Thermal Imaging Scans for High-Risk Properties
Thermal imaging isn’t something we run over every property, and we don’t think it should be sold that way. It’s a diagnostic tool, and it earns its place in specific situations: when a property carries known risk, when a standard inspection turns up something that warrants a closer look, where termites have been active before, and when we want a recorded picture of conditions before and after a treatment. Our technicians use a FLIR E8 Pro thermal imaging camera, and every scan is carried out alongside a complete visual termite inspection, in Darwin, Palmerston and across the Top End.
When To Use It
When a Thermal Scan Is Worth It
Where a property’s risk is high, a thermal scan covers ground a visual inspection alone can’t. We recommend one in four situations.
High-risk properties
Older homes, properties with a history of moisture problems, timber sub-floors, heavy landscaping against the slab, or homes in areas of known termite pressure.
When an inspection raises a question
A sounding that doesn't sit right, a damp reading with no obvious source, damage without an obvious entry point. A thermal scan is one of the ways we follow that up, rather than leaving it as a note on a report.
Properties with previous termite activity
Once a property has had termites, it stays on the watch list. A thermal scan gives us a far more thorough look at the areas that were affected, and at whether conditions there have changed.
Before and after treatment
We scan before a treatment and again at the follow-up inspection after 30 days, so there's a recorded comparison of the thermal and moisture conditions at the treated areas, rather than just a verbal assurance that the job worked. It's evidence you keep.
The local advantage
What Thermal Imaging Shows in a Top End Home
A thermal camera measures the heat coming off a surface and turns it into an image. It reads the surface only: it is not an X-ray, and it does not look inside a wall. What it picks up is the effect of what’s behind that surface.
Darwin's heat works in our favour
We look for cool spots, not hot ones
Termite workings hold moisture, and damp timber reads at a different temperature from the dry timber around it, usually cooler. The camera shows that as an area reading differently from everything around it. That anomaly is a reason to look closer, not a diagnosis.
The technician works out what it means
Leaks, insulation gaps and plumbing leave their own signatures too, so a thermal reading is never the final word. Our technicians follow up with other equipment, such as the Termatrac's moisture meter, before drawing any conclusion.
Deliverables
What You Get With a Thermal Scan
A full visual termite inspection and a thermal scan, in the one visit.
The full visual inspection, every time
The scan is carried out on top of a complete visual termite inspection, never instead of it: interior and exterior, sub-floor, roof voids, and the perimeter and garden timbers.
Time taken to do it properly
A thermal inspection takes an hour and a half to an hour and three quarters, depending on the size of the property. We can scan a whole room quickly, and we take the time to follow up anything that reads differently.
Side-by-side images in your report
Anything the camera picks up is recorded with a thermal image and a normal photo of the same area, side by side, so you can see exactly where the anomaly sits.
Your report within 24 to 48 hours
Findings go into a detailed written report within 24 to 48 hours. We don't guess on the day: we confirm what we're looking at first.
Termite Inspection Options
The thermal scan doesn’t replace any part of the visual inspection: it’s carried out on top of it. You’re paying for the additional time on site and the equipment, not for a different inspection.
Visual Termite Inspection
Rural areas may incur a small additional travel and access charge. Remote areas require a custom quote.
Pre-Purchase Termite Inspection
Rural areas may incur a small additional travel and access charge. Remote areas require a custom quote.
Termite Inspection + Thermal Scan
Rural areas may incur a small additional travel and access charge. Remote areas require a custom quote.
Pre-Purchase Termite Inspection + Thermal Scan
Rural areas may incur a small additional travel and access charge. Remote areas require a custom quote.
Buying a Property? This Is Where It Pays
A pre-purchase inspection is the one time you get to look at a property before it becomes your problem. You’re making the biggest purchase of your life on the strength of one visit, and standard home insurance generally excludes termite damage. Our pre-purchase termite inspection comes with a written report to AS 4349.3 you can take to settlement, and adding a thermal scan gives that single visit more depth, particularly in older homes, properties with a timber sub-floor, and anywhere recently renovated or freshly painted.
Thermal Imaging Questions
Does thermal imaging detect termites?
Can a thermal camera see through walls?
Is thermal imaging included in a standard termite inspection?
Can I add a thermal scan to my termite inspection?
How should I prepare my home for a thermal scan?
What does a before-and-after thermal scan tell me?
Is a thermal imaging scan invasive?
Can a thermal scan replace a physical termite inspection?
What can stop a thermal scan from working well?
Get a Closer Look Before It Costs You
When a property carries risk, a visual inspection on its own can leave questions. A thermal scan alongside it covers ground the eye alone can’t, and gives you a recorded picture of conditions you can keep. Talk to us about whether your property is one where it’s worth adding.