Thermal Leak Detector Saves Up to 20 Percent in Energy Costs
Winter is setting in, and you know what that means: it’s time to turn on the heat. Many of us, however, are using more heat than necessary due to thermal leaks. This nifty Thermal Leak Detector from Black & Decker could potentially save up to 20 percent in energy costs by pointing out trouble spots.
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The $40 device shines a blue spotlight on temperature changes as small as 1 degree. Of course, the tool can’t actually help you get rid of the leaks— for that, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Black & Decker’s Thermal Leak Detector will be available for purchase in Spring 2009…just in time to save you from excess air-conditioning costs.
Photo Credit: Black & Decker
So… it’s in infrared thermometer.
Sort of like these: http://www.google.com/products?q=laser+thermometer&btnG=Search+Products&show=dd
…which happen to be available, oh, now. At around $20 a pop.
Yes Nate, but I think the point of this device is that it actually shines a blue light on the areas with lower temperature. No other similar device has this feature.
Most of these devices (non-contact infrared thermometers) are limited by the detectors distance to spot ratio.. the device reads temperatures in this way: for every (x) inches you are from the detector, you fan out an inch. The distance to spot ratio can vary widely device to device, from 4:1 up to 20:1 and beyond- I couldn’t find the specs for this item. The units that have a laser are sometimes misleading, as people think they are reading temperatures exactly at the laser mark, when in fact the laser marks the center of a circle that they are measuring. If this unit shines a targeting light that matches that ‘cone’ of measurement, that would have value. Otherwise if the light doesn’t match the measurement area, it could still be confusing for folks.