primitivelamps

" Does the 320 x 240 resolution make a HUGE difference versus the 120 x120 when it comes to functionality? Or does it simply make a good thing better? Do you think there are things you would see with better resolution that wouldn't be evident if it were lower? I've learned that the higher resolution cameras are simply better and have more features, but if I wanted to taste IR for 2.5 K rather than 9K, would I be losing a lot of utility?" Hi Bain You’re asking very good questions that don't have perfect answers unfortunately. If you listen to the Fluke, Flir, Hotshot, etc... and or Training company's they all will tell you that lower resolution cameras can be used. Remember these companies put these cameras out because they want you to get hooked. The training companies for the most part try to stay neutral but they don't want to discourage people from entering the business either. I have no agendas and this is just my 2 cents. You can take it or leave it. I don’t claim to be smarter than anyone. These companies know if they get you to buy an entry level camera eventually you will not be happy with the lower resolution and will want to upgrade. There are plenty of sights to buy used lower resolution equipment. For building inspections (just my opinion)you want the most sensitive camera you can get. That usually means you get a higher pixel count as well (or crisper images). That is not always the case though. You have to understand what you are getting. I can buy a 640x320 detector right now but its sensitivity is only .10C. Or I can by a 320x240 detector that has a .05C (and pay half as much). At first glance your instinct wants to say I'll take the 640 over the 320 because I get more pixels and a crisper image. In building work since you are dealing with very small temperature differentials I don't need a crisp image of a possible missed anomaly. I would much rather be able to have the more sensitive detector that can "see" the anomaly. Now I know this is going to piss some people off and this is not my intention. You are making an investment here in your business. How do you want your business to be perceived? Obviously since you are asking good questions you are a professional and want to appear professional. Clients today are very internet savvy and do research before they contact you for work. If you look at a lot of websites and you see 80x80 images and you also see 320x240 or 640x320 images, which to the novice looks more professional. The way I looked at it over 7 years ago was if I got one job a month that would pay for the unit, the rest was gravy. It’s painful to even talk about but back them I paid well over 20+ thousand to get the same sensitivity and resolution you can get for 8 today. Even so the camera paid for itself, which I found out right away. It opened up a whole new market that I didn’t have access to before. Today for example I just got a job that will take me to 3-4 different states doing work for a major hotel chain. This one job would pay for my current TI-32. I don’t say that to brag, it is to show people the potentials of the equipment. So many guys are jumping in and leaving money on the table. Yes, it takes some time and proper training (I know everyone is rolling their eyes, everyone thinks they don’t need it) but anyone can do it. Other things to keep in mind like Kurt mentioned are batteries. If you can’t swap batteries out that is just not an option in my opinion. I might start my day doing a residential heatloss inspection before dawn, home inspection in the middle and roof inspection at night (try not to schedule those days but they do happen). How could you do that without multiple batteries? Lens are a big deal as well. One company charges 1000 for telephoto/ wide other charges 3000. Size and functionality are other things to consider. The bottom line is no one can tell you what you should get. Just make sure you educate yourself well before hand. I guess the bottom line in this rant is I want people to realize there are larger opportunities out there that are very lucrative other than just using it on a home inspection. Although your intial intention may only be for home inspections there are cameras that will not limit you in the future as you grow and become more confident.

"Then again, every time I say something like this, someone always posts a picture of a wire connection or some other obscure item that shows it is useful. But, to get to that level of "useful", you have to be doing whole house scans which takes several additional hours on a job." Hi Kurt It's the "obscrue wire connection guy". Take shots all you want. The simple fact is I'm glad people don't invest in the technology and don't incorporate it into their HI. I have been using it for over 7 years before it was "the fad". Couldn't be busier. It actaully is very easy to intergrate into a HI without adding hours. Give it time. You'll figure it out.

I recommend further investigation if the breaker is 130F or higher. Since you are are only looking at surface temps the interior is going to be much hotter. Better safe than sorry.

You might be surprised how often there are poor connections at all those open boxes we (my self included before IR) walk by. I find a mositure leak of some sort that has no visible evidence at least one out every 15 homes. Major insulation issuses a couple times a week. Can't imagine not having the IR camera. Click to Enlarge 14.46 KB

Just based on what I see, I would be more concerned about the reduced flash point of the charred wood vs the strength. Wood can maintains its strength even while burning up to 2000F. People are always surprised when you tell them a steel beam in a garage will fail faster than a wooden beam in a fire. Maybe its over kill but I recommend having any charred wood preped and painted with a intumescent paint.

Good article on cellulose. http://bct.eco.umass.edu/publications/b ... rt-choice/

That's what I discovered several years back when I would rail about furnaces just sitting out in the middle of the attic. I got my comeuppance by a couple good furnace tech's who called me out with one of my favorite phrases, i.e., "you got any credible reference source for that opinion, sonny?" I did not, and learned a valuable lesson. Running water isn't going to freeze very quick (if at all), especially when it's warm condensate. I just make sure the drain pipe has a decent pitch, and that it drains to an interior wall. My two favorite references are physics and logic. Unfortunately alot of contractors don't understand either.