Anybody have an Infrared Camera Attachment for your Phone?

[Qs Laptop]

I'm determined to correct my cold basement problem I have here in Minnesota. I thinking I should diagnose my air leak and insulation problems with an infrared camera. I was hoping to rent one of these things but the cost is $75 a day from Home Depot. Sure, I could probably do all my cold spot detection/diagnoses in a day but why not buy one you plug into your phone for $163 from Amazon?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0728C7KNC

This seems like a tool/toy that would get a lot of spinoff uses over the years.

Does anybody own an IR camera? How about an IR camera you plug into your phone?

If so, comments are requested.

 

[HF63]

I have an old Flir 1 that attaches my iPhone 5. They work very well for finding leaks on the house and lots of uses on cars too.


If your basement is open they can a blower door test in chase they put a fan on the door and gets the house in negative pressure and you can find leaks too.


If you are using a regular furnace remember hot air rises, it will always be cooler than the upstairs. You zone it to maintain a better temp.

 

[Sunset]

You can test for air leaks with a incense stick, especially if you test the side of a house that the wind is blowing towards ..

How far down the wall does your insulation go ? Unless you are insulated down quite a few feet (6) , you will lose heat just from conduction via the frozen ground outside drawing off the heat though the concrete wall.

I do like the idea of an infared camera, to tell the cold spots on walls, ceilings, etc, where the insulation has settled down or gotten wet, etc.

I wonder if a non-touch thermometer would work to pinpoint colder parts of the wall ?

 

[Sunset]

..
If your basement is open they can a blower door test in chase they put a fan on the door and gets the house in negative pressure and you can find leaks too.

..

We have an old furnace, so we get a negative pressure test all winter long, since the furnace burns the air in the basement.

It gets extra strong when we use the dryer as it blows air out of basement as well

 

[HF63]

We have an old furnace, so we get a negative pressure test all winter long, since the furnace burns the air in the basement.

It gets extra strong when we use the dryer as it blows air out of basement as well

Those 2 items combine does not even come closer to what a blower door test does but I do agree that they take inside air. You are also forgetting kitchen and bathroom fans.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I had a blower door test done perhaps 8 or 9 years ago, identified areas of concern--mostly 25 year old windows and patio doors, as well as the ceiling access to the attic. All windows and patio doors replaced. Ceiling access panel was insulated and sealed. Now I want to go back myself and diagnose problem areas. I figure an IR camera is ideal for this purpose.

Every time the seasons changes I adjust the outlet vents in each room to get the most efficiency out of the HVAC system. For example, in summer the AC air is directed mostly to the upper floor of our two story house and no vents are open in the basement. In the winter the basement vents are wide open for heated air but the upper floor vents are partially closed. Still, I know there are air leaks around outlets in the basement and I suspect other places as well, I want to find them all, quickly, and fix them.

 

[Sunset]

Some exchange of air is healthy.

If you seal up your home like an R2000 home , then you need an air ex-changer to bring in fresh air without losing too much heat.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Thinking about this further, supposing I rent an IR camera from Home Depot for $75 a day. I identify all the spots I need to insulate/fix and proceed with the repairs. OK, how do I know if I did a good job with the insulation? Well, I could rent the camera again for $75. (There is also a four hour option for $45.) Now I've got a minimum of $120 into renting an IR camera.

This is why I'm thinking I should simply buy one for $163 for my phone.

 

[Sunset]

Thinking about this further, supposing I rent an IR camera from Home Depot for $75 a day. I identify all the spots I need to insulate/fix and proceed with the repairs. OK, how do I know if I did a good job with the insulation? Well, I could rent the camera again for $75. (There is also a four hour option for $45.) Now I've got a minimum of $120 into renting an IR camera.

This is why I'm thinking I should simply buy one for $163 for my phone.

Why not rent for 4 hours, do the pictures , mark the spots.
Then just fix them.
I would think, once you open the wall, you will see the issue, (insulation, caulking) and once fixed it's done.

On the other hand if you just want a new tool, then the $45 rental savings is like a discount on the price

 

[Sunset]

This is the lowest price for this camera since April :

https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B0728C7KNC

 

[savory]

Why not rent for 4 hours, do the pictures , mark the spots.
Then just fix them.
I would think, once you open the wall, you will see the issue, (insulation, caulking) and once fixed it's done.

On the other hand if you just want a new tool, then the $45 rental savings is like a discount on the price

Just a thought. Why not find out if a neighbor or two would be interested in having one as well. It is the type of tool, I think , where you could schedule the use. Even if your neighbor is not as careful as you, you will be out of pocket the same as your consideration about purchase vs rent. Especially, if you are the first in line to use it.

 

[braumeister]

A number of years ago I got one of these, and it works well. Hard to go wrong at $26.

Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector

 

[ERD50]

A number of years ago I got one of these, and it works well. Hard to go wrong at $26.

Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector

+1 I have the regular IR thermal gun, this looks better suited to finding cold/hot spots. For $26, you can check and recheck at your convenience, far better than an expensive rental unit (you'd probably never recoup your $$ on the rental).

I guess this doubles as a 'regular' IR gun?

-ERD50