Since they (PE) gave me over $850.00 after the fact
that I did not qualify and I never went to the
NACHI convention to pick up a coupon, I feel like
they are worth a plug.
I also feel some inspectors who are thinking
about thermal imaging need to hear and see
what this camera can really do.
Several have ask me to post pictures from
time to time.
Just looking at the pic of the A/C unit it appears to me that I would be seeing the hot gas vapor on the top where it is very red then fades to blue where the cooler liquid level should be just my guess have not been to any schooling YET
Does this mean you use the camera on every inspection? . . . or is the use extra costs to the client? . . . (I’m thinking both questions have been answered somewhere else on the board) . . . just let me know if I need to look elsewheres . . . thanks.
The link for the BCAM at Professional Equipment is below.
The 15% NACHI discount is not on the page. It was an
offer made at the NACHI convention. You must tell them
about it in order to get the discount. (ends June 4th - today)
Some offer Thermal imaging as an add on inspection. I preferr to use it on
every inspection. Once you see what it can reveal, it makes you feel better
doing all of your inspections with it. So I raised my prices.
I agree. If you don’t use it, you’ll never know what it can do.
I do use it in my reports when I can back it up with additional testing or visual observation.
I do have a serious concern with the bulletin boards concerning IR on other sites. Users of this equipment have absolutely no idea what the camera sees. People are trying to make this thing do what it just can’t do.
What you see behind the bookshelf is heat coming through quarter-inch plywood backing on the shelving system.
When I went to the other side of the wall I found the dryer vent which is obviously discharging its heat and moisture into the finished wall up to the attic. Note the amount of lint on the floor behind the dryer.
I found this anomaly in a bedroom ceiling in the same house. When I went up to the attic I found the insulation had been removed to install cable lines.
I own an IR Thermography business in Southeatern PA. I have been reading the posts here and felt like I can shed some light about IR if anyone wanted to ask some ?'s. I’ve been doing it for 3 yrs on my own and it’s a slow process but each year I get busier. I’m NACHI certified but the demand for IR scans leaves me little time for home inspections. I really feel that this is the way to go in the home insp. biz. I agree w/ both sides of the fence though, it may increase liability, but if you disclaim that IR not a 100% guarantee, but the closest way to diagnose a problem aside from demolition or destructive testing, clients understand if you are upfront. Don’t be an alarmist, and take your time with further diagnosing an anomalie you see on the imager.
-Len Melso
pic 1. The tile in shower looked suspicious and had some deterioration. Water seeping under tiles.
pic 2. Under house showed moisture, also with m.m. was covered with decking over top of damaged decking.
pic 3. Bottom of basement wall, also checked with m.m. Wet in corner.
Joseph, I use both the FLIR B2 and the BCAM (not SD), but just sold it (BCAM). I may be purchasing a BX320 from a friend, or maybe a wider angle lens for the B2, the latter is much much cheaper. I love the forward looking aspect of the BCAMs and may be interested in a BCAM SD. I have neck problems and find the B2 to be troublesome d/t looking down all day, but I like the resolution of the B2 and the lens is a little wider (34x25 vs 25x25 for the BCAM). For home inspectors, the BCAM is all u really need. I love the battery life of the BCAM too. This new BCAM SD may be good choice too, but the reg BCAM can be bought new for $4850 (as told to me by another member), so that’s a steal since I paid $6250 in Nov. '06. BTW, IF anyone out there has some images from a new BCAM SD, could you post some? They supposedly improved the sensitivity to .10 NETD, and thus improved the quality, but it seems to be a mystery. They tout it as razor sharp image quality on the BCAM SD page, but you will never find a BCAM or SD image on their site. FLIR is very cautious about showing a true BCAM pic. Watch their videos, and you will see the images switch to a B2 when they go full screen. I asked FLIR 3x for sample BCAM SD pics, and still no pics. -Len