We detect and document roof moisture with infrared thermography

Why use Infrared Thermography on Flat Roofs?

Infrared imaging is a proven method for identifying and defining moisture problems in your flat roof. This will enable you to develop a more sophisticated roof asset management program, make more informed decisions regarding roof budgets and will help you plan repairs.

As water enters your roof through the waterproofing layer(s) by tears, cuts, poorly sealed penetrations, failed flashings and caps, the insulation below can become laden with water and trapped in the roof substrate. If left in disrepair, the concrete deck absorbs or traps water, the wood deck rots. The metal deck rusts, and water intrudes into the building's interior. Infrared thermography is useful in locating these moisture intrusions.

These infrared images show the thermal signatures of trapped moisture beneath  a roofs waterproofing layer.

By using infrared thermography, an Infrared Imaging Services roof inspection will find the trapped moisture and mark the wet areas so that repairs can be made surgically. This can save you money because the entire roof may not have to replace! By marking paint directly on the roof, repair areas can be seen by anyone standing on the roofs after the survey is performed.

Here’s how a infrared roof scan works...

During the day, the sun radiates energy onto the roof and into the roof substrate, and then at night, the roof radiates the heat back into outer space. This is called radiational cooling. Areas of the roof that are of a higher mass (wet) retain this heat longer than that of the lower mass (dry) areas. Infrared imagers can detect this heat and “see” the warmer, higher mass areas, during the “window” of uneven heat dissipation. Heat loss and other IR services can be performed at the same time. 

By using the information generated by a RoofScanIR report, the owner's roofing professional can recommend cost-effective removal and replacement of wet components. Problem areas can now be corrected without the tremendous expense of replacing the entire roof.

Why RoofScanIR™?

We create detailed, professional reports documenting the entrained roof moisture. We designed the infrared reports so that Roof Professionals will be able to use the information to verify the wet areas and write specifications to repair the roof.

Visible light reference image	Infrared image

Infrared Imaging Services will scan an entire roof surface economically to reveal latent defects. If you are an investor, seller, roofing company, facilities or property manager, finding moisture or heat loss problems in a roof is an important aspect when considering maintenance requirements and building value.

Aerial Infrared Service Available!

To learn more, please click on the image

Yellow /orange color is trapped moisture

Wouldn’t you want to know the condition of your roof? The results of an infrared thermographic roof survey can save you thousands of dollars in unexpected roof repairs on a new building purchase or to confirm the integrity of a roof prior to a sale.

Solar panel arrays require Infrared roof scan to ensure the mounting substrate is in good condition

Thinking of installing solar panels? A pre installation Infrared roof scan is required to detect moisture and other latent defects when the panel array is to be mounted on a flat roof, as is the case on most commercial buildings. The life expectancy of a PV solar panel array can be is 15-20 years, if the roof has a latent moisture problem it may require the removal of the array to repair the roof just a few years after installation or even sooner. Removing the solar panels to fix the roof will add significant cost to the roof repair, loss of power/revenues for the building owner and possible problems maintaining the panels’ warranty, if they aren’t damaged in the removal process.

An Infrared roof survey can help you to plan and forecast repair expenses on an existing building, or commission a roof prior to the roof warranty expiring.

Roofing companies use infrared to quickly find and document the location of reported leaks saving many man hours of searching. A roof scan can find leaks which haven’t yet penetrated the decking to cause damage within the occupied spaces. These future leaks can now be identified, documented and proposals for repair can be given to the building management.

Waterlogged insulation which adds dangerous excess weight and increases energy loss due to the reduction of the insulation’s “R” value is also visible during the infrared roof inspection. Knowing the location and quantity of saturated insulation prior to interior water penetration, creates the opportunity to pre-plan and budget these repairs, before any damage is done to property, people and equipment.

If you are responsible for the care and maintenance of a building roof, knowing the condition of your roof is important. Adding an annual or semi- annual Infrared roof inspection to your roof asset management program is one of the best and most cost effective things you can do to increase the life of the roof, minimize loss and maximize profits.

We are a member in good standing of United Infrared featuring RoofScanIR™