While thermal images of a building's exterior can provide an attractive color image highlighting temperature differences in walls and roofs, these images need to be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. Sometimes a seemingly reveals a problem while in reality it reveals nothing of significance. On other occasions a perfectly normal building can be made to look a real problem due to the influence of sunlight on surfaces under test. If...
Tracing the Source of a Ceiling Stain with Infrared Technology
A brown ceiling stain may seem harmless when it dries. In a Dallas home that ceiling stain can hide the source of the moisture. For a tenant plumbing problems, an AC drain or a roof leak might be hiding above the finished ceiling. In this situation the main worry is not whether the ceiling stain feels warm or cool, on a camera. The real questions are: where did the moisture come from...
A buyer walks into a Dallas property and notices a faint ceiling stain near an exterior wall. The surface looks dry, but an infrared scan shows a cool, irregular area extending beyond the visible mark. That pattern may justify moisture testing or a closer roof or plumbing review; it does not identify the leak. Used properly, thermal imaging helps owners and buyers decide where to investigate and what evidence to request. Its value is directing...
