Thermal technology helps diagnosis building problems

With advanced technology popping up every day in the world of architecture and engineering, it's always interesting to see how well it works in real applications. First introduced in the 1990s, thermal imaging cameras detect and capture images of high - and low - temperatures in buildings and on equipment. Since then, the technology has been refined to be used by professionals in a number of industries.

Shive-Hattery, an architecture and engineering firm based in Cedar Rapids, began using a thermal imaging camera about two years ago, and has used it in a wide variety of applications ever since. It can capture both digital and infrared images and according to Larry Steinbronn, the company's thermal imaging specialist, it helps tremendously with troubleshooting.

“It's a great diagnostic tool to help identify and diagnose building problems. The camera's images help us find moisture intrusion along with cold and hot areas,” he said.

The company uses the technology to find problem areas in buildings. For example, they will scan roofs to find moisture that may be leaking in, or scan walls to find out if a structure is missing insulation.

“We received a call from a business that just built a $5 million building. Within a month of moving in, they had water running through the walls. We tested the building with our spray rack system and blower doors to help them determine the problem,” Steinbronn said.

Once they performed more testing, a different wall system with different windows was designed. But before they made the repairs, they wanted to ensure the client that the new system would perform the way it was supposed to. “Thermal imaging helped show that the new system kept the water out and the client was able to move forward and fix the building,” he continued.

Aside from being used by architects on buildings, there are plenty of other uses for thermal imaging technology. It can be used by police and firefighters in search-and-rescue operations, electricians can use it to find hot spots in wiring, airlines can use it for security reasons, and since it is effective in the dark, it can be used in homes and businesses for security cameras.

By Maggie Mills, For Gazette Special Sections