Radiant floor heating keeps rooms warm, creates no noise, and saves electricity. You can use it to heat your whole house or only a few rooms. But problems do occur when you begin to notice cold spots on your floors. In order to figure out what’s causing certain sections if not the entire floor to stop heating, you would normally need to start pulling up the floor.
A stressful, time consuming and expensive process no doubt. Fortunately, at Thermo Elite Inc. we can help you inspect your in-floor heating in a non-destructive way. We are the pioneers of infrared thermal inspection in Ottawa and with our thermal imaging inspection, we can help you pinpoint the exact break in the heating line or locate the in-floor thermostat without any floor destruction.
What tools are used to detect in-floor heating faults?
A thermal imaging camera is used to identify issues with radiant floor heating. For in-floor heating and radiant ceiling heat, thermography is widely used as it is a non-destructive inspection method and provides accurate results when detecting faults.
In-floor heating
Underfloor heating system under wooden floor. 3D rendered illustration.
Radiant heating systems are installed in many floors and ceilings of homes and businesses. Electric coils or heated water tubes are mounted underneath your floors to provide in-floor heating. These hot water tubes or electric supply coils are well packed under the floor and they are not visible to naked eyes. These electric supply coils or tubes keep heat radiating into the house from the floor. Just because these tubes and coils are under the floor, does not mean they are not prone to defects.
At some point, they will become faulty and stop heating. When this occurs these tubes and coils will not heat the room properly but will still use the electricity thus raising your electricity bill. In the water tube system, the tubes can get damaged over time and can begin to leak.
Since these faults are underneath the floor and they are not visible, such issues often go unnoticed, costing you a lot of money in energy bills. To overcome any sort of risk you should get your in-floor heating inspected promptly. With periodic thermal imaging inspections, you can keep your in-floor heating in proper working condition continuously.
How infrared thermography works for in-floor heating?
Heat is provided by hot-water tubes or electric wires mounted underneath the floor in a radiant flooring system. As thermal radiation rises from below, it warms any surfaces it comes into contact with, and then radiates the heat it has absorbed. With the help of a thermal camera, we can detect infrared radiation around objects in the infrared thermographic inspection.
The camera will create images in a variety of colors based on the radiation emissivity by the surface. By studying the images and properly analyzing different colors, it will become easier for the inspection team to identify faulty coils or tubes in your in-floor heating system. A defective coil would be noticeably cooler than the other coils in the area. As a result, it will look different on an infrared camera.
Water-tube systems are inspected similarly. When there is any fault with the water tubes such as a crack or hole, the water will leak from the tubes and cold water will rush in to fill the gap. We can easily detect this faulty water tube as it will have a lower temperature as compared to other tubes. With a thermographic inspection, we can also detect moisture around the water tubes and other areas under the floor. The area where the tube is leaking water will have a wet surface around allowing easy detection with our thermal cameras.
How often should I have my floors inspected?
Inspections should be done regularly to catch leaks and possible failures early. If not fixed promptly, an unknown radiant heating system leak can waste energy and cause significant property damage. A thermal camera can locate the precise location of a leaking hot water pipe or an electrical short in a hotwire, potentially saving time and money in costly repairs.
Also, if you are planning to renovate or remodel on top of or near a radiant heating system, then it is important to inspect your radiant piping thoroughly so that you can mark them before beginning any construction work. Beginning work without first determining the location of the radiant pipes significantly raises the risk of damaging the lines and incurring significant repair costs. A thermal inspection can help you correctly outline the heated pipes and avoid unnecessary repair costs.
Why choose us?
At Thermo Elite Inc. we provide thermal heat detection and infrared imaging at very cost-effective prices. We have a qualified team of experts who are all experienced professionals in conduction thermal imaging for floor heating. Each one of our team members is highly trained and educated to understand the dynamics of heat changes and infrared emissivity. We provide detailed reports and conduct a deep analysis before coming to any conclusion. To know more about our services get in touch today.
