hausdok Posted January 21, 2011 Report Posted January 21, 2011 Hi All, Well, I've gotta say, Fluke's Introduction to Thermography for Building Science was easily the best $36.86 I've every spent and Michael Stuart from Fluke is probably one of the best trainers I've listened to in a very long time. Unlike most of the IR stuff that I've attended thus far in my quest to learn as much as I can about IR before I finally commit to purchasing a thermal imaging device, this seminar was chock full of really useful information, stuff like how to manipulate the palette or the range and span of the device's wavelength in order to capture issues more clearly, or ways to prep a house for inspections when the weather and temperatures aren't cooperating. One of the things that I liked the most about it is that it's a very informal and hands on course and those attending actually got to use the equipment; not just look at it as it sat on a desk and then sit there staring at a powerpoint presentation all day long. Some of those attending brought their own imagers; but the boys from Fluke came loaded for bear and handed out about a dozen thermal imagers for students to share and play with. There were all of the Fluke models plus a few FLIR models as well as a Testo model. Stuart works for Fluke but he's so familiar with the imagers of Fluke's competitors that he was able to show those who using those models for the class how to get the most out of them. The seminar went from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. When one accounts for the four restroom breaks plus lunch, it was actually about 6 hours and 45 minutes long. That's OK, the breaks gave folks an opportunity to play with the equipment some more and a very hearty box lunch was included with the deal, so everyone could stay on venue and continue to pick Stuart's brain. This guy is a superlative trainer and really knows how to explain difficult technical concepts in terms that even old farts and non-techno-geeks like me can understand. Late in the afternoon, Stuart turned the class loose with the imagers and directed us to a room nearby where a number of experiments had been set up for us to discover. I was able to freely move around the room and check out the various features and performance of every imager there. By the end of the day, I'd settled on the imager that I intend to purchase and had a plan for how to go about incorporating IR into my business - all at a cost of only $4.60 an hour. At the end of the day, one long-time inspector that I know remarked to me, "I un-learned two very incorrect things that I'd thought I'd previously learned about infrared. That knowledge alone was worth every bit of the fee." The seminar was sponsored by Home Performance Washington; which is an association of Washington State businesses offering whole house energy efficiency, comfort, and indoor air quality solutions. For those of you from other states that are reading this and would like to attend one of these seminars, visit Fluke's training seminar page to see whether there are any future seminars scheduled near you; if there isn't, there's nothing stopping you from getting something started. Call 1-800-760-4523 and ask for a seminar coordinator. Click to Enlarge 44.09 KB ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike
kurt Posted January 21, 2011 Report Posted January 21, 2011 Darn, they don't have the Building Diagnostic class anywhere near Chicago; in fact, the Building Diagnostic they do advertise is just a couple hours. I'm going to have to look into this...... BTW, you bought one yet?
hausdok Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Posted January 21, 2011 Darn, they don't have the Building Diagnostic class anywhere near Chicago; in fact, the Building Diagnostic they do advertise is just a couple hours. I'm going to have to look into this...... BTW, you bought one yet? Nope, But I plan to have one of those in my bag of tricks within the next month or so. I'd pretty much made up my mind to do it by the end of the Carson Dunlop Commercial Inspection Course but today's seminar was enough to put me past the tipping point. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike
Mark P Posted January 21, 2011 Report Posted January 21, 2011 Thanks for the info. Kurt if you find something let me know and I'll do the same for you. I just bought the FLIR B-60. I found a used one (1 year old) that was 30+% off the price of a new one.
kurt Posted January 21, 2011 Report Posted January 21, 2011 OK, you read it here first......... Mr. O goin' for it.
Tom Raymond Posted January 21, 2011 Report Posted January 21, 2011 Mark, look into an extra battery for it. Mine hasn't died during a scan yet but I have to charge it before every outing, it won't hold a charge sitting on the shelf. Mike, what model are you looking at?
Mark P Posted January 21, 2011 Report Posted January 21, 2011 Thanks Tom. It did die on me on the very first job I brought it to. I thought I had left it turned on in the case or the kids had played with it to much. I know some people just don't want to buy used equipment or a used car, but here are a few sites that sometimes list used IR stuff for sale. I just posted a message on the 1st one asking if anyone had a line on any great deals. So far no regrets. http://www.thesnellgroup.com/irtalk/ http://www.infraredtraining.com/communi ... s/forum/4/ http://www.nachi.org/forum/f70/
Nolan Kienitz Posted January 21, 2011 Report Posted January 21, 2011 OK, you read it here first......... Mr. O goin' for it. Absolutely amazing for Mike O .... he has become the high-tech inspector of the quarter it seems. New Computer New Digital Camera - W90 About to have a new IR Wow !!!
randynavarro Posted January 21, 2011 Report Posted January 21, 2011 Crap. I wish I would have known about it in time. I was too late for registration. Now. . . about the fact that you can't submit that course for CE in Washington state . . .
emalernee Posted January 21, 2011 Report Posted January 21, 2011 There is a free class near Washington DC in February. Is it worth the trip from Ohio to attend? Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio
hausdok Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Posted January 21, 2011 Mike, what model are you looking at?TiR1. Stuart said that there are two ways to go; one can purchase a $10K camera, and still be able to get adequate photos for what we do without knowing much about the technical aspects of how to take best advantage of the camera; or, one can spend less on the camera and spend the difference on becoming more educated about the process and the best way to use the equipment. At my table we had a TiR32, a Ti32 and a Ti25. I think that the TiR32 is the same one that Kurt has. The Ti32 sand Ti25 are more appropriate for electro-mechanical applications but they still provided some pretty good detail. However, the guy directly in front and slightly to the left of me was using a TiR1 and I was amazed at the clarity of the images and the detail he was getting; even from about 25 feet away from the target. When Stuart opined that if he had to choose a less-than-top-of-the-shelf model he'd choose the TiR1, that cinched it for me. Absolutely amazing for Mike O .... he has become the high-tech inspector of the quarter it seems. New Computer New Digital Camera - W90 About to have a new IR Wow !!! Don't you mean the most broke inspector of the quarter? - Sept 11 - ASHIWW Fall seminar (Only went 1 day - $215)- Sept 18 - New Computer (I only paid for part of this; it was a birthday gift . My wife and a good friend split the cost) - November - New Digital Camera - W90 (Yeah, only after I told all of you about it and let several of you beta-test it for me first.) - November - New Protimeter Surveymaster (After a couple dozen repairs and 11 years, she bit the dust - Now my wife is complaining about the new model and wants me to find her an older model.) - November - New SureTest (The other is on it's last legs and looks like a WWI veteran - figured I'd replace it before it went bottoms-up). - December - Four new tires for the truck (That's the trouble with AWD, one flat means 4 new tires - even purchasing mid-quality they were over $700) - December - Carson Dunlap 3-day Commercial Inspection Course ($1695 - Ouch! - Since I'm not an ASHIWW member, they got me for an extra $200.) - About to have a new IR Hopefully, this is an anomaly and I'll never see such a chaotic series of expenses right after the other again; but I won't be holding my breath.Anyway, if I go bankrupt I suppose I can stack this stuff around me in my pup tent under the overpass and use it as insulation. Now. . . about the fact that you can't submit that course for CE in Washington state . . .I mentioned this to Stuart. I'm going to send him the information about how to get approved by the state for credit; but I don't know if they're motivated to do that. He points out that Fluke isn't actually in the business of training but have formed a strategic partnership with Snell Group. There is a free class near Washington DC in February. Is it worth the trip from Ohio to attend?Hi Ezra, I dunno. I think before I spent a day in the car just to get to a class, I'd contact Fluke and see if they are working with an organization nearer to you that's not shown on their calendar of events and will be presenting in your area in the near future. Still, I suppose you could make it a fun trip and stop in at Barack and Michelle's house for tea while you're there and give that young fellow some words of wisdom. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike
Scott Wood Posted January 28, 2011 Report Posted January 28, 2011 Just started as moderator for the infrared posts and very excited to help provide you with useful information. See the Jan 19th post “Announcing TIJ’s New Thermography Forum Moderatorâ€
randynavarro Posted January 29, 2011 Report Posted January 29, 2011 Scott, Which camera would you recommend for our line of work? Second, do you have any of those cameras that you'd like to sell me used for a good deal? That's it! I asked first. None of youse can get his used cameras before me. . . .
Scott Wood Posted January 29, 2011 Report Posted January 29, 2011 Randy, Ah... wish I had all those cameras to sell, have had many different cameras, but unfortunately I’ve only one, a T400. FLIR and Fluke both have great imagers, with more to choose from at FLIR. Way too many choices between those two companies not to mention the others! Two things to look very close at, thermal sensitivity and resolution. The rest can be leather seats and power steering at least for some of us, though lots of great “additionsâ€
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