Thermographic Inspection Cost

Are you tired of being in the dark about thermographic inspection costs?

Discover the essential factors that affect the price of thermographic inspections and how they can benefit your home or business.

Infrared thermographic inspection technology is arguably the most impressive technology in the home and building inspection industry. The technology is now being widely used in establishing the condition of various houses and buildings. Infrared thermographic cameras are multi-purpose gadgets that are used to detect flaws in various home systems. Many people are often concerned about the costs of thermographic inspection when they first hear about it.

Before we get to how much it would actually cost to get your home inspected, it is important to realize that the infrared thermographic inspection technology has made it easy for inspectors to conduct inspections and provide accurate measurements and findings. As such, the use of infrared thermographic inspection technology in your home or building means more efficiency and lesser costs.

Infrared thermographic inspections are conducted to find faults in various different systems. You can commission an inspection for a specific purpose, or ask for a comprehensive inspection of all the systems in your home. Each kind of inspection has different costs. Also, the structure, size, and layout of your home or building can affect the cost of the inspection. Below, we investigate what are the costs for demographic inspections for the various home systems.

Thermographic inspection costs for electrical systems

Thermographic inspection for electrical systems involves inspecting the conductor network and electrical fittings in a home, or building. Normally, home inspectors charge on an hourly basis and their hourly rates can differ widely. Different inspectors in different areas will charge different rates. You can expect a rate of anywhere between $300 and $500. Electrical systems are often quite quick to inspect since they do not require any prior preparation. If the inspector is to charge for the whole scan, you can expect rates starting from $1000 going up. It all depends on the size of your home and the inspector themselves.

The inspection costs are quite different when it comes to inspecting commercial premises and factories. Factories involve heavy electrical equipment, that would require more technical expertise and probably time to complete the inspection. The inspectors will show up at the factory to first understand what the inspection would encompass so that they can provide a quote for the inspection. The size and type of equipment to be inspected in the factory will make a major difference regarding the costs.

Thermographic inspections costs for HVAC systems

Thermographic inspection costs for HVAC systems do not differ much from that of electrical systems. Inspecting the HVAC system is a little bit more engaging as compared to inspecting electrical systems though. There are a couple of pre-inspection tasks that might have to be carried out first. To put this into perspective, it is important to first understand what thermographic inspections for HVAC systems entail.

Thermographic inspections for HVAC systems seek to ensure that the systems that provide heat and air conditioning in your home are working properly. Often times when these systems are not working properly you end up with very high energy bills. Inspection for the condition of these systems majorly involves inspecting the insulation system of a house or a building. The inspectors will be looking for air leaks within the building’s walls floors or roof.

Before the inspection, the inspector has to ensure that the difference in temperature of the air inside the building and that outside the building is quite significant. Identifying the air leaks in the building is banked on this difference. The significant difference required might not always be there naturally. As such, it might have to be artificially created which might escalate the costs of the inspection.

That being said, thermographic inspections for the HVAC systems in your home is charged on an hourly basis, in most cases. You can expect almost similar charges like those in the electrical systems category, although the inspector might spend more time on the HVAC than they did on the electrical systems. Inspecting the insulation of a home or building involves using the infrared imaging camera to scan every single square inch of the building.

Just as in the case of the electrical systems, inspecting the HVAC in a commercial building or factory setting is more engaging and therefore more expensive. The inspection in such buildings might take days if not weeks. Such inspections are normally charged on a per-project basis, and the inspector has to visit the premises first to establish the depth of the work that has to be done. As already mentioned, different inspectors have different charges for such projects.

Thermographic Inspection Costs for Plumbing and Drainage Systems

Thermographic inspections for plumbing and drainage pipes are arguably the easiest and cheapest. It is particularly easy when there is a map of the plumbing or drainage system. It only involves trailing the whole system of pipes and scanning it for any faults. Thermographic inspection for the pipes in most cases seeks to identify whether the pipe has any leaks.

If the pipe has leaks, it makes the areas around it wet and moist and they are easily detectable by the infrared imaging camera. Other faults on the pipe that can be detected blockages and corrosion. However, infrared thermographic imaging is not the best way to identify blockages and corrosion on pipes.

Blockages in corrosion on pipes are best detected by a drain camera inspection. Drain camera inspections involve a small camera that is connected to a computer screen through a cable. The camera is driven through the pipes and it records images and footage of the insides of the pipe. These images and footage are analyzed from the computer screen to detect any problems that are within the pipe.

A purely infrared thermographic inspection for plumbing or drainage system would be quick and easy.  The inspector would be done in a couple of hours, and it would therefore not be expensive. You can expect the same hourly rates mentioned for the electrical category if you are looking for a pipes inspection at your home.  However, if a drain camera inspection is added into the mix, it might take a while longer for the inspector to complete.  Ultimately, the infrared thermographic inspection on the plumbing and drainage system might not be able to catch all the problems within the pipe. It would cost more if a drain camera inspection is added, but then you would be sure all the faults have been caught.

Just like with the other cases mentioned above, an inspection of pipes in a commercial factory building provides a whole different scope of work from that done on a residential house. Inspecting the pipes in a processing or manufacturing plant brings new dimensions to the whole process. It is bound to take longer and cost more. Costs for such inspections are quite subjective. The inspectors have to first visit the premises and establish the scope of work so that they can provide a quote.

Thermographic Inspection Costs for Pest Infestation

Thermographic inspection cost for pest infestation normally depends on the size of the house of the premise being inspected.  Just like the inspection for HVAC systems, the inspector has to go through every single inch of the home while inspecting for pest infestation.  Although some inspectors are experienced enough to know where particular pests would be hiding and will pay more attention to these parts, many will not take the risks of ignoring other parts. As such, thermographic inspections for call pest infestation might a while longer than the inspection of the electrical systems.  It would take just about as long as it takes to inspect the HVAC systems.

Just like in all the other cases, a home inspection for pest infestation will be charged on an hourly basis, and the size of your home will, therefore, determine how much you end up paying. Different inspectors for pest infestation will charge different rates. You can also have an agreement with your inspector and get a single quote for the whole inspection. We always recommend that you go down this route, so that you are never worried about how fast or slow the inspector will be working. In most instances, the inspectors will also work pretty quick if you have already agreed on a single amount for the whole project.

Factories and large commercial and premises can also be inspected for pest infestation. There isn’t much difference in the way the inspection is done in homes and in such premises though. The only difference tends to be in the fact that such premises are often quite big. The costs will, therefore, be much higher based on that. Unlike the other kind of inspections, inspectors will scan these premises in the same way as they would scan a residential house. The cost for last search large inspections often has to be agreed upon in a negotiation. Often times, the inspection agency receives a contract from a company that has a specific amount depending on the agreements they make during their negotiations.

Are Thermographic Inspections Expensive?

We now get to answer one of the most pertinent questions on most people’s minds. Most people will often wonder whether commissioning thermographic inspections for their home or commercial premises is expensive. Expensive in this case is quite relative, and should not be taken in terms of how much is paid.  In simple terms, it is important to look at the benefits that the thermographic inspections office and the costs avoided when certain problems are caught early thanks to the inspections. Below, we expound on the several ways in which thermographic inspections save you costs, and why they are worth every single cent that you pay for them.

Heat loss Detection in Central Heating Radiator

Less demolitions/interruptions

This is arguably the most significant benefit of thermographic inspections. Infrared thermographic inspections have revolutionized the way inspections are done. The inspectors will never have to go behind the walls or above the ceilings to access the components that they are inspecting. For instance, if an inspector is inspecting the electrical system, the conductors and the other electrical components are either behind the walls, above the ceiling, or below the floors.  They do not have to demolish or dismantle any of these parts so that they can access the components.  Any other kind of inspection would mean demolitions at certain points which would obviously cost you a significant amount.

Also, during the inspection, all the points that have been noted to have problems will be clearly marked. When the repairman arrives they do not have to make any unnecessary demolitions while they make the repairs. They’ll go straight to the points that have been marked make the repairs, and have the demolished parts repaired as well. Ultimately this is going to save you some unwanted costs.

In the case of inspection for commercial and factory premises, infrared thermographic inspections do not require the factory or the commercial premise to stop its operations. That means there will be no loss of revenue as a result of the inspection.  For instance, if the electrical systems are getting inspected, the inspector does not physically interact with the systems.  As such all machines and appliances, connected to the electric network will remain operational and functional.

Quick and Accurate

Infrared thermographic inspection allows you to enjoy quick and accurate results. The inspectors will be in and out of your premises in a very short duration. This is particularly helpful if you are being charged on an hourly basis. Traditional methods of inspection more cumbersome and will take longer. You, therefore, do not want to interact with any inspection energy that still uses these methods and then get charged on an hourly basis.

Also, you can be certain that the infrared thermographic inspection will not leave behind undetected problems. That saves you any costs that might arise as a result of the deterioration of the systems in your building. All problems within the house or the building will be caught and you are able to repair or maintain them as needed.

In conclusion, there should be no doubt that an infrared thermographic inspection will save you costs. In fact, the money paid for the inspection is an investment that has a return on it. If it is a home, the inspection will ensure all your systems are working properly at all times. If it is a commercial or factory premise, the inspection ensures you never continuity of operations.

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