They can only do one simple thing----and they can do this one simple thing VERY well. They can see temperature differences on the surface of things. Because of the camera’s ability, the Thermographer (with proper training and experience) can give you a pretty good educated guess as to what those different temperatures mean. When areas are found that may indicate moisture, these areas are then checked/verified with different kinds of moisture meters----or areas are opened up to verify the actual presence of moisture.
Because these cameras are so good at reading temperature differences, they are extremely useful in Energy Efficiency Analysis of homes, so that money can be spent the most wisely in reducing energy costs.
I by no means pretend to be an expert in the use of these cameras----and I do not own one. Generally speaking they are considered to be a tool that is outside the scope of a Standard Home Inspection. I have called for IR evaluation of homes when I suspected issues, and could not verify what was going on “visually.” I suspect that as costs for the cameras come down, more inspectors will have them, and they will become more common place in the course of Standard Home Inspections.
When I went to the dentist yesterday morning----which was nothing like my Last Visit----I couldn’t help but notice how Mother Nature was doing her own IR scan of the roof of the building----with frost. But just like the IR Camera----all we can tell is that there are temperature differences on the roof surfaces. Some of the possibilities are: warm air moving in the air space between the insulation and the roof sheathing, missing insulation, insulation out of place, batt or foam-board type insulation, inadequate insulation at wall top plates, recessed lighting, and/or a combination of these possibilities.
This kind of information from Mother Nature is all “frosting” on the cake.
Charles Buell
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PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.
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Here on the Cape, we can see which homes have insulation and which don't by the snow on the house.
Very interesting and I think this would be a great service to provide to clients. I love this article. Thanks for explaining it.
Charles, I agree that mother nature can show well which houses are well insulated, especially her in our climate, but where's the fun in that, it's no tech. It's a lot more fun to have the high tech toys that tell us the same thing! (Tongue firmly in cheek) Good post!
Heath, for sure. A little snow (sometimes even a lot of snow) works well to show deficiencies in the insulation of the house envelope.
Karen, you are welcome---glad you found it helpful.
Tony & Darcy, well one disadvandage of Mother Nature is that it is difficult to get her to install the frost in the summer:)
Charles - I have seen the camera in action - saved a buyer from buying a home full of moisture in 2 walls! Well worth the expense of using it!
Frosting on the cake.... I get it... frosting on the cake!!! Funny!
Richard, so was the IR camera a deal killer? Or was the house a deal killer?:)
Alan, I knew I could count on you:) (Like your new picture by the way)
Good article. Our company just completed the third party licensed certification on our first NAHB Gold Rated new home here in Pike County, PA. It is the first in Pike County and one of the first in PA. I had the opportunity to photograph the verifier as he went through the house. He was using the infrared imager and we were down in the basement. The walls had Thermax foil face 2" rigid foam insulation. As two us stood behind him watching he was confused at first why there were three "warm" spots on two of the walls. We then realized that it was our body heat relecting off the foil of the Thermax insulation!! Wow, those devices are sensitive! This unit that he was holding was over $5000. He said that they can run upwards of $10,000 per. Essential for certifying a "Green/Energy Star" home. An idea for home inspectors that may be too cost prohibitive for some, if not most, I would imagine.
Steve, you are right and why these devices require training. This is just one of many things that can create what otherwise might be considered different information.
Charles,
The home inspector I recommend does have an IR camera and it is a useful tool for when you suspect something is going on but can't quite pin it down. Price is still an issue but I suspect that a couple of years from now you'll be looking back and wondering how you ever did without one.
Rich
Good informative blog, Charles. I liked Steve Blehl's comment above on how sensitive they are and how much they cost!! Goodness, no wonder Mr. Q could afford to send Nutsy 75 pesos!!
Richard, I agree and just think----there are still inspectors out there that insist moisture meters are unnecessary!
Barbara, I hear Mr. Q drives a Hummer as his inspection vehicle:) As to bailing out Nutsy---I find that hightly unlikely----at least until his summer barbeque.
Great information thanks for sharing.
Pat, you are welcome.
I have being playing with the idea of getting certified to use a infrared camera. Nobody here is marketing this service.
~ Life is Good
I hear you Roy---not sure I want to market it---but sure would be fun to play with:)
I sub out my IR jobs and actually pass out his name to my clients even though he is competition. I know if I got one it would be more than a tool and I'd end up playing with it on every inspection. Down the road, other things first.
Thank you Charlie for the endorsement. Some interesting comments here.
One I would like to follow up on is Steve's and the foil faced insulation. One of the aspects of using the IR camera is the material being viewed. Some materials are reflective like that foil faced insulation. This can be compensated for by adjusting the camera settings. It just demonstrates that using these devices can be more complex than it may appear.
Barbara, No 75 peso came from this bank that vermin busted out of jail and concocted that story to cover his tracks.
As for my vehicle it is a 2003 Honda CRV. No Hummer. I don't do thousands of inspections a year so I have drive a Honda. :(
Jack,yup---me too.
James---my pleasure. "Vermin"----"Nutsy"----has a nice ring to it:)
Charles - I've been doing IR since 2005 and I can tell you, it has saved my bacon, or that of my clients, many, many times. My favorite inspection is the examination of where in a house the insulation has fallen during the first year. The client gives the report to the builder and says, here, here, there, here... Then the builder, who did not have time to staple the insulation the first time around, now has to make time to remove drywall, properly install insulation a second time, and re-do the drywall. How fun!
The pictures are definitive so there is NO argument from the builder!
Jay, on the Planet Charles, I seriously doubt that fiberglass batt insulation would be allowed----but I will save that rant for another time:)
That would also be true on the planet James as well and I have done that rant.
Hey, I had one too!!!
I'm supposed to type the word "raspberry" below. Fitting...
James, don't you hate "obviousness?":)
Jay, where would we be without good "rants" every now and then?