Comments on: What do you know about using thermal imaging to find leaks?

By: NMexican

NMexican — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:59:11 +0000

Thermal imaging is a great way to find roof leaks. It has to be raining or snow packed to find the leaks.I have found and fixed many roof leaks this way. As far as water lines (H&C) go, It is easy to find hot water leaks and sometimes cold water leaks if not too deep with thermal imaging but for deep water leaks you need sonar or sound. You can actually hear the leak.
As a general rule; you may find isolated water line leaks that usually turn into total water line leaks. It has been my experience that if you have a hot or cold ,in floor or sub floor, water leak , it is better to reroute a new line and all together abandon the leaking line. Usually if there is one leak you can count on more down the road. I hope this helps!

By: Sheriff of Yahoo!

Sheriff of Yahoo! — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:59:11 +0000

Thermal imagining finds leaks by locating differences in temperature. It works very well for windows it can find the damp spot by the difference in temperature from the dry spot.

By: dusty_titus

dusty_titus — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:59:11 +0000

Finding leaks of any kind only relies on the difference between two areas – like for windows – air inside the house is warm while air outside is cold – therefore you can measure the difference – if there is a measurable difference its because there is a leak!

By: mark

mark — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:59:11 +0000

I can see the window, but not water pipes. You could look at the window from the inside. Make sure no fans are on and any vents for ac are closed. Since most houses have negative pressure if the windows or doors are not sealing properly it should show on the image. Say it’s 72 inside and 90 outside where the seal is bad you should see more color change. As for plumbing not a clue.

By: Big B

Big B — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:59:11 +0000

I have used it for flat roof. You wait until shortly ofter sunset. The roof is hot and starting to cool down. The roof stays warmer longer where there is water sitting under the surface.