Basic Inspectors and Their Tools
Inspection tool kits for building inspections are designed to educate contractors about building practices that may result in a safety risk to anyone who may come in contact with them. Inspectors are able to do this by using special tools, such as pull gauges, eye bolts, and other techniques. Pull gauges, eye bolts, and other techniques can be used when there is a risk of a load that could move at a fast rate of speed. For instance, if there is a road or highway passing through an area, and a tractor is carrying lumber or other items that could be moving at a very high speed, the pull gauge will allow a construction worker to mark where the dangers lie. The pull gauge is a mechanical device that has a screen where a mark is placed that shows what lies within a certain area of a building.
Pull Gauge: A pull gauge is a metal device that has a wheeled base and is used during building inspections to check for the distance between shear points, which are the edges of a material that can bend or expand when pressure is applied. The gauge shows the angle between the direction of the force of the pulling force and the shear points. If you look at the bottom of the gauge you will see a cage or cover that has six metal plates, each one running parallel to the others with the gauge sitting on top of them. If you look closely at the shear points you will see that there are small holes, which indicate that the bolt will pass through them and if it does not pass through them, the bolt will be de-energized.
Eye Bolts: Eye bolts are rods that have an eye protrusion on the end so that they can be used with the pull gauges to mark non-rigid openings. When these types of openings are found in buildings, inspectors are able to identify what type of materials were used in the construction of the building or structure, as well as identify the degree of squareness of the walls. Each of these inspection tool kits contains a pair of eye bolts, and they are typically used in combination. They are sometimes also referred to as eye cups. This inspection tool kit also includes a windshield and pusher rod that is used to install and remove the exterior windows in buildings and structures.