More Stories from the Field

IAQ IQ, Spring 2026
©2026 Jeffrey C. May

As a retired home inspector, I always enjoy reading “Postcards from the Field” in the ASHI Reporter. In my Fall 2024 newsletter, I shared some of my own experiences as an indoor air quality professional. In this newsletter I’m going to share more stories. Some of these stories may make you laugh, some may make you chuckle in sympathy, and some may seem unbelievable, but I assure you that they are all true. The names when mentioned have been changed to “protect the innocent” (or not so innocent?).

Supportive Partners?

Story 1: Jane coughed and wheezed whenever she was near a closet in her house. I require that the client or someone who represents the client’s interests remain at the site while I am there. Jane wasn’t able to be there for the site visit, but she assured me that her husband would be there and was looking forward to following me around. As I drove up to the house, I could see him standing on the front porch, waiting for me. I parked my car and walked up to him.

“Are you Jane’s husband?” I asked.

He rocked back and forth on his feet, crossed his arms, and said, scowling at me, “Yes, but not for long.”

I guess he wasn’t looking forward to my visit after all.

Story 2: Caroline was sure that the unfinished basement of her house was making her sick. Her husband insisted that this wasn’t true. Both were there when I arrived. Caroline didn’t want to go down into the basement, so he accompanied me. They had recently renovated the basement, but using a bright flashlight I could see barely visible mold on the finished walls. There was even a mushroom growing out of the main beam, and I saw a termite tube. I disrupted the tube, and live termites fell out. Since I have mold allergy, I immediately put on my mask, and leading the way, I started to explain my concerns and offer my suggestions. He interrupted me and said, “There ain’t nothing wrong with this basement!” I turned to face him, and I could see that his nose was running profusely and that he was ignoring the two rivulets of mucus dropping down his chin.

“Oh…you think?” I asked.

Suggestion: When a space smells musty, including a basement, wear a mask.

Story 3: Ted made an appointment for an IAQ investigation of his soon to be ex-wife’s (Kathy’s) home. “She’s furious with me,” he told me, “because I didn’t believe her when she thought that allergens from the moldy basement were making her sick in the house.”

“Will you both be there?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Does she want me to conduct this investigation?”

“Sure, of course. She can be cranky, but I can handle that.”

I drove up to the property and entered the basement via the bulkhead, as Kathy was not allowing me to enter the home through the front door. There were stored goods everywhere, so I set up my own card table and chair in a small open space and began to work. Kathy and a friend of hers were standing in front of me. Ted stood a few feet behind me. Kathy held an I-phone near my face and was taping and recording the conversation. I asked her to stop filming and taping me, and to stop shouting questions at me, such as, “What are you going to do here? Where will you take samples? Do you know what you’re doing?”

Ted just stood there and said nothing.

“If you don’t stop shouting at me and stop filming and recording me, I’ll leave.” She just kept screaming at me and recording me.

Hopeless, I thought. I just packed up my equipment and the table and chair, loaded up my car, and drove away. I never did get paid for my time, and I never heard from either of them again.

Make a Snowman?

Story 4: The morning after a major snowstorm, I drove to the property I was to investigate. The driveway was still covered with several feet of snow. I parked in the street and called the client to tell him of my arrival. “Oh, sorry,” he said. “I overslept and am still in my pajamas. I’ll get dressed and come out to greet you. Can you help me shovel out the driveway?”

“No, I don’t think so,” I said. “Just call to reschedule.” And I drove away.

I never heard from him again.

Pets

Story 5: Once I turned around to see a male dog peeing on my tool case that I’d placed on the kitchen floor. After that, I always asked clients who had dogs to put them outside, put them in an animal cage, or “farm them out” during my site visit.

One family kept their two Boxers in a large cage in the lower level while we were there. Connie and I were sitting in the kitchen, working on our notes, when our client George opened the cage door to give the dogs some water. One dog raced out of the cage, ran up the stairs, and headed right for the kitchen, growling and snapping his jaws. Spit was flying out of his mouth. The dog ran right by me and went for Connie, who ran screaming from the house. George was very embarrassed, of course, but Connie spent the remainder of the site visit near the kitchen door, so if necessary, she could make a quick exit.

So – Want to Learn to be an Indoor Air Quality Professional? Join me on some of my investigations. You never know what may happen!

Two Workbooks/Journals for Homeowners and Home Buyers:

This book includes many of my tips and allows a reader to keep track of steps he or she has taken to improve indoor air quality.

In Tom Feiza’s words:

“Special sections prompt an owner to log information about their homes and maintenance. We keep it simple so owners can easily understand their responsibilities.”

Both books are available on-line.