Special offer

Energy Audit of High School Gymnasium Reveals Strange Infrared Patterns

By
Real Estate Technology with Alamo Infrared, LLC

During a recent energy audit of a high school gymnasium in Wyoming we found some really cool "bar graph like" patterns in the cinder block walls. The outside air temperature was in the upper thirties and the porous cinder blocks were saturated from a recent heavy rain storm. Once we installed our huge blower door fans and started depressurizing the building we noticed these strange thermal images. The exterior walls looked more like "bar graphs". The solution to this porosity issue will be to coat the exterior surfaces with a sealer. The blue in the thermal images is wet and cold wall structures.

high school energy audit high school energy audit high school energy audit utah high school energy audit utah high school energy audit utah high school energy audit high volume blower door high school gymnasium

Posted by

 

Alamo Real Estate and Property Evaluations | Est. 1986 | Alamo Infrared Energy Audits

 

Ed Newman  |  801-651-5484  |  ed@umrt.com |  umrt.com

Utah's Largest and Oldest Infrared Real Estate Evaluation, Inspection and Energy Auditing Company ▫ Established in 1986

Residential ▫ Commercial ▫ Industrial ▫ Medical ▫ Government Buildings ▫ Local ▫ State ▫ Federal

 

Comments (4)

James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC - Wallingford, CT
Connecticut Home Inspector

Was there a detrimental effect showing on the interior? The walls look fine in your photos. Those bars look like they correspond exactly to the vertical structures on the exterior. I'm inclined to believe it's thermal differences due to mass. 

Sep 24, 2010 02:59 AM
Bruce Breedlove
Avalon Inspection Services - Colorado Springs, CO

The blue areas that go from floor to ceiling are most likely cavities in the block walls that were filled with concrete and rebar for structural strength. If this is the case (and I am fairly certain that I am correct), the thermal mass of the solid portions of the walls is much higher than the open-cell portions. This means the inside surface (which is what the IR camera sees) heats up (and cools down) slower than the inside surface of the open-cell areas.

Oct 02, 2010 05:17 PM
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker

this is great information, i will be sure and pass it on to others

Jan 06, 2011 06:20 AM
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker

I forgot to mention, I don't know if you heard but Kodak will no longer make Kodachrome film.

Jan 06, 2011 06:22 AM