Thermal Camera June 07, 2019, 09:53:43 pm I know that I have read posts from some of you that use thermal cameras/imagers but I couldn't find any.I have a friend looking for one as he has an elusive roof/chimney leak (leaks 7' as the crow flies diagonally from the chimney, a past problem area, but he has a pretty new membrane roof that is solid with no issues so the chimney is the suspect). I suggested he try to find that leak source with one of these and I want one long term also for RVing fulltime. At home depot they seem to all run in the $300-$600 range. Not quite what I wanted to put into one tool. I am find to use my phone/table as the display if that helps save costs. I want something decent enough to show valuable information but I don't need the favorite pricey top pro version.An Escapees bootcamp speaker suggested a small toolkit from Sears that included a thermal imager as well as some basic tools (a wrench, hammer, etc.) that sold for about $79, the plus being you got the thermal imager. I have (and want) better tools and I was concerned the thermal imager was not that great for that price.I want something to detect temp changes (to help spot leaks and wiring hot spots would be nice also).Any feedback from people who have used/owned these would be appreciated.Jane
Re: Thermal Camera Reply #1 – June 07, 2019, 10:05:33 pm I know that Andy Baird has used a Flir thermal camera that works with an iPhone. Probably something like FLIR ONE Gen 3 Thermal Camera for Smart Phones | FLIR SystemsArt 1 Likes
Re: Thermal Camera Reply #2 – June 07, 2019, 10:09:03 pm Art, thanks, that is more the price range I am looking for. Anyone with experience, your input would be appreciated.Jane
Re: Thermal Camera Reply #3 – June 08, 2019, 01:36:04 am Ok, I just spent a lot of time reading on Amazon, Flir website, and this forum (searching for flir vs thermal).My concern, the item referred to above seems to have battery issues (Flir states it will run an hour then need charging, which is ok, but reviews said it worked a few minutes then shut down. And there are multiple people who said they had it turned off in a drawer for a few months and could not get it to turn back on - often after the warranty was just expired. One guy said he turned it on but only got the amber light, waited a minute... repeated this pattern several times, then it finally came on and turned green). The 1 star ratings are for about 17% of the users, a high amount of uses.Here on the forum, it is the brand everyone discusses.And the price is good because your phone is the screen part. For $200 I would prefer to have something that will last a few years (those separate warranty add-ons look better and better these days).
Re: Thermal Camera Reply #4 – June 08, 2019, 09:56:44 am I've had first and second generation FLIR ONE cameras for some years. My current second-gen camera still works fine. I use it infrequently, and the battery tends to lose its charge when the camera sits in a drawer for a few months, but it charges up pretty quickly. I don't think I've ever used it for more than about ten minutes at a time, so I can't say how long the battery will run it on a full charge. It's never been a problem for me. Other than that I have no complaints. It works, the software is well designed, and the price is reasonable. I used it to track down a leak in my overcab ceiling, for example, as these photos show.(By the way, note how dark/cold the frame of the side window is! As was pointed out recently, heat loss through the aluminum frame is a lot faster than through even single-pane glass.)
Re: Thermal Camera Reply #5 – June 08, 2019, 12:01:14 pm I own a Gen 2 FLIR infrared camera, used with either a phone of tablet and have found it useful in working on the house and for car and RV issues . It good for seeing hot or cold spots where in wall or attic insulation has failed or is missing, I have found partially plugged car radiators with it. On one LD, with a 2000-watt inverter, we found a loose connection by the heat is was generating. It can also be used to 'look' at the Power Center, detecting poor connections . You just need to use your imagination to find more uses for the camera.As mention, the battery life isn't long and it doesn't have the same sensitive or image detail as the commercial FLIRs we used at work but it's is good enough for what I'm doing, at a price that I can just afford.Dedicated tool junkie.Larry
Re: Thermal Camera Reply #6 – June 08, 2019, 06:39:31 pm Here's another of the FLIR ONE's many uses: while playing with it, I was surprised to discover a hot strip across the middle of my old fridge. Turned out that the control panel was generating some heat, but more important, there was an anti-condensation heater between the fridge and freezer doors.And another: you can see the liquid level in this opaque bottle of hand lotion. You could probably read levels in propane tanks just as well.Hot spots from humans and animals linger surprisingly long. If you want to know where your cat has been sleeping, you can see its thermal signature for five or ten minutes after it has moved away. :-) 4 Likes
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