5 Best Thermal Imaging Cameras to Find Cold Spots in a Room

Author: Reece Thompson | Updated on October 25, 2021

It is a prevailing situation people find themselves in where even though there is a heater in the house. They still cannot help but feel a cold breeze pass them now and again. This can no doubt be uncomfortable and works to circumvent all your efforts to reduce heat waste.

man holding heat camera in the living room

Heat waste can result in an increased carbon footprint, meaning you are only adding to global warming problems. This is because you shall have to increase the heat to compensate for the cold spot in the room that you are heating up. 

Apart from the damage you are doing to the earth, these places are known as cold spots and can result from several different factors. Using a thermal imaging camera will allow you the opportunity to detect where the cold spot is arising from. 

Once you have gained this information, you will be able to make repairs accordingly. In the end, it will save you time, money, and energy. This article will be looking at the top five thermal imaging cameras on the market today. 

What are the advantages of having a Thermal Imaging Camera?

1.Reduced Heat Waste

Reducing the amount of heat you waste is vital if you reduce your carbon footprint. Heat waste will mean you have to turn the heater on to a higher temperature or for longer than you usually would.

This results in you wasting electricity and adding hazardous gases to the room you're in. When you buy a thermal imaging camera, you can determine the cold spots in a room and rectify them. In such a situation, there might be a hole in the wall that requires closing. Once done, you will find that your room can keep warm much easier.

2. Improved Quality of Life

Dealing with the cold spots in your house can help you experience an improved quality of life. Cold spots in the house are often responsible for flu-related illnesses. If your child’s bed in their room is in a cold spot, they may shows symptoms such as dry throat, dry coughs, and a blocked nose.

Buying these will undoubtedly save you money on any trips to the doctor or medicine for colds and flu.

1. BIlinli AMG8833

BIlinli AMG8833 Thermal Imaging Camera
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This option is one of the more affordable cameras on the list. The manufacturers have designed it to use surface temperature and real-time thermal imaging. This is quite beneficial and allows the camera to perform two tasks simultaneously. Many cameras on the market now can only use one instrument at a time.

They have designed this product with a colour screen. The colour screen is over decent size and allows you to detect any problems as you come across them . It is a very durable product, made from high-quality resources.

The exterior of the product is a durable metal, meaning that it can survive outdoor use if it needs to. The main goal with this product was to increase its service life, and they managed to achieve that.

To power this device, you will need a USB that can generate 5 volts. It can detect cold spots up to seven meters. This is quite advanced for a home thermal imaging camera at this price. The resolution on this product is eight by eight, which is quite acceptable for this product.

It is quite a small product as compared to many options available. Yet, portability is important when detecting cold spots. You should be able to fit this in the palm of your hands . The colour screen is relatively small, but for the average user, you should manage.
Positives
  1. It comes with a color screen.
  2. Can detect cold spots up to 7 meters away.
  3. You can use two different instruments simultaneously.
Negatives
  1. This device is not rustproof.

2. 240 x 320 Infrared (IR)

240x320 Infrared (IR) Thermal Imaging Camera
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This thermal imaging device is in the middle to upper ranges as for its price. It is 2.4 inches in size and can detect temperatures from minus 20 degrees Celsius to 300 degrees Celsius. It has designed to be a handheld thermal camera with one-piece moulding. This means every instrument is contained within the product you hold in your hand.

The finish of the product is glossy, and the product’s exterior material has been designed from alloy. The benefits of alloy include preventing corrosion and rust. If you are looking for a product that will last a couple of years, this is a good option.

They have designed this product with the ability to analyse an impressive area in one go. It can detect cold spots up to 10 meters away. This is quite impressive and will save you time, especially if you perform this duty daily.

Another feature of this product is that they have designed it with built-in memory. This is useful if you take photos of data gathered with one instrument and want to compare it with another. To do so, you can simply connect this to a laptop through the micro-USB data cable that they have included.
Positives
  1. One-piece moulding design.
  2. Alloy coated material for anti-rust and corrosion.
  3. It has a built-in memory feature.
Negatives
  1. It has a tiny screen, only 2.4 inches.

3. MLX90640 

Thermal Imaging Camera, MLX90640
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The product we are reviewing here is priced in the upper range of thermal cameras. This product uses one-piece moulding, so all the tools you can use are contained within the device. It is not difficult to install and can be used immediately upon activation of the product.

It comes in in glossy blue finish and has a colour screen for easier reading of the instruments’ results. The paint used on this product works to ensure that it will not rust even when exposed to damp or cold conditions. This will help people who expect to use this product professionally or for their home use.

It has a good heat dissipation area of around 12 meters. This means that the product's design is for more long term uses than for the short term. An advantage is that it displays the centre point, greatest and smallest temperatures. These allow quick and easy readings on the go when you do not have time to perform a full analysis.

Being able to access complete functions in one sitting saves the consumer a great deal of time. The last feature that is exciting about this product is the built-in memory. The storage space allotted to this product should allow you to take at least of 100 photos at a time. When this memory is full, you can simply dump these photos onto your laptop using a USB cable.
Positives
  1. The product is rustproof. 
  2. It has a large heat dissipation area. 
  3. Can store up to 100 photos.
Negatives
  1. It only lasts 4 hours when fully charged.

4. Thermal Imager

Infrared Thermal Imaging Camera, Thermal Imager
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This is one of the more premium thermal imaging cameras you can find on the market to buy today. Its magnifying glass design allows you to inspect any area from a distance. They have designed this product to be technologically innovative.

Suppose you wish to analyse a room while you are in another. You can use a USB device. If you connect this device to a computer, you can watch the temperature in real-time from anywhere. This product also comes with an alarm feature, which is impressive.

You can set a predetermined alarm that will ring when the heat in a room reaches a certain temperature. This will be very helpful for new parents who want to keep a steady temperature in their new-born's room. It is a very accurate product that will provide results in under 500 milliseconds.

This can be quite handy in an emergency. Regarding specifications, the measurement distance is only 1 meter. This provides a weaker analysis of the room but finding cold spots is still a fantastic option. The temperature range on this product is also quite low, only between 30 and 45 degrees Celsius. This means it can only be used in the home and is not built for industrial use.
Positives
  1. Can read temperatures from anywhere in the world using a USB. 
  2. An alarm system that alerts the user when a specific temperature hits. 
  3. Response time is less than 500 milliseconds.
Negatives
  1. The temperature range on this product is only between 30 and 45 degrees Celsius.

5. Jeanoko HD Handheld

Jeanoko HD Adjustable Handheld Reliable Infrared Thermal Imager for Industrial
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This is one of the most convenient and expensive products that you can buy on this list. The manufacturers have made this product small, making it easy to carry and store when you need to. It is a excellent device that offers ease when it comes to portability and performance.

It comes with the latest sensor modules that will find any cold spots within your house. The resolution on this camera on its own is something awe-inspiring to speak about. You should be able to read any information that the screen presents to you. Resolution is important as different modes need higher resolution to give accurate results.

This means that you can rest assured that you are gaining information that is 99% correct. It has a cosy and eco-friendly design that works to help you reduce your carbon footprint. Also the exterior is coated in rubber, which stops you from dropping it because the grip is anti-slip.

It comes with a large lithium battery that can deliver at least six hours of use at a time. This is quite impressive given the industry standard is around 4 hours for this product. To charge it, you will be simply required to plug in the USB device to a power supply.
Positives
  1. Anti-slip rubber grip. 
  2. Six hours battery life on a full charge. 
  3. They provide accurate results.
Negatives
  1. This is the most expensive product on the list.
Inspection of window building heat escape

What is different about these products?

1. The Range of temperature

When deciding which product you want, you have to know the range of temperature that they can handle. The more expensive thermal cameras will be able to detect temperatures up to 300 degrees.

Many people who live in the suburbs may not need to detect high temperatures like that. However, it will give you an idea of how good the product is. But, if your thermometer is not able to see below minus 10 degrees, then consider one of these products. As cold spots can become icy during winter

2. Screen Size and Colour

Many of the results that you will be receiving from these products will be in graph form. You might struggle to read from these if you buy a camera that does not have a reasonably sized screen or colour.

The one thing that you will want to avoid has incorrect data. Having inaccurate data will mean the whole process of collecting results is redundant. You will want to make sure that you can read the screen size that you have chosen. Whether it is in colour is an extra feature you can look to add.

3. Durability and Battery Life

Given how expensive a lot of these cost, you should ensure that you buy one which will last you for a couple of years. You must look for thermal cameras that are rust and corrosion-proof.

When looking for cold spots, it is not uncommon for some of these cameras to begin rusting. This will make the camera unpleasant to use and quite unsightly. It is also essential that to go with this durability.

If a product says that it has four hours of battery life when charged, you should most likely take that as three. As the product gets older this figure will only continue to get worse. Therefore, you should buy a product with a minimum of six hours of battery life.
Thermal Image of Heat Leak through Windows

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would recommend buying a thermal infrared camera. This option uses the latest technology and is reasonably priced. Making it affordable for most people looking to buy a thermal imaging camera. It has the fastest response time, which allows the consumer to save effort and time.

It also has an alarm, shoot the temperature drop or increase to a certain predetermined level. This makes the product great for new parents to watch their child's room temperature. It also can inform you of the temperature even if you are not in the room.