Closet ceiling to the naked eye
Home Inspections have been traditionally visual inspections. This has been taken to mean visual to the human eye and readily seen. But just as home construction has become more technical,so has the practice of Professional Home Inspection. Electrical Circuit Analyzers,gas and CO meters and UV flashlights are now commonly used for home inspections. Although not new technology,one of the newest such tools is the Thermal or IR imaging camera.
Don’t be fooled by claims that Thermal imaging allows the operator to “see through walls”or it gives them “x-ray”vision. The truth is that neither of these statements are true. Although the images produced by the Thermal imager may appear to do just that,it really only shows temperature differentials and areas where heat is being transferred to or away from the surface of a material.
Moisture revealed by thermal imaging
A Thermal Infrared Survey can often quickly identify problem areas that cannot be seen by the naked eye –eliminating destructive probing methods. Our infrared survey can:
- pinpoint hidden water leaks or current moisture damage –Moisture issues in homes and buildings are just a tip of the iceburg. Mass production of homes throughout the state show considerable defects in insulation and materials,poor workmanship and more. Homes were built in mass with over worked inspectors,shady trades working by “the piece” furiously trying to finish and get paid. After completion,everything looks good from the exterior,but when if you look a little deeper,many deficiencies are uncovered.
- identify energy loss due to poor insulation –Heat losses in buildings can account for up to 50% of the total energy
Missing insulation in a ceiling
consumption and comes from air leakage through chimneys,attics,wall vents and badly sealed windows/doors,stucco etc.
- detect electrical “hot spots”revealing hidden problems that often cannot be detected in the course of a traditional visual inspection
In today’s market conditions where foreclosed and short sale transactions do not disclose the conditions of the property,an extended home inspection with thermal imaging inspection can have home buyers make an informed decision on the condition of the property prior the purchase.
Cost? The cost of investigation with this cutting edge technology is surprisingly affordable. For a just a few hundred dollars,a very small percentage of the cost of a home,we can point out areas which will begin saving you money right away and potentially save you major costs later as undetected conditions worsen.
Consider the cost of not taking advantage of this technology!
- NOTE:Although infrared thermal imaging is a far better diagnostic tool than the naked eye,it does not guarantee 100% accuracy,unless removal or destruction of components can be achieved to validate findings. When possible,other tools are used to verify thermal images,but even with these considerations we do not claim to have x-ray vision. Conditions may change and cause the apparent temperatures revealed on thermal images to be different at any given time.
