News - Latent Defect detection using Thermography paper given at Inframation 2005

Imaging Perspective, LLC and the Building Sciences Institute have pioneered a technique for locating a class of construction defects using thermal imaging. Our paper was given at the 2005 Inframation conference. You can download a PDF of the paper below.

ABSTRACT

A certain class of building defects continues to plague the construction industry despite a variety of defensive techniques put in place to prevent them. This paper describes the defects occurring when a nail or screw comes into contact with a copper water pipe and the problem isn't immediately detected. Galvanic action between the steel fastener and the copper pipe or oxidation of the fastener will eventually lead to a hole in the pipe, however it may take months or years for the leak to develop.

Thermal imaging can be used to detect this class of latent defect before it becomes an expensive water leak or mold remediation. The technique relies on the high conductance of the metal screws or nails. By running hot water through the pipes, a metal fastener that is in contact with or near a water line will heat up quicker and at a higher temperature than the surrounding wall board providing a hot spot easily observable with an infrared camera.

In this paper we describe the techniques we have developed to detect this class of latent construction defects and show examples of its use in renovations or new home construction.

Download 'Using Thermography to find a class of latent construction defects' (PDF)