ABOUT THERMOGRAPHY

Thermography is the use of an infrared imaging and measurement camera to "see" and "measure" thermal energy emitted from an object. 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.

HOW DO INFRARED CAMERAS WORK

An infrared camera detects infrared energy (heat) and converts it into an electronic signal, which is then processed to produce a thermal image on a video monitor and perform temperature calculations. Heat sensed by an infrared camera can be very precisely quantified, or measured, allowing you to not only monitor thermal performance, but also identify and evaluate the relative severity of heat-related problems.

WHY USE INFRARED?

A picture says a thousand words; infrared thermography is the only diagnostic technology that lets you instantly visualize and verify thermal performance. Infrared cameras show you thermal problems, quantify them with precise non-contact temperature measurement, and document them automatically in seconds with professional easy-to-create IR reports.

The B2 infrared camera offers a noninvasive means of monitoring and diagnosing the condition of buildings. It provides immediate documentation of as-built or post restoration quality, plumbing and building envelope water leakage, post-flood and fire water-damaged material assessment, roofing, and even rodent or pest discovery.

A wet wall after a fire

The thermogram on the left shows water and moisture remaining from sprinklers that were activated during a fire that was knocked down about 11 hours earlier. Note how the IR image clearly identifies the wet areas in the insulation and building structure and on the floor by their relatively cooler temperatures.

A Leaking Bedroom Ceiling

The thermogram (left) clearly shows a leaking bedroom ceiling (visible, right). The leak was assumed by the owner to originate in an upstairs marble-paneled bathroom in the $3 million home. The estimated cost to rip out and replace the marble to access the plumbing was estimated at $80,000! Further IR investigation absolved the bathroom and traced the source of the leak to a clogged weep hole under the threshold of a door leading to an upstairs porch.

Vinyl-sided apartment house

The thermogram of this vinyl-sided 3-floor apartment house clearly shows the path of a serious leak from a washing machine on the third floor, which is completely hidden within the wall.