TWIN CITIES WEST Blog

What Infrared Testing Can Reveal About Your Attic

When it comes to comfort in your own home, the first thing that comes to mind might not be your attic. To many people, the attic is just a dusty place to store boxes and broken things so they’re out of the way. However, the condition of your attic is crucial to energy conservation in the home.

Heat loss is a large contributor to overblown energy bills, so you might be losing quite a lot of heat through your attic.

Thankfully, insulation inspections have grown more advanced over the years. With infrared testing attic services, you can discover a lot about your attic.

What is Infrared Testing?

In most cases, you can’t simply look at something and know how hot or cold it is. With infrared testing, however, you can.

Infrared testing, also known as infrared imaging, is a special way of viewing a space with specific regard for its surface temperature. Using special cameras, a technician is able to see how hot or cold a surface is. Heat levels are depicted as different colors on a monitor, ranging from blues and purples on the colder end of the spectrum to reds, oranges, and yellows on the warmer end.

What Does Infrared Imaging Reveal?

Your attic is probably a dark place that you don’t spend a lot of time in. Most likely, you haven’t poured over every wall or inspected its insulation.

Thankfully, infrared can reveal a lot of information about the current environmental controls in your attic.

If you’re curious about infrared testing in Minnesota, here are a few things it can identify for you:

Defective Insulation

When a hot or cold spot is detected in your attic, it may mean there is insufficient insulation in that area. These spots indicate that heat is either coming in from the outside or that your heat is escaping your home. In either case, your HVAC system is most likely working overtime to make up for the difference.

Poor Ventilation

Moisture build-up due to poor ventilation can be revealed through infrared testing. In these cases, steps can be taken to resolve the issue, preventing damage to your roof and mold growth.

Air Leaks

Air leaks are another way that heat loss can happen. When spots that don’t match the general color tone of the room appear, like a small red spot in a cooler blue room, it usually means an air leak is present.

When to Get Infrared Testing

The best time to get infrared testing for your attic is when there is a considerable temperature difference between the inside of your home and the outside.

The Department of Energy specifically recommends that testing be done when that difference is about 20°F. Typically, this means winter or summer, when outdoor temperatures are more extreme.

With more extreme outdoor temperatures, it will be much easier to spot inconsistencies in your attic. To help make results even more accurate, you might want to consider closing all doors and windows, as well as moving any furniture away from the walls. If you have windows in your attic, you will also want to remove any drapes or curtains prior to testing.

Free Insulation Consultations from Koala Insulation

If you’re looking for infrared testing in Minnesota, call Koala Insulation of Twin Cities West.  We offer the best thermal imaging attic service and infrared testing in Minnesota.

Call us today to book a free insulation consultation to make sure your attic is in the best condition possible.