MAINE INFRARED THERMAL IMAGING

Elm-City Home Inspections now offers Infrared Thermal Imaging with each Home Inspection it does. We also offer a full Infrared Thermal Inspection and report. Our infrared thermal- graphic camera enables us to do a powerful noninvasive way to see what is happing to the building we are inspecting. This technology helps monitor and diagnose the condition of buildings. It can quickly indentify problem areas that can't be seen by the naked eye eliminating destructive probing methods. We at Elm-City Home Inspections offers advantages to you over a typical Maine Home inspectors who lack our Infrared thermal imaging Technology. In fact less than three percent of Maine Home Inspectors even use Infrared Thermal Imaging Technology in the field.

Results are captured, documented instantly in a picture in a picture or just a full Infrared picture and easily into professional reports.

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The photo above shows a large amount of heat lost thought the side light on the outside front door of the home. ( Picture in a picture ) The side light needs to be sealed. This was not done when the front door was installed of when the home was finished. The top picture shows the high heat lost in red and the colder parts in blue and green.

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This will provided you with tangile proof of your findings. Using a Certified Maine Home Inspecion Company to do a Infrared Thermal Imaging Home Inspection will help you save hundreds , or even thousands of dollars a year. We can identify missing insulation, improperly installed or compressed insulation, shirinkage or settling of various insulating materials. We can see moisture, leaks in roofs, leaks in water pipes leakage in buried hot water pipes, water lines and elecrical issues before they pose a bigger risk to fiscal or physical well-being.

What is Infrared Thermal Imaging Technology ?

Infrared thermal imaging has come a long way. This technology was only domain of the science and space program and then made it's way in the military and night vision programs. Infrared thermal imaging has been in the industrial and commercial area for some time now. It is now just coming into the residential field of home inspections. Thermography is the use of infrared imaging and measurement camera to "see" and " measure" thermal energy emitted from an object. Because eveything has a surface temperature, infrared thermal imaging ( ITI ) allows us to see the variances in those surface temperatures. The variances are represented by different colors and we can see the hot and cold spots given. we now can take the picture and use our diagnose methods to tell you whats going on in the building and wiring. Infrared imaging techology allows us to see what our eyes cannot see and what other home inspectors can not see.

Why is Infrared Thermal Inmaging so vital to your home inspection?

There are two primary mechanisms for heat loss in buildings are conduction throught the walls and air leakage. Both can be identified from the surface of the buildings wiyh inafared thermography. Early correction of faults identified can be made before extensive damage can occcur.

Conductive Losses-- Problems identtified as conducttive losses are: missing insulation, improperly installed or comperessed insulation, shrinkage or settling of various insulating materials, excessive thermal bridging in joints between walls and the top and bottom plates, moisture damage to insulation, and building materials, heat loss through multi-pane windows with a broken seals, leak in water pipes, damaged heat ducts, location or, or leakage in buried heat and steam lines, water lines or underground sprinkler systems, etc.

Air Leakage-- Air leakage is thew passage of air throuh a building envelope, wall, window,jionys, etc. Leakage to the interior is referred to as infiltratio and leakage to the exterior is referred to as exfiltraion. Excessive air movement significantly reduces the thermal integrity and the performance of the envelope. Therefore this is a major contrbutor to the energy consumption in the building.

In addition to energy loss caused by excessive air leakage, it can cause condensation to from within and on walls. This can create many problems; reduce insulation R-value, permanenly damage insulation, and seriously degrade materials. It can rot wood, corrode metals, stain brick or concrete surfaces. Inextreme cases cause concrete to spall, bricks to separate, motar to crumble and sections of a wall to fall jeopardizing the safety of the occupants. It can also corrode structural steel, rebar, and metal hangers and boilts with very seriouse safety and maintenance issues.

Virtually anywhere in the building envelope where there is a joint, junction or opening, there is potential for air leakage. An experienced themographer can identify the thermal irregularities on the building envelope and the themal pattern discerning whether the pattern indicates a problem with the insulation, air leakage or the building structure.

What Infrared Thermal Imaging is NOT..

It,s not a Moisture Meter, X-Ray Vision,Super Tool or a Risk Eliminateor. It cannot detect moisture because the best it can do is detect thermal differences. The infafared imaging camera can indentify the suspect areas that require further investigation.

A Maine Home Inspector, equipped with a thermal imaging camera and properly trained in it's use,can find suspect areas with a house that a normal home inspectors cannot. These areas include..

: Water intrusion through the houses exterior covering, whether the house has brick,stucco, wood or vinyl siding.

: Plumbing leaks insdie the houuse, including leaking pipes,improperly seated toilets, leaky show pans,bathtubsand water pipe condensation that can grow mold.

: Improperly installed insulation or no insulation at all.

: Wet moisture inside walls in the in the stud area,

: Circuit breakers in need of immediate replacement, Electrical faults before they can cause a fire, overloaded and undersized circuits.

Below shows a ceiling leak viewed with A Infrared Thermal imaging.

This is a picture in a picture set up.

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Revision Date January 15, 2010

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