It’s easy to detect air leaks when you sit next to a problematic window on a cold winter night. It is harder to detect an air leak that is letting your A/C air out during a hot summer day. We don’t always know where air leaks are in our homes or how they might be impacting our health, physical structure or wallets. One of the best ways to detect home air leaks is with an infrared camera.
Air leaks not only cost you more money on your heating and cooling bills but are also a source of poor air quality. Homes that continuously leak air might be susceptible to moisture issues, which can invite mould or even rodents and bugs into your home.
How Do Infrared Cameras Work?
An infrared camera detects radiation that reflects heat differences in temperature variations. The cameras can identify temperature variables that the naked eye just cannot see. The viewfinder of the camera will display a series of gradient colors on a small screen giving the operator a clear look at the heat spectrum in a particular space. These colors are expressed in brighter reds, yellows, and oranges for warmer signatures; while cool blues and purples indicate cool areas of a home.
How Infrared Cameras are Used to Find Air Leaks
Infrared cameras use colour gradients to detect where air is leaking. If a wall is a consistent colour then there is no air leak. If there is colour differentials around windows or at tops of walls it could mean bad caulking, defective windows or insulation slumping in your wall cavities. A big part of using an infrared camera is knowing what you are looking for.
Call the air leak experts today. Get Building Insights working on finding air leaks for you!