IR Infrared Services

Schools and Universities - The Time to Use Infrared is Now

2012-02-22T14:13:00.001-05:00

Earlier this month, I wrote about my concerns about mold and mildew in the roofing materials and insulation in schools. Thermal scans can accurately detect areas of water intrusion, helping to save costs on remediation. It's not just our public school system that's in trouble, though. Universities, often buildings built decades ago (or in some cases, buildings that are hundreds of years old -

Infrared Thermography for Roofs Saves Millions

2012-02-15T13:34:00.000-05:00

Whoa! Came across this article and thought I'd share - Chevron Texaco saved $5.6 million dollars by using infrared thermography on its roofs. That's right - $5.6 MILLION dollars - not a typo (although I've been known to do that too!) Seems the company execs decided it was time to replace the roofs. George Horn, superintendent of operations and maintenance for ChevronTexaco Real Estate Management

Mold Remediation - EPA Guidelines

2012-02-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

Did you know that one of the major problems facing our educational system today is "sick schools"? I was a little shocked to learn that the average age of most school buildings is 42 years old! Alot of our schools are using those portable classrooms - about 600,000 of them across the United States.* The age of our schools and the liberal use of portable classrooms is having an unintended effect

Infrared Thermography for Data Centers

2012-01-05T20:02:00.000-05:00

Happy 2012! I hope your holiday season was a good one. So many people receive electronics over the holidays - computers, smartphones, ipads - so much data. Which is a not so subtle way of leading into January's Infrared Scanning Series on Data Centers. Does your company use networked computers? Then chances are, somewhere in your offices is a data center. Data centers are usually filled with

Infrared Thermography: Is Certification Really That Important?

2011-12-16T09:10:00.000-05:00

Technology and equipment is becoming increasingly more sophisticated. I'm always surprised by the equipment people have stashed away! Remember when PCs first became available for your house? I think I now have more computing power on my phone (not that I've figure out how to use all the features)! Sometimes all this instant technological availability means I run into business who already have

Infrared Thermography: What is Your Tipping Point?

2011-12-09T12:50:00.000-05:00

For the last several years, I have blogged about the benefits of using thermal infrared scans to ensure the safety and integrity of commercial buildings. We've talked about creating and implementing predictive maintenance programs, using thermography to make sure your assembly lines and mechanical equipment are functioning with adequate parameters. I've explained how what you can't see CAN hurt

Winter has arrived! Have you completed your building's thermal scan yet?

2011-11-30T09:51:00.001-05:00

Lots of snow in the mountains and freezing temperatures - looks like winter has arrived. As temperatures continue to drop, how can you be sure you are not losing precious heat because of unseen heat loss? Rather than put another sweater on (and maybe some gloves and a hat!) consider a thermal imaging scan. A infrared inspection will inspect the quality of insulation inside your building, as well

Amazing use of Thermography! Fracking and Released Gases

2011-11-23T14:33:00.006-05:00

As I've mentioned in the past, one of the people who works for me is a college student. She's taking an environmental science class, or as she not-so-fondly refers to it "Dirt Class." Last week she was excited to see infrared thermal imaging used in yet another real-world setting. Turns out her class is looking at fracking. Now, no political statements here - fracking is a way to release natural

University Uses Infrared Scans to Locate Steam Pipeline Issues

2011-11-09T11:18:00.000-05:00

I recently got a call from a local University who was having problems with their buried steam lines. This system was approximately 50 years old and supplied steam to the residence halls and other University buildings. They were buried approx. 6 feet under the ground and crisscrossed the campus under lawns, roadways, sidewalks and parking lots. The problem was that the steam lines were leaking

Help! My Roof is Leaking!

2011-11-02T11:09:00.000-04:00

Did you see the recent pictures of the unexpected snow up north? Wow. Of course, after the dig out, a whole new host of issues often occurs. After a bad storm, often roof leaks make their appearance. Unfortunately, the source can be hard to find - and in the middle of a cold winter, you don't want to spend time on wet and rotting insulation, fixing and repairing roof issues, or figuring out why

Major Equipment Failure Stops Production In South Carolina!

2011-10-20T10:24:00.000-04:00

Now there's a newspaper headline sure to cause nightmares. Could it be you? Let’s talk about two different scenarios: Your business is humming along, employees are busy and a huge order has just come in from a very important customer. With the economy what it is, you are thankful for this new order and infusion of cash. This order is going to make a huge impact on your business. And in the

Should I Just Buy an Infrared Camera?

2011-10-12T12:42:00.000-04:00

Technology and equipment is becoming increasingly more sophisticated. I'm always surprised by the equipment people have stashed away! Remember when PCs first became available for your house? Not quite the streamlined netbooks on the market today! Sometimes all this instant technological availability means I run into customers who already have some infrared equipment. Why use a certified

Help! I'm Naked! Does Infrared Imaging Show Too Much?

2011-10-05T10:58:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine recently sent me a news story that made me just shake my head. It discusses how the City of Boston had decided to use thermal imaging to check for heat loss in city homes. If you have ever been in Boston in the dead of winter, believe me when I say you want every little bit of heat to stay INSIDE! The city hoped to increase enrollment in energy efficient programs by being able to

Largest Single Cause of Financial Loss for Commercial Buildings

2011-09-21T11:23:00.000-04:00

In my last blog, I wrote about ways to save money. Savvy building managers know that conducting thermal infrared surveys can substantially reduce your insurance costs. CNA estimates that more than 30% of fire losses can be attributed to electrical failure. That's a HUGE number that can be largely preventable! (Check out their safety bulletin here: CNA Commercial Property ) They go on to point

Risk Management: An Easy Way to Save on Commercial Insurance

2011-09-07T11:33:00.000-04:00

As I sit here opening my bills for the month (why do they all hit at the same time?), I got to thinking about ways to save money. Many financial blogs are written about how to cut costs for the individual (no more daily latte's!), but very few talk about ways for companies to be more cost effective, especially in the areas where it is easy to cut costs, but not services. An infrared electrical

Infrared Inspections on College Campuses

2011-08-31T10:00:00.001-04:00

Came across another In the News item about using infrared inspections as predictive maintenance tools for college campuses: http://www.publicpower.org/newsletters/index.cfm?ItemNumber=11305 On this campus, infrared scans are performed annually with a special focus on the campus boiler plan and on the water system. Infrared scans identified potential programs and allowed the college to schedule

The Green Initiative: Renovation of Older Buildings and Thermography

2011-08-24T10:00:00.002-04:00

I love the old South. The historic brick buildings, the old wood homes with wraparound porches - there's a certain feel of nostalgia that is enchanting. I imagine the electric bills for those buildings are not quite so enchanting (to say nothing of the mold from moisture intrusion from leaky roofs or the the chill in the winter from old, damaged, and missing insulation!). One of the goals of a

Going Green: Infrared Scanning and The Green Initiative

2011-08-17T10:00:00.001-04:00

Found a great website today - the Green Business Bureau. They have wonderful information about "going green" - and what was super cool was the pop up customer service rep who was eager to assist (you just have to appreciate good customer service!) Here's what I found fascinating - the CSR didn't know a whole lot about thermal scanning. We chatted about why incorporating infrared imaging into a

Infrared Scans of Data Centers -

2011-08-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

Why is infrared scanning of your data center important? What do we look for? Well, I'm not going to give the entire farm away (smile), but here are a few areas where it is crucial to conduct an infrared scan to check the health of your data center: 1. Electrical switchgar 2. Uninterruptible Power Supply 3. Automatic Transfer Switches 4. Server Systems 5. Cooling Systems All of these areas can

Thermal Scanning Data Centers in North Carolina

2011-08-03T10:00:00.002-04:00

Charlotte, North Carolina is known as one of the largest banking centers of the United States, which means it is also home to lots and lots of data centers. As a matter of fact - Apple's new data center in North Carolina is now visible on Google Earth! (http://www.tuaw.com/2011/04/24/local-tv-station-visits-apples-data-center/) Why am I mentioning this in a blog about infrared scanning? Because

Using Infrared Thermography to Evaluate College Campus Infrastructure

2011-07-28T12:30:00.001-04:00

Summer is almost over. I can almost hear the collective groan of college students everywhere as they prepare for classes, buy books (have you seen the cost of college textbooks lately? I'm going to have to increase the college fund for my grandkids!), and move back to campus. At the same time, many of these campuses are aging. Buildings that were built decades ago show the strain. Electrical

Forensic Engineering and Infrared Scanning

2011-07-13T11:00:00.003-04:00

Last week we briefly talked about why construction litigation is turning more and more to infrared thermal scans. Attorneys specializing in construction litigation often use Forensic Engineers. A forensic engineer investigates materials, products, structures or components that fail or do not operate or function as intended, causing personal injury or damage to property. One of their main jobs

Commercial and Legal Uses for Infrared Scans

2011-07-06T11:00:00.004-04:00

Tough to keep up with blogging when the kids are out of school! How is your summer? It's hot here in the Carolinas - makes me glad to know my house is energy efficient and the cool air is staying IN! (Yep, we thermographers scan our own houses too!) We've talked alot about commercial infrared scanning, so I thought I'd write about something different this month. More and more I'm getting calls

Infrared Roof Scans: Commercial Roof Surveys

2011-04-27T09:00:00.003-04:00

Here's a sobering statistic: As much as 90% of all water intrusion problems occur within 1% of the total building or structure exterior surface area. Wow. How many roofs are replaced each year because of water intrusion? How many could have simply been repaired if the source of the water instrusion had been identified? Infrared thermography can spot where leaks originate by spotting thermal

Why is Abnormal Heating a Problem? Thermal Imaging Can Explain Why

2011-04-20T09:00:00.008-04:00

Thermal imaging is a quick and efficient way to screen for anomalies. One of the anomalies infrared thermography detects is heat. Why is heat a problem? Indulge me for a minute and rub the palms of your hands together very quickly, for 30 seconds. What happens? Exactly, heat is created because of the friction of your hands rubbing together. It's a simplistic example, but something very similar