Thermal Imaging for Home Insulation
An infrared camera shows where insulation is missing and where air is leaking. It only gives a good read in very hot or very cold weather, so it isn't part of every estimate.
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- About a 10 to 15 minute visit
- Your bid, usually within 24 hours
- Abraham calls or texts back within one business day.
Estimates are free within a half-hour drive of Des Moines.
- Owner on site for every job
- Same crew for 16 years, no subcontractors
- Over 2,000 homes since 2008
- Insured up to $2 million
How an infrared scan works, starting with the weather
- 1
Wait for a very cold or very hot day
The camera reads surface temperatures, so it needs a big difference between inside and outside to show anything. On a mild spring or fall day, an empty wall and a full one can look almost the same. On a bitter January morning or a hot July afternoon, the difference shows.
- 2
Scan the walls and ceilings
Pointed at a wall or ceiling, the camera shows warmer and cooler areas. A stud bay with no insulation, or a thin patch in the attic above a ceiling, shows up as its own shape.
- 3
Trace the air leaks
Air leaks look different from missing insulation. They tend to show up as streaks spreading out from a gap, often along the tops of walls, around the attic hatch or near outlets.
- 4
Turn it into a plan
What the camera finds shapes the bid: which walls need dense-packing, where the attic floor needs sealing, or whether the problem is somewhere else entirely.
Free estimate
- About a 10 to 15 minute visit
- Your bid, usually within 24 hours
- Abraham calls or texts back within one business day.
Estimates are free within a half-hour drive of Des Moines.
Why the camera isn't part of every estimate
Because it depends on the weather, thermal imaging can't be part of every estimate. A lot can be seen without it anyway: how deep the attic insulation is, whether there are baffles, whether a chaseway is open.
The camera earns its keep when the problem is hidden: a cold room with no obvious cause, walls you suspect are empty, or a room that still won't hold temperature after other work. If you'd like a scan, ask for one, and Abraham will tell you whether the weather is right for it.
Empty stud bays, thin attic spots, leaky wall tops: what a scan turns up
In the right weather, the camera is good at showing:
- Wall cavities that were never filled, or batts that have slumped
- Thin or missing spots in the attic insulation, seen from the ceiling below
- Air leaks at the tops of walls and around the attic hatch
- Floors over garages and crawl spaces that are losing heat
Ask about a thermal scan for your house
Mention it when you request an estimate, and say which rooms are giving you trouble.
Infrared camera questions
Can a thermal camera see through walls?
No. It reads the temperature of the wall's surface. Missing insulation or an air leak changes that surface temperature, and that's what the camera picks up.
When is the best time of year for a thermal scan?
The coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer. The bigger the gap between the indoor and outdoor temperature, the clearer the picture.
Do I need a thermal scan before getting insulation?
Not necessarily. Thin attic insulation and open chaseways can be seen directly. The camera helps most when the problem is hidden inside walls or ceilings.
Will Abraham bring the camera to my estimate?
Only if the weather is right for it. If your estimate falls on a very cold or very hot day and you'd like a scan, ask, and he'll tell you whether it's worth using on your house.
Get a free estimate
Tell us about the house and what's bothering you. Abraham calls or texts back within one business day.
Estimates are free within a half-hour drive of Des Moines.
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