thermal imaging my home for heat leaks

[1 FMF]

how much do thermal or IR cameras cost?
I read all the time about it in various industry lubrication magazines- how thermal imaging shows hot spots equipment which can help with maintenance and prevent failures. I'd like to look at my windows and doors and walls and find out what needs fixin, or would it be cheaper to just buy all new doors and windows?

what other equipment is available that would let me do this, or are there services available?

 

[k1xv]

This is definitely a case where hiring somebody for a couple of hours is better than buying.

I don't know if anyone is even offering this service for residential applications, but it has been in use in industry for at least 30 years. An infrared TV camera is used and somebody looks at the monitor in real time.

If such a service is available, it is much better than buying, because to interpret the picture requires knowledge, and the equipment is not cheap, and you only need it once every few years.

 

[Bob Woods]

Check with your local utility supplier, they may still offer energy audits. If you own a camera buy some IR film and do it yourself.

 

[tom slick]

I'd like to have one of those cameras for for. they are only about $4000 for a cheap one!
I too would like to know of a place that rents them.

 

[loudist]

Borrow Paris Hlton's night vision video camera.

Aren't they infrared cameras?

 

[tom slick]

quote:

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Originally posted by tom slick:
I'd like to have one of those cameras for PM's at work. they are only about $4000 for a cheap one!
I too would like to know of a place that rents them.

---

 

[seotaji]

not to be a loser or anything, but have you checked to see if the seals around the doors and windows are in good condition?

also, new insulated doors are rather costly, depending on how much quality you are looking for.

of course if your windows use thin single pane glass, then i'd consider the new models.

i'm not a fan of the vinyl or aluminum ones (but i haven't been shopping around).

 

[Pablo]

Some utilities used to do this for free......think about it......they had to pay for the camera, the guy to do it, the time....all to help use less of their product......hmmm...

I think rather than pay someone, just read up and start with the logical inexpensive items first....if you are going to do windows, it really will make it nice for comfort and bills, but unlikely if you'll recoup the dollars invested if you sell. One house in Oregon, I did ALL the windows myself....really was GREAT!

 

[oilyriser]

Are there any new Cadillac owners in your area? They had a thermal imaging option, for seeing better through fog, and at night.

 

[k1xv]

You actually need a fairly specialized infrared camera with someone who can interpret and adjust it, and who knows what temperature differences are normal and what differences are not.

Thirty years ago, I was a utility operations supervisor in an oil refinery, and I hired a crew with a truck mounted camera to scan the entire overhead electrical system, looking for warm spots (indicative of loose connections on electrical bus connections, shorts in transformers, etc.) and if you didn't know what you were doing, the information was not very useful.

 

[Al]

quote:

---

Originally posted by seotaji:
not to be a loser or anything, but have you checked to see if the seals around the doors and windows are in good condition?

also, new insulated doors are rather costly, depending on how much quality you are looking for.

of course if your windows use thin single pane glass, then i'd consider the new models.

i'm not a fan of the vinyl or aluminum ones (but i haven't been shopping around).

---

I agree. Check the major things..windows, insulation, seals, etc. Alittle bit of air in/out isn't a bad thing. It helps cut down on indoor polutants. I think the "hi-tech" approach is over the top and intended to separate the not-to-bright from their money. Just an opinion though. I'm sure it has its place in industry. I used them in the Power generation industry.

 

[kenw]

radiant loss really insn't the most common point of loss anyway. Air infiltration is way above it in most homes, even new ones.

To check for infiltration, hold a small flame near door and window openings on a windy day. flickering of the flame indicates air leakage. You can pressurize the house with fans and seals, but I've done it without that and it worked well.

Infrared detection is nice to do, but as the others said, it takes some specialized equippment and some knowledge to know what it is you are seeing. Just looking for warm spots will be overkill and could actually be counterproductive.

Common sense can often fix most radiant leaks without resorting to hightech snooping, the idea is to save money. Reflective film is the easiest to do, is extremely efficient and beneficial if you have single pane glass. Dual or triple pane windows are bit pricey for DYI, but they will help bigtime.

good luck.

 

[1sttruck]

After doing a bit research you'll find that really good, expensive windows have very poor R values, compared to typical walls these days at least, and that as mentioned air infiltration is a big deal. The 'right way' to do improvements is to determine where your losses are coming from, there are checklists and such available that allow you estimate it, and then to determine what gets you the most bang for the buck. An easier way is to pay attention to big stuff like insulation in the attic, replacing single pane windows (we got rid of double pane aluminum frame windows as we could over an inch of ice the INSIDE during the winter), and then buying a bunch of caulk and spray foam and being a real nitpicker about air leaks. Start in the crawl space, go to the sill of house, and work your way up. Do not put insulation in until you've addressed air infiltration and vapor barriers.

When you're done you'll bask in glory when your roof is always the last one to clear of snow and frost :^)

 

[1 FMF]

I neglected to mention this is a condo, or townhouse. A ground floor, which is the garage and entrance with concrete walls (the foundation), then the living room above that, and 2 bedrooms on 3rd floor. 1100 sq ft.
So I won't be doing any wall insulation, or getting into the attic. I'm sure the contractors who built these buildings cut every corner possible, and definitely skimped on insulation.

My biggest problems are the bedroom windows. There's definitely a draft coming in, and probably the biggest reason for heat loss. I'm really not in the mood to fix it, but the flame idea I tink I will try. Hopefully I don't catch the bed or curtains on fire.

 

[kenw]

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1 FMF:
I neglected to mention this is a condo, or townhouse. A ground floor, which is the garage and entrance with concrete walls (the foundation), then the living room above that, and 2 bedrooms on 3rd floor. 1100 sq ft.
So I won't be doing any wall insulation, or getting into the attic. I'm sure the contractors who built these buildings cut every corner possible, and definitely skimped on insulation.

My biggest problems are the bedroom windows. There's definitely a draft coming in, and probably the biggest reason for heat loss. I'm really not in the mood to fix it, but the flame idea I tink I will try. Hopefully I don't catch the bed or curtains on fire.

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Latex caulk can cure a lot of ills for not much effort. The spray-in expanding foam can work if there are large spaces/gaps. but it's really messy if you aren't super careful.

..after I posted I thought (but didn't until now) recommend that you use a still-smoking **extinguished** match around curtains and such. It will work well but you need a bunch of matches....

'course the smoke smell will get into the curtains....nothing is perfect!

 

[Gary Allan]

I missed this thread...

I got to borrow the thermal imager (different from infared) from my closing plant ..they aren't cheap. This one was $50k when new ...same model today is $10-11 depending on optional hardware. You could look at an engine and it would be all red and white (orange -bright colors ..and then hit a button ..and it would index the thermal variance in the viewer. There was a cross hair in the center that, when pointed at a given spot, would display the temp up in the corner. I did a quick scan of my house and the neighborhood. The surface thermal "hot spots" appeared where the dormers met the roof and eves. I was surprised that I didn't really see a whole lot of heat reaching the outer surface of the houses on my block. The average age is around 75 years old.

One of the most impressive views was seeing your thermal reflection in near total darkness in a window from about 30 ft away

. Another was seeing the heat bath that your engine puts out on your parking spot after you shut it off. The macadam appears to soak it up.