What to Expect During a Professional Infrared Thermal Inspection

Most property owners only worry about issues once they show up as costly repairs. Hidden water leaks, electrical issues, equipment overheating, and insulation gaps can stay unmonitored until it is too late. Luckily, Infrared Thermal Inspection can be done to expose hidden issues before they become catastrophic and allow inspectors to check for issues without damaging walls, ceilings, or floors.

Thermal imaging inspections can help check for issues for all property types, be it residential, commercial, or industrial. Thermo Elite and companies like them perform these inspections using state of the art infrared technologies to help them find issues before they turn out to be really problematic and costly.

This guide will help you understand how Infrared Thermal Inspections work and why it can be a great way to conduct preventive maintenance on your property.

What is Infrared Thermal Inspection?

An Infrared Thermal Inspection is a type of inspection done with the use of a thermal imaging camera. Inspections of this type do not need to damage property and equipment. Inspectors can analyze infrared images and easily pinpoint problems such as hidden leaks, overheating equipment, missing insulation, moisture, inefficiencies of the HVAC system, overloaded circuits, and mechanical issues.

Why Choose An Infrared Thermal Inspection?

Building problems can take time to develop and are not easily detected until it can become very expensive to fix.

Choosing a professional service for Infrared Thermal Inspection is advantageous for many reasons. Here are a few examples of potential issues a good infrared inspection service can help discover.

Electrical Issues

Electrical components that overheat due to faulty connections or overloaded circuits are easily detected using thermal imaging.

Moisture Issues

Leakage can result in moisture damage. The water can be trapped behind a wall or under a floor and be virtually undetectable. However, it can be revealed by changes in surface temperature.

Damaged or Missing Insulation

Insulation that is either damaged or missing can result in changes in surface temperature that can be detected and result in decreased energy efficiency and comfort.

Issues with Roofing

Problems with roofing can be detected in advance of leaks with the aid of thermal imaging.

Problems with a HVAC System

Thermal imaging can help reveal problems with a heating and cooling system including blocked ducts and restricted airflow.

Pre-Inspection Process

A trained and certified professional infrared inspector will first begin a survey in order to understand the issues as noted by the client.

A representative from Thermo Elite will often ask questions including:

1) Do you have high energy costs?

2) Do you have uneven temperatures in your rooms?

3) Do you have water leaks?

4) Do you have an electrical burning smell?

5) Do you have mold or moisture?

6) Do you have circuit breakers on that trip?

This line of questioning can help the inspector understand where the greatest concerns and risks are in order to direct the inspection.

Visual Assessment of the Property

Prior to using an infrared camera, the inspector will perform a visual assessment of the property using specialized tools to inspect the following:

1) Walls

2) Roof

3) Windows

4) Electric Panels

5) HVAC Equipment

6) Plumbing

7) Basements

8) Mechanical Rooms

9) Crawl Spaces

Thermal imaging technology is beneficial in many fields -- aviation, food packaging, construction, even medicine. The applications for construction and medicine coincide, as both deal with identifying and solving problems for the betterment of the human condition. While both applications utilize thermal imaging technology to detect temperature problems, construction inspections usually go well beyond the limits of an image and the temperature differentiation an image can provide.

When conducting a thermal inspection, all structures, both internal and external, must be inspected. Structures that must be inspected include the walls, the ceilings, the floors, the electrical panels, the switchboards, the HVAC systems, the pipes, and the roof surfaces.

The hard part is not the inspection. With all the structures in mind, thermal images are relatively easy to capture. The key to a successful inspection is the ability to understand and analyze the temperature structures captured in the thermal images.

In electrical systems, temperature increase is used to identify electrical systems at risk of failure. Hot electrical components can indicate a number of electrical concerns, including loose connections, failed breakers, and overheating circuits. All of these concerns can increase the risk of fire.

The presence of moisture in a building is usually visible  to the human eye as a stain. However, thermal imaging technology can identify moisture, which has the ability to absorb and retain heat, before it becomes visible on surfaces.

The presence of an area that is cold may also indicate that there is insufficient insulation or that there are air leaks.

The images captured during the thermal inspection are merely a part of the entire inspection process.

Aspects of Infrared Thermal Inspections

Some assessments reveal some pretty unusual problems.

Finding Hidden Plumbing Leaks

Indicative signs of minor plumbing leaks may be invisible to the naked eye and hidden for a long time due to the slow pace of damage.

Safety Issues

Inspection reveals several issues such as: faulty breakers, loose connections, overstressed circuits, and several other failing components.

Insulation Failures

Uncontrolled accumulation of heat loss through the walls, ceiling, and attic increases the cost to heat and cool the structure.

Roof Leakage

Thermal Inspection finds failures that result in water collecting in the roofing layers and causing deterioration of the roof.

Inefficient HVAC Systems

Several issues within the HVAC system such as: airflow restrictions, degraded duct systems, and component overheating, are more obvious to thermal imaging technology.

Why Hire Thermo Elite?

Having the right company to do the right inspection makes all the difference.

Thermo Elite offers the best inspection solutions because of its unique combination of the right technology and the right people.

Some benefits are:

Registered thermal inspectors

State of the art thermal imaging devices

Inspection methods that leave systems intact

Precise identification of system failure

Detailed analysis of each inspection

Thermal inspections of residential, commercial and industrial facilities

Recommendations of preventive maintenance

Specialists have the ability to differentiate the natural thermal variance of a building from real building failures.

What is the Duration of an Infrared Thermal Inspection?

The complexity and size of the building determines the time an inspection will take.

General time estimates for each building type is as follows:

Building Type

Approximate Duration

Small House

1 to 2 Hours

Large House

2 to 4 Hours

Commercial Building

4 to 8 Hours

Large Industrial Building

Hours to Days

Due to the nature of large buildings with extensive systems, large buildings will more likely require more detailed inspections.

What to Do Before Your Inspection

Access Panels

Keep all electrical control panels clear and ready for inspection.

Keep any control or mechanical rooms clear and accessible.

Walls and equipment should be unobstructed and accessible.

Know of any issues? Tell the inspector.

Run your HVAC systems as you would on any normal day prior to the inspection.

Do not place coverings on any suspicious areas of the building that may potentially be hiding leaks.

These preparations make the inspectors job easier and the inspection faster.

Why Preventive Inspections Save Money

If you wait until damage is visible and apparent, repairs will be much more costly.

Using an Infrared Thermal Inspection Service will:

Prevent the outbreak of electrical fires.

Lower the cost of emergency repairs.

Make your building's operating system use energy better.

Make your building's operating systems last longer before they need to be replaced.

Detects building system leaks.

Help maintain the integrity and protect building systems.

Help avoid the closing of your building to the public for longer periods of time.

Preventive maintenance will always be less costly than emergency restoration.

When Should You Schedule an Infrared Thermal Inspection?

You should schedule an infrared thermal inspection service if:

You are purchasing a new home.

You are selling your existing home.

You have an increase in your home's energy expenses.

You have an increase in the electrical system trips.

You have leaks you cannot see.

You have roofing that was damaged in a storm.

You are a property manager of a commercial building.

You have industrial systems that require maintenance.

Infrared Thermal Inspection Services will always be less costly than repairs and will help maintain the flow of business.

The professional Infrared Thermal Inspection will not cause any damage to the property and will help locate water leaks, potential fire sources, air leaks, and help locate areas where the HVAC system is not functioning properly, and help determine where to best use maintenance resources.

Having a professional service like Thermo Elite will help you maintain your buildings safety, help manage costs for repairs, and make your building systems more energy efficient and help maintain the value of your property.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is an Infrared Thermal Inspection destructive?

Not at all! Infrared Thermal Inspection is completely non-invasive. There is no need to open any walls or remove any building materials.

2. Can thermal imaging capture hidden water leaks?

Definitely! Thermal cameras can spot hidden leaks through temperature differences unmasked by moisture. This can be done with little to no destructive measures.

3. How often should I have Infrared Thermal Inspections performed?

Residential Infrared Thermal Inspections should be performed every couple of years or once an infestation or an issue is suspected. On the other hand, commercial and industrial Infrared Thermal Inspections should be performed as a preventative measure once a year.

4. Can thermal imaging find electrical problems?

Absolutely! Thermal imaging is a great methodology to find unsafe overheating components, overloaded circuits, and loose connections.

5. Why choose Thermo Elite for thermal inspections?

Thermo Elite takes pride utilizing advanced infrared technology, thorough inspectors, and meticulous reporting to deliver the best destructive thermal imaging inspections. We specialize in residential, commercial, and industrial thermal imaging inspections.