Focus on Technology: Laser Thermometer

Often, when damp is detected in walls the cause of it is a combination of factors. In the example picture there is an embedded metal pipe in the wall. This pipe is surrounded by gypsum as a backing material and also followed by a gypsum skim finish meaning that this part of the wall is pure gypsum from the surface all the way to the brick substrate. Gypsum as a building material has many brilliant qualities, but is main drawback is that it does not perform well in the presence of continuous moisture. It’s not the case that the pipe is leaking at all. But what is happening in this home is simple; the home has high humidity through a lack of adequate ventilation. Humid air needs to condense back to a liquid. To do this it needs a cold surface to do it on. This embedded metal pipe is making the immediate locality around it very much colder than the rest of the wall, and as such almost invites the humid air to condense on it. Combine this with the pure gypsum around it and we have the perfect storm. A laser thermometer can be used to determine the precise location of these cold spots.