Question about "cold spots" ?

Question

Since infrared thermometercan can only measure surface temperatures, not air, what good are they for measuring a "cold spot"?

Answer 1

An infrared can detect a cold spot as well, it will show up blue in color as to when their is heat, it's usually a reddish-orange color.

Yes a couch can be measured as well. If you ever watched Ghost Hunters, there was an episode where Grant was using the thermal camera and focused in a living room where he believed he had seen a shadow. When he directed the thermal cam toward the couch, there was a semi imprint of legs and a what seemed to be some of the torso area, it showed up blue in the camera. Further testing showed that none of them could have done it, because when they sat next to that spot and got up, the camera picked it up but in the red-orange color because of their body heat. No human could have made the blue imprint,

Answer 2

It is just so cool to document a cold spot and believe it to be a ghost.

Any other explanation is just too boring.  

Answer 3

Cold spots will indeed show up on thermal if there is a static warm background, such as a wall displaying evenly warm. A cold spot will show as a blue ball floating across it, even if it is no where near the wall.

Answer 4

And what does a cold spot tell you anyway?

You have a draught? Your insulation is not very good? You are standing too close to the air conditioner? You left the door of your fridge open?

Answer 5

if the "cold spot" is near a wall, piece of furniture, etc then it will cool whatever it touches... hence the usefulness of infrared