There are other companies that offer infrared thermal imaging as a part of their inspection process.  It's hard enough to select a traditional home inspector, but how do you select a home inspector who also uses infrared thermography?  Asking these questions will ensure that you find a qualified individual.

 

 

1)   What is the resolution of your infrared camera?      

 

Ask yourself this question.  Would you want your family vacation photos taken with a 2 megapixel digital camera or a 10 megapixel digital camera?  The answer is obvious, and you should ensure the inspector is using a high resolution camera.  HomeSafe uses a 320 x 240 resolution camera. Resolution is a key factor in camera quality because it determines image clarity of the component being inspected.  A clearer picture will allow the inspector to make a more accurate diagnosis about any possible defect.  For instance, our infrared camera (320 x 240 resolution) has more than 5 times the clarity of a camera with 120 x 120 resolution and 4 times the clarity of a camera with 160 x 120 resolution.

 

 

2) What is the thermal sensitivity of your infrared camera?

 

Infrared cameras are designed to highlight temperature differences (i.e. take a thermal picture). As the sensitivity of the camera is lowered, the capability of the camera to 'see' defects is increased.  HomeSafe uses cameras with sensitivity of 0.07.

 

 

3) What is your level of training?  Where did you obtain your training? What was the duration of your training class?  Did it include real-world field training?

 

HomeSafe's personnel have completed extensive classroom training and field training.  The training is based on the patented methods developed at the University of Mississippi's National Center of Physical Acoustics.

 

 

4) Are you licensed to use the only patented infrared inspection protocols for homes? 

 

HomeSafe has 6 patents approved by the US Patent & Trademark Office.  Click HERE for more info.  A list of individuals who are licensed to utilize these patented methods can be found HERE.

 

 

5) Does your E&O (Professional Liability) insurance cover infrared inspections? 

 

HomeSafe Inspection's does.

 

 

6) How many infrared inspections have you conducted? 

 

HomeSafe has performed several thousand infrared inspections in metro Atlanta.

 

 

7) Are the sample infrared photos on your website from actual inspections conducted by your company or were they provided in the camera manufacturer's marketing materials?

 

All of the images shown on HomeSafe's website were captured during inspections we actually performed.

 

 

8) Do you charge an extra fee for the use of an infrared thermal imaging camera during the inspection?

 

HomeSafe's fees for buyer inspections, pre-listing inspections, and mold assessments include an infrared scan of the home.