Infrared Thermal Imaging

The newest innovation in home inspections

Why use an Infrared Camera?

Infrared cameras are the latest technology being used for fast, reliable, accurate building diagnosis in the entire range of building problems, from post-catastrophe fire and flood investigations to chronic leaks and moisture problems.

Moisture in building materials can destroy structural integrity and nurture mold. The first step in moisture problem remediation is to quickly and accurately locate and remove all sources of moisture. By finding variations in temperature, Infrared cameras instantly show you what's wet and what's dry.

For example, an area that is damp from a plumbing leak will heat up at a different rate than a dry area. The variations in heat emitted can be easily detected with an Infrared Camera.  IR cameras can often find the ultimate source with little or no physical disassembly of the premises and minimal disturbance of inhabitants.

To illustrate how the infrared camera "sees" heat, Lucy (pictured at left) was kind enough to pose for a picture. As you can see, her nose, which is wet and cold, appears as blue and black while her eyes are white hot.

How do they work?

Thermography is the use of an infrared imaging and measurement camera to "see" and "measure" thermal energy emitted from an object. When two areas composed of the same or similar materials experience changing ambient temperatures, the area with the higher thermal mass will change slower. The first thing we do is turn on the heater to warm up the house. The dry areas with less thermal mass will warm up quickly. Areas with a higher thermal mass which may include damp areas will warm up slower, and these differences will be obvious when viewed through the Infrared camera.

Please note that an Infrared camera is not a magic tool. It cannot determine if a leak will occur if the area has had time to dry out. For example, if there has been no rain for several months, the Infrared camera will not detect moisture from a roof leak since none is present.

Thermal, or infrared energy, is light that is not visible because its wavelength is too long to be detected by the human eye; it's the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we perceive as heat. Unlike visible light, in the infrared world, everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits heat. Even very cold objects, like ice cubes, emit infrared. The higher the object's temperature, the greater the IR radiation emitted. Infrared allows us to see what our eyes cannot.

Infrared thermography cameras produce images of invisible infrared or "heat" radiation and provide precise non-contact temperature measurement capabilities.

Watch video provided by camera manufacturer FLIR Systems.
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