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Pro tip: my $150 thermal camera found a hidden leak in a finished wall
I was doing a retrofit in an old house and the client kept getting false alarms from a moisture sensor. I mean, the wall was dry to the touch. I bought a basic thermal camera for about $150 to try and find the problem. It showed a cold spot behind the drywall, and sure enough, there was a tiny pipe leak. Has anyone else used one of these for troubleshooting? I'm thinking it might be worth keeping in the truck.
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charles7066mo ago
Worth keeping in the truck" is right. I saw a contractor on a home show use one to find bad insulation in an attic. It seems like one of those tools that pays for itself the first time you avoid a bigger problem.
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derek_lee6mo ago
Just creates more problems than it solves.
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stella_black336mo ago
Found a hidden leak in my bathroom wall with one last month.
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morganmartinez5mo ago
Actually, Derek's comment about creating more problems might be about misreading the images. You really need to know what you're looking at, because things like a cold air draft or a shadow from a stud can look like a leak. I took a short online course to learn the basics, and now I cross-check with a moisture meter before I ever cut into a wall.
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