Buying a new home... - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: thermalmike
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 19, 2020, 10:33:43 pm
content: Hello all. I’m buying a new home and I want a thermal imaging camera that I can use to test windows, HVAC, walls, etc for leaks to see what I might be getting into. I only have around $350 or so to spend. I have looked at the Seek Thermal Reveal or the Hti-Xintai HT-A1.Would you recommend either of these? Something else? I will not be using this every day and I’m just a homeowner and not a professional.Thanks for your help!Mike

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2020, 12:31:59 am
content: Have you looked into any of the options that attach to a phone instead of being a standalone? Could be a good choice for the low price market.Flir OneSeek Thermal Compactetc.

author: thermalmike
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 20, 2020, 01:45:08 am
content: Thank you so much for your reply. The problem is that I have a work cell phone and I will be switching jobs soon. I’m afraid I might get a phone not compatible with the attachment version of a thermal imaging camera.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2020, 11:57:40 am
content: Thermalmike,Not doubting your skills in using a thermal Camera for building survey work, but you might wish to consider either employing a professional building surveyor or renting a decent quality thermal camera. Meaningful results from a building survey often require plenty of time on site by an experienced camera operator. There are many pitfalls in building survey work. Things that can look like problems on a cheap and inaccurate thermal camera can, in fact, be far less serious than they appear to the untrained eye.If you really want to get yourself a camera that is adequate for the task, I still recommend a FLIR E4 that is reconfigured to the full E8 specification as detailed on this forum. Your budget is a bit light but bear in mind you can easily resell an E4 after use. Not wishing to be rude, but a budget of $350 is too low for a building thermography camera, especially when you consider how much you will be spending on the home you are inspecting ! $1000 is a more realistic budget and do not ignore the idea of buying a used E4 camera as they are reliable and robust. There will always be a market for the excellent E4 so resale of an upgraded unit is relatively easy. It will be cheaper to buy a used but not upgraded E4 and upgrade it yourself. Buying an upgraded unit carries a high premium.Make sure you buy a decent book on building thermography or research material on the internet. It is not as simple as some think and some basic reading can save a lot of angst and wasted time.Finally, the SEEK thermal camera cores have improved over the years and some produce a decent image. The SEEK Reveal PRO would be my choice but I am unsure whether a Reveal Pro is up to the job of Building Thermography surveys so I cannot make a recommendation of it at this time. Maybe once I have tested one, but not at the moment.Fraser

author: thermalmike
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 20, 2020, 02:18:26 pm
content: This was all great information and I appreciate it all. I will definitely look into everything you just sent. Thank you so much for this very helpful forum.

author: JohnG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2020, 03:34:22 pm
content: I am not a thermography expert by any means, but I have used thermal cameras on and off for many years. I second the recommendation of reading about it. The other thing I would recommend is that you practice using the camera before walking into a house to inspect it. I work at home much of the time, and have a thermal camera (Therm-App TH) for my job. Needless to say, I have also used it to look around my house. I have discovered many things that I did not want to know. Most of these turned out not to be a big deal, some I have fixed, and some I have made peace with. I've looked at friends' houses, too, with pretty much the same results. I bet you will find what looks like a problem with every house if you are starting from scratch.I still think it's a good idea. With some practice, you will be able to better sort real problems (holes in walls covered with shingles, overloaded circuits or faulty wiring, pinhole leaks in old copper pipes behind walls, to name a few) from more minor problems that are easy to fix.Just my $0.02.John

author: JamesPatterson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 28, 2020, 08:52:05 am
content: Seek Thermal Reveal is a bit over the budget you mentioned as I know of (unless you plan on buying a second-hand, I guess, or found a better deal than I could). If I were to advise you between the two options you listed, I'd go with the Reveal too, it's more intuitive. But the FLIR TG165 is the alternative I recommend you look into.https://popular.reviews/thermal-camera/#3_FLIR_TG165- It's within your budget and the temperature range beats that of the Reveal, in my opinion at least.

author: iloveswedishfish
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 10, 2020, 05:42:32 am
content: Quote from: thermalmike on February 19, 2020, 10:33:43 pmWhich zone do you live in? I question the value of a thermal camera for a home buying decision (especially depending on weather conditions and inside/outside temperature. You can get an idea of heat loss hot spots on the roof, insulation settling in the walls if it is blown in, etc, but the really expensive problems won't be visible on a thermal camera. Since most of your heat loss is through the roof, you should be able to get a good idea of insulation quality simply by looking. If you are in an area where moisture damage is at all possible, you might be better served by a good moisture probe to check the bases of the walls, sill plate, floor underlayment, under critial roof areas like valleys and near chimney pass-through, and the like.