A tool to look thermal leaks

[Finman]

[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_12?url=search-alias%3Ddiy&field-keywords=thermal+leak+detector&sprefix=thermal+leak%2Cdiy%2C287[/ame]

To get facts how heat run away, this is usefull toy.

In my summer cottage I found that thin doors are the worst places from where heat run away.

I measured poly hive outer walls. I saw a quite big differendies in tempterute of walls. It means that if the box wall is warmer than environment, it leaks heat.

The upper inner cover was too very interesting. The cetre may be +30C but edges only +14C. The drop in tempeterture is very sharp under inner cover's insulation.

The differencies between insulation materials are soon detected with that.
To reweal it out, a 2 W light buld inside the hive box gives a standard heat to measuring.


To follow honey processing temperature. Very usefull.


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[oliver90owner]

Looks to be a little more useful than the Rolson Amazon are offering for just over £23.

Personally steer clear of most rolson tools - and B&D too, for that matter!

RAB

 

[itma]

The link seems to be mangled but you can find it if you search Amazon for
Black Decker Thermal Leak
It's £38 currently.

Buying from China, via eBay, you can get an IR thermometer for about £6 and a pistol-style one for under £10 (delivered prices).

I have a Raytek, bought second hand.
These things are useful, but you shouldn't believe them too closely, because they are affected by the surface emissivity. Example: - on a copper (central heating) pipe - even within a few inches on the same pipe (so at the same temperature) you will get different readings from shiny, tarnished and painted sections.
That doesn't stop them being a very useful tool indeed - just don't take the reading too literally!

 

[Nic Rhodes]

good warning about the emissivity issue, we used a thermal camera so we have have a comparison and also have known reference in target. We found the hand helds too hit and miss for good thermal surveys but do have them and they are convenient for a quick look see consumate with their price.

 

[DanBee]

Buying from China, via eBay, you can get an IR thermometer for about £6 and a pistol-style one for under £10 (delivered prices).

Make sure you check what temperature range it reads over; what might be useful for checking exhaust gas leaks and engine hotspots might not be so useful for estimating temperatures of honey buckets...

 

[itma]

Make sure you check what temperature range it reads over; what might be useful for checking exhaust gas leaks and engine hotspots might not be so useful for estimating temperatures of honey buckets...

Most should do both jobs.

The ones to avoid are the clinical ones for measuring blood/body/ear temperature (often used on babies). They work over a very narrow temperature range, and for flesh's emissivity.

Some IR thermometers are made specially for food safety use. These usually have their greatest sensitivity between 0 and 65C, but often have a wide-angle (4:1) sensor to get an average temperature from an area.
A narrower spot measurement (8:1 or 12:1) is more generally useful.
NOTE - any laser spot is indicative of the centre of the measurement area. The temperature is *not* measured only at (or by) that spot. Its an aiming help. Only.

 

[itma]

If anyone is into (electronic) DIY, there's a bit of a buzz in this area currently.
http://publiclaboratory.org/tool/thermal-photography


Or Google thermal flashlight.


The idea is to use the sensed temperature to control the colour of an RGB LED, and then to take a l-o-n-g time exposure photograph, while you manually 'scan' the scene with your 'flashlight'. Result should be a photo showing hot and cold spots.
Seems some people are hoping to make a mechanical scanner from Lego ... shades of John Logie Baird and the flying spot ...

 

[Arfermo]

Looks to be a little more useful than the Rolson Amazon are offering for just over £23.

£30 when I looked a moment ago!!!

 

[oliver90owner]

£30 when I looked a moment ago!!!

Prices change. I wish you would quote dates on post like this, to make them more relevant. It may be construed that the price quoted by me was incorrect - which it was certainly not - at the time.