| Several months ago, I wrote an article titled | | | | customer’s homes but he simply could not |
| “Thermal Imaging Cameras Offer Economical | | | | justify the cost. Since purchasing a camera, he has |
| Solutions for a Variety of Diagnostic | | | | been able to significantly differentiate his company |
| applications”. Since then I have learned quite a | | | | from his local competitors. His customers are |
| bit more about the type of applications which thermal | | | | impressed with the addition of professional |
| imaging is being applied. With an entry point of $3,000, | | | | thermogrpahy reports created by the software |
| one camera in particular, the FLIR/Extech i5 has | | | | included with the camera. Low cost thermal imaging |
| created a market that didn’t exist before. Prior | | | | has set a new service benchmark in the residential |
| to this price point, most people would not have thought | | | | home inspection business. |
| or could not have justified the cost of using | | | | A radiant floor heating company had been faced with |
| thermography for their businesses. Here is the story of | | | | significant costs in diagnosing problems with their |
| four organizations that needed thermal imaging and | | | | installations. Prior to thermography, they had to work in |
| can now afford it. | | | | confined areas to access subfloor or, worse, were |
| A carpet cleaning company purchased a thermal | | | | forced to rip up their customer’s flooring to |
| imaging camera from us in order to document a job | | | | access problem areas. It was a time consuming |
| well done. The company had been experiencing a | | | | process of probing, followed by an expensive and |
| consistent stream of customer complaints after | | | | sometimes cost inhibitive repair. The company bought |
| providing their service. Their customers blamed the | | | | a thermal camera and uses it to verify installations and |
| company for mildew, mold and stains that appeared | | | | quickly and efficiently locate problems. |
| on floor coverings and accused the company of | | | | A small town sheriff’s department had access |
| inadequate drying after cleaning. The company was | | | | to an expensive thermal imaging system on a police |
| confident their cleaning process was not causing the | | | | helicopter, but evaluated the use of low cost thermal |
| issues. They purchased a thermal imager in order to | | | | imagers in patrol applications. Four squads of |
| document that their customer’s floors are | | | | sheriff’s deputies kept a thermal imager in their |
| sufficiently dried prior to completing the job. The carpet | | | | patrol car for two weeks. It was our assumption they |
| cleaners decided it was worth $3,000 to eliminate their | | | | would use the camera to locate suspects at night, |
| customer’s negative and unjustified accusations | | | | however they were more interested in using it to |
| of wet floors and poor service. | | | | document evidence. The patrol officers’ first |
| A one-man, residential home inspector was no | | | | reaction was that the reporting software would |
| stranger to thermal imaging, but prior to low cost | | | | become a defense attorney’s worst nightmare. |
| solutions, it was a technology that only large inspection | | | | A thermal picture overlaid on a photographic picture, a |
| engineering corporations could afford. The residential | | | | feature available on some cameras, of a suspect who |
| inspector knew he could more accurately identify | | | | ditches a weapon or stolen goods in the bushes is |
| problem areas with insulation, humidity, HVAC, electrical | | | | indisputable evidence in the court room. |
| and almost every major mechanical system in his | | | | |