Not all problems inside of a house cannot be detected by the naked human eyes. But, that doesn’t mean home inspectors should change their way of home inspections. To help home inspectors locate such undetectable issues by the human eye, infrared thermography is indeed very nifty in preventing home maintenance.
For a normal consumer, knowing about infrared thermography can become quite far-fetched, which is why we’re here to help you out with the same. In this in-depth blog post, we’ll be taking a look at infrared thermography along with its benefits.
What Do You Mean By Infrared Thermography?
According to a professional service provider for a home inspection in Boerne, IR or infrared thermography can be defined as a certain type of home inspection procedure that utilizes thermal imaging equipment. The equipment detects infrared energy in a house. Different substances & objects emit different levels of infrared energy.
It must be learned that infrared light is not detectable by the naked human eye, unlike visible light. This is because it falls on the invisible end of the electromagnetic spectrum mainly because of its longer wavelength.
So, when a home inspector uses an infrared camera to locate infrared thermal emissions, the camera will show temperature variations inside the house. Such temperature variations will be shown via a simple color gradient. Using this procedure, the home inspector will be able to detect any potential problems based on the variation of the temperature inside the home.
Is Infrared Thermography Useful?
You must learn that infrared thermography is useful in multiple types of applications. Some of the major industries where this technology is used are:
- Security & Surveillance
- Astronomy
- Medicine
- Construction
- Home Inspections and much more
The tools that are used in each of the above-mentioned industries will vary according to needs. But, the underlying principle of infrared thermography remains the same throughout.
When a home inspector uses infrared technology during the home inspection process, the infrared thermography camera can cover a massive space quickly. Moreover, since infrared testing tends to be non-invasive, it’s much safer to use than doing contact inspections.
The home inspector will be able to spot issues inside the house before they turn into major ones that may need costly repairs. Such issues will be documented in the home inspection report and homeowners can see the problems without fail.
What Will An Infrared Thermography Inspection Will Be Able To Reveal?
With the help of infrared technology, the home inspector will be able to interpret the following set of data:
- Leaks In The Roof
With the help of infrared testing, home inspectors can view the differences in surface temperatures. Such a process makes it easy to showcase if there’s any presence of moisture in the roof.
During the daytime, the roof absorbs heat from the sunlight, allowing the temperatures to go up. But, during the nighttime, the roof releases heat and the temperature gets lowered. So, when there’s moisture in the roof, the heat is released at a slower rate than usual. Thus, a variation in temperature occurs in different areas of the roof – leading to varying roof signatures.
- Faults In The Electrical System
Electrical problems are often preceded by a surge in the temperature of the electrical equipment. When electricity flows through a circuit, some of the electrical energy gets converted to heat energy. As a result, such a scenario helps the home inspector to locate the potential issues before they create a major accident. Using thermal imaging the following set of electrical faults can be located:
- Overloading
- Loose connections
- Defective Insulation
- Damaged Jumper Wires
- Open Circuits
- Circuit Breaker Issues and so on
Therefore, it can be seen via the aforementioned instances that infrared thermography is highly meritorious in-home inspection.