Water leak shown with thermal imaging

Hi i am new to thermal imaging could some one please correct me if i am wrong in the picture i am assuming that the water leak is starting from the box that i placed on the image?

thermal image water leak

I see Jesus.

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I thought it was a giraffe uterus.
Seriously though that picture is worthless. You need a better camera or show us more pictures, maybe a standard picture to illustrate what we are looking at.

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Looks like a lava lamp to me. Very poor description and a very poor quality image to match. Keyword here is new to thermal imaging.

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Hi Matthew. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks for posting your thermal image and your question.
The thermal imager can be a great tool. Congratulations on getting yours.
Keep in mind that the thermal imager will only indicate temperature differential, it does not actually measure moisture. Technically it doesn’t even measure temperature but I won’t get into that right now.
If you are looking at a wall with your thermal imaging camera and notice an area with an unexpected spike or drop in temperature relative to its surroundings you will want to investigate further and hopefully be able to find out if it is because of elevated moisture or an insulation defect or a draft or… lots of things. A moisture meter would probably be your next tool needed to find out if your suspicion is correct, that a water leak is causing the elevated temperature in the box on your screen.
You may also need to look closer at the feature. If this is a wall you are looking at, maybe try to see what is going on behind that wall if there is access.
from your image, we don’t know if you are looking at a wall, ceiling, floor, or your dog’s anus.
Do you have more information about what you are looking at?
Does your FLIR have MSX? (mix a thermal picture with a photo to help you see the location of objects)

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We didn’t see the area your scanner was pointed at, so we can’t visualize the details.

After your training in thermal imaging, try to post supporting photos for those of us who weren’t onsite with you, you’ll get better help that way.

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This is Koag (Kogee) my marketing director.

image

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Kogee has a water leak on the lower protrusion below the eye outlets.

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Matthew, it’s hard to depict from your picture what it’s in reference to. I have a thermal but only use it at this point as a learning tool. I haven’t made references at use in reports because I am not certified as of yet.

Based on what I understand so far, the color range indicates the temperature differentials with blue be the coolest, orange,red and yellow being the higher temp. An image on my IR would show leaks/moisture being blue areas or spots. It appears from the image you posted, your “box” is sighted on a warmer or higher temp area.

Guess we need a little more Info.

Matthew, the center bright hotter spot is going out to cooler.

Remember hot goes to cold in TI.

You would do well to take at least a Level I or Building Sciences course.

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Oh, Dog pictures. I love dog pictures.
This is Moxie, my loyal #2.
:face_with_hand_over_mouth:

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Hahahahahaaaaa that’s too funny

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Bert you are killing me!

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Here’s the tough love lowdown. You don’t know what you are doing. Put away the IR until you get training…period. InterNACHI has teamed with Monroe for an excellent training program designed for home inspectors.
Years ago a stranger gave me the same harsh assessment, and I got the training. It was worth every penny and then some.

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That is funny Bert. The image from the OP is simply that, just an image. We have no visible picture with it nor any other information that would make us even take a guess of what’s going on. It is just a blur as of now. Hot water? Cold water? We need more information to be able to help. Edit your post with some clarifying information and visible image and you may get a better response. As mentioned above, get trained in IR before you start using it.

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I was reading a thread yesterday here that cheap cameras were just fine in Home Inspection and anyone who says different is a “Raciest”! Or something like that… :wink:

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If it is hot water, you may be correct. When chasing water with IR you need to (always) if at all possible verify/confirm it with a moisture meter.

Thermal imaging is just like grabbing a metal detector for the first time, you will be discovering a lot of gold…till you dig up a few dozen pull tabs, beer cans and nails…Then you will get wise with experience and stop digging up garbage and realize the tone is different for a pull tab verses a gold nugget The same as what is being shown with the IR camera takes experience. (you don’t want to say you saw A (water on the ceiling from a leaky roof) with IR when it was actually B (just cold air running through the AC duct).

Don’t jump to conclusions, especially with water. IR is seeing Temperatures, not water. It is very wise to take some training and not necessarily a “level one course” but a course designed for what you will see when using it for home inspections. I’m pretty sure InterNachi has a course that can help you. You can do an online course but very much worth your time to get with someone for some one on one instruction.

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Congratulations! It’s a boy!

The thermogram is out of focus.

Scan walls. Follow up with a moisture meter once you spot a thermal anomaly.
You could be placing your self in jeopardy analyzing a thermogram without the right qualification level.