Is Thermal Imaging Important?

Many times you will see on a TV show like HGTV, or in a news article someone using infrared to find issues. But what do all those red and blue blobs mean exactly? And is thermal imagig something that is important to have done - especially during a home inspection?

The short answer to the second question is yes - thermal imaging is very important during a home inspection. Thermal imaging doesn't see through walls or give anyone x-ray vision. But what it does do is allow its user to see temperature differentials in surfaces.

And that is exactly what those blue and red blobs are on the camera. Blue is typically cooler areas and red is typically hotter (relative to the surface temperatures around it). That may not sound like much at first glance, but this allows a trained user to find electrical issues that can't be seen with the human eye. It makes leaks more apparent - because as the moisture evaporates, it creates "blue blobs" on the IR camera.

These are just a couple of examples of why thermal imaging is important - especially on a home inspection. It is far more complex than that though, so be sure to hire a qualified thermal imaging inspector.

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