Tag: Thermal Imaging

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What is a Blower Door Test? An Introduction.

This blog post first appeared on the Andersen Windows ProViews Blog

We’ve known for a few decades that improving the air tightness of a home and installing a properly designed mechanical ventilation system can greatly enhance the performance of a home.  Having the ability to verify the airtightness of the structure is key, we perform verification by using a tool called a blower door.  This introductory blog will answer the questions; what is a blower door test?  Why do we perform blower door testing?  How is the test performed?  How do we interpret the test results?  What else can a blower door be used for?  Are there codes relating to blower door testing?  Before we dive into those questions, let’s start with that first question, what is a blower door test?

A blower door test is a test to confirm the continuity and integrity of a structure’s air barrier.

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The Thermal Bridge

Thermal imaging is an awesome tool, it can be used to find areas of missing insulation and other temperature anomalies in the building shell.  It can help us find issues with electrical, plumbing and heating systems.  And when used in conjunction with a blower door, we can often “see” the air leaks.  The photo below was taken without the assistance of a blower door, I was at this new home to conduct a blower door, but the test hadn’t begun at the time this photo was taken, can you say thermal bridge!

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Diagnostic Tools-Hikmicro Pocket 2 Thermal Imaging Camera

This post first appeared in the December 2022/January 2023 issue of Fine HomeBuilding Magazine.

Thermal imaging tools used to be so expensive, the only people to own them were researchers and specialty tradespeople.  That’s not the case anymore.  Anyone can get a decent thermal imaging camera for under a $1000, my latest camera is a good example.

I was introduced to Hikmicro at the most recent International Builders Show, a newer manufacturer to the industry, Hikmicro had several of their products on display where interested people could try them out on the show floor.  I gravitated towards the Pocket Series of cameras.  This style of camera looks closer to the traditional digital camera, or a smart phone than the pistol grip thermal imagers we are used to seeing.  Compact but filled with features, the Pocket 2 I purchased has the resolution of a more expensive camera (256×192).  By comparison, my first thermal imaging camera had a resolution of 60×60, and the Pocket 2 is one-third the price of that camera. Continue reading “Diagnostic Tools-Hikmicro Pocket 2 Thermal Imaging Camera”

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Diagnostic Tools-Thermal Imaging-Interpreting the Images

This blog post originally appeared on the Green Building Advisor’s website.  www.greenbuildingadvisor.com

Thermal imaging has numerous uses and benefits many different trades.  Everything from surveillance and industrial maintenance to checking someone’s temperature.  For this post, I’ll discuss interpreting images in the residential construction field. 

It’s important to have at least a basic understanding of how the camera works and adjustments that can be made to the different camera settings, I’ll briefly discuss a few of the settings.  It’s also helpful that you have somewhat of an expectation when viewing a thermal image.  Outside environmental conditions can affect an image taken inside a building, the conditions typically present in a predictable way, but not always.  Sometimes something unexpected shows up, usually this requires more investigation, possibly confirmed using other diagnostic tools or may even require the disassembling of a building component.

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Diagnostic Tools-Thermal Imaging-The Basics

Thermal imaging is a wonderful tool that not too many years ago, was rarely used because of the high cost and complexity of the equipment.  Not the case anymore.  It’s still possible to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a high-end camera, but you can buy a decent unit for under $1000.  I own a very good camera I use all the time that retails for $600.  This blog post will cover the different cameras on the market and the terminology and other basic information needed to effectively use one.

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