Is It Worth Getting Thermal Imaging with Home Inspection?

By Admin Monday December 12, 2022

Buying or selling a home must always include a home inspection. A home inspection by a professional makes it possible for the owner and potential buyer to fully understand the house’s condition. But how? 

The walls, floors, and insulation often cover a sizable portion of the house and a majority of appliances. So, how can you tell if essential systems like your electrical, plumbing, and air ducts are functioning if you can’t see them? Home inspectors can provide you with a thorough assessment of the state of your homes by using thermal imaging. Both new and older homes can have problems, and thermal imaging home inspection can help detect them. 

This article discusses thermal imaging and the reasons for getting thermal imaging with a home inspection. 

What Is Thermal Imaging?

Simply put, thermal imaging is nothing but heat imaging. It is a procedure that uses technology to examine temperature differences, energy loss, water leaks, and other hidden issues. This procedure is carried out with a specialized thermal imaging camera or infrared camera that can recognize infrared light. 

The device uses infrared technology to detect home discrepancies, particularly the problems related to moisture that often causes mildew growth, abnormalities in electrical and wiring, infestations, and more. 

Benefit Of Thermal Imaging For Home Inspection

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Inspectors can use infrared cameras to see an object or area’s thermal energy emissions. It’s helpful to understand the various thermal temperatures of the different items and spaces to ensure that everything in your home is working correctly.

Thermal imaging during home inspections will show problem areas with erratic heat sources or regions with lower heat than usual. These areas frequently seem normal to the naked eye, but a professional knows they can become the root cause of several problems. 

The following are the top five benefits of thermal imaging in home inspection.

1. Detection Of Hidden Moisture And Mold Spots

Mold in the home is never pleasurable, and if it is mishandled, it can quickly become a health risk. Darker, less-ventilated areas of the house, like air vents and laundry rooms, are where mold and moisture are more likely to show up. These potential hidden mold spots around the house may be unnoticeable to the naked eye. However, thermal technology makes locating these spots and solving the issue much easier.

2. Identification Of Different Structural Defects

With thermal imaging, you can find the various issues with a home’s structural integrity. The temperature will vary in different places on wall surfaces, floor tiles, ceilings, and roof tiles. There might be a problem there, such as damaged or missing structural components. 

Thermal imaging is also beneficial for detecting roof leaks because it can reveal whether moisture is accruing at specific locations.

3. Energy Efficiency

You should make an ongoing effort to maintain your home’s energy efficiency. If not, you might end up paying higher electricity bills. A more energy-efficient home ultimately results in lower overall costs. 

Components of windows and doors are frequently the largest source of heat dissipation. 

Thermal imaging helps find heat loss around the house. The thermal image will enable you to identify which components release surplus power. 

If you ever decide to sell your home, you can bargain for a higher price if you have an energy-efficient home because they are typically more valuable.

4. Detection Of Electrical Hot Spots

The home’s electrical wiring system will deteriorate over time. It may result in various electrical faults and other inconsistencies, which, if ignored, may pose risks like a house fire accident. 

Identifying the precise location that requires repairing is simple because damaged wiring will appear on the image as bright yellow spots. The inspector can find these different electronic spots throughout the house thanks to thermal imaging technology.

5. Pest Detection

Nobody likes living in a house with bothersome tiny insects and roaches that like to clamber inside the walls. An infrared image can identify these various tiny pests and critters’ temperatures, just like it can with moisture and mold.

Bottom Line

Inspectors are now using thermal imaging, a more recent and technologically sophisticated method, to conduct home inspections. This enables them to produce reports and analyze them more precisely. 

Thermal imaging is important for home inspections due to its many benefits. We at Clear Sight Inspections are available if you want to arrange a thermal imaging inspection for your house. Get in touch with us right away to schedule a home inspection. We are a team of professional and competent home inspectors in Staten island.