Rent or buy: thermal camera, borescope or moisture meter
If you've got one leak to find, renting a tool for a day sounds sensible. Sometimes it is. But home problems rarely get checked only once, and the day you rent isn't always the day the problem shows.
Short answer
Rent if it's a single job, a rental desk near you actually stocks the tool, and you can finish in a day. Buy if you'll check again — after a repair, next winter, before you buy a house. Before you decide, ask the rental desk for the day rate, the deposit and any damage-waiver fee, and compare that with the price on our product page.
When renting makes sense
- One job, with a clear start and finish — for example, a single drain you want to look down before calling a plumber.
- You need a tool we don't sell, such as a long sewer camera.
- The rental desk near you has it in stock today. Stock varies a lot from store to store, and many tool rental counters don't carry thermal cameras or small scopes at all, so call before you go.
When buying makes sense
- You'll want to check again. After a leak is fixed, the wall needs a second look days or weeks later to confirm it's drying. A rental is back at the store by then.
- The problem depends on the weather. A thermal camera shows drafts and missing insulation best when it's at least 18 °F (10 °C) warmer or colder outside than inside. If the day you rent is mild, the problem may not show.
- Seasonal checks. Drafts before winter, radiators and floor heating when the heating comes on, air conditioning before summer, the attic after a storm.
- House hunting. You'll want the same tools at every viewing — see the home inspection checklist.
- More than one job. The same thermal camera finds leaks, drafts, hot outlets and radiant floor loops; the same scope looks into walls, drains and engines.
Where to rent a thermal camera
- A home improvement store's tool rental desk. Stock varies a lot from store to store, so call before you go.
- A company that rents test equipment. These rent professional handheld cameras by the day or the week, and some will ship one to you. Allow for delivery in your dates.
What to ask before you rent
- Which model is it, and what's its thermal sensor? That number, such as 160×120 or 256×192, sets how much detail you'll get. An enhanced number on the box isn't the same thing.
- Is it in stock today, and can you hold it for me?
- How do I get the pictures off it before I return it?
- Is it charged, and does it come with a charger?
- What are the day rate, the deposit, the damage waiver and the late fee?
Make the most of a rental day
- Pick the day by the weather. You want at least 18 °F (10 °C) between inside and outside.
- Run the heating or the AC for a few hours before you start, so walls have time to show a difference.
- List what to check before you pick it up: outside walls, ceilings under the roof, around windows and doors, the wall behind the shower, the electrical panel.
- Take a picture of every problem and note which room it's in. The camera goes back, but the pictures are what you'll show a contractor.
Not sure what to rent or buy first? See thermal camera, moisture meter or inspection camera.
Costs of renting that are easy to forget
- A deposit, and often a damage-waiver fee on top of the day rate.
- Two trips: one to pick it up, one to bring it back on time.
- A deadline. Late returns usually cost another day.
- Learning a different tool each time you rent.
Rent or buy, by tool
| Tool | Rent if… | Buy if… |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal camera | You need a high-end handheld for a one-off survey | You'll check leaks, drafts, insulation or outlets more than once — phone thermal cameras |
| Inspection camera (borescope) | You need a long or motorized sewer camera | Your jobs are within 1 m: walls, sinks, drains, engines — articulating borescope |
| Moisture meter | You need a pro meter with special scales for one job | You're tracing a leak and want to check it has dried — pinless moisture meter |
