Thermal for house inspection under 450 euro

[Pjs]

Hi,

Winter has come and in my house appeared mysterious drafts 
So Iam looking for thermal imaging camera for house inspection (cold spots, underfloor heating pipes, electric wires diagnostics and so on...
First I found FLIR ONE PRO almost bought it... but oh boy boy how many bad reviews I found about it on this forum
Next was FLIR TG267 ok same    as ONE PRO...
Now I considering this one HIKMICRO E1L   https://www.messgeraete-chemnitz.de/messtechnik/waermebildkameras/1832/hikmicro-e1l-thermografiekamera-160x120px-200-bis-5500c-25hz
 Is it good option? (no info in forum about this model :/)

Maybe you can offer something better! My budget is around 400eu

THANK YOU KIND PEOPLE

[Fraser]

I did a teardown of the E1L camera under its alternative name of DS-2TP31

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/hikvision-ds-2tp31-series-thermal-camera-teardown-307840/msg3942805/#msg3942805

The model I dismantled is running slightly modified firmware and a different FFC shutter design because it is tuned for a Fever Detections role. The cameras build quality was very good and the image quality is good as well (within the resolution limits of 160 x 120 pixels) The E1L would be a good performer for domestic building checks but would not be my choice for commercial work.

If you look through this forum for the Uni-Trend UT-260B, Infiray C200/210 and the Guide PC210, you will find cameras that perform well and have higher resolution than the Hikvision E1L.

Fraser

[Pjs]

Thanks Fraser!!

Ok in Europe I can find E1L, GUIDE PC210 and  Uni-Trend UT-260B all pretty much the same price....

decisions decisions...  with my experience I can judge only by the looks. UT-260B looks nice 

[c00kemon]

The guide pc210 more better than uti 260b.
The Guide pc210 has more features in software as well as in terms of hardware, manual temperature span, laser pointer, bright ips screen, bright Led lamp, better visual camera, Flir analog MSX mode and very fast operation speed, real 25hz.  In my opinion, 260b is an outsider in all respects.

[markb1980]

HIKMICRO E1L

Nice camera but if you want a hikmicro I would say add 200 EUR on top of you budget and get a Pocket2 or B20. This cameras have a higher resolution which you could really need. As higher the resolutin as smaller anomalies you can spot.

I would also say a GuideIR PC210 is the best choice in that price-range!
The PC210 has a laser which is handy in home inspections and it allow manual level and span. A InfiRay C200/C210 or Uni-T UT260b do not have that.

Further GuideIR has a better software to generate reports.

I have written a short review: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/guide-pc210-review/msg4348921/#msg4348921

[Pjs]

FINALY!! the day has come and I received my GUIDE PC210, outstanding device. Thank you guys for your input choosing the right path
BUT few things sideways, so I have few questions:

1. My PC210 came with old firmware from 2021, maybe you know where to find newer? I cannot fint it on GuideIR page :/
2.  Outside is about 0c ~ -1c now, but imager showing that my house wall is -9c, parking is -10c and so on... the temperature is way off.

[markb1980]

The PC210 has a drift when it get cold and I have recently discovered that the PC210 do not factor in the reflected temp. correctly.  So readings may be off in those consitions. Even the newest firmware do not change that.

But the good news are even if the readings are off - it does not matter so much. You compare primary differences in home inspections - it does not matter if a spot get 2, 4 or 6°C warm, it matters that a spot get e.g. 2°C warmer then the rest of the wall.

If you are looking for calibrated cameras which give you more relaiable readings you should look at Hikmicro. There B20 or Pocket2 are factory-calibrated, come with a calibration cert. and they factor in all settings correctly...

BTW - a clear sky is very cold. So the reflected temp. may be -50°C till -70°C which can make the wall appear so cold if the material has a higher reflective component to it (lower emisivity). That's why walls often appear to be colder then the actual temp. if you don't set RAT and emisivity correctly.

[John-O]

Great topic - came across it after I felt some cold drafts in our house this winter but could not precisely pinpoint where they are coming from. Thus a reasonable thermal camera for home use would be great.

[ygi]

Great topic - came across it after I felt some cold drafts in our house this winter but could not precisely pinpoint where they are coming from. Thus a reasonable thermal camera for home use would be great.

I got myself a UTi260A for that very same purpose. It's basically a UTi260B without the extra optical camera priced around 200euro. It makes finding cold spots on walls, doors, windows and all that quite easy. Within an hour, I found and plugged up with PU foam all the breezy spots in my basement and garage and made many other surprising discoveries over the following week end. I'm pretty sure the savings for this winter already cover the cost of the tool (won't know till next year though).

[John-O]

Just ordered my Guide PC210 - should have it a week or two