Thermal Imaging
Infrared Thermal Imaging is a unique and powerful tool. The first step in any Water Restoration Call is Moisture Mapping. This Mapping is performed to precisely identify the migration of water, both horizontal and vertical. This mapping is crucial and is the starting point in all restoration projects; thus becoming the foundation for the entire restoration process. If a technician maps a loss greater than the actual migration parameters, then costs and delays are inevitable. If the technician maps the migration less than what is wet then complications such as insufficient drying and mold growth are likely to occur.
Here we have two images. The picture on the left is a standard digital photo. To the un-aided human eye, no leak can be seen beneath the vinyl sided building. The picture on the right is an Infrared Thermal Image. Look closely at the right side of the photo which clearly shows a path of water caused by a cracked copper line fitting. Due to months of unexplained high water bills, the owners knew they had a water leak. After many unsuccessful attempts to find the leak, the homeowner hired 
In this Infrared Thermal Image, we can see lighter colors which reflect Temperature Differentials along and below the window sill. This was caused by cracked and aging grout lines of a shower enclosure, thus allowing the water to enter the wall cavity. While there are other areas of light colors, these can be caused by any number of factors, all of which are commonly found in many homes. Unfortunately in regards the leak, extensive damage had already been done including deterioration of the moisture barrier paper, dry-rot, termite damage, extensive fungal amplification (mold growth) as well as damage to the subfloor beneath the tile floor. A Home Inspection using Infrared Thermal Imaging could have detected this water intrusion long before much of the damage occurred thus saving the homeowner thousands of dollars in repair costs.
In this picture we can see the drywall ceiling having two distinct temperature readings. The darker ceiling represents normal temperature levels within the home. The lighter areas signify radiation heat which is penetrating into the newly built Master Bedroom. While on a standard flood call, this area of the house was found to have missing insulation. The General Contractor who built this room failed to install the insulation in these areas. By chance, this room was scanned to see if the water damage had migrated into this room. No water intrusion was found yet valuable information was noted and the insulation was later installed according to building specifications.