Extech i5 Infrared Camera
A stitch in time saves nine. But, of course, nobody sews their own clothes anymore, so we need a new phrase to get the point across. How about: If you don't periodically check the insides of your walls and floors and pipes and machinery, you're just begging for trouble, brother. OK, not the most euphonious phrase, but the message comes through, right? (And if not, just read "Structural Tests Can Save Money — and Lives," from the January 2008 Habitat !) You can hire an engineer to run tests every so often, but for day-to-day upkeep of building parts, consider letting your super play with an infrared camera like this new model from the Massachusetts manufacturer Extech, using tech from the multinational thermal-imaging company FLIR.
What can you use an IR camera for? Well, detecting overly hot belts inside elevator motors, say. (See image below.) Its other diagnostic uses include helping you pinpoint unseen moisture, missing insulation, sources of heating/cooling losses, plumbing blockages, roof leaks, electrical issues, rodents and other pests and stuff like that there. Plus, it's infrared thermal imaging. Dude! How cool is that? Get your super to wear a silver jumpsuit, and voila! We're living in the future!
The 12-ounce camera is under nine inches tall, has a 2.8-inch color LCD screen with 80x80-pixel resolution and stores 1,000 JPEG images (5,000 if you use the miniSD card that comes with it) that you can download to your computer and analyze with the help of the included QuickReport software. The compact camera has a focal-plane array (FPA) uncooled microbolometer — no, we don't know what that means, but it sure sounds impressive — and a lithium-ion battery that carries a three- to four-hour charge. The manufacturer has an online "virtual demo" here.
It's not cheap — online retailer Professional Equipment sells it for $2,995, with 12-month financing available. Then again, averting one major-component malfunction by replacing a critical part ahead of time would pretty much pay for it. Like the new saying goes, find a hot spot today, keep your cool tomorrow.
Extech Instruments • 285 Bear Hill Road, Waltham, Mass. 02451-1064 • 781-890-7440