IR Non-contact Thermometers and paranormal investigations. Do they have a place?
So many groups carry these little devices around, I’m sure to get flogged for the following, but, it’s based on fact, which is, after all, what the serious investigator is attempting to gather.
It is common knowledge that paranormal activity can generate those proverbial “cold spots”. Reigning theory being an “entity” is absorbing energy from the atmosphere, which in turn has an effect on the medium (no pun intended) in which it is targeting to attain this energy. It it’s your batteries, they go dead. If it’s the air itself, a marked temperature drop is noticed, tactically and instrumentally. Therein lies the problem.
A non-contact IR thermometer uses an Infra Red beam to calculate the temperature of a *surface* it is aimed at. It has been tested time and time again, by many inquisitive investigators, myself included, and these devices do NOT measure the temperature of the air unless there is no target to land on, which usually means straight up into an empty sky. In these rare instances, they give an unreliable reading that is an ever-changing average, because they are not designed to measure ambient air. If a surface is not targeted, they freak out. These devices have a very long range, so it’s almost impossible to aim and not hit a surface, unless you have a very long sight distance (mountain range?), or are aiming into the open sky. The plain ol’ truth – IR NC Thermometers simply do not detect ambient air temperature, or changes thereof. If you aim for a “cold spot” 5 feet in front of you in open space, the temperature reading you receive will actually be the wall, counter, window, or whatever surface is directly in your line of fire past the intended target. The cold spot will not equate into the reported temperature at all, even if you hit it dead-center. To prove the presence of a cold spot, they are almost useless. I won’t go into how they work technically (unless you ask me), but the surface heat radiation of the IR beams target quickly negates any other temperatures they pass through on the way TO the target.
They are designed like this for a reason. They are used to measure hard-to-get temperatures from objects like moving conveyors, live electrical contacts, steam releases, in-use CPUs, and other dangerous or hard to reach places. I myself use one routinely to check for computer processor overheating. A technician using an IR doesn’t have to subtract for ambient air, or take it into account at all, because it only reports the surface infra rad radiation of the target. If you want a more in-depth look at how IR Thermometers work, take a look here – “All About IR Thermometers”.
So, should you throw this device out of your gear bag? By no means. I have still found many legitimate uses during an investigation. Since they are designed for, and excel at, reporting the surface temperature of almost anything, I find them quite useful checking for drafts (via cold surfaces caused by the air entry / exit point), window vs. wall temperature, and other “control” uses, and even to sustain that a cold spot (detected with, what you should use, an ambient air thermometer) is not caused by some surrounding colder surface or object. I have come to think of mine as the “poor man’s FLIR”. I don’t have 10 grand to buy a true thermal imaging system, but used correctly, the IR NC Thermometer can provide a somewhat similar function. Just not as cool. I’m still on the prowl for an affordable FLIR cam, though. I’m not crazy, you know.
So, I shot down one of your favorite toys. “What do I use then?” I use a couple of different ambient air thermometers which are extremely quick, very portable, and even have probes so you can get *very* specific on where you probe. Take my word for it…get one. Or three. You will actually enjoy using these devices much more after incorporating into your routine. There’s nothing like outlining a cold spot instantly, removing all the guess work. Come on…you know you had your doubts before when using your IR NC. “Am I really getting the air temperature, or that bucket my laser pointer is illuminating over there? How can I be sure?”. Now, you can.
Here are a couple I use (they’re cheaper than an IR, too…):
http://store.ghost-mart.com/ir12.html
http://www.tequipment.net/Extech392085.asp?gclid=CPva4JaY1pYCFRlRagodpSZ23A
There are even models that store data and can be retrieved or handed off directly to a computer via USB port. How cool is that?
The IR Non-contact surface thermometer will always be a first-line tool of the non-serious investigator who simply like to find cold spots all over the place, ignoring the fact that the temperature change is due to the difference in a wall vs. window or metal surface, even an AC vent, and not actually due to “Uncle Ned’s return from beyond”. Be a responsible investigator. Use the device, but use it correctly.
Happy cold-spot hunting!