Interpreting Thermal Imaging Pictures

If an area of the picture is a shade of blue, that section is cooler than the surrounding areas. If an area of the picture is a shade of red, that section is warmer than the surrounding areas.

Areas of elevated moisture are usually cooler than the surrounding dry material due to evaporative cooling. As water evaporates from the surface, the material is naturally cooled due to the phase change (liquid to gas) of water.

Pictures

Example 1 & Example 2 illustrate how areas several floors below the source of the water loss are affected. Notice moisture is trapped behind the crown molding and window trim. This woodwork would need to be temporarily removed in order to properly dry the area.

Example 2

Example 3 shows how easily an area of elevated moisture can be missed with moisture meters alone. If an area of isolated moisture is not properly dried, mold growth can form.

Example 4 depicts moisture trapped behind a bathroom vanity. The water restoration company should immediately removed the vanity to dry the cabinet and the drywall behind. In a situation like this, if the affected portion of the vanity was not dried in a timely manner, it may become so water damaged (warping, delaminating, etc) that it would need to be replaced.