Tools & Safety

Flir One Pro (Gen 3). Higher resolution and more features in the app. I own one. I still like my Gen 1 better, it’s easy to get your hand in the way of the lens of this version, and the battery life is mediocre. It’s still it’s a pretty good IR camera for 1/10 of what you needed to spend 5 years ago for similar features.

Gardus RLE202 LintEater 10-Piece Rotary Dryer Vent Cleaning System. Use this to clean out your dryer vent line, particularly if you have a longer run. Dryer vents are a leading cause of house fires, and it takes a lot longer for your clothes to dry if it’s clogged. 

Pinless moisture meter. You can check how wet concrete, wood, or drywall is with this tool. I use them on energy audits when I suspect a wet basement. Look for the damp spots. Infrared can help you narrow down first, like Flir One. Available at big boxes.

3M Paint Mask. Be sure to protect your lungs. Crummy N95 masks are just ok, a better fitting mask like this is better. Harbor Freight has a decent paint mask for $15. Wear them in the attic and if you do any foam work. No exceptions. For everyone who helps.

Master Flame – Fire Retardant – Spray on Application or Mix With Paint – 5 Gallon Pail. Intumescent paint is recommended or required on spray foam in many areas. It’s supposed to help keep the foam from burning. The reviews of this product for that application aren’t great. Look for “E-84” rated foam if DIYing and request it from spray foam contractors, that is fire rated.

MCA, Plastic String Reinforced Poly Sheeting 10 Feet X 100 Feet, 6 Mil Nominal, Transparent/White, Durable, Top Quality Visqueen. This is a good option for crawlspace encapsulation vapor barrier. Reinforced poly is harder to cut or puncture. This is 6 mil, the minimum recommended thickness. If you use more than one piece, overlap it by at least 24″.

Touch & Seal Sharpshooter X Foam Gun. Don’t mess with regular cans of foam unless you only need 1-2 or for really small spots. Get a foam gun like this with a metal barrel. Use single part gun foam. They turn off when you let off the trigger, unlike can foam. Some big boxes carry them. Expect to pay $40-50. All threads are close enough that any foam gun works with any foam in my experience. 

GoChange Foam Gun. I bought one, it seems to work fine. At $15, it’s very inexpensive for a foam gun with a metal barrel. I haven’t seen one under $35 before. 

TRM 212C 12×200 2 mil Clear Visqueen. 2 mil is a nice thickness, tough enough not to tear easily, but thin enough to move pretty easily. Use this to cover anything you don’t want to get dirt or foam on during a project. You can buy the same stuff at a big box, too.

WeMo switches are old school timer switches on steroids. They are Wifi connected, you can turn them off from your phone and do custom schedules. Foobot and Awair can turn an air filter or other device on when a threshold is broken. Other models track energy use or replace light switches.

Nordic Pure 20x20x4 AC Furnace Air Filters MERV 12, Box of 2. Use this filter with a standard 20″ box window fan for an inexpensive and reasonably effective air filter for about $30-40. Duct tape the filter onto the back of the fan (the intake), it doesn’t work as well on the front. Thanks to Linda Wigington and Nathan Perney for the idea! Linda and her ROCIS project discovered it works pretty well.