They can only do one simple thing----and they can do this one simple thing VERY well. They can see temperature differences on the surface of things. Because of the camera’s ability, the Thermographer (with proper training and experience) can give you a pretty good educated guess as to what those different temperatures mean. When areas are found that may indicate moisture, these areas are then checked/verified with different kinds of moisture meters----or areas are opened up to verify the actual presence of moisture.
Because these cameras are so good at reading temperature differences, they are extremely useful in Energy Efficiency Analysis of homes, so that money can be spent the most wisely in reducing energy costs.
I by no means pretend to be an expert in the use of these cameras----and I do not own one. Generally speaking they are considered to be a tool that is outside the scope of a Standard Home Inspection. I have called for IR evaluation of homes when I suspected issues, and could not verify what was going on “visually.” I suspect that as costs for the cameras come down, more inspectors will have them, and they will become more common place in the course of Standard Home Inspections.
When I went to the dentist yesterday morning----which was nothing like my Last Visit----I couldn’t help but notice how Mother Nature was doing her own IR scan of the roof of the building----with frost. But just like the IR Camera----all we can tell is that there are temperature differences on the roof surfaces. Some of the possibilities are: warm air moving in the air space between the insulation and the roof sheathing, missing insulation, insulation out of place, batt or foam-board type insulation, inadequate insulation at wall top plates, recessed lighting, and/or a combination of these possibilities.
This kind of information from Mother Nature is all “frosting” on the cake.
Charles Buell
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