Top 10 Applications for Thermal Imaging Cameras

Thermal imaging technology has come a long way over the years. Devices that were once bulky, difficult to maneuver, and developed primarily for military use have slowly evolved into smaller devices that are very precise and fairly easy to use. As a result, the use of thermal imaging cameras has expanded to cover a wide variety of uses.

While thermal cameras are still more associated with industrial and preventive maintenance use, the truth is that there are now many ways to use them in and around your property, the 10 applications listed below are the most common for thermal imaging use.

If you have poor insulation in your home or poor sealing around doors and windows, a solid HVAC unit can only take you so far. These problems cause hot and cold air to escape quickly, while also letting in outside air. This can lead to overworked HVAC systems and greatly increase your energy bills.

Thermal imaging cameras can help you check your home for signs of air escaping or entering, as well as pinpoint any areas in your walls that lack insulation.

Electrical problems are more serious. Not only do they cause expensive repairs and damage electrical equipment within your property, but they are also potentially dangerous. If you don't already have an obvious problem, overheating wall sockets and circuit boxes are looming problems to fix.

Thermal imaging cameras allow you to view detailed images of any problem areas and see how hot they are, helping you identify which circuits have problems and need to be fixed.

Pipeline problems can be especially frustrating, mostly because you can't see what's going on in the pipe. You may be able to put a pipe unblocker in the drain, but you won't be able to see through the pipe where the blockage is.

Thermal imaging can give you a better understanding of water flow in pipes and blockages. You can watch in real-time as you work to loosen the blockage while hot water flows through.

Roofs are one of the most important investments you can make for your property, so it's important to maintain your roof and address repairs before problems cause more problems. It's not always easy to do with the naked eye or without climbing on the roof yourself.

Using a thermal imager, you can inspect your roof from the ground up and look for areas where heat could escape, or cool spots where water could accumulate due to damaged tiles.

Thermal imaging cameras have many uses in the home that don't involve preventive maintenance or repairs. You can even use thermal cameras to locate cold spots on the stove or in the oven, and use them to check the temperature of your baby's bottle. If you want to cool some beers quickly, a thermal camera can help you figure out when they're ready. Its possibilities are endless.

Animals and pets can't speak, so it can sometimes be difficult to determine if they have a health problem, or at least where the problem might lie. Heat is always a good indicator of problems in humans and animals, especially when it comes to fever, inflammation, and infection.

Thermal imaging cameras can quickly show the location of hot spots, letting both yourself and your veterinarian know what to focus on for further diagnosis. This is especially useful for larger animals and livestock such as horses and cattle.

Water leaks may not seem like a big deal at first, but over time they can cause a lot of damage to your home, whether it's causing the wood structure to rot or potentially causing damage to your roof, basement, floors, or foundations catastrophic problem.

Water leaks can be hot or cold, and thermal cameras can capture them both. Sometimes it's nearly impossible to spot leaks on your own, especially when they're behind a wall. Using a thermal camera, you can easily spot inconsistencies with water flow, pinpoint puddles you might have missed, and spot leaks in walls.

Thermal imaging was primarily developed by the military, so it makes sense that thermal cameras would be very helpful for security purposes, especially at night.

This doesn't necessarily just mean locating people at night, when you're camping you may find thermal imaging helpful and wonder if that branch you hear in the distance is a raccoon or a bear.

Thermal imaging can help you spot intruders hiding in the dark, as well as any animal threats that may be lurking. Law enforcement and the military rely on the use of thermal imaging in a variety of situations every day.

Firefighters and rescuers sometimes rely on thermal imaging when responding to emergencies. For firefighters, this means using thermal imaging cameras to both locate people trapped in buildings and find their way out when thick smoke blocks their view.

Rescuers responding to victims trapped inside collapsed structures or buried in debris can use thermal imaging to locate them. This is especially useful when time is tight and there are multiple victims to find.

As is the case with electrical work and HVAC systems, overheating is a symptom of a car problem. This is true whether it's a car's electrical system and fuse box, or a problem found in the engine.

Thermal imaging can help mechanics pinpoint problem points within an engine, saving labor time and avoiding unnecessary disassembly.

The above introduces some application scenarios of thermal imagers. If you plan to buy a thermal imager, please contact us.

JAVOL provides thermal imaging cameras and infrared imaging solutions, and our products are widely used in applications such as machine vision, autonomous driving, drone payloads, high-end manufacturing, and medical diagnostics. The products cover a variety of high-speed, high-performance, and low-cost products, which can meet the different needs of different customers.