Here in Vermont, the days are getting colder. A real danger with these temperatures occurs when they team up with high winds. For humans, of course, the issue is wind chill. Though wind chill doesn't affect buildings, the consequences of mass infiltration of very cold air could result in frozen water pipes.

Even though high winter heating bills can be troubling and cold feet challenging, the cost of a broken water pipe is usually much more significant and can quickly run up into thousands of dollars.

Thermographers must be aware that they are looking at a building during a single moment in time. Always ask yourself:

What might happen, thermally, on a colder, windier, day?

Is there air infiltration that could lead to frozen water pipes or other issues?

What are the inspection conditions at that moment? Wind speed and direction? Ambient temperatures? Is there any solar loading present?

Un-insulated buildings are, of course, extremely vulnerable, but even those that are insulated, especially with fiberglass, are susceptible to air moving past the envelope and through the insulation if the wall cavities are not properly sealed.

These infrared images (see above and right) show problems in a steel-framed wall with fiberglass batt insulation that resulted in frozen pipes-two years in a row! Each incident did approximately $20,000 in direct damage and there were additional indirect costs.

Perhaps a good source of leads for an enterprising thermographer would be to team up with the local plumber who specializes in repairing pipes that break when they freeze!