How a Cheap IR Thermometer Makes a Great Thermal Leak Detector…

Infrared laser thermometers are great, affordable gadgets for finding draughts (drafts) and thermal leaks in buildings.

Here’s a cool little application for low-cost (cheap) IR Thermometers, especially those with built-in laser pointers. (pun intended).

It’s written out in some detail on a website entitled: www.Degree Days.net

Here’s the lead-in:

They come in several forms:

* Laser thermometers for cooking (checking temperatures of hot plates and food)
* Non-contact thermometers for medical use (checking temperatures of various body parts)
* Infrared thermometers for automotive use (checking temperatures of engine, coolant, A/C, exhaust etc.)
* Multipurpose IR laser thermometers (see our recommendations)

Infrared Laser Thermometer from Black & Decker (the TLD100)

But we are mainly interested in using IR thermometers to find draughts and thermal leaks, as fixing these sources of heat loss is one of the easiest ways to reduce a building’s heating energy consumption.

A non-contact infrared thermometer with a laser pointer is an affordable alternative to a thermal imaging camera (the ultimate tool for visualizing heat escaping from a building). Whilst thermal imaging cameras cost well over a thousand dollars, expensive even for a professional energy auditor, you can pick up a handheld IR thermometer for much less money…

For example, the excellent Black & Decker TLD100 costs under $50 at Amazon…

These laser thermometers don’t give you a live colour-coded video of the building’s heat loss, but they do make it much easier to find out where heat is escaping.

Visit www.degreedays.net/infrared-thermometer/ for the rest of the story.