Supermans xray vision with an IR camera?

#1

So now the IR camera gives us xray vision and can see inside walls like Superman? :shock:
What? :roll:

Read on…

New Service To Detect House Problems
Written by Westchester.com
Tuesday, 13 November 2007

White Plains, NY - Thanks to a unique twist on an existing technology, entrepreneur Barry H. Stangel is providing homeowners with an opportunity to see **inside **their walls and detect moisture, mold, energy loss, overheated electrical wires and even pest infestation. “As a young boy growing up in The Bronx, we all had comic book heroes, mine was Superman. He had x-ray vision to see through walls. All during my 47 years in the pest control industry I wished I could do the same thing, now it’s a reality,” states Stangel.

InfraRed Consulting Group, Inc. (IRCG) based in Suffern, offers thermo imaging services, performed by a team of licensed thermographers in order to determine not only if moisture is present inside the walls, but also how much and its origin. By using state-of-the-art hand-held infrared cameras, the certified inspectors can precisely pinpoint trouble areas, often eliminating the necessity to needlessly open up walls to locate the problem. After the inspection, customers receive detailed reports and photographs indicating problem areas.

Through use of the specialized cameras, inspectors can also determine whether or not mold is present** inside the walls**** or ceilings**, thus identifying dangerous sources of allergies and respiratory ailments. The technology works in part by detecting temperature differences in and around walls, so that the inspector can uncover varying levels of moisture and heat.

The new technology also enables inspectors to see heat and energy loss both inside and outside of the home and determine exactly where energy is escaping from windows, doors, roofs, foundation cracks, and fireplaces, and what the appropriate and cost-effective solution would be, potentially saving the homeowner thousands of dollars.

Another benefit to the service is the ability to identify pest infestations such as termites and ants which often make their homes in wet areas on the exterior of the home as well as inside walls.

IRCG will offer the new service throughout Rockland County while other trained and certified group members will provide service in Westchester and Orange Counties and throughout New Jersey.

The potential homeowner applications include:

  •      Determine the source of a water leak and eliminate unnecessary and costly wall deconstruction

  •      Locate areas of mold

  •      Determine the source of heat and energy loss around windows, doors and chimneys 

  •      Determine location of moisture intrusion on a roof possibly eliminating the necessity to replace an entire roof

  •      Locating structural problems and insulation deficiencies

  •      Determine if **any** **electrical wiring problems exist inside the walls**

  •      Locate outside moisture build up where pests are attracted to the structure

  •      Identify locations of rodents or other animals or their nests inside a structure

  •      Locate sources of potential problems **in** or around a **chimney** or fireplace

http://westchester.com/Westchester_News/Business/New_Service_To_Detect_House_Problems_200711138722.html

#2

Try explaining this to a real estate agent who has a ‘concerned’ client, and wants a superhero with an IR camera to come in and save the sale.

tom

#3

That would make a catchy name for my company… “Super Hero Inspection Service”…NOT. :slight_smile:
BTW… I cannot find a web site for this company. Any one know of any?

#4

More like “Super-Defendent”.

#5

With false advertising like that, he won’t be in business very long.

Kevin

#6

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/6/69/180px-Normal_benes_superman_2.jpg

Have BCAM, Will Travel…:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:
This might really turn into a good commercial.

#7

Damn,

I want to reply in the comment section but it’s not giving me any displayed characters that it’s asking for.

I want in…

#8

http://www.nachi.org/bhstangel2007.htm

Don’t have to look too far from home!

#9

Please note the term “licensed Thermographers”. I wasn’t aware that a license was required for Thermal Imaging.

Also, are these guys certified?

Business Darwinism. :mrgreen:

#10

Sorry Kevin, but Barry has been around for just a little while. Barry is well recognized in the pest management field and has trained at past NACHI conventions and chapter events.

From his website:

For over 40 years he has been involved in the pest management industry, as an owner of several pest management service companies, and founder and past president of the Professional Pesticide Applicators Association. He was appointed by the Rockland County Legislature to serve as a member of the Environmental Management Council where he served for 13 years as vice chairman and developed the NYS Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program.
For the past 22 years he has been an industry consultant and trainer for Health Departments, Municipalities and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. He currently operates the first independent full time training center for the pest management industry.

I don’t think you’ll be seeing a G.O.B. sign on his building at anytime in the near future :roll:

Paul

#11

I think you should call it “Super Hero Inspection & Technical Services”…your acronym would be kind of catchy…:smiley:

#12

Don’t forget to incorporate!:twisted:

Paul

#13

Just get a pair of these! X-ray vison

#14

Just get a pair of these! Lots cheaper than even a BCam.

X-ray vison

#15

Why do you all have a problem with this? Isn’t this the purpose and reason for having an IR camera? Doesn’t it do everything he says? If not, then why have one?

#16

The camera allows one to see very slight temperature differences on solid surfaces.

It does not allow one to “see through walls”, but does allow one to see “thermal bridging” which is an optical illusion that looks (to the uninformed) like you are seeing through walls.

Therefore it does not do what he is claiming it does.

One comment, though.

I was interviewed for a newspaper articles, in my area (see here: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20071019/ai_n21064720 ) where the reporter portrayed it like thermal imaging was X-ray vision, even though I told her, many times, that it not.

This is typical of the press, sometimes, when their hook for a story does not match the facts, yet they are so invested in the hook that they, at least, mistate things or, at worse, lie.

It is very possible that this gut is just being mis quoted.

Hope this helps;

#17

Will,

I see that you added your comment. I also would like to insert my comment as well, but when the box (at the lower portion of the comment section) asks for the following… Write the displayed characters, I am unable to view any characters.

What’s your trick to adding your comment there?

I used IE and Mozilla and allowed all pop-ups…

#18

Therein lies the problem when trying to expain to the “uniformed” about thermal bridging, conduction, convection, radiation, thermal windows, emissivity, diffusivity, short wave and long wave radiation, cavity radiator effects, evaporative effects, non-evaporative effects, black bodies, delta T’s, reflectance, specular reflection, diffuse reflection, wind tunnel effect, etc, etc, etc…
Even when you try to lighten it up a bit by explaining you’re viewing the thermal image of the wall surface and the heat signatures which are transfered through that wall and interpreted by my camera then reassembled on my image viewer.

Then they’re still looking at you with the glazed over face and nodding like they understand because that’s the curteous thing to do… so now how do you get them to understand what it is you are doing?
You liken it to their terms and understanding… Superman is a bit too strong an analogy, but maybe like a supercharged Batman that essentially lets me “see” what is going on behind that wall with limitations.

Yes I agree that the camera will not identify mold behind walls. That’s dumb.
But their going to ask you questions…
“You can tell me if there’s insulation inside my walls?”
“yes”
“So you can see through the wall?”
“no”
“…huh?.. You just followed that hot wire from the panel to the recptacle upstairs. I can’t see the wire but you can and it’s INSIDE the wall…”
“well… yes and no…”
“…huh?”

#19

Here’s a tagline:

An InterNACHI inspector and an infrared camera… the next best thing to x-ray vison.

#20

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: