Buying a New Home: Uncover Hidden Issues with Thermal Investigation

Although the number of people that own or are renting an apartment is currently on the rise, owning a house is still the Australian dream. However, buying a house is never an easy decision. There are so many aspects that need to be looked at so that the new house can meet your personal needs. This includes the location of the home and the surrounding area, how close it is to your work or your kid’s school, the number of bedrooms… On top of all that, there are some things that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Your dream house may hide problems like a leak behind a wall or poor insulation. Therefore, it’s always advisable to turn to professionals for a thermal inspection before making the final decision. It’s only natural that you want to get the value you pay for.

Infrared investigation can be done with the help of thermal imaging cameras. These can spot small but key changes in temperature in different parts of a house that can prove to be problematic later in time. When thermally investigated, a house will show up as hot, cold or something in between.

For instance, infrared cameras can be used to quickly determine whether ceiling stains (if there are any) are active or not. Although this doesn’t always have to mean that there is moisture, if the ceiling is at the same temperature, it’s likely that it’s wet. No one wants to get into a new home, only for the roof to start failing apart which translates into spending extra money on repairs.

Also, making sure that your new home is properly isolated should be on your list of priorities. A house that is well-insulated provides you with year-round comfort and can cut cooling and heating bills up to half. Since insulation is not something that can be visually seen, again, it sure makes sense to have the house inspected. Detecting insulation problems is probably the most obvious use for an infrared camera. When insulation is missing or it’s not installed properly, it’s quite obvious. If a wall is not insulated properly, the studs will be the warmest part of the wall.

Next, insect activity that is destroying wooden parts of the house can be also detected with an infrared camera due to the heat generated. Although small activity may not be noticeable, areas not normally visible to the naked eye can be identified, and then a more invasive or technically exhaustive inspection can be carried out by a professional.

Whether you are a homeowner or a certified thermal inspector, when it comes to choosing the best quality infrared camera, what I personally recommend is flir camera. The FLIR pro camera, for instance, is very simple to use and was designed with homeowners and hobbyists who want a powerful smartphone thermal camera in mind. What I like about this model is that it has high resolution, good image quality and a wide temperature range. It is also compatible with most smartphones, like iPhones, USB-C Android phones, and Micro USB android devices. The camera’s resolution is decent, the temperature range is ultra-wide, and the camera’s rugged design makes it safe to use both at home and work-related sites.

If you already know that you will need to do many repairs in your house, then I recommend going for an expensive semi-professional grade flir camera like the FLIR E4 or FLIR C2 and spend up to $1.000. These are more accurate and will allow you to zoom in on the pictures and identify problems easier and more quickly.

But if your profession includes daily use of the thermal imaging camera, then it sure makes sense to spend even over $10.000 for a flir camera. Those professionals who are in need of the most accurate measurements should consider the FLIR E75 thermal camera. This one offers a touchscreen IPS display with 160 degrees viewing angle and great thermal detection ranging up to 1830F. It also allows one to make voice notes, tag GPS location on the images and store reports in customizable work folders.

On a final note, even current homeowners with no intentions of selling would benefit from having a thermal inspection done. Also while you are trying to sell a home, it would do you a lot of good to have a thermographic inspection conducted. You can display the inspection report alongside your listing. A positive report would certainly inspire many people to check out the home.