If I could only offer one tip, or bit of advice, that thermographers should follow closely when conducting infrared inspections, it’s that they always remain “thermally aware” of their surrounding environment. Whether it involves analyzing a residential building envelope or conducting a route in an industrial facility, the same piece of advice holds true.
Being “thermally aware” is about staying vigilant during the course of an inspection and looking out for thermal anomalies that are not necessarily part of the job scope, but may indicate a potential safety hazard or are of critical interest to client.
For example, I was out conducting a field inspection during a training class with a local weatherization agency in Vermont when one such situation arose. We had just concluded the air leakage portion of the scan and were hanging out in the kitchen of the house, looking on as a one of the crew members started to break down the blower door and pack it up for the ride home.
Usually this time is either comprised of small-talk with the home owner about energy efficiency or, if you have a camera in hand, an opportunity to mess around and view the immediate surroundings. Most thermographers I know, when holding a camera, are always looking at something, no matter how mundane the object might appear visually. Pets, alarm clocks, computer monitors, coffee makers…we’re always imaging something, that’s what we do! For me this time around it was the cat. It was just sitting there on the kitchen counter, glaring at me, likely contemplating how it was going to kill everyone in the room and take over the world. It wasn’t the cat’s demeanor, however, that was concerning. It was the light switch on the wall behind him. It was warm. No, not warm, it was hot. Hmmm, must be a dimmer switch. It wasn’t.
Investigating further, I found that the light switch was powering two small fluorescent fixtures in the room, but nothing else, yet was glowing like it was feeding power to much of the house. We removed the cover and found the following:
The apparent temperature of the connection was close to 120°F (49° C), a good bit above ambient, (which is what it should have been) and a possible fire hazard that otherwise would have gone unnoticed.
In reality, if we’re hired to conduct an infrared inspection of a home, the time needed to focus on the thermal boundary is likely going preclude us from looking at much else during the course of our time on site. That, and likely our liability coverage, certainly limits what we can address and report. Having said that, I feel it’s our responsibility, should we encounter a similar situation, to notify the homeowner and, at the very least, alert them to what is possibly a dangerous situation.
Now, what to do about the cat who is bent on world domination? Well, that’s most certainly outside the scope of my services as a thermographer, but I do have a few ideas.