Re: halogen lamp on x10

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Andrew Gabriel" <andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in

> I bought mine [IR Gun] when I was designing the central heating system
> for the house. I used it to check the estimated U-values (heat
> loss) through the various walls/floors/ceilings/doors/windows
> were reasonable. Also useful for finding unexpected heat loss.
> As an example, although the ceilings below the attic were
> insulated, the access hatch wasn't, and was losing some heat
> when it was freezing outside -- ceiling was 22C, hatch was 12C).
> You can also go round the outside of the house when it's cold
> outdoors and look for hotspots. It's not easy to quickly measure
> the temperature of brick walls, plaster, and many other building
> materials any other way.

That's certainly a good use for them.

> Having installed the central heating, I used it to balance
> the radiators (adjusting for correct temperature drop across
> each) and to ensure the boiler was operating in high efficiency
> condensing mode.
>
> It can be fun to play with too. Pointing it at the sky at
> night, I've had readings of -50C. There needs to be a tiny
> amount of cloud to get a reading from -- no cloud and it
> can't get a reading (it doesn't work down to the -270C of
> interstellar space), and too much cloud keeps the daytime
> heat in so you only get something like -5C at cloud base.
>
> I bought my father one too, rather more as a toy than with
> any particular purpose in mind. He uses his a lot when cooking.
> One of the first things he tried was checking the temperature
> of a casserole he was reheating from the previous day, and
> found it was only 55C when he had thought it would be nearly
> boiling.

I've read that some of the guns are quite susceptible to EMF interference.
Apparently there are many grades of IR gun with varying degrees of
sensitivity.  The ones used for food safety seem to require frequent
calibration to maintain accuracy.

Some of the sites I've visited list non-contact thermometers as low as $30.
 Not sure if they are any good but I assume as volume goes up, price goes
down.  The local RatShack's been selling them, but in the $100US range,
IIRC.  I'd bite at $30, or maybe even $50.   At that cost it would probably
pay for itself in short order identifying heat leaks.

--
Bobby G.