There is cutting edge inspection technology available today that gives you the power to see what no one else can see. Before infrared technology that brown stain on the ceiling might be a leak in the roof, after infrared technology that brown stain,well, it just needs a little paint (because we verified using infrared powered technology that the leak is not active). That is just one example of how the power of technology can literally save your clients( buyer and sellers) thousands of dollars by getting them answers to their questions, rather than creating more questions. As you can envision, this has real implications for our businesses.
Steve Ramos of Envirovue Home Inspection captured using his Infrared camera during a home inspection
As you can see this in this infrared video significant water has infiltrated the floor below the bedroom and the laundry room. This moisture was not evident from the flooring above or the ceiling below. If this drywall is left damp for more than 48 hours there will be significan mold growth.
(click play to see the video - you may have to click it twice)
REAL IMPLICATIONS FOR REAL ESTATE INSPECTION(back)
The technology has real implications for how real estate home inspections will be conducted. The industry is slowly being transformed from a "visual" inspection service to a "technology" powered service that can satisfy even the most robust seller and buyer questions. The implications are so great that the perception that home inspectors can "kill" a deal will be thing of the past because with technology answers can be provided quickly, non-destructively (no tearing into walls), and in budget (hundreds of dollars versus thousands).
Standard digital image does not reveal moisture accumulation
For example, your buyers notices a musty smell in one of the rooms but otherwise is in love with the home, their valid concern is that there may be a mold problem in that room. Before infrared technology, your client (seller or buyer) would pay for multiple inspections(general home inspector, mold inspection and testing, leak detection specialist), possibly removal of drywall, or other destructive style testing to get meaningful answers. After infrared technology, your client makes one phone call to a full service home inspection firm powered by infrared technology (hint: Envirovue Home Inspection) and for less than 4 hours of inspection time and $500.00 your client will get some real answers - that is the power of technology!
If you are looking to partner with a locally owned one owner/operator full service home inspection firm that is powered by infrared technology please consider my company for your next referral.
Thermography is the use of an infrared imaging and measurement camera to "see" and "measure" thermal energy emitted from an object. Thermal, or infrared energy, is light that is not visible because its wavelength is too long to be detected by the human eye; it's the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we perceive as heat. Unlike visible light, in the infrared world, everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits heat. Even very cold objects, like ice cubes, emit infrared. The higher the object's temperature, the greater the IR radiation emitted. Infrared allows us to see what our eyes cannot. Infrared thermography cameras produce images of invisible infrared or "heat" radiation and provide precise non-contact temperature measurement capabilities. Nearly everything gets hot before it fails, making infrared cameras extremely cost-effective, valuable diagnostic tools in many diverse applications. And as industry strives to improve manufacturing efficiencies, manage energy, improve product quality and enhance worker safety, new applications for infrared cameras continually emerge.
An infrared camera is a non-contact device that detects infrared energy (heat) and converts it into an electronic signal, which is then processed to produce a thermal image on a video monitor and perform temperature calculations. Heat sensed by an infrared camera can be very precisely quantified, or measured, allowing you to not only monitor thermal performance, but also identify and evaluate the relative severity of heat-related problems. Recent innovations, particularly detector technology, the incorporation of built-in visual imaging, automatic functionality, and infrared software development, deliver more cost-effective thermal analysis solutions than ever before.
