Infrared technician looks at buildings in different light

Walking into the office on the main floor of a large multi-use building with a camera strung over his neck, within seconds staff are heading for the doors. These people know the guy with the infrared camera is coming today and they're not sure what he can and can't see with this device. "They think we can see through walls," chuckles Grant Eliuk, owner of Spectrum Infrared Ltd.

"Ten years ago people would wonder if it was a fad tool that comes and goes. It is not."

While the infrared camera can't see through walls, it can detect different intensities of light and wave length. In fact, infrared technology is used in dozens of different forms from medical applications to building maintenance. "What we do is look for heat," Eliuk said of his building applications. "We look for missing insulation, wet insulation, moisture inside a wall, mould issues, energy loss and heat leakage from roofs." The equipment can also be used to look at electrical systems to check for potentially hazardous situations such as overloaded wires.

The technology has been around for years but it hasn't been until recently that industry and government have accepted infrared as a legitimate tool for building maintenance. "Ten years ago people would wonder if it was a fad tool that comes and goes," Eliuk said. "It is not."

The proof work as an infrared technician is legitimate comes from Eliuk's 13 years being certified with the technology. And like any job, it comes with its highs and lows. "The best part of the job is when you do a good job, people are really appreciative and really thankful and they pay you. I've never had a better job."

There is a down-side, though. "The worst part is the awesome hours," joked Eliuk who is also a journeyman glazier. "You have to do lots of roof applications at night and jump into electrical. You're working day and night and your clock gets messed up. You've got to be really organized." Regardless of when the work occurs, Eliuk has to go to the building, take his pictures with the camera, go back to his office to process the images, examine the images and then write a report for the client.

Before being able to undertake such tasks, infrared technicians complete intensive training offered through private educators. The cost is steep and the learning intensive, Eliuk said. "It's a smoker of a course. If you don't have a handle on it by the third day, you're about done. It's a science. There's a lot of physics."

Eliuk predicts the technology and the need for technicians will continue to grow over the years. He has the following advice for anyone considering this type of work: "Stick to your physics and science courses in school, it would make it a lot easier. There will be job opportunities in the future."