Season's Greetings From SATIR Europe

As another year draws to a close we would like to say a big THANK YOU to all our customers, end-users and our distrubutors for supporting the SATIR Brand and trusting us as your provider of thermal imaging imaging cameras. Without your continuing support our business would not continue to develop and survive.

We look forward to working with you all in 2022 and to continue to develop new thermal imaging products that will meet your thermal imaging needs and requirements. 

Our SATIR Office in Ireland will be closed during the festive holiday's to allow our employees to spend quality time with their family and friends. We are closing 24th December at 1pm and will reopen on the 4th January 2022.

How can a thermal camera be used for Leak Detection?

To explain how a thermal camera can be used for leak detection, we must firstly understand what is thermal imaging and how it works. Thermal Imaging is the process to create an image using Infrared Radiation. Most things emit some form of Infrared Radiation, including humans and animals. Infrared Radiation is directly affected by temperature, e.g. the higher the temperature the more Infrared Radiation is emitted, and the inverse is also true. Using a Microbolometer, a thermal camera  captures the different level of energy and converts it in to a two dimension picture and by adding colour and a temperature bar, which can be easily interpreted.

Now to apply this to the application of leak detection which most plumbers have the role of trying to identify a leak and resolve the issue. If a pipe bursts, it will emit cold or hot water and this would have a different thermal profile to a pipe which is not leaking. A leak on the hot heating pipes can be easily identified on the screen on a thermal camera as often the pipe and surrounding materials will have a standard heat signature while the water would be a different pattern.

Thermal Camera Leak Detection: Examples
 

The above images is an example of how thermal cameras can easily identify the pipe layout under floors without the need to excavate the floor. This can be particularly useful for plumbers who are not familiar with the building pipework layout and structure.

The above image is shows there is blockage of a sink pipework. This could build up over time and cause odours and flooding if the sink is blocked.

The above shows a shower leak which is not always visible as it was a small leak but by applying hot water to the internal area near the leak site it is noticeable when the water escapes and runs along the skirting board and floor tiles

The above image is from a thermal camera leak detection survey.  The thermal camera has identidied that the heating pipe is damaged due to a nail from the carpet gripper rod.  The image shows that  several area have been damaged and are in need of emergency repair and replacement. 

Recommended thermal camera for leak detection

The D160 Pro is the recommended thermal camera for leak detection for plumbers as it fit easily into a plumbers toolbox and is very affordable. It is ideal for application mentioned previously that is benefical for plumbers work in leak detection. It has a 160x120 IR detector which meet the demands of a plumbers thermal imaging needs. It is quick and easy to use with it's one handed operation and easy to use interface. It has a long battery life of up to 8 hours which will last a full day of thermal imaging surveying, if carrying out leak detection on multiple houses or buildings in one day.  It has fixed focus which means the camera is already setup for a plumber without needing any prior knowledge of thermal imaging or thermography. To learn more, visit the D160 Pro Product page

Suitable building thermal imaging cameras

SATIR has a number of building thermal imaging cameras that cover a wide range of budgets, depending on the amount of detail needed for a building thermal imaging survey. Building thermal imaging cameras are becoming increasingly popular among those who work in the building and construction industry. This is due to a number of reasons such as awareness of the technology and the benefits of using such technology, checking the quality of house construction, checking the windows have been properly installed and windows fit door frames correctly to prevent heat escaping from inside a building. There are a wide range of building thermal imaging cameras available and SATIR is a leading provider of thermal imaging cameras for the past 13 years. They provide an excellent technical support team and offer 2 years product warranty. The best IR resolution of a building thermal imaging camera is 384x288 and currently SATIR have 3 models which feature this resolution. They are the i-384,D300 and the Hotfind-S.

i-384
The SATIR i-384 is from SATIR newsest range of industrial cameras, the I-Series. The i-384 has the minimum recommended IR detector of 384x288, making it an ideal building thermal imaging camera. It also comes with an Android App which allows a the surveyor to going into enclosed areas such as a attic while the person on the landing can view on the App what the thermal camera is scanning. To learn more visit the I-Series product page.

D300
The SATIR D300 is part of the D-Series another range of cameras ideal as a building thermal imaging camera. The D300 has a reversible flip screen which is different from the i-384 fixed screen which may suit some end-users better. It has a motorised lens To learn more visit the D300 Product Page .

Hotfind-S
The SATIR Hotfind-S is SATIR oldest model of building thermal imaging cameras It has been a favour thermal imaging camera from those who work in the building industry to those who work in the energy industry. We have many repeat orders of this camera over the years as it is a much loved thermal imaging camera. To learn more visit the Hotfind-S Product Page .

Benefits of building thermal imaging cameras

Preventative maintenance: Thermal imaging Cameras are ideal for surveying old building that are protected buildings. Often protected buildings will need to be repaired. Thermal imaging cameras are ideal for carrying out preventative maintenance to ensure any issues are detected on a routine basis and therefore keeping costs to a minimum as it ensures any issues are identified before issues become larger and more difficult to maintain.

Non-Destructive: Thermal Imaging cameras are able to see problems not visible to the human eye and using the skill of the thermographe, they are able to locate areas of concern without costly destructive methods

Time Management: Thermal imaging cameras are both ideal for preventive maintenance and non destructive testing which both save the facility and end client time and of course money

What could thermal imaging cameras detect for you ?

Building thermal imaging cameras can be used for roof surveying, particularly for flat roofs which are often warehouses, office and apartment blocks. Water ingress into the roof area can be highlighted due to the specific heat capacity of the water. The correct conditions are required to conduct the survey, but the results are very effective.

Detecting damp walls in buildings is another application of building thermal imaging cameras. It is important to detect the cause and the start of any dampness in building walls as this could case other issues such as mould which can have serious health hazards if not detected early. The image above clearly shows the start of a dampness problem and needs to looked at closely to see where and how the dampness is occuring. 

The two listed applications are not the only applications that building thermal imaging cameras are useful, to learn more please fill out our contact form and a member of the team can discuss further applications for building thermal imaging cameras.