You move into your home, only to find out that your heat isn’t working!
You already have to pay for a down payment and your mortgage, now you have to add fixing your heat to the list. Moving into a home and then learning about an expensive problem is a bummer, yet it’s a reality many homeowners face.
What if there was a way to uncover these issues ahead of time? Well, there is!
An infrared, or IR camera, can detect many problems that aren’t visible to the human eye.
Keep reading to learn about what an IR camera can detect!
What Can an IR Camera Detect in an Inspection?
While doing a home inspection, it’s helpful to know everything that you’re dealing with.
An infrared camera takes an inspection to the next level. So, what exactly can an IR camera detect?
1. Heat
If the home has heat, you’ll know by taking a look with your IR camera.
You can see if there’s any airflow coming from the registers with an IR camera. To test this, turn on the heat or AC in your home. Give it around 10 minutes to kick on, then tour the house with the IR camera.
You can look at the radiators with the IR camera, and if part of the radiator seems to be cold still, the heat isn’t working properly.
2. Stains on the Ceiling
If there are stains on your ceiling, that may mean that you have a water leak.
You’ll want to know if you have a water leak as soon as possible to prevent roof damage and mold. You can tell if your stains are active by the temperature of the stain. If the ceiling is all the same temperature, the stain is probably an old one and there is no moisture.
3. Heated Floors
If the home offers a heated floor option, you’ll be able to tell with your IR camera.
The entire floor will show heat signatures if the floors are heated.
4. Shower Leaks
A shower dam can be used to detect shower leaks before they’ve done damage.
If the ceiling above the shower is showing a cold signature, that means there may be water pooling in the area.
5. Attic Hot Spots
In the winter it’s not uncommon for the attic to get spots that are hotter than the rest of the house.
This happens when excessive amounts of heat are sent to the attic. If you live in a climate that’s very cold, this distribution of heat can lead to ice dams.
This can be dangerous because the hot spot on the roof can cause an avalanche in the front of your home. If someone happens to be walking underneath the front of the roof, falling icicles and heaps of snow can cause serious injury.
Have Your Home Inspected with An IR Camera Today
Don’t let big problems sneak up on you when you buy a house.
With an IR camera, you can detect them ahead of time. If you enjoyed reading this, check out our other real estate blog posts!
