(Photo: Hugh Cairns)

Guess how many grow ops are in Canada? Well, the Canadian Real Estate Association estimates as many as 50,000 across the country, and climbing.

Structural components are often wrecked

Alterations are made to the home to help vent the excessive humidity, chemical off gassing and smells. If structural changes are made, such as cutting floor and ceiling joists, the structural integrity of the home may be adversely affected. Chimneys, furnace exhaust lines, and roof vents may be repurposed to exhaust hot, humid air from the home.

Grow ops often compromise the home’s electrical system

To grow pot, electricity gobbling grow lighting is used to reproduce the rays of the sun. It takes a lot of power to run grow op lighting. Residential electrical systems are designed to create comfortable living environments and not often not adequate for grow ops. Typically the electrical and branch wiring systems are modified to power the hydroponic system. Often times, electricity is taken by tapping into the electrical service before it enters the meter. There is typically additional circuits used and these are seldom to code.

Green house conditions create excessive humidity

A large amount of water is needed to grow these plants. The heat generated by the hydroponic system can cause humidity levels to be excessive. This is unhealthy and can produce mildew, mold and rot in the home. Mold is not always easily detected. It can be both visible and distinct and other times not very obvious. There may be visible surface mould, however much of it can be concealed behind the walls. Often times high humidity levels are visible in the attic, where most of the air is trapped. Dark spots that surface in the attic can be a good indication of high humidity levels.

Training and experience for grow ops is voluntary for home inspectors. It takes a keen eye and awareness of suspicious clues about a house's past to uncover the truth. There are some chronic tell-tale clues that often exist with the damage caused by grow ops. An infrared inspection can be very helpful in seeing clues that may have been hidden from plain sight.

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Hugh Cairns welcomes your questions, comments and suggestions. Contact him through www.subject2homeinspections.com or interiorinfrared.com.