I believe it is human nature to want to trust others. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. And when it comes to hiring experts to perform work, the phrase "trust but verify" can be the difference between ensuring you get what you paid for and getting the short end of the stick.
In the home performance industry, I get the occasional call to verify the work of a contractor - such as air sealing or insulation - because there is doubt in the customer's eyes as to whether the work was done properly or even at all.
In the world of commercial construction, proactive engineers and construction companies will bring me out to a job site to help determine if the subcontractors are performing their work according to the architectural plans.
Of all the tools in my bag - and there is no shortage of gadgets, I assure you - none is as effective as my infrared camera. Under most conditions, thermal imaging is the best way to understand the underlying issues of a structure, be it a bedroom wall, attic, or 60 ft concrete wall. As long as there is an acceptable temperature difference between the surface(s) in question, the energy emitted from the surface(s) will tell the thermal story we need to hear.
A Residential Example:
Last fall a client asked me to verify that her home's walls were insulated according to the specifications laid out by the contractor. And, for the most part, the work was up to snuff. Because it was a warm afternoon (around 80F), the client was cooling the home (around 68F). The resulting temperature difference was enough to provide some impressive images.
In the picture below, the darker areas represent areas where insulation is installed properly. Therefore, the cool air that the client is paying for is staying where it should...indoors. The lighter areas are where there is missing insulation. Heat (energy) from outside is conducting through the exterior wall assembly, convecting through the empty wall cavity, conducting through the interior drywall, and radiating off the drywall where the camera can detect the resulting emitted energy.
Last fall a client asked me to verify that her home's walls were insulated according to the specifications laid out by the contractor. And, for the most part, the work was up to snuff. Because it was a warm afternoon (around 80F), the client was cooling the home (around 68F). The resulting temperature difference was enough to provide some impressive images.
In the picture below, the darker areas represent areas where insulation is installed properly. Therefore, the cool air that the client is paying for is staying where it should...indoors. The lighter areas are where there is missing insulation. Heat (energy) from outside is conducting through the exterior wall assembly, convecting through the empty wall cavity, conducting through the interior drywall, and radiating off the drywall where the camera can detect the resulting emitted energy.
So, as you can imagine, the client was disappointed that this area was not insulated properly. Fortunately, the contractor agreed to come out and remedy the problem.
A Commercial Example:
Construction of a nearby office building is underway. When building concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls, there is a requirement that grout and rebar be installed under each area that will support a steel beam. The grout and rebar provide structural strength. If grout and rebar is missing, there is the potential for serious structural repercussions.
So while the general contractor would like to trust that these areas are being filled properly, they felt that verification would be time and money well spent. And they were right. Over the course of several imaging sessions we discovered several areas that lacked the necessary grout and rebar. We were also able to verify that many were also done correctly.
In the image below left, the arrow is pointing to cells below a beam pocket (black rectangle) that should be filled but are not. A filled cell (arrow, below right image) would be warmer due to being heated by the sun all day. The grout retains its thermal mass (not unlike a swimming pool with a solar cover keeping the water warm), and therefore shows warmer. Empty cells quickly cool when the sun goes down and display the cool pattern in infrared.
Construction of a nearby office building is underway. When building concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls, there is a requirement that grout and rebar be installed under each area that will support a steel beam. The grout and rebar provide structural strength. If grout and rebar is missing, there is the potential for serious structural repercussions.
So while the general contractor would like to trust that these areas are being filled properly, they felt that verification would be time and money well spent. And they were right. Over the course of several imaging sessions we discovered several areas that lacked the necessary grout and rebar. We were also able to verify that many were also done correctly.
In the image below left, the arrow is pointing to cells below a beam pocket (black rectangle) that should be filled but are not. A filled cell (arrow, below right image) would be warmer due to being heated by the sun all day. The grout retains its thermal mass (not unlike a swimming pool with a solar cover keeping the water warm), and therefore shows warmer. Empty cells quickly cool when the sun goes down and display the cool pattern in infrared.
Fortunately, the cells were able to be repaired (filled) prior to the second and third floors being built and the construction manager and lead engineer are satisfied with the building's structural integrity.
While I am sometimes the bearer of bad news, it is very gratifying to be able to detect issues that have real consequences and do it while there is still time to rectify the problem.
As the leading non-destructive, real-time inspection method, infrared thermal imaging technology makes this possible.
While I am sometimes the bearer of bad news, it is very gratifying to be able to detect issues that have real consequences and do it while there is still time to rectify the problem.
As the leading non-destructive, real-time inspection method, infrared thermal imaging technology makes this possible.