There are two products sold that turn your ‘smart’ phone into an infra-red camera. One is made by SEEK, the other by FLIR. I have just purchased the FLIR ONE.
The two products differ (mainly) in the jack they use to plug into your phone. Buy the item, download the app (free), plug it into your phone, and you’re good to go.
Regular readers will recall that I am doing a complete-gut remodel of my home. As you might guess, my utility bills are higher than I like, The question becomes one of priorities: where’s the biggest heat leak?
Going out this morning at 5AM, the local temp was about 50F. This was enough to show a temperature differential between the house and the outside.
What did the camera show?
Well, it was pretty clear that there was no insulation directly over the windows. No surprise there; that space is all wood header.
I saw a bright band under the house, at the crawl space. I guess that closing the vents and floor coverings really matter.
The biggest surprise, though, was the carport. In the IR pictures, it looks like the carport is lit up by a bright light. Heat is simply pouring into the carport through the connection between the carport roof and the house roof.
THAT would not have been my first guess. Indeed, I had feared that the door to the carport was a heat loser- but the camera showed no special issues at the door.
The new ‘energy efficient’ windows were not so efficient, after all. The roof was as dark as night – little loss there.
I made my scan at 5AM, as I wanted to eliminate the effect of the sun heating parts of the house. I waited for cooler weather, to highlight differences.
Oh, I almost forgot: The units sell for about $250.
I think this will be a valuable tool for my remodel!
