK HERE TO SEE ABOUT RADON IN MONTANA

Certified Master Inspector leads a team designed to move quickly with modern technology to provide agents with efficient, easy services.

At Inspect Montana we take your concerns about radon seriously.  We use state-of-the-art equipment to determine if this is an issue in the home being tested.  The Sun Nuclear 1028xp radon monitor utilizes blue tooth technology and comes equipped with integrated tamper sensors as it sits upon a tripod mount.  Combined with the OneRadon app with cloud support means the test results are available in real-time.

We set our monitors to takes samples once per hour typically over a 48 hour period.  Upon completion of the test Inspect Montana can pull the data, create the test report, and upload the report directly into your property inspection report at the end of the 48 hr test.  All are accessible online either via desktop or your mobile device.

We perform all environmental testing by EPA guidelines for the most accurate results possible. Have more questions? Give us a call or email.

Certified Master Inspector leads a team designed to move quickly with modern technology to provide agents with efficient, easy services.

It is recommended by the State of Montana to test your water at least once per year.  This is also beneficial to do whenever buying or selling a home.  To learn more visit the DEQ Website.

We use a qualified lab for all water testing purposes.

InspectMT typically performs Stage 1 & Stage 2 testing.

Stage 1 – Tests for Coliform & E. coli bacteria in water.  Recommended for all homes (private well & municipal water supplies).

Stage 2 – Tests include bacteria test in Stage 1 plus we test for arsenic & lead and Nitrates and nitrites (Recommended for properties on private well).

Inspect Montana can also provide custom water testing to meet your needs.  Have a question, let us know.

We perform all environmental testing by DEQ guidelines for the most accurate results possible. In this electronic age, it’s relatively fast and painless. Have more questions? Give us a call or email.

Well Inspection Services

When purchasing a home in Montana it is very common to have your own well.  If you have never owned a property being on your own well can be a bit intimidating.  How will you know if your pump is going to fail?  Good question.

Inspect Montana is a solutions-based inspection company that is here to help you determine the condition of your property and your well and all associated components.

There are three types of private drinking water wells: dug, driven, and drilled. Proper well construction and continued maintenance are keys to the safety of your water supply. Your state water-well contractor licensing agency, local health department, or local water system professional can provide information on well construction. The well should be located so rainwater flows away from it. Rainwater can pick up harmful bacteria and chemicals on the land’s surface. If this water pools near your well, it can seep into it, potentially causing health problems.

Water-well drillers and pump-well installers are listed in the state directory here. The contractor should be bonded and insured. Make certain your groundwater contractor is registered or licensed.

Many homeowners tend to forget the value of good maintenance until problems reach crisis levels. That can be expensive. It’s better to maintain your well, find problems early, and correct them to protect your well’s performance. Keep up-to-date records of well installation and repairs, plus pumping and water tests. Such records can help spot changes and possible problems with your water system. If you have problems, ask a local expert to check your well construction and maintenance records. He or she can see if your system is adequate or needs work.

Protect your own well area. Be careful about the storage and disposal of household and lawn-care chemicals and wastes. Good farmers and gardeners minimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Take steps to reduce erosion and prevent surface water runoff. Regularly check underground storage tanks that hold home heating oil, diesel, or gasoline. Make sure your well is protected from livestock, pets, and wildlife waste.

When we inspect your water delivery system we will look at each component of your system. A typical system will have a well pump, pressure tank, well cap, power & controller, and plumbing.

We will identify any type of degradation of each component and perform a flow water test before and after a draw-down situation.

We will also monitor the amount of current that your well pump is using.  Too little or too much current can let us know that the pump is about to fail or if the well is not performing as it should.

Let us verify the water delivery system’s performance to put your mind at ease.

When considering the purchase or sale of an older home it is a good idea to scope the sewer to see if there are any issues.  A sewer scope can find breaks in the sewer pipe as well as roots or blockages.  The sewer scope can even identify the type of material that the sewer is made of.

A sewer scope is a video inspection of the lateral sewer line from the house at or near the foundation to the city, HOA tap, or the septic tank.

What you will see in your report:

Inspect Montana offers two additional services to a sewer scope service:

  1. Sewer location services.
  2. Additional building services.

All environmental testing is performed by EPA guidelines for the most accurate results possible. Have more questions? Give us a call or email.

There are 3 types of molds:

1) Allergenic which produces allergies and allergic reactions such as asthma.

2) Pathogenic which causes health issues in those suffering acute illness.

3) Toxigenic produces toxic substances that lead to dangerous and deadly health issues.

Though a lot of molds will be obvious upon a visual inspection, not all are. Mold can hide behind and inside walls.  What if you have health concerns regarding mold? What is available?

At Inspect Montana we offer several options to meet your needs:

Direct Sampling, Air Sampling, ERMI sampling, & HERTSMI-2 sampling.

Direct Sampling: Uses swabs or bio tape to send to the lab.  Direct sampling is most often performed in attics & crawlspaces. Where ever “apparent mold” is seen.

Samples are sent to a qualified lab with results coming back within 2 – 3 days.

Air Sampling:

Inspect Montana also can test for the presence of mold spores in the dwelling.  Air-O-Cell cassettes are used for this service.  An air pump is used to pull air through a cassette that captures debris from the air on a sticky slide within the cassette. This service is most often performed when there is a concern for mold with no “apparent mold” visible.  It is also used after remediation of a property has been completed.  This is the industry standard.

Typically 3 samples are taken, two indoor and 1 outdoors.  The outdoor sample becomes the point of reference to understand the indoor samples.

The cassette is sent to the lab where it is analyzed for mold species and quantity.  Results are typically returned within 2 – 3 days.

ERMI & HERTSMI-2 Sampling is the newest form of testing. It is typically performed when there is a health concern involved.

ERMI (Environmental Relative Moldiness Index) and HERTSMI-2 (Health Effects Roster of Type-Specific Formers of Mycotoxins and Inflammagens with a Health Weighting) testing were developed as methods to assess indoor environments for potential mold contamination and associated health risks.

ERMI was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate mold contamination in homes. It uses a DNA-based method to analyze dust samples from buildings for the presence of specific mold species associated with water damage. This index helps in quantifying the relative moldiness of a building compared to a national database.

HERTSMI-2, an extension of ERMI, was developed by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, a physician specializing in biotoxin-related illnesses. It’s a subset of molds within ERMI that are considered more closely linked to adverse health effects. HERTSMI-2 focuses on specific mold species that are known to produce mycotoxins or cause inflammation, and it assigns a health risk weighting to these species.

Both ERMI and HERTSMI-2 testing aims to provide a standardized and quantitative assessment of indoor mold contamination and associated health risks. They help identify problematic mold species in indoor environments, aiding in remediation efforts and potentially reducing health risks for occupants exposed to indoor mold.

Results for either ERMI or HERTSMI-2 testing is typically 7 – 9 days.

For more information regarding mold check out the EPA website.

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT THE EPA SAYS ABOUT MOLD

We perform all environmental testing by EPA guidelines for the most accurate results possible. In this electronic age, it’s relatively fast and painless. Have more questions? Give us a call or email.

IMT is IAC2 Certified for Mold

Lead – If you have a property that was built prior to 1978 there is a good chance that it may contain lead-based materials.

To learn more about Lead and how it can affect your health and the health of your family the EPA has a great site.  Click the link to read more:  EPA & Lead

Inspect Montana uses the EPA-certified DLead test kit to verify the presence of lead in a property.  It is not uncommon to find homes built before 1978 in and around the downtown areas of Missoula & Ravalli Counties.  Those homes may contain lead-based paint.

Oftentimes in those older homes, they will have been painted over with newer paints that encapsulate the lead-based paint.  If you have a concern it is possible to use the DLead test to determine if there is lead-based paint underneath.

This test does require the use of a blade to make a small cut through the top layers of paint to get down to the substrate.  Once that is done the test kit can be used to check for lead-based paint.

Performing this test does require the permission of the owner of the property due to the destructive nature of the test.

In Montana, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is in charge of all properties and activities associated with METH-contaminated real estate.

New legislation was passed in 2021 that expanded the requirement to notify and remediate inhabitable properties contaminated with meth residue; raised the decontamination standard from 0.1 ug to 1.5 ug; revised the definition of inhabitable property; revised when an owner or owner’s agent is immune from certain actions and amended several sections of Montana annotated code.  The full text of the bill can be read here:

Montana Law

The DEQ certifies companies to be able to provide testing and remediation services to any real estate property that has been identified with actionable meth levels.

Inspect Montana currently uses methanol wipe samples to detect methamphetamine residue.  Discrete sample testing is performed at 6 test sites in the property.  Sample test sites are determined at the time of sampling based on the circumstances of the property and information made available to us.  Discrete sampling balances the interests of all parties involved in the property while minimizing the costs associated with testing.

Samples are sent to ALS Environmental Labs.  Samples are analyzed using the NIOSH 9111 method.

Inspect Montana is a DEQ Certified Contractor 

Protect Your family

Asbestos can be a problem in your home if you are doing a remodel or if there is asbestos in a material that is deteriorating.  To read more Click here to read more about asbestos from the EPA site.

In most cases, we deal with residential properties that were built prior to the ”50s – 70s that have those popcorn ceilings, certain vinyl tiles, or pipe insulation.

You can read more here:  Asbestos in Popcorn Ceilings

You can read more here:  Asbestos in Floor Tiles

You can read more here:  Asbestos – Where it can be found

Testing for asbestos is done by taking a bulk sample(s) and sending it to the lab for analysis if you suspect asbestos to be an issue.  Inspect Montana will take a bulk sample for testing purposes.  We can have results in 7 – 10 days.

All environmental testing by EPA guidelines for the most accurate results possible. Have more questions? Give us a call or email.

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