Level 1 Certification

Specific Inspection Topics Thermal Imaging, Infrared Cameras & Energy Audits
21

Hi Dave,

Now that you have completed level 1, I am interested in knowing your opinion on which class to take first to gain the most out of each class. Level 1 or BS.

Thanks,

22

David,

Wow!! 100% That is great news and I have no doubt that you will pass the final exam. In my class the only person that received 100% was my friend Roy Cooke!!!

23

Scott,

IMOPO, I highly recommend you take Level 1 certification first, only if you are a highly qualified Home Inspector and you know exactly what you are doing when you inspect homes. I say this only because Level 1 teaches more about the camera, its logistics, and how to properly read and interpret what you are actually seeing on your camera screen. Building Science teaches a lot of building science applications that I already knew about. BS was very interesting in the first day and a half because it taught information referring to the IR camera but after that, I was getting very bored. Being a home inspector for about five years and inspecting over 3,000 homes, I knew everything they were teaching regarding building sciences.

So, if you’re new to the HI industry I recommend BS first. But if you feel comfortable inspecting homes and have a lot of HI experience, you definitely want to take Level 1 certification first.

24

If you pay attention in class, highlight everything that you don’t know about, take notes and study, great grades will follow.

I am totally amazed at how much there is to learn in such a little camera.

I took my final exam yesterday and passed in flying colors. I didn’t get a 100% (I got 3 wrong) but that’s not the point. I passed the 3 testing phases, received my Certificate of Attendence and I’ll be sending Flir my sample report today, in order to get Level 1 certification.

If anyone has any questions regarding IR training or anything relating to infrared cameras, I’m here for ya.

25

Hi David

Congrats on taking the level 1.

It is a shame that NACHI once again has to lower the bar for all inspectors with their bogus certification and 16 hour course.

26

Gee do you think my taking this course will make me less of an Inspector .
I sure hope not .
…Cookie

27

If that is the only course you plan on taking for IR and then telling the consumer that you are certified as a thermographer, then yes it will make you less of an inspector IMHO.

28

Thank you Greg. I look forward to putting my skills to use and becoming one the most professional Thermographers in my area.

29

Do you have a IR camera?

…Cookie

30

Thank you; my very own concept

31

Greg,

Your statement is not warranted.

Nick has similar requirements for IAC2 Certification, and most if not all the inspectors that I know exceed the necessary requirements to be certified. IMO the infrared certified designation will yield the same results. Roy has a very good point,if you own a camera {i,m guessing you don,t} you have the thirst for more {courses} knowledge. Both Roy and I have completed level 1 and we will be doing BS as soon as it is available in our area and level 2 after that.
IMO we should be thanking Nick for all he does {for us}, not putting him down!!

32

Congratulations David!!!

33

Thanks Mario.
It hurts me when outsider’s put down NACHI.
But when a member puts down our association especially when they do not know how good or bad a course is I wonder why they feel this should be done.
If after I take the course and it is great you can be sure I will plug it big time .

…Cookie

34

Congratulations David.

35

Greg;

To your point:

  1. Have been DOING thermal imaging, with an unsderstanding of the Physics, mechanics and technology (the cameras, their uses and their limits) longer than anyone of this board (and, if any one can provide documentation of formal, University based and nationally certified training courses and professional certification, before 1978, please come forward and I will delete this post).

  2. The principles, methodology, applications and educational certifications of Thermal Imaging are essential to the proper use, interpretation and operation of the cameras.

  3. My 14 year old daughter has learned more about thermal imaging, and its application to examining ancient documents (for her freshman science fair project) than most (but not all) by no means!) members of this board in the last 3 months. She (and I) have helped, but professors of Physics, material science, forensic sciences, forensic archeology, forensic thermography, chemistry, biology, etc) from the University of Chicago (Physics, Architectural Sciences and Biology Depts, as well as expects in ancient documents from the Oriental Institute), Northwestern University (Engineering school and Physics dept, as well as the technologists at the Garrent School of Theology, which has a GREAT thermal imaging section).

And you know what? They were REAL interested in me and my camera. The had big, 10 to 15 year old cameras and were very interested that I paid so little for my camera. I gave then advice (at their insistance) of what new cameras to buy for their purposes.

And you think that a couple of people, sub contracting and as affiliated vendors to Flir (ITC) have greater understanding, knowledge and experience?

While I do not mean to denigrate the FLIR, ITC, Snell or the others who have been working in this field for years, one has to be aware that they are just vendors.

Are you certified or educated by anyone, in Thermal Imaging. Greg?

36

Regarding cheap certifications… and the home inspector.

A Level III Certification (the highest one) is useless, if that person is not
a veteran home inspector. Sooner or later… this is going to break through
the minds of those who do not understand the wizard of oz is not what
he appears to be, but is really the guy behind the curtain. It’s not what it
appears and people need to understand that all those certification were
created back before thermal imaging was geared for home inspectors.

Case in point -
If I find a wet spot with an IR camera and verify it with a moisture meter,
then how many years of education do I need to do that? I know this
offends some thermographers, but the use of an IR camera for inspecting
houses is not very hard. The hard part is becoming a good inspector.
This example does not require the use of any numbers, temperature
or emissivity adjustments, as the normal bcam is already set properly
for this use in the factory default.

I know one of the instructors at FLIR-ITC that takes the numbers and
readings OFF of all his images so that people who look at them will
realize that none of his findings where dependant on temperature. By
doing this, he is taking the traditional view of IR and standing it on it’s
head. He says “who cares what the temperature of the moisture is?”.
The pattern is relevant, not the temperature in this application.

Besides, the IR camera does not verify moisture, the moisture meter
does. I don’t even have to take an a picture with my IR camera
to show where the moisture spot is. I can simply take a photo and
point at the location. The IR image is not required, if I choose
not to include it. The findings are still the same. It was the moisture
meter that proves that the spot is wet, not the IR camera. The
IR picture helps to back up that claim, but is not needed if the
moisture meter was used to verify the wet spot.

The use of the IR camera is not hard folks, when used for the
normal applications of doing a home inspection. I know this
does not do much for the people who want everyone to think
their title as a “Thermographer” is some big deal, but this is the
truth. Yes, there is some training required, but it’s not hard.

This is why Nick put so much emphasis on fulfilling all of the
qualifications of being a interNACHI member-inspector, along
with the IR class, in order to use the new “Infrared Certified”
trademark.

This involves a little more than one IR class… this requires a person
to be a qualified home inspector too

The vast majority of Level III Thermographers are not qualified
to use our new Infrared Certified Trademark and will tell you
that if you ask them. Why? They don’t know enough about
a strcutrue and it’s systems to understand what they are looking
at. They may be very good in their field, but not in ours. Most
Level III Thermographers did not come up the ranks of doing
home inspections… OK? They came a different way, so their
level of certification is useless in our specific field.

That’s why one of the instructors at the FLIR-ITC training center
calls them the “little thermographers” when it comes to building
science.

Read the requirements for using the IC trademark.
http://infraredcertified.com

This is for home inspectors only. Again, we see interNACHI
is providing solutions for the home inspector and not just
following the crowd. Nick is always looking for ways to
get the inspector up to speed, advance their skills and further
their education. It is the interNACHI legend.

](http://infraredcertified.com)

37

Thank you, gentlemen.

38

Will, I’m not sure were you got your information, regarding ITA educators, but…every last one of Flir’s educators (here in Billerica, Mass. anyways) have at least 20 years experience in the IR field and all have obtained some sort of college degree in related fields. The Level 1 manual (which I have in front of me now) contains the profiles of every instructor involved with ITA (in Massachusetts). There is not 1 instructor with less than 20 years experience and a college degree.

So please do not post information that is incorrect…Thank you.

39

I stand corrected and will edit my post.

Thanks, Dave.

40

Error Corected…Cookie