Check these out… I’m learning the in’s and out’s of our (work’s) new thermographic camera. I’, seriously considering buying one of these and starting a contracting service. You can get an incredible amount of information from these things – from where the mice are hiding to which bearing is wearing out to which numbers on the ATM pad the guy in front of you pressed (just kidding, but you probably could use it for that).
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Replies
Neat tool! You check the price of them, lowest I could find was $13,000!!! You found any better?
Edited 9/11/2005 11:12 pm ET by USAnigel
We've got a little under $20K in this one, but it came with a bell and a whistle.
We've got a little under $20K in this one, but it came with a bell and a whistle.
hmm...could you post a picture of the camera? - - how did you become acquainted with the hardware and technique?"there's enough for everyone"
I don't have it with me. It doesn't really look much like a camera.
I became familiar with these at my previous job (also as an engineer), looking at a pile of product to determine if it was going to spontaneously combust. Found myriad uses after looking into them a bit.
Very cool.
which numbers on the ATM pad the guy in front of you pressed
Call me paranoid, but not a joke, there are similar techniques using analine dyes (normally invisible) that enable seeing the exact number sequence last punched in on a ten key keypad - which is why one should always, after a transaction, wipe your fingers over all the keys in both directions. Have only ever used ATMs 3 times in US, more often in Europe of necessity.
On the electric panel... please tell me that's a pilot light at the bottom.
I wondered if anyone would pay attention to the content.
It is a GFCI breaker. There is a GFCI outlet immediately to the left of the panel as well. Seems all of those little gadgets put out some heat regardless of load. Makes sense since they've got some electronics in them.
Nice. When they come down to $100 I'll get one.
Roofers can use them to find the source of leaks. They are especially helpful on flat roofs where the water can penetrate the membrane a long way away from where it drips into the building.
Take a pic of a house on a very hot day... or on a very cold day. Go up in an attic and snap a pic of the attic floor insulation - again on a very hot or cold day. Take a pic of a duct system while the unit is running. I've seen these things used to help understand the efficiencies and inefficiencies of a building envelope heating/cooling sys, etc.
That's the other reason that I bring it home on weekends besides learning to use it - just haven't had time to take good shots yet. I took (but did not save) some shots from the inside of the attic; that's how I found out how hot it was (130+).
Do a pancake.
Seriously. Say you were going to interpret the sink picture. What would you be able to get out of it ? I'm assuming your looking for cracks and leaks.
Always trust your cape./
One thing that you can see on the back of the sink picture is the drain hose that runs along the bottom of the cabinet on the other side of the wood. I was surprised that the cabinet got that hot. I was walking around (with the lights off) and saw this scene, so I decided to save it.
Being a firefighter, I use a thermal imaging camera quite often. It has a ton of uses for us. Mostly we use them to find hidden pockets of fire, but I have used it a few times in motor vehicle acciedents to see how many patients were in the vehicle (your body leaves a thermal imprint in the seat). We've even used it to track a boy who wandered into the woods by following his tracks.
They are really amazing, and yes, you can use them to see a fingerprint anywhere, including a pin pad on an ATM (there are video games that have you do this as a task with door key pads). Though I wouldn't suggest walking up to an ATM with one in your hand as they are big, and you will get noticed.
Take a look at your windows, chimneys, gable vents, etc. from outside at night, you will be amazed at how much heat they lose.
JimCoventry Woodworking
Alright being slower then the rest I just went back and looked at the sink. I get it now. What about the electric panel?
Always trust your cape./
The shots I posted did not necessarily show any faults, etc. Just visually interesting (particularly the footprint).
However, if there were loose connections in the electric panel, and there was a load on those circuits, then they would likely show up somewhat differently than the others. Similarly, you could spot a corroded conductor.
The panel as-is has two 220V circuits that stand out, both at the top. One is a 100A breaker feeding an upstairs sub-panel (about 78°F), the other is the A/C circuit (prob. about 85°F). You can also see the leads to the panel at the top (mid-to-upper 70's), and the obvious "problem", which turns out to be a GFCI breaker with a high temp of 96.01°F.
Just visually interesting
In the early 90s, the training crews on the infrared scanner that was part of the stinger missile targeting array on the Avenger vehicle (armoured/armed Humvee) were repremanded for using the instrument to observe females walking along the sidewalk - much better resolution (and even costlier) than your instument.
If we added a moisture barrier and bed of pea gravel would that relieve the hot areas? If so, would that require more vented and increased air flow to deal with condensation? Along other lines, orthodics could help reduce the span between heel and ball, but I don't have a chart for that one. Finally does the footprint indicate a missing roast-beef-eating piggy?
All piggies present and accounted for as of this morning. One must have a cold.