A hint for troubleshooting plumbing

Log in

Log In | Register

Skip to main content

Topic: A hint for troubleshooting plumbing (Read 23 times) previous topic - next topic

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

A hint for troubleshooting plumbing

May 27, 2015, 09:44:32 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 153065

I used my iPhone this afternoon to identify a hard-to-find leak under my midbath's kitchen sink. The trick: jam the phone back into a spot where it can see the joints that I can't see, and then have it shoot video. The resulting short clip can be seen in my Vimeo area, and clearly reveals where the leak is occurring.

It's not the first time I've used my phone to shoot video in an extremely tight space in order to diagnose a problem. In another case, a friend's outside refrigerator compartment door was binding when nearly closed. By placing the phone inside the compartment and shooting video while closing the door, we were able to identify the problem spot.

While most point-and-shoot digital cameras can also shoot video, today's iPhones are so slim that they can fit almost anywhere, and they can focus to within a few inches, so they're ideal for the purpose of close-range troubleshooting.

Andy Baird

Re: A hint for troubleshooting plumbing

Reply #1 – May 28, 2015, 01:05:11 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 153069

Andy, you are disgustingly clever. This is a great tip.
I assume you have to turn on video recording before you place the phone unless there is a way to either activate it remotely or with a time delay???

Chris

Re: A hint for troubleshooting plumbing

Reply #2 – May 28, 2015, 01:49:06 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 153070

Quote

Quote
On May 27, 2015, at 7:44 PM, [lifewithalazydazerv] wrote:

I used my iPhone this afternoon to identify a hard-to-find leak under my midbath's kitchen sink. The trick: jam the phone back into a spot where it can see the joints that I can't see, and then have it shoot video. The resulting short clip can be seen inmy Vimeo area, and clearly reveals where the leak is occurring.
Andy Baird

Andy,

I have used my iPhone camera for still shots of things too hard to see clearly by eye, but haven't thought about using video. Thats a great idea! I can see where it would be helpful in viewing slow propane leaks with the a[[lied fluid. The iPhone (always in my pocket) flashlight has come handy too.

Dale

Re: A hint for troubleshooting plumbing

Reply #3 – May 28, 2015, 03:52:12 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 153074

"I assume you have to turn on video recording before you place the phone unless there is a way to either activate it remotely or with a time delay?"

Yes, I started recording video before placing the phone in position. I could have started it remotely*, but didn't want to bother.

* When in the Camera app, any iPhone or iPad can be made to take a photo or start/stop shooting video by pressing one of the volume control buttons on its side. This can be handy when you find it awkward to press the onscreen button.

But there's more: if you have Apple's earbuds plugged in, you can also take a photo or start/stop video recording by pressing one of the volume control buttons on the earbud cord. Thus, in effect, Apple gives you a free remote camera control with every iPhone. Not many people seem to know about this, but it can be very useful when you need to trigger the camera without jiggling it, or when it's in an awkward location.

"I can see where it would be helpful in viewing slow propane leaks with the applied fluid."

Good idea! And in that situation, you could use the iPhone's time-lapse video mode to speed up the action, so that you needn't sit through half an hour of recorded video, waiting to see a bubble develop.

Conversely, if you want to understand a short, quick event, recent iPhones can shoot slow-motion video at up to 240 frames per second. I recently used this feature to analyze a friend's card shuffle, in an attempt to find out why hers is so fast and smooth and mine is so slow and clumsy. ;-) It's amazing what you can see when you slow things down eight times!

"The iPhone (always in my pocket) flashlight has come handy too."

You bet! And that same super-bright LED also serves as a camera flash, or as a video light when shooting in dark places.

Andy Baird

Re: A hint for troubleshooting plumbing

Reply #4 – May 28, 2015, 04:14:24 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 153075

P.S.--Android owners needn't feel left out. I should have mentioned that many late-model Android phones have similar features, and can be used in some of the same ways I mentioned.

Andy Baird

Re: A hint for troubleshooting plumbing

Reply #5 – May 28, 2015, 04:24:01 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 153076

Andy,

Amazing what we can accomplish when we put our collective heads together!

Dale

Affiliate Notice

LDOF is user-supported. When you purchase through some links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.