…and why?
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/dandersen_02/IR_0910.jpg
A past window opening ? or they have something hanging on the inside of the room? The out line is inside the 2X framing of the wall. is this a north side wall at about 12:00 noon?
Best
Ron
Reflection?
Do you have a non thermal of same area?
More info please.
I see maybe a plugged gutter, A window filled in and possible extra heat going on by the meter base,and A lack of or missing insulation . Hard to say with out information.
Posting an infrared image and wanting people to “guess” at what it could be is a waste of time! If your going to post an example for the purpose of educating inspectors, then you will need to include the data necessary to make an educated and informed opinion. That would include the digital image and several other inspection and weather related details.
Kevin
Where’s the temperature scale?
It looks like uninsulated walls and heat build-up on the underside of the eaves.
Is that dark area a shadow?
House next door casting a shadow on wall and cooler square is cold
energy coming through from low/missing insulated area in wall.
Did I win a prize?
Okay, not enough information!
That’s the point. If you think this is a waste of time, then go do something more productive. This is just to kill time. It’s better than talking about politics and the crappy real estate market.
When you use a thermal camera, as you first see something you have little or no information to go on.
That’s the point. You guys have started asking questions and began to formulate a hypothesis for further investigation to begin.
I was looking through some scans and I came across this and adjusted look right to me.
So I thought I’d throw it out just for some discussion.
This photograph was taken in the summer.
Midafternoon.
I was called in to identify and locate a roof leak that was causing problems all the way down to the basement.
Ron, south facing wall, after noon (about 1:30 PM). Something hanging on the inside of the room is interesting. You obviously see the warmer corners of the house. Why are the corners warmer? This has caught my eye many times and made me stop for a moment. Remember, it’s summertime and the air conditioner is on. Is the big blue square better or less insulated?
Jeffrey, no reflection, I’ll try to find you the digital.
Wayne, yes, use the a dirty gutter. Good eye on the meter base! Actually it is a transformer in a low-voltage control panel next to the meter can.
Kevin, I don’t think this is a waste of time, we are working on the thought process of what you do when you see this in the camera. Need more information and I will provide it just as you would go find it on-site.
David, the temperature scale is turned off on the camera while scanning. I would say that the walls are not as well insulated in some places as others. You’re hitting on something with that heat build up on the underside of the eve. Why would heat build up? Normally this is a shaded area and it’s cooler. This is what made me take a second look at the scan too. The dark area is not a shadow, it is in direct sunlight (note the high temperature of the foundation). What else might make this pattern?
No prize yet John.
I found the digital pic (attached above).
Hint, look at the stair stringers. Has to do with the blue triangle shapes.
Wayne, I think the gutter was detached from the fascia if I rember correctly.
Siding installed over brick veneer.
No, we can see the studs behind the vinyl, but it is installed over something (getting warmer) literally! ;-
Is the dark area wet so it is not insulating like it should?
Youse guys are out in left field.
I see a LARGE box in the house up against the wall that is my Christmas present from Santa, and on the side wall a stain resembling that left by my Rotteweiler if I don’t come home early and he pee’s on the wall.
I feel better about my answer now, now that I read yours…:mrgreen:
Yes Larry it is.
There was a brief rain prior to my arrival.
Dan, Santa will bring you a lump of coal for peaking!!!
So the evaporation of the water trapped within the siding resulted in the patterns of heat variation.
The way you posted the original question and thermal image is of no educational value to anyone. We can play guessing games all day long. The key to being a good Thermographer is being able to interpret a thermal image based on all of the data provided.
Of course there are brain teasers in which someone takes a guess at what the image might be. FLIR publishes one ever month in their newsletter. But, if you are asking the question “Why?”, then more data should be provided.
Don’t get me wrong, David! I’m convinced that you are an intelligent person and a good Thermographer. I guess I should rephrase my original post to read…it’s a waste of MY time. I’ll just speak for myself 
Kevin
Sliding Glass door used to be there Dave?..French Doors?
David,
Is there mobile home framing inside those walls?
What I can’t understand is why the shaded area carries over to the right rear corner also!
Brian, though it is very difficult to see (and it was difficult for me to see when I was on site) the moisture on the “exterior” of the wall evaporated and cooled the exterior of the wall. The triangular area that looks like an adjacent house or shading of the overhang (though it is the wrong color/temperature) is where the rain struck the side of the building. The building was no longer wet, but that does not mean it won’t be cooler.
Kevin, I’m sorry if I’m wasting your time. But as you can see, interpretation of what is in the scan is not obvious. Conditions are not always available to tell you what your looking at. Sometimes we have to take a step back and think about it. As I was cleaning out my computer files to a backup drive I noticed this scan that again, after several months appeared to be backwards, so I thought it would be fun for everyone to take a look at it.
Not trying to prove anything here, just trying to exercise our brains and help us “think thermally”.
Dale, no, there is nothing unusual in this construction (for this geographical area). This is the way they build houses here sometimes and like you, I scratch my head for a second every time I see it. You’re on the right track with “what is that”?
David,
You and Dale are starting to focus in on what makes me scratch my head every time I see this. This is the point of this thread.
What would make the corners appear warmer?
I had a little trouble withthis when I first started with thermal imaging. What makes the studs look hot or cold? It’s the direction of heat transfer. The heat is either going in or coming out. In this case the air conditioner is on and it’s cooler inside. There is thermal loading on the exterior of the building (clouds or no clouds). The center blue square is the result of heat passing into the building envelope from the exterior making the wall cooler than the outdoor ambient.
The outside corners have a different heat transfer rate because of a difference in construction at this location. Is there more or less installation? Different types of installation? A heating source on the other side of the wall?
This is a sheer wall. In our area contractors will sometimes use plywood/oriented strand board (4x8’ sheet, count stud bays!) to brace the corners and use rigid insulation and combined fiberglass Batt installation to insulate the other wall areas.The OSB is changing thermal performance of the wall in these areas.
You may not see this in your area, but many of you in southern areas will.
One additional thing:
Wayne, your observation of the “clogged gutter” is the reason for the blue anomaly on the wall at the deck stairs below the gutter. The gutter was separated from the house and water was flowing behind. As it hit the deck and railing it splashed back up on the wall. Evaporative cooling resulted.
I thank everyone for their participation.
This was not an exercise in obtaining “the correct answer”, just something to do while we enjoy Thanksgiving weekend after getting fat and sleepy from eating turkey!
I wish to commend those that are not trained in this area in their ability to “think on their feet” which is one of the most desired traits a home inspector can possess!