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DID
YOU KNOW? (ABOUT BUILDING IR THERMOGRAPHY)
- Infrared (IR) thermography can be used as a building diagnostic
technique, to perform surveys of buildings for heat loss, missing
insulation, moisture, structural defects and other unwanted conditions?
Infrared thermography can
be used as a building quality
assurance tool? All building
materials will absorb, retain
and radiate heat energy at a
different rate, therefore
building components can be
checked for quality of
installation using IR. In very
cold climates, poorly
installed
insulation and vapor barriers
can lead to condensation
problems and the degradation
of the building itself. In warm
climates, as more “fresh”
moist outside air is
mechanically introduced into
buildings in an attempt to
make the building healthier,
condensation and its side
effects - mold and mildew,
become a real threat to
building owners and
managers, in reality and in
the form of health-related
lawsuits.
- Improperly installed insulation and air seals in buildings can
be seen, documented and measured using IR and blower door testing? Building components “inside” the walls, ceilings
and floors are recognizable using infrared because the surface
temperatures are affected by their differences in mass. For example,
infrared thermography can be used to determine the presence and correct
placement of grouted cells in concrete block walls. If the owner of a
new block building spends a little money checking the building work with
infrared thermography, the contractor will be forced to build the
building to specifications, or face the added direct cost of repairs and
resulting loss of schedule repercussions.
- Inspecting buildings for heat loss was one of the first
commercial uses for infrared thermography? As we decide to become less dependent on fossil fuels, IR will
again be used as it was in the 1980’s to monitor the energy
efficiency of buildings, but now with the newer IR cameras and more
thermographers, more and more buildings will become energy efficient and
better-built.
For more information or to
join the BuildScanIRÔ Network, please visit www.buildscanir.com.
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Welcome to the July, 2006 Edition of The Stockton
Report, created to provide valuable communication to our customers and
on-line subscribers. To our
customers, we’d like to take the time to thank you for your business
and to express how much we value your confidence in our services. To our on-line subscribers, we would like
to thank you for visiting our website and your interest in our company.
Please
don’t hesitate to contact us for any reason. Current contact information is always
available on our website at www.stocktoninfrared.com/new/contact.htm. Also, to our customers, you may access
our Client Satisfaction Survey at http://www.stocktoninfrared.com/clientsurvey.htm
any time. Thank you for your time and your business!
Sincerely,
Cindy
Hawks
Marketing
Director
336-772-9838
cindy@stocktoninfrared.com
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BuildScanIRÔ,
the buildings division of Stockton Infrared Thermographic Services, Inc.,
is now the BuildScanIRÔ
Network. The website, www.buildscanir.com, has been
upgraded to a user portal site to provide information to anyone interested
in Building IR. BuildScanIRÔ,
is the largest the largest group of private thermographers in North America.
In addition to providing
information to anyone interested in Building IR, the BuildScanIRÔ Network was created as a resource for
Home Inspectors who wish to upgrade their service to include infrared
technology. Membership in the
network is free and Home Inspectors who join the network will have access
to infrared training, infrared equipment, and expert advice. The upgraded site includes message
boards, forums, and articles. In
addition to the information exchange, the site is offering published papers
that can be read on-line and access to experts in IR thermography in the
building IR community. Also, through special arrangements with infrared
camera manufacturers, the network offers a rental pool, camera exchange and
targeted training classes, which are geared toward Home Inspectors with a
building background who wish to upgrade their expertise to include infrared
inspections.
Infrared thermography is a relatively
economical building diagnostic technique, used to perform surveys of the
thermal and moisture envelope of a home and is an effective tool for
examining the structural components of buildings as well. The building
inspection industry is quickly evolving with demands for more in-depth
inspection information, such as energy-efficiency and construction
inadequacies. In addition,
perspective home owners are more concerned about their large
investment. “Rapid advances in
infrared technology and the manufacturers’ economies of scale, have
decreased prices on starter infrared cameras to the sub-$10,000 range and
the trend is for even lower prices”, notes Greg Stockton, president
of SITS.
To be an effective tool, the home
inspector must know the limitations of the imager, the way that buildings
absorb and radiate heat energy, and the best time to perform a given IR
survey. He must have an imager capable of finding and documenting problems
and more importantly, understand how building physics play a role in the
success of an infrared survey. “Building IR applications can actually
be one of the most demanding on imager thermal sensitivity and spatial
resolution, the two most important factors in an imager’s ability to
focus in on sometimes physically small and/or thermally miniscule problems”,
states Mr. Stockton.
At
this time, home inspection pricing models do not support providing in-depth
thermographic services as part of the inspection fee, but could give the
home inspector a competitive edge. Becoming part of the network makes infrared
thermography an economically viable add-on service by providing the home
inspector with access to an infrared camera and the training necessary to
get started, until he can build his business to the point that he can
afford to buy one. “This is a fantastic opportunity for the NACHI
home inspector interested in infrared technology to get trained, rent an
imager from a pool and later buy an imager at discount prices”, says
Nick Gromicko, founder of NACHI (National Association of Certified Home Inspectors).
Providing expert advice,
training, support and services to building infrared thermographers in North
America. Call us at 1-800-248-7226!
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