An infrared camera, in the hands of a certified and experienced thermographer, will provide a lot of clues as to what’s going on. But it can only tell us whats happening at the moment. If we are lucky enough to be inspecting while a leak is ongoing, the IR camera can reveal that before there are visually observable clues. But it is just another tool at the home inspectors disposal.
While acknowledging IR cameras’ usefulness, I have to warn that they aren’t perfect.
It can’t see through walls. It’s not a crystal ball. And it doesn’t see everything. I use the camera in conjunction with my own eyes, and years of experience. I see some new inspectors offering IR services when they themselves may not have had enough time to understand what they are seeing. Or people who run out and buy a camera but don’t take any training. There can be a lot of confusion created by the ‘less-than common sense’ image if you don’t understand how all the different components may be operating together to create the image we see. Its pretty easy to start drawing extreme conclusions.
There’s a saying “When you have a hammer, everything’s a nail. When I first started with IR, everything blue looked like a leak and that’s obviously not the case. But there are lots of really useful things that can come from using IR. I have discovered structural flaws, leaking aquariums, poor plumbing connections in the ceiling above the living room of new construction, missing insulation, leaky windows, bad shower stalls, and I even discovered where my own cats were hiding during the renovation process.
I look forward to showing you my findings as we work together on your home purchase.
Egbert Jager
Infrared Training Centre
Level 1 – Building Investigations
