EcoRenovator - View Single Post - AC_Hacker and the 'Rent-a-Flir' (thermal imaging camera)

AC_Hacker · 11-21-14, 12:02 PM

Continuing on...

This image is from the back of my house, where a remodel of my back room is taking place (details yet to be posted).

On this remodel, I have tried to apply lessons learned from previous work, and I have put foam-sealed blocking at the top and at the bottom of each stud space. In this remodel, I have removed two original (122 year old) double hung windows, and replaced them with a single, smaller triple glazed double low E casement window.

I also made a 'structured I-beam' as a window header, in an effort to reduce thermal bridging. I see from this image, and from another image that will be included later, that the spaces in the I-beam will need to be foamed, for it to have it's full effect.

Also to be seen here is the thermal bridging because I have not yet built my second, 2" layer, that will be Poly-Iso and will stagger the 2" studs.

It's good to see the improved performance of the casement window.

I'm still working on finishing data and power runs in the left most stud space, so no insulation is present.

[NOTE: It was really an impulse act to get the Rent-a-Flir, and I had not considered all the implications. Since I don't directly heat my entire house, this affects the thermal images. This back room is not directly heated, though it is adjacent to the heated area, and heat does leak in. The thermal images would have been more useful if I had brought every room in the house up to temp for 4 to 6 hours before I got the thermal imager. Most people heat all rooms, at all times, and would not have this problem.]

This image is of the kitchen eves, showing the great heat loss. They are still open, so it is possible to take remedial action.

This thermal image is the next door neighbors, taking their dog for a walk on a chilly evening.

The dog is displaying significant heat loss especially in the facial area. A Poly-Iso helmet with triple glazed double low E goggles would greatly improve the situation.

This image is looking under the front porch, which is directly in front of my living room. The heat loss there came as a total surprise. The only thing I can attribute it to is that my house is baloon frame, with open channels going all the way down to the sill plate. My initial insulating job had not accounted for heat movement within the stud spaces, so I think that I am looking at heat bleeding out the bottom of the stud space and into the great heat sink of the night.

This image is from inside the house, looking at the homemade I-beam I made for a window header.

Clearly, I need to drill some holes and fill the outside void with foam, and probably layer some Poly-Iso on the inside.

Here's a big surprise... it's a GFI outlet, with no load on any of the lines!

Who would have thought that you could heat your home with GFIs?

Now, I am down cellar, scanning around, and I see this ghostly image... it is a cordless phone, sucking power 24/7, even though I might use it to take a call only once every 4 months. This definitely suggests corded phones everywhere, except when there is an over-riding need for mobility. (just barely visible, behind the phone, glowing even more brightly, and wasting even more power, is the wall wart for the phone)

Now I am in the living room, facing the shelves where my AV stuff lives.

The glowing box on the upper left is my Ku-band satellite reciever, which I had not watched for a whole week... it even has a handy switch on the back which I need to use all the time.

The glowing slice on the upper right is a media box that I use constantly, for listening to music, watching video, etc. and it acts as a NAS box to receive any pod-cast downloads coming in... so heat coming from it is acceptable, it is working for me 24/7.

But the angry red brick glowing in the lower right is a total surprise. It is a line power conditioner, and even though I actually use my AV stuff maybe 2 hours a day, this hungry little puppy has been sucking down power 24/7, 365, for the last 8 years!!! I noticed that it has a handsome red switch, right on the front, just begging to be turned off.

Now I am upstairs in my not-directly-heated bedroom, the glowing box is my very nice short wave radio that is turned off, that I have not used in four months. Lesson: pull the plug.

This image is upstairs, in the not-directly-heated portion of the house. It is my Internet cluster.

Upper right is the DSL-modem... too hot.

Mid-left is the IP phone adapter... I'd say Ooma did a fair job of power minimization there.

Lower right is my wireless router with all it dual-core stuff going on. I really like the router, but I am now questioning the need of 24/7 operation, and even the need of wireless.

More to come... final images and conclusions...

-AC

11-21-14, 12:02 PM	#9
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	Rent-a-Flir (post #3) Continuing on... This image is from the back of my house, where a remodel of my back room is taking place (details yet to be posted). On this remodel, I have tried to apply lessons learned from previous work, and I have put foam-sealed blocking at the top and at the bottom of each stud space. In this remodel, I have removed two original (122 year old) double hung windows, and replaced them with a single, smaller triple glazed double low E casement window. I also made a 'structured I-beam' as a window header, in an effort to reduce thermal bridging. I see from this image, and from another image that will be included later, that the spaces in the I-beam will need to be foamed, for it to have it's full effect. Also to be seen here is the thermal bridging because I have not yet built my second, 2" layer, that will be Poly-Iso and will stagger the 2" studs. It's good to see the improved performance of the casement window. I'm still working on finishing data and power runs in the left most stud space, so no insulation is present. [NOTE: It was really an impulse act to get the Rent-a-Flir, and I had not considered all the implications. Since I don't directly heat my entire house, this affects the thermal images. This back room is not directly heated, though it is adjacent to the heated area, and heat does leak in. The thermal images would have been more useful if I had brought every room in the house up to temp for 4 to 6 hours before I got the thermal imager. Most people heat all rooms, at all times, and would not have this problem.] This image is of the kitchen eves, showing the great heat loss. They are still open, so it is possible to take remedial action. This thermal image is the next door neighbors, taking their dog for a walk on a chilly evening. The dog is displaying significant heat loss especially in the facial area. A Poly-Iso helmet with triple glazed double low E goggles would greatly improve the situation. This image is looking under the front porch, which is directly in front of my living room. The heat loss there came as a total surprise. The only thing I can attribute it to is that my house is baloon frame, with open channels going all the way down to the sill plate. My initial insulating job had not accounted for heat movement within the stud spaces, so I think that I am looking at heat bleeding out the bottom of the stud space and into the great heat sink of the night. This image is from inside the house, looking at the homemade I-beam I made for a window header. Clearly, I need to drill some holes and fill the outside void with foam, and probably layer some Poly-Iso on the inside. Here's a big surprise... it's a GFI outlet, with no load on any of the lines! Who would have thought that you could heat your home with GFIs? Now, I am down cellar, scanning around, and I see this ghostly image... it is a cordless phone, sucking power 24/7, even though I might use it to take a call only once every 4 months. This definitely suggests corded phones everywhere, except when there is an over-riding need for mobility. (just barely visible, behind the phone, glowing even more brightly, and wasting even more power, is the wall wart for the phone) Now I am in the living room, facing the shelves where my AV stuff lives. The glowing box on the upper left is my Ku-band satellite reciever, which I had not watched for a whole week... it even has a handy switch on the back which I need to use all the time. The glowing slice on the upper right is a media box that I use constantly, for listening to music, watching video, etc. and it acts as a NAS box to receive any pod-cast downloads coming in... so heat coming from it is acceptable, it is working for me 24/7. But the angry red brick glowing in the lower right is a total surprise. It is a line power conditioner, and even though I actually use my AV stuff maybe 2 hours a day, this hungry little puppy has been sucking down power 24/7, 365, for the last 8 years!!! I noticed that it has a handsome red switch, right on the front, just begging to be turned off. Now I am upstairs in my not-directly-heated bedroom, the glowing box is my very nice short wave radio that is turned off, that I have not used in four months. Lesson: pull the plug. This image is upstairs, in the not-directly-heated portion of the house. It is my Internet cluster. Upper right is the DSL-modem... too hot. Mid-left is the IP phone adapter... I'd say Ooma did a fair job of power minimization there. Lower right is my wireless router with all it dual-core stuff going on. I really like the router, but I am now questioning the need of 24/7 operation, and even the need of wireless. More to come... final images and conclusions... -AC Attached Images __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker... Last edited by AC_Hacker; 11-21-14 at 06:21 PM..