Where is all your money going? Did you know that 35% of heat loss in the home is through the walls and poor insulation? Infrared inspections, also known as thermal imaging, allow us to take our services one step above a traditional home inspection and troubleshoot the areas that are causing expensive heat loss issues.
What is an Infrared Inspection?
Infrared inspections are different from other inspection services as they allow us to find issues that cannot be identified with a visual inspection. The camera will show some surface problems that show differences in temperatures, allowing us to find out why certain areas are colder. Heat issues like this can lead to paying hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars extra in utility costs yearly! Here are some things an infrared inspection allows us to identify:
- Heat or Lack of Heat. An infrared camera placed on the heater and HVAC system can show us images of how functional the heating system is in the home. It takes about 10 minutes or so for us to identify the issues, and we can make suggestions for improvement to provide you with an energy-efficient home.
- Ceiling Stains. If you have seen a water stain or a strange “ghost-like” stain on the ceiling, you have a problem. Our infrared camera allows us to see if a ceiling stain is an active problem. Usually, we find its related to moisture in the ceiling, which needs to be addressed quickly before mold growth occurs.
- Flooring. What is the best way to see what is happening with the floors? An infrared camera can show how much heat is lost with those wood floors, or how much heat is trapped thanks to the carpeting. It helps to know all the areas of the home that need to have some maintenance performed to make it energy-efficient.
- Shower leaks. Do you have a home with a tiled shower? You need to have an infrared inspection to check that tiled shower for leaks. The ceiling below may look fine, but we often find those shower damns are a disaster for homeowners and it’s not too long before we see water leaks happening.
- Toilet Leaks. We use thermal imaging to help identify if a toilet has a leaking problem that needs to be addressed. As water can lead to mold growth, it is a wise idea to have a thermal imaging inspection to look for such concerns.
- Insulation Issues. This is a topic that most homeowners are familiar with, especially since there have been several companies providing so-called “free” insulation services to upgrade a home to an energy-efficient one. Dominion Energy does offer a ThermWise insulation service, that can be cheaper for new insulation if your home qualified. Insulation problems are easy to spot on the infrared camera, and it’s not hard to fix. You will need to add some insulation, which you can purchase at a home improvement store, or hire professionals to install insulation for you.
Infrared inspections have brought to light so many concerns from heat loss to fire risk. If you are planning to buy or sell a home, purchasing an infrared inspection service is an effective way to identify these issues.