[eKretz]

Added some fresh RV antifreeze ballast and decided to see where 8 gallons a tire got me. Looks like almost exactly half full. Tires are 26-12-12 HDAPs.

Shaded side:

Sunny side:

 

[slow wrench]

Great tool,i always thought that would be a great tool to detect roof leaks,through ceilings.Insulation can hold a lot of water,and not show a leak for years.Another MTF member uses Lazer temp gauge, to find fill height, in tires.I think it would also detect leaks through ceiling.

 

[eKretz]

Yeah they're really handy. Can see all sorts of things you'd never have thought...

Think there might be something living in this tree?

Or to heck with regular stud finders:

Night vision (picture taken in pitch black night):

They are awesome for finding roof leaks, or a misfiring engine cylinder, or a short, or... all kinds of things.

 

[slow wrench]

So this is some kind of camera,that can take pictures ?

 

[eKretz]

Yes, a thermal camera. It basically contains a sensor that is like those little contactless thermometers, except instead of one temperature sensing point, it has thousands, and from all those temperature readings it constructs a digital picture with the temperatures displayed on a color scale or in grayscale. The sensor picks up on longwave infrared. The hotter something is, the more LWIR it emits. Same type of tech the military uses for surveillance/reconnaisance except this particular camera can measure temperature very precisely as well. My camera is a FLIR E40, but they make lower cost versions these days that can be attached to mobile phones.

So for instance I can go back to any photo I've taken with the camera and pick out any point I'd like to know the temperature of and it will tell me. So in this particular photo there's a difference of about 2.6° between the liquid-filled part of the tire and the air-filled part.

 

[slow wrench]

Looked at them on Amazon,had no idea,how far the technology advanced.

 

[TUDOR]

Impressive!! There have been more than a few times when I've wished for a camera that could do that kind of thing, especially where the insulation needs improving in the walls.

If you have the patience, a frosty spring morning will also tell exactly where the fill level is, and for a whole lot less money. A digital IR thermometer is not as precise but it will show the level within a 2" range.

BTW, you need another 5 gallons in that tire for a full ballast load.

 

[Obscured_by_Clouds]

OP isn't really telling us much about the device, cost, how to get, etc.

 

[Flaken]

The FLIR E40 is discontinued, but originally retailed for around $3,000. The model that replaced it can be obtained for $7,400. One can find them on eBay for around $750. The newer inserts for smartphones can be found for around $300-400.

They are great diagnostic tool in the industry, but the use of it is quite limited outside of the industry.

A great place for just about every test type tool:
FLIR E75-42-KIT Advanced Thermal Imaging Camera with MSX and UltraMax Technologies, 42° Lens and FLIR Tools+, 320 x 240, 30 Hz - at the Test Equipment Depot

 

[eKretz]

Tudor, yup I know I'm low on fluid level. Bought all they had; need to go back when they restock. And yup, the condensation method works just fine, as long a you don't need to know "right now." So does quickly touching your hand to or spraying water on an exhaust manifold to check for a dead engine cylinder. Glad I don't need to do that anymore either!

I disagree with the assertion that these thermal cameras aren't very useful outside of "the industry" (Which industry? You didn't specify). I have used mine for all sorts of things. Would I spend $3k+ on one? No. I got mine for the huge sum of $75 from a guy who had it lying around in a closet because it didn't work. Then I fixed it. It had a blown BJT (transistor) in the power circuit. Then I modded it to work exactly like a FLIR E60 (higher resolution image, better video capability, more measurements, etc.) with even more features than those came with by tweaking the firmware code.

However, there are also many lower cost ones out there now, as I mentioned. I've seen plenty for sale on the secondhand market for less than $300, and if you're patient, many could probably be obtained for far less.

Whoever wants to complain about the Photobucket ad B.S. can feel free to donate to the cause BTW, I don't mind.

 

[Tractor-Holic]

Some members on another forum I belong to, have warned that some RV Antifreeze sold by Walmart under their "store brand" has frozen and ruined thousands of dollars worth of plumbing in seasonal cabins one member used it in,and a lot of RV forums have also noted the stuff was defective and did not protect their expensive campers plumbing systems..

So beware!..

 

[eKretz]

Some members on another forum I belong to, have warned that some RV Antifreeze sold by Walmart under their "store brand" has frozen and ruined thousands of dollars worth of plumbing in seasonal cabins one member used it in,and a lot of RV forums have also noted the stuff was defective and did not protect their expensive campers plumbing systems..

So beware!..

Interesting and somewhat disconcerting, as that's where I got mine. Got a link? This stuff said on the bottle it won't freeze solid down to -50° F - hopefully they're not F.O.S. - although it's exceedingly rare to reach anywhere near that low of a temp around here, (northwest IN) it does happen every now and again.

 

[TUDOR]

Tudor, yup I know I'm low on fluid level. Bought all they had; need to go back when they restock. And yup, the condensation method works just fine, as long a you don't need to know "right now."

The fastest and easiest way to check on the fluid level is to measure from the ground up to the top of the rim with a tape measure after the tire is installed with a full load of fluid at the correct pressure.

With that base line measurement, any fluid leakage shows as less tire pressure and is quite noticeable on the tape.

For a 26x12-12 tire, about 1/4" per 1 psi.

 

[eKretz]

Good tip Tudor. I took a thin plastic water bottle full of the antifreeze and stuck it in my freezer tonight. We'll see if it's any good or not. If it doesn't do any worse than slush at 0° F that should be good enough for my area.

 

[eKretz]

Well 24 hours later and it's a slush but it's consistency is still pretty soft. I think it will be fine in the tractor tires. I would probably use something else for pipes though, personally.

 

[eKretz]

Also, definitely couldn't fit 5 more gallons in. Got about 3 more gallons in each before the level was up to the valve stem, for a total of 11 gallons per tire.