Attend any trade show in the home inspection industry these days and you’ll find at least one infrared camera, if not many, on display. In the autumn of 2006, at ITA’s Inspection Expo in Las Vegas, Flir was in attendance, as were several tool companies that offer cameras made by Fluke Corporation. HomeSafe Inspection, a franchisor that features its own infrared camera, demonstrated their technology at the show as well.

Are professional home inspectors sold on infrared technology? You would certainly think so, given the number of exhibitors with cameras for sale.

As a frequent trade show exhibitor, I have the luxury of getting tons of face time with my customer base. It’s not my charm or dashing good looks that has inspectors flocking to my booth. I’m the guy with the gaggle of goodies that beep, flash, or illuminate and come in every annoying color you can conjure up; the “toy counter” if you will.

Tools are to inspectors what shoes are to most women.

The biggest, baddest tool on any table is the infrared camera. Yet, I’d put the number of home inspectors in North America that own an infrared camera at some point south of ten percent. The cost, I’m told, precludes most from considering infrared technology. But cost isn’t the only reason inspectors are reluctant to embrace IR. I’ve heard infrared technology renounced by home inspectors because of the “increased liability” it introduces and I’ve heard it (IR) referred to as “the ultimate deal killer”.

“People know you can see through walls with that contraption, so what happens if you miss something? You see what I mean?” asked one senior inspector I spoke with on Long Island.

By this juncture, most inspectors know that infrared cameras do not give you the ability to see through walls. The camera will merely show the temperature signature of the wall surface. Building materials inside the wall system affect the surface temperature of the wall due to their respective thermal properties. Water, for example, has great thermal capacitance, so the presence of moisture within a wall system will create a temperature differential on the wall surface that is detectable with an infrared camera. Missing insulation is easy to see as well, provided you have sufficient energy transfer present.

So, to see or not to see, that is the question!

Would your client, who is planning to spend $250,000 on their dream home, want you to detect latent moisture in a wall invisible to the naked eye? Missing Insulation? How about termite or rodent infestation? You bet they would.

Will real estate agents absolutely abhor you if you’re armed with this technology? It’s possible; even probable. Does the ability to unearth more potential concerns with a home increase your liability? In my humble opinion, infrared technology enables you to protect your posterior more effectively.

The number of IR capable inspectors is on the rise, but those of you waiting for the prices to tumble further before taking the plunge, may want to reconsider. I spoke to an engineer at Mikron Infrared who believes that it’s likely that cameras with better detectors and higher resolution will be developed in short order, making today’s entry level cameras not less expensive, but obsolete instead. Mid-range cameras will then become tomorrow’s entry level cameras, with only modest decreases in overall prices being realized.

When using infrared technology, possessing the ability to intelligently interpret your findings is paramount. Flir and Fluke are aware of this and have instructional programs in place whether or not you’ve purchased a camera.

Industry giant ITA/Kaplan is banking on the success of infrared technology as well by offering, in partnership with HomeSafe Inspection, Inc., a 6-hour introductory infrared course, a 5-day enhanced infrared/acoustic course, and the ability to package the enhanced course with a lease/license of HomeSafe’s infrared camera and acoustic technology.