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Thermal Imaging

Swollen or Bulging Skirting Board? Leak

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One of the most common indicators of a leak is a swollen skirting board.

Commonly referred to as a ‘blowen skirting’.

The key is to find the leak source before it gets to the point of doing damage, but that’s not always possible. So where is it coming from in the first place?

The following thermal imaging photo shows you what I found during a house inspection in Sumner, Christchurch. In this case, the skirting was actually in tact and not showing any signs of swelling due to mositure , yet the thermo camera picked up the problem right away….

Dark area indicates hidden leak
Dark area indicates hidden leak

Wouldn’t you prefer to know this before buying the house!

This particular leak was actually coming from the roof, and running down the side of the window frame and showing itself at the bottom of the wall/skirting area. There was a cladding detail running around the perimeter of the house that was flat of top, so the water had no way of running off. The cause of the leak was a crack in the polystyrene cladding above this detail just below the roof line.

We find leaks and moisture… that’s all we do.

Plumbing Leak – Garage Ceiling Water Leak

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Buying a home without a leak detection inspection is very risky these days.

Recently in South Auckland I did a post purchase thermal imaging leak test on a home… what a result! (see photo below)

Why was it a ‘post’ purchase inspection, rather than a ‘pre’ purchase inspection? Can you believe the seller wouldn’t let the potential buyers inside to inspect the home prior to purchase… ‘because it was a mortgagee sale!’

This was a shambles… the price of the property was ‘to good to refuse’, so the buyer got emotional and went ahead and purchased the house anyway. 4 days later I get a call to come a check the house for leaks.

You can clearly see the leak in this image below because you’re looking at it through the eyes of an infrared camera…. but could the human eye see it? No.

Major Leak from Faulty Plumbing
Major Leak from Faulty Plumbing

There was a bathroom directly above this area which is the primary suspect. In this case, the plumber will most likely break the gib open on the garage ceiling and repair the leak(s) from underneath.

If you are prepared to buy a home in NZ without testing for leaks first, then you’re clearly taking a big risk. This one should be easy to fix… but, the sale price may have been lower had this issue been discovered prior to handing over the $$$.

NZ Thermal Imaging Website – 5 Star Rating

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Great! This thermal imaging website has been given a ‘5 star’ rating!

Out of all the infrared websites around the world, the information on this website has caught the eye of some of the ‘big guns’ in the infrared world.

Here’s the criteria the association uses when selecting a website for this award:

“Web sites bearing the 5 Star Web site logo have distinguished themselves among their peers as one of the best resources on the internet today. 5 Star Web site recognition must meet the following criteria:

thermal imaging

1) Information on the web site must be easy to find.
2) The information offered by the web site must be timely and accurate.
3) A visitor to the web site must not be charged a membership fee.
4) The web site must positively promote IR Thermography or related PDM or NDT.
5) The web site must be referred to the Technical Editors of www.irinfo.org by a current member of the IRINFO Group. “

Thank you to all my clients throughout NZ… this award is also thanks to you!

Thermal Imaging Scan

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Here is exactly why you should consider a thermal imaging scan on the home you intend to buy…

When buying a home, one of the first things you need to do is determine if the home is leaking, and if there is any moisture issues that could cause future problems for you. A thermal imaging scan will detect signs of a leak fast.

We are infrared leak detection specialists, and we conduct many pre-purchase thermal imaging scans throughout NZ. Here is just another example of a hidden leak that was found in bedroom on a rountine property inspection (further confirmed with an invasive inspection)…

leak in wall

Don’t risk buying a home without a moisture test… too many home buyers have been ‘caught out’ rushing into ‘great deals’, and forgetting that in some cases the reason the deal is so good is because the home owner is aware of the problems and doesn’t want a bar of it!

Infrared Thermography Inspection of Electrical Systems

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Infrared thermography is a fast way to determine electrical faults, no matter what the complexity of the component is.

Recently I conducted a complete thermal imaging electrical inspection on an offshore oil rig. You can only imagine how important it is to prevent any type fire breaking out on a ship full of oil! The main benefit of electrical thermography is that the infrared camera can detect hot spots (and alot more) in an instant… the human eye will not see any of these anomalies in most cases.

No matter how switched on your on-site electrician or maintenance officer is, they simply won’t see what infrared can see… it’s impossible. In the case of this particular job, the thermography inspection yeilded 18 faults. Here is an example of just one electrical fault I found on board…

electrical hot spot thermography

NZ Commerical Clients: NZ District Councils – Publically Listed NZ Companies – Banks – Shopping Center Chains – Shipping Companies – Mining Companies – Oil Companies – Offshore Oil Rigs – Marine Services – Production Companies – Engineering Companies – Electrical Contractors – Leisure Centers – and many others (Specific names available upon request).

We conduct electrical thermography inspections throughout New Zealand, so feel free to call today for a quote based on your company circumstances.

Thermal Imaging Detects Butanol Deck Leak

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Do you have butanol waterproofing on your deck?

If you have a leak in a room under a deck, there is a way to find the leak fast…

Recently I was called out to a home because the builder couldn’t detect where a leak was coming from. Although he suspected the deck was the issue, it was a matter of what part of the deck it was entering.

The righthand photo below shows the damage to the wall the builder caused while looking for the leak, and the lefthand photo shows exactly what I saw with the thermal imaging camera. The dark area at the top of the ceiling is the source of the leak which was finding it’s way down the wall and appearing around the skirting.

Rather then doing damage to your walls and guessing where the leak is coming in, give me a call. The thermal imaging camera could ‘fast track’ your remedial work, or potentiallybutanol deck waterproofing confirm the source of the leak.

Thermal Cameras See What Inspectors Can’t!

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Is there leaks or moisture hiding behind the walls of your future home?

When buying a home, 100% of the financial risk is on you. Wise home buyers do not take any short cuts during the pre purchase inspection process.

There are many homes for sale in New Zealand that look great and are of solid construction, but there’s also many homes that look great but could be an absolute can of worms. Remember, once you’ve paid your money, it’s too late to turn back… so take every measure you can during the pre purchase inspection phase.

leaking window

An infrared camera can see what you and I can not see (like signs of leaks, moisture and missing insulation behind walls), so taking that fact into account, it’s only logical that the camera is going to reveal other potential issues with the home that the real estate agent, the building inspector, the seller and yourself don’t even know exist (unless you rip the wall and ceiling down as part of the pre purchase inspection… unlikely). You wouldn’t believe the amount of leaks I’ve found in some homes that didn’t show a trace of evidence they were even there! (See infrared photos of leaks HERE that i’ve found during pre purchase inspections).

The real estate agent selling you the home isn’t obligated to know what the moisture levels of the home are, that’s not their job, so it’s up to you to find out. The scary part is that most home buyers don’t even consider what could be lurking behind the walls before handing over their cash! The only person at risk when buying a home is you, so the least you can do is safeguard your investment and get it checked for moisture and leaks (in addition to a building inspection) before going ahead with the deal.

New Zealand has a wet climate, so most homes will leak at some stage… and the home you’re looking to buy could be an absolute dog (but nice to look at), or it might be just fine. Are you willing to take the gamble, or does the saying “slow and steady wins the race” have a better ring to it?

Buying a home can be fun and rewarding for some people, but for many buyers the experience has turned into an absolute nightmare… and to top it off, their bank account has been sucked dry in the process! Remain savvy at all times when buying a home, after all, we are talking about an investment of $100’s of thousands of dollars… and 100% of the risk is soley on your shoulders in this transaction.

Hidden Water Leak Found Under Window

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Have you ever heard the saying “What you don’t know won’t hurt you“?

The home owner of this Glenfield (Auckland) home below no longer agrees with the above statement.

On a routine home thermal imaging inspection yesterday, we uncovered a huge water leak around a window that certainly wasn’t visable to the human eye.

window leak thermal imaging

The only hint we had of potential moisture ingress in the area, was a small piece of paint that had slightly changed colour at the bottom of the wall on the bottom floor. This particular leak in the photo was originating from around a second floor window directly above the front door.

You will notice that in the righthand side of this picture, there is absolutely no sign of a leak? If you’ve been considering getting an infrared thermal imaging inspection, then this photo is a classic example of why you should get it done sooner rather than later.

Are you considering buying a home? This photo certainly demonstrates why you should get a moisture inspection in addition to a building inspection prior to handing over your hard earned dollars.

Here’s another window that leaked not long after being fixed in a North Shore home, as seen through our infrared camera…

The dark area in the centre of the image is water below the window.

Contact us for a free quote!

Thermal Imaging Consulting Service

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We are a certified thermal imaging consulting service in NZ.

View our full list of services here

We specialise in:

Building inspections for signs of leaks and moisture

Electrical Inspections: In-plant inspection of – transformers, bus; switchgear, fuses, circuit breakers, cable trays

Mechanical Inspections – Predictive maintenance applications

Read a detailed list of our inspections here

Thermal Imaging – Live Video Demonstration

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Now you can see LIVE how thermal imaging works in your home to detect moisture and cut heating bills!

Some NZ home owners may not be aware of what thermal imaging is, and how it actually works. Below is a link to a live demo that featured on prime time news… using the exact same camera we use. This video is only 4 mins long, and certainly worth watching if you’re considering getting a thermal imaging inspection. 

We use the infrared camera to detect signs of leaks, moisture, missing insulation and heat loss in New Zealand homes.

thermal imaging

Book a thermal imaging inspection today!