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Old 11-13-09, 12:14 PM   #1
AC_Hacker
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Default Thermal Leak Detectors...

I think SVOboy's "DIY Home Air Pressure Test" substitute is very resourceful, and the idea of a wet hand to test air leaks is brilliant. But still, I've had my eyes peeled for some kind of tool to assist in finding air and heat leaks.

DIY digital camera to infra-red camera hacks abound, but after talking to thermal measuring and imaging engineers, I learned that they just don't read far enough down in the heat spectrum.

Thermal imaging cameras would be a wonderful tool, but they seem to run around $4000, the most reasonable being this Flir imager for around $2000. Still way out of my league.




Then I came across this little ruby: a Thermal Leak Detector for $50.


Basically, it's an IR thermometer with a laser, so you can see where it's pointed, and it has a way to establish a set-point, so when a high or low threshold is exceeded, an audible indicator will sound. Its chief advantage being that you don't have to keep watching a shifting digital display. Kind of expensive for my taste, but if a person had a big old leaky farm house, this little puppy could pay for itself in one month's worth of not-lost heat.

Going lower on the food chain, Harbor Freight has several IR Non-Contact thermometers...



This one is 35 bucks and reads -4°F to 968°F (-20°C to 520°C)



This one is 25 bucks and -27 to 482°F (-33° to 250°C)



This one is 10 bucks and reads -27° to 230°F (-33° to 110°C)


I have all of the HF non-contact thermometers and they each have their place. They all have a 'cone' shaped angle of accceptance, with the cheapest having the widest cone, the most expensive having the narrowest cone, etc. It does NOT follow that the most expensive one, which has the widest range is the best. It is actually less accurate in the lower range than the other two.

I found that my $25 would not read much past 350 deg. F, so I think they have extended the range, since I got mine.

All but the cheapest models have a projected 'laser dot' to show you where they are pointing. The laser is actually decptive, because it tends to imply that the dot is the point of measurement, when there is actually a 'cone of acceptance', not a dot.

It would be very nice if an analog meter was hacked onto a non-contact thermometer. it would make it a very useful tool for leak finding.

The smallest units are frequently on sale for $8, a price that spells "H-A-C-K-M-E-!".

Best Regards,

_AC_Hacker

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Last edited by AC_Hacker; 11-13-09 at 12:21 PM..
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