Pro tip: my $150 thermal camera found a hidden leak in a finished wall

I was doing a retrofit in an old house and the client kept getting false alarms from a moisture sensor. I mean, the wall was dry to the touch. I bought a basic thermal camera for about $150 to try and find the problem. It showed a cold spot behind the drywall, and sure enough, there was a tiny pipe leak. Has anyone else used one of these for troubleshooting? I'm thinking it might be worth keeping in the truck.

4 comments

4 Comments

charles7061mo ago

Worth keeping in the truck" is right. I saw a contractor on a home show use one to find bad insulation in an attic. It seems like one of those tools that pays for itself the first time you avoid a bigger problem.

derek_lee1mo ago

Just creates more problems than it solves.

stella_black331mo ago

Found a hidden leak in my bathroom wall with one last month.

morganmartinez22d ago

Actually, Derek's comment about creating more problems might be about misreading the images. You really need to know what you're looking at, because things like a cold air draft or a shadow from a stud can look like a leak. I took a short online course to learn the basics, and now I cross-check with a moisture meter before I ever cut into a wall.