How To Find a Water Leak with a FLIR ONE Pro Thermal Camera!

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Today we're using the FLIR thermal camera to locate an underground water leak from a water heater and discussing why a thermal camera might be a great tool to add to your belt if you work in the trades.
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Chapters:
0:00 - Underground Water Leak Intro
1:00 - Locating The Underground Leak
2:42 - Marking The Floor
3:26 - The Severity Of This Leak
3:50 - Repairing Underground Water Leaks
6:38 - FLIR Thermal Camera Alignment & Modes
8:20 - SUBSCRIBE!!!

[@curthenry9398]

Before retirement I was a Facilities Manager in large Level 1 Trama Center/Teaching Hospital in Minneapolis. Water leaks in our facility were weekly events. I used a thermo camera to find sources of leaks and wet walls. The camera saved time pinpointing the source of the leak. We used the thermo camera to find roof leaks on our flat roofs. A wet area would show up as a cool spot. To check bearings for overheating and to watch heating/cooling valve open with a command. Thermo camera are a useful tool.

[@dumdiversaspapalbull1452]

I work with d.a. plumbers that think that anything not being done the old fashioned way is gadgetry or sorcery. Unless they’re the ones to come up with the idea.

[@randyfitz8310]

I use the Flir in many types of diagnostics: automotive, electrical, appliances and weatherproofing.

[@damianpokoj1065]

Manual transmission Honda? You're the man!

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

We love the Fit. I choose manual whenever I can.

[@damianpokoj1065]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom few of us who prefer manual remain. Seems like a lost art.

[@dumdiversaspapalbull1452]

That’s the most beautiful plumbing repair ditch I’ve ever seen in my life. Y’all must have dug that out with a pressure washer and a shop vac. That thing is excellent.

[@Paul-hl5ls]

I've been wanting a review from someone that I could feel good about trusting... Thank you 😊

[@simonilett998]

No overly friendly cats required, just a decent thermal catmera🤣👍

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

EXACTLY. Thanks goodness!

[@careyautorepairs]

Nice work brother.

[@bettylane1984]

Awesome case study..thanks!

[@dosiodosev740]

Great content, thank you

[@ysvsny7]

great job

[@Networkprofessor]

Great Review. Help me make my decision on my purchase.

[@user-yx3wk7tc2t]

7:19 DC probably stands for digital camera. That's not a distinctive term for the visible-light camera, because the infrared camera is also digital, but it might be based on terminology such as DCIM (digital camera images). It doesn't look like a depth-camera image.

[@jerrykeith9161]

Good deal!!

[@mrfoodarama]

Seems like a worthwhile investment, pretty cool

[@michellechin7411]

Hi Ben, I received a thermal imaging report from the plumber with the readings of 9.5 degree and 15.1 degree. This was taken towards the ceiling to investigate if there is any water leaks in there. I don't know how to interpret these numbers. Do you see any water leak according to these readings? Thanks heaps!

[@bernardaflores1720]

Nice way to used the IR camera, works great on hydronic heating issues.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Absolutely!

[@pers785]

Could this be used to detect leaks in an irrigation system 6 inches underground? Or would the temperature difference not be enough?

[@irwansetiawan2021]

Hi friend, this tool can detect pvc pipe cool water water track below ceramic or behind wall?

[@darrelfuhrman8217]

In town, the family was down south for the winter. They had the main water valve turned off. Someone walking on the sidewalk noticed a water line on one of the basement windows. The town’s water main sprung a leak. Followed the water main and the service line into the houses basement. Nobody in town had a key to the house. The town’s water department had to break a door down, start pumping water out of the basement. Hello from north east Montana. 10 miles from the Canadian border.

[@FPVFIEND]

What were your settings on the app for this?

[@randyfitz8310]

It’s a huge task to replace the plumbing and the above ground retrofit seems like a good repair.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Definitely better/easier than opening up the floor throughout the entire place!

[@brianleeper5737]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom My mom's house has had pretty much EVERY pipe in the slab fail so far. It was built in 1994 with polybutylene pipe. The pipe that failed first was the hot water line to the kitchen sink. The previous owner had a 2 gallon water heater installed under the kitchen sink to work around it. She bought it in 2002 without a home inspection. I'd NEVER buy a house, ESPECIALLY in Virginia, without a home inspection. The building inspectors in most of this state are coin-operated.

[@goldas.4624]

In our state home inspectors don't check for molds. If something visible , sure they see but lots of water damages aren't visible. And how would inspector predict that pipes will leak?

[@goldas.4624]

Question: do Infrared cameras only show spots if the temperatures are very different ( how much different?) & if water damaged building materials aren't dry? Meaning that moldy areas of dried materials won't be detected & house will stay toxic? Or if there's a slight dampness camera won't catch the temperature difference, yes?

[@riskydigital]

what camera application u were using? i need flir cam app that automatically track lowes/highest themperatur like this 👌✨

[@igortruskov9391]

Which version of firmware do you use?

[@crazytekkie1]

Had the exact same problem and could clearly hear it spraying into the slab. Ultimate PITA trying to replace a spot of highly pitted copper at the lowest area of piping. Btw I have the same exact flir camera. It is moody often, takes forever to connect and the resolution doesn't look as smooth. And yes I've adjusted my camera alignment and have the pro version. Flir does a lousy job updating their app too and support sux.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Interesting. I've had good luck with mine. In some ways I could see the benefit of having a standalone FLIR though.

[@danstvguy]

Ben, The fact that the pipe had corroded would make me suspect of the entire system. Wouldn't there be a high probability of future leaks even after your repair? Thanks

[@Ohn]

Yes, in a weak pipe the least resistant section is next up. A lot of homeowners can only afford to fix the one leak and not completely rework their entire plumbing system. They cross their fingers essentially. He definitely made the customer aware.

[@Aeon_Electronics]

Problem is the bad refresh rate and low resolution for this high price... with TOPDON TC001, you get a 256x162 sensor with 25Hz refresh rate for just 230$ Just sayin..

[@brothermine2292]

Can this IR camera find a leak in an outdoor underground pipe, buried under an asphalt drive or under grass-covered soil? The water supply pipe (4" diameter? 6"?) to our condominium's swimming pool facility leaks somewhere downstream of the pipe's shutoff valve, which is located under a valve cover in the condominium's asphalt driveway. When the valve is open, a stream of water backs up and out to the surface at the valve cover. But I don't think that implies the source of the leak is close to the valve, and since the length of the pipe between valve & swimming pool facility is about 50 yards, it would help to have a way to find the leak before digging up the asphalt & ground.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Good question. With the outdoor underground water leaks I've dealt with we've pretty much always dug at the location where the water showed up. The thermal camera could possibly help but depending on where the water is running it may or may not be very obvious.

[@crazytekkie1]

The camera will show you leaks best when for example it's a hot water line in cooler concrete or dirt. Highly unlikely to find underground leaks if the temps are close to each other. It is great for finding leaks in a roof tho.

[@goldas.4624]

If roof had a leak but materials dried off camera won't help , yes? Mold is there. Cameras are ok for a tive leaks if temperatures of water and materials are very different different. So what if it's cold water ?

[@plumbing_newideas]

Will you please let me know the price? And is this camera available in India pelase let me know 😀

[@badpixels_]

wow

[@Swansue]

So is hot and cold a water leak?

[@Viralclown]

Can you find roof leaks with that? Not sure which model to get, they recommended e8 but that’s $5500!

[@nddn954]

Aliexpress is full of them and they are cheap.

[@williamgreen4974]

I thought if the spot is purple indicates it’s a color spot could be leaks but u went to a hotter spot where it was a leak

[@carabela125]

If there is a leak under an exterior wall, the paint might be peeling off from water vapor coming through. We had to run new copper tubing in the overhead crawl space instead of repairing the pipe in the floor.

[@BlahBlahManYeah]

Who on earth buries hot water pipe under slab?

[@jimyeats]

Tons and tons and tons of people. It obviously has it's pros a cons. Pros: Way cheaper to run your plumbing when you don't have to deal with walls and other obstructions, particularly with modern PEX. Literally just straight simple homeruns all over the place and stub outs. Less damage (in most cases) when there is leak. As you saw here, no concrete damage or significant soil erosion despite gallons and gallons of water pouring out for quite a while. Cons: harder to repair and retrofit when there is a problem (far less likely with pex). Insulation may be a concern depending on climate (you obviously see more slab on grade homes in temperate climates). Just depends on the scenario!

[@user-wt3eu9cu9z]

hello where can i find it?

[@slrsouth64]

Digikey

[@shadowBanned2023]

That’s why I never bury copper pipes in concrete as they corrode over time

[@williamsmith3960]

Limestone will eat the copper up need to replace it all

[@jimyeats]

I want a thermal scope so bad to do some spotting and hunting around my ranch at night. When I have a plumbing issue I could then LARP around the house and my wife would just think it's my usual.

[@brad3378]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the focal length is small enough to see images in focus inside a building. It would be like using a telescope inside a house

[@jimyeats]

@@brad3378 Well, beyond the joking, it would just depend on what type of thermal scope you got. There are plenty of 1x thermals that would work fine in a house, and there are plenty of variable power thermals that might have trouble depending on their lowest magnification.

[@chadchad9407]

Re Route. That should of been said before breaking concrete.

[@dumdiversaspapalbull1452]

….or sleeve the copper in a slab like it’s supposed to be.

[@jacktherack9551]

If the pipes were insulated this is unlikely to happen,,

[@Jon-hx7pe]

It's ridiculous to put plumbing under a concrete floor/foundation, what the heck do people think?

[@RandomActsOfMadness]

If run inside a concrete slab it will last until eternity. Dropping plumbing straight onto acidic soil, not isolating it from ground water is just crazy..

[@Jon-hx7pe]

@@RandomActsOfMadness there's no reason to run plumbing under a slab. if hot water, looses a lot of heat.

[@brianleeper5737]

About the same thing that people who put plumbing in an overhang/cantilever think...de do do dum dum de dum. (That's a great way to get frozen pipes).

[@jzsbYT]

@@Jon-hx7pePkumber here. Run water lines under slab all the time. We run water lines without any fittings underground. As far as heat loss, hot water lines needs to be insulated per UPC code.

[@618huntingcrew]

@@brianleeper5737 Just run PEX. It doesn't matter if it freezes. Just thaw it out or let it thaw out. No need to fix it.

[@bfjoutdoors]

hdpe will last forever.

[@stevec5000]

Flir One Pro is rubbish and won't run so I guess you faked this whole video?

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

🤣🤣🤣