Has anyone used the thermal camera IR0280? thoughts?
Absolutely not. That is not a tool for home inspection.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/PerfectPrime-IR0280-Infrared-IR-Thermal-Imager-Visible-Light-Camera-Video-Record-1024-Pixels-Temperature-Range-from-22-1832-F/553444972?wmlspartner=wmtlabs&adid=22222222222292491535&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=s&wl2=c&wl3=74904344125711&wl4=pla-4578503889313126&wl5=&wl6=&wl7=&%20wl10=Walmart&wl12=553444972_10000005173&wl14=IR0280&veh=sem
4 Likes
Edward, hope you are well and in good spirits today.
Resolution, Resolution, Resolution. Good, Better, Best.
- Temperature Range. The first consideration, the temperature range…
- Resolution.
- Accuracy/Sensitivity/Repeatable. Quality infrared thermal imagers achieve a ±2% accuracy, or better.
- Image Fusion. The difference between thermal and visible images.
- Durability.
Bert, Robert thanks for the feedback.
The temperature range on this one goes to -22°F~1832°F. it seems the pixels is only 32 x32 i figured this might be enough what is a good thermal resolution?
it seems to have good accuracy and image fusion
https://www.nachi.org/infrared-thermography-inspection-training-video-course.htm
Your questions will be answered on the link above. Before you even consider using a infrared camera for a home inspection you should take the course.
3 Likes
The range is too wide. You’ll miss a lot of stuff.
640x480 is a good resolution.
It’s a piece of crap.
My digital camera has better IR resolution when the IR filter is removed.
Thank you i will take a look at this
My budget cant go for that kind of resolution…
David, not everyone can afford that resolution.
I remember when 320x240 was that cat’s meow. Fluke TI32 was top of the line for building inspections. Best lens were manufactured out of germanium. Now silicon.
The development of Super resolution software changed what was a leveled playing field.
I think a decent entry level camera, allowing you to adjust level span and focus, and come with good software on the camera, would be ><3-4,000 dollars in my opinion, taking durability in mind.
Regards.
Robert
He asked for a “Good Resolution”, well 640x480 is good for building investigations. 90% of scans taken on a building inspection is "indrect measurements. A 32x32 will not cut it.
I can hardly stand using 320x240 in building analysis at times, There are affordable 320x240 cameras out there and that should be the building standard as far as I’m concerned. Do you use a key chain flashlight to inspect the vast area of attics and crawlspaces? Well why not?! Because you can’t see crap…
One thing to keep in mind with infrared cameras used for home inspections. You do not need a lot of resolution to see a water leak or improperly installed insulation. The resolution snobs will say otherwise.
5 Likes
@mwilles what resolution would you think is enough to do just that, notice misplaced or missing insulation and to try to find any water leaks ?
I have used a simple FLIR C2 with excellent results.
3 Likes
I opted to go with an off brand, instead of Flir, and I have been very impressed. Here are two links, I have both of these cameras. I bought the cheaper one first, ($550) used for a while, and then bought the more expensive ($1000) and gave the cheaper to my other inspector. Images below are actually from the cheaper one.
The cheaper one is 9HZ refresh rate, so you have to wait a couple seconds when moving from something drastic (from a hot lightbulb in the frame, back to the ceiling without the light), for the colors to refresh, but the expensive one has a 25hz, which is pretty much instant on the refresh.
It is also a little more clear on the image, but they dont have the overlay feature like the flir. (which I dont really care for anyways). I bought the C5 for $650, it felt like it didnt even compare to either one of these cameras, as far as sensitivity (not image), which is way more important in my opinion.
Example - if there was just a tiny drop of water on the carpet, both of these imagers picked it up immediately, and unmistakably, whereas the C5 didnt even show it, because of the color blending. (everything looked the same)
I would not buy a Flir unless you wanted to pay for at least an E8.
Here are a couple image examples
I bought the E4 and had it hacked into an E8.
3 Likes
Here is a sweating duct that I never would have caught if I didnt have the thermal… This was an insulated duct, and was also completely buried in insulation, but was somehow still sweating enough to be dripping all over the drywall. After seeing this, I moved back some of the insulation in the attic, and sure enough, it was soaking wet. Must have been a new issue, because there was absolutely no water staining on the ceiling, but the thermal made is stand out like a sore thumb!
They are amazing tools, I have found numerous roof leaks with it as well.
Is that from the E4 you are talking about? How did you hack it to an E8?
The cameras are identical accept the software. Instructions are online. It’s just like getting more horsepower out of your engine. 
3 Likes
Initially the Flir E4 E5 E6 and E8 all used the same hardware but different software to downscale the resolution. I guess Flir figured it was more economical to develop and manufacture one chip than four different ones. The software geniuses figured out the play, and started buying up a bunch of the Flir E4 units and replacing the software to unlock the full potential. I bought one of these and my engi-NERD even added my logo to the boot-up screen. After a short while, Flir realized they had been discovered and started adding a hardware fix so they could no longer be hacked. At least that is my layman’s understanding of it. If you can find one of the older E4 or E5 models, it can be upgraded with the hack software. Newer ones can’t be upgraded.
3 Likes